That version of CP/M had some strings altered. The original error string was "CAN'T FIND Z80 SOFTCARD", and the original copyright string was "(C) 1982 Microsoft".
Yeah, googled the error, it was mentioned on groups.google.com/g/comp.sys.apple2/c/KKUuO_vMs7U : "I still get "CAN'T FIND Z80 SOFTCARD" (or, in the hack, "CAN'T FIND STUPID CARD.""
I had The Lazer 128 simular to the one featured on this video but it wasn't the EX, thank you for doing a vid on this computer it was totally underrated and it brought back some good ole memories from my youth
I remember back in elementary school in the mid 80's. The classroom I was in had 3 Apple IIGS's. The teacher got a copy of Jeopardy! for the Apple II. When it was running it was discovered that it was running too fast. We couldn't type the answere fast enough before the timer ran out. So two of those IIGS's the speed was slowed down to make that game playable. Great videos keep up the good work.
I keep a jar of plastic slurry for things like this (broken lid.) Just a glass jar with a screw-on top. Fill it with some acetone, drop in some generic beige plastic parts (broken CD tray, keycaps, etc.) After a couple days, it’ll be soup. It will off-gas the acetone and at some point turn solid. No worries. Reconstitute and carry on. I have been trying to fix the front of a 3.5” floppy drive that needed some TLC. Trying to put the flap back in the two retaining slots requires bending the flap, which has resulted in it snapping three times now. Apply plastic weld with Q-tip, smoosh parts back together, hold for a minute, set it aside for a day. Use an Xacto knife to trim off the splooge, sand with progressive grits, looks almost good as new! (Minus texture.)
If I remember the Apple joystick right (or at least the paddles), it uses a software loop to determine how long it takes a bit to flip. This was how Woz was able to avoid using an expensive A/D converter. He used software to count how long it took an R/C circuit to discharge and flip a bit. So a higher speed CPU would screw this all up.
Not quite... the only thing you got wrong is you read a memory location to _discharge_ the capacitor and count how long it takes to _charge_ (not the other way around). You're also right in that the faster CPU speed would screw up most paddle games unless you modified the game, or unless VTech had the foresight to modify the built-in PREAD function to take CPU speed into account.
@@Rudofaux Yeah, could have gone on: "have you even plugged the goddamn thing"? But back then you didn't want to waste resources with lots of text, right?
The expansion port on the Laser 128 is *mostly* Apple II compatible, but is really meant to be used with the expansion box. They put the slot 5 enable on an unused pin, and the expansion box routes it to the right place for 5. Without the box, only slot 7 will be properly enabled, as you discovered.
The Apple I/II and Laser clones were a series of computers I missed in my childhood to the point I didn't even know they existed until I watched your channel. Lots of great history here how they tried to clone the Apple II line and did a decent job of it too I might add. I did know about Apple, but only starting with the Apple Mac Classic and up.
Whoa, nice screen capturing! In some ways I like the aesthetic of seeing your screen and your fingers together, but it’s certainly much easier to show the things like the colour fringing and stuff, and the graphics are really crisp.
I also have that Applied Engineering Z-80 Plus card. There is a version of CP/M made specifically for the card called CP/AM that you should be able to find online.
I might be mistaken but I believe the founder of Applied Engineering is discussing the old days in one of the main Apple II groups on Facebook. If not, it's the founder of another 3rd Party company that made Z-80 cards for the Apple II that was founded by a former Apple employee with Woz's financial assistance.
I love the fact that you keep some of the retro tech going there Adrian. Never saw the Laser series computers but most of the others you have on your channel. I did a quick search on ROMs for the laser and found one that is a latter version that someone copied off of a 128ex/2. I did download it unless you have already found it. Good luck on getting it to do more things.
I'm envious. I always wanted a CPM card but never had one. :) You're making me want to dig my Laser 128EX out of storage. I still run some of my old Apple 2 games in emulation, but hearing those disk drive noises is making me feel nostalgic.
The "booti" card is da bomb. I recently got one, you will LOVE it! I stopped using my FloppyEMU. It is the affordable solution most of us are looking for. It takes standard USB flash drives with standard windows FAT32 filesystem and allows you to attach any prodos ordered (.po) disk image to the Apple II. Just make/edit .po disk images on a PC using CiderPress, chuck them on the USB, and attach via the booti's configuration menu. You can even attach multiple images at the same time! 32MB .po for booting GS/OS 6.0.2? No problem! $60? No brainer!
If the CPU is a WD65C02. The reason some programs may lock up or reboot may be because some programs may be using the undocumented op-codes in the MOS 6502 that are unsupported on the WD65C02..
As I recall, the 65C02 had 10 extra instructions over the 6502...maybe WD/Rockwell (the two companies that made the 65C02) just documented some hidden instructions? The //c and the Enhanced //e also reintroduced the mini assembler that was in the original Apple ][ ROM's, and didn't make the cut in the ][+/ original //e ROM's. You can tell an Enhanced //e in two ways: the boot screen shows "Apple //e" (instead of "Apple ][") on the boot screen, and if you enter the system monitor, and type "!" at the * prompt, you get the ! prompt (and are in the mini assembler). You can enter assembly language directly in that prompt, but it's a little lame in that it doesn't take mnemonics (unlike a nice software assembler!)
Such a fascinating machine and amazing degree of compatibility. The 40/80 column implementation seems to be a direct result of the clean room reverse engineering. Neat stuff. The "turbo" modes are pretty mindblowing as well, going up to 300% performance no less.
I've seen a CP/M card in a IIc. It had to connect so that it piggybacked off the IIc's CPU socket, and sat right behind the keyboard's PCB. This particular IIc was also configured with the Dvorak keyboard layout. We also had a few of the Laser 128's in our middle school. Not sure if they were the EX version, though. They did have the expansion unit which gave a cage for the slot 5 and 7 cards. The school had a mix of Platinum IIe's and Laser 128's all networked together so they could share one hard drive, which was connected to a IIgs that was configured as the server. Talking about the UniDisk 3.5 reminds me that they did make a Superdrive card for the IIe and IIgs that let you use a high density drive on them. Haven't seen one in person, but did see them in an Apple catalog sometime around the end of the IIe's life span.
Yes IIRC Total Replay will run at full system speed in it's menu but will lower the speed down in games so they work correctly. This was done to support an Apple IIgs that's set to it's fast system speed so you don't have to keep going into Control Panel to switch it back and forth.
@@adriansdigitalbasement The technical reference manual mentions that address $C074 is used to control the speed. It uses bit 7 and 6. 00 and 01 are 1mhz, 10 is 2.3, and 11 is 3.6 mhz. I'd also make a guess that the crash issues you experienced are related to some sort of timing issue between the CPU and the rest of the system. The CPU actually slows down when it accesses various parts of the system to maintain compatibility. I found the technical reference manual here:www.apple.asimov.net/documentation/hardware/machines/Laser%20128%20Series%20Technical%20Reference%20Manual.pdf
Fyi: a good way to repair plastic like that is to pin it in place. First glue it with something like epoxy or crazy glue. Then get some thin graphite fiber rod from the hobby shop. Drill one or more small holes though the part across the break such that the graphite rod fits snugly then glue it in place. (Generally you need a drill press, doing it by hand usually ends up with a mess) Graphite rod is crazy strong and and makes a great reinforcement. A similar repair can be dobe on the little doors that use little nibs of plastic as higes when the little nibs break or wear off. Drill a hole though,cpress a piece of appropriately sized graphite rod in place and your good to go.
I always knew the Lasers were out there back in the day but I had no idea they were so affordable vs. the actual Apple II.. That plus all of the added hardware functionality made this a killer deal. My Dad also got me a //c in 1985 and spent at least double that!
The 3.whatever mhz. clock speed of the later Apple II machines (and clone!) always made me a little envious as a C64 user. Yes we had a greater software library but subLogic's flight simulators, etc., all seemed to run so smooth compared to my 64!
Check out the videos on TH-cam of Flight Simulator II and Karateka running on an Atari 8-bit computer with a 65816 upgrade to see how fast those games can play...
23:00 - if the ABS plastic welding is not an option, maybe you could try CA glue+baking soda. Look it up, it gives a lot of structural strenght and you can use it on surfaces that are not visible.
So I was looking at bit more at the tab -- sadly that specific broken part is what clamps onto the lower section of the case, so it needs to fit perfectly over this ridge in the lower section. Meaning when I glue it, it cannot have any glue "oozing" from the crack, even on the underside. I think the ABS welding is going to be my only option.... I would normally try to reinforce it with some extra ABS but unless I do it on the OUTSIDE it won't be possible. What a pain!!
@@adriansdigitalbasement Ohh, I see, that's bad news. Good luck on fixing it! By the way, did you find the CA glue+baking soda trick? It might be useful in the future. Cheers!
I had this machine when I was a kid and it was so much fun to read the Apple magazines and to type in the programs that were in there some were really boring and irrelevant and somewhere really awesome. And one of the Apple magazines there was a voice synthesizer and I typed that program in and it actually ran really good
Around the 9.00 mark I thought you were doing a dance party! Joke aside, when you used Dazzler Draw in the highest speed I notice it wasn't doing the flood fills correctly, it was not filling some area's. Anyway, another fun video even though I'm not a huge Apple fan..Paul..
@@sittingstill3578 Whilst I agree I should have used a colon I find your reply a bit confrontational..I don't think the mistake needed that tone..Relax...
@@Mclaneinc I was just trying to help. I enjoy finding time stamps in comments so I can see what others have enjoyed. As a result I try to clarify how this works for folks for the enjoyment of everyone. Thanks for sharing the reference!
On the slot 5 vs slot7 issue, the expansion connector is prewired as you say to be physically slot 7. Two connections not normally used for slot 7 on an apple2 contain the select pins for slot5 and are routed to the secondary slot in the expansion box. I used my original laser 128 as a high school student in the 1990s with an AE Phasor in the side slot, and it always appeared as 7. Also, the cp/m card may give you a hard time on this machine due to DMA timing needs since the card relies on the apple/laser computer's ram to operate, especially if you're not running at 1mhz. I never tried it with a softcard style cp/m card. However, an applicard style cp/m card should work at any speed, as I use mine with a IIgs at full speed and my IIe with a transwarp at 3.6mhz. :) Last, try finding an AE cp/m disk, as it might take advantage of some hidden things on the AE card.
This is the computer I had when I was a kid and we spent hours reading magazines and typing in programs. All the Apple magazines of the day had basic programs in there
I can say that when we got our IIGS in 1986 we couldn't get a 3.5" drive... They weren't available yet. Instead we got a Unidisk 3.5" which wouldn't play some games and was a little slower. I mowed lawns all summer just to buy a $385 3.5" drive to play Bard Tale.
the other computer was jealous and the cover fell out of spite and anger because you were paying too much attention to the laser hahaha, it was like "that's not even a real apple!!" hahahaha.
I was thinking the same thing. It felt bad when he started playing with the 128. But when he opened up the real Apple II and took a card out of it to put in the 128? "That sir, is taking it too far!" LOL
Just a minor clarification but on the IBM PC and compatibles, games written for AT and later PC and compatibles check the CPU and adjust their speed but not games written for the IBM 5150 or XT (or compatibles wit the same CPU) as they just assumed the clock speed was 4.77 MHz as that was the only CPU speed option at the time on those machines. That is why latter PC compatible machines include the misnamed Turbo button, which contrary to its name does not speed up the machine when pushed but rather slows it down to 4.77 MHz so older games assuming the speed will run at the correct speed. I’m sure the namer of the turbo button might argue that Turbo mode is on default on those machines so pushing the button deactivates the mode thus the button is not misnamed but I’d argue it’s still confusing in that case regardless.
Even more confusing, while most turbo buttons slowed it down when pushed in, a minority of them were the other way around, slow until you push it in. In which case they’re more in line with the name and thus in some ways less confusing, but since the operation is opposite on most machines as you say, that makes it more confusing overall because people don’t expect pushing it in to make it faster.
There was an Applied Engineering Z-80 1 Megabyte card I had for the Apple IIc that was mounted internally. Lots of bank switched memory and when using assembly language.
23:00 I can't speak to it myself, but I've heard other people mention plastic revitalizers/rejuvinators/conditioners that help with old, brittle plastic like this to help restore some of their elasticity to that they don't just snap apart like that. The comments I've seen say that it works in a lot of cases. What exactly the product is that you use, I can't say for sure, but Google will likely point you in the right direction.
Alot of games, to prevent tearing, frame lock using a vertical sync function (not sure that 6502 has it, but the 6809 does), and in those cases, regardless of speed of the processor, the game will always run at the same speed (although faster speeds will make it run a bit smoother).
Yeah the Apple natively doesn't have any kind of vertical interrupt available for that. I think the mouse hardware does but it's definitely not stock on any Apple II. :-(
The 6809 was such a superior processor to the 6502! I enjoyed programming assembly language on my Color Computer 3 a lot, not that I really did anything useful.
@@Starchface It definitely was but Motorola wouldn't license it as loosely as the MOS 6502 had been so it never reached the same level of success. Look at the Atari Lynx released in 1989. It has a 6502 because Motorola wouldn't grant a similar license to Epyx/Atari Corp offering customization of the 6809 - and the 68000 too for that matter - as was available for the 6502 from the start.
Gotta wonder how well the AppleWorks spreadsheet works at 3+ MHz. I recall building some sheets which took a while to run on a stock Apple //e (decades ago, of course). The higher speed would've been really nice. WRT copying floppies, might wanna try running the Laser at a higher clock rate. The Apple //e had difficulty running terminal programs. It worked just fine when everything fit on the screen but, when the screen had to scroll, it was not uncommon to lose the first couple characters because scrolling the screen ate several milliseconds and the Apple Serial Card had 1 byte of buffering, meaning multiple characters were sent before the terminal program could check the port. I discovered this while trying to use an Apple //e as a terminal connected to an Osborne O1 (52 column screen, physically painful keyboard). I could run at 300 baud (but who wants to do that) without issue but 1200 baud lost characters when the screen scrolled. I have no experience with a //c so I can't speak to how well those worked. The fact that you could copy floppies at 115,200 on the //c means they likely had more hardware buffering on the serial ports.
You said in first video they were selling card adapter that made posible connect two cards into that side connector(for extra 50 bucks or so). Maybe thats why is slot 5 not working, as that expansion card has most likely own controller, setting one to slot 5 and second to slot 7.
We had those expansion bays in our middle school, they were pretty simple. I don't think they even had any extra chips inside, just wiring to make one slot appear as 5 and the other as 7. The Apple II expansion slots use a bus configuration to connect with the rest of the machine, which means a lot of the pins are shared between all the slots, while certain pins were used to identify specific slots.
@@evknucklehead Hm. Im assuming this machine has to diversify between two cards that could be potentionaly used and need to know which one it wants talk to. It cant use both of them at same time, so there has to be way to tell one to "shut up, im talking to other one". I guess its pin 1 and 34 on machine's connector? It leads to pin 1 on slot 5 and 7 connector...whatever it is(they are marked as SC5XX and SC7XX). It means you could make your own adapter easilly. From schematics, theres just simple power circuit thats... kind of weird. Why it needs external 10V if it can take 12V directly from machine. For diode and +5V? I let Adrian to brainstorm it, i have no clue how those Apples works.
@@cyphi474 I think it was a design choice so they wouldn't have to include a larger power supply in the Laser 128 itself. The machines were already quite cramped inside with all those expansion options built-in, and it was already much heavier and about twice as thick as the IIc. Also, in those days, the 12v rail wasn't nearly as important as it is in today's PSU's, so designers didn't make much current available on that line. As for selecting the active slot, if I remember correctly, the Address lines on the bus were used for this purpose, with each slot having a specific range of addresses associated with it. This is similar to how PCs do things even today, with a major difference being how those addresses are allocated. On the Apple II series and its clones (and a lot of other 8-bit computers) these addresses are built into the hardware itself, while modern PCs can assign those addresses as needed.
@@cyphi474 Both slots would be populated, but only one could ever be active at a given instant. The CPU can easily switch back and forth between slots as it performs its tasks, though, so it may seem like both are always active, even though in that instant they are not.
That speed issue reminds of the days with my first PC, a 80286 machine. It had a turbo switch, to switch between I believe 4.77 MHz and 16MHz. The 4.77MHz mode was for speed compatibility with older Intel systems. I remember the game digdug was unplayable in 16Mhz mode because it ran too fast. Putting the machine in 4.77MHz mode made the game run just fine.
I had a separate metal assembly that plugged into the expansion port that'd fit two Apple IIe form factor cards, so the port might have some stuff to support that. Sadly, all that was thrown away years ago...
@23:06 IF it really is ABS, use Nitro, put one drop of Nitro on the crack of either piece, wait 15 to 20 seconds. It will soften up the surface and let you glue it together without introducing foreign chemical substances. Works perfectly on lego and derivates.
It could be due to the way some games were coded an exception is generated, like for instance a divide by zero error. Could also happen due to hardware, memory not keeping up, but then dazzledraw should lock up too.
Actually the Laser 128 EX has a COMPLETELY different but compatible disk controller in slot 7. It's known as a UDC (Universal Disc Controller). VTech sold it as an add in card for the //e.
I had this machine when I was young, but I don't remember having any software issues with the faster speeds. I do remember having trouble running a few games we bought. We had this disk called "Vegas games" but one of the games (I believe it was the 2nd game on the menu) would crash no matter what we did.
The joystick doesn't work with the faster clocks because the "A/D" conversion is done by using an oscillator (I believe it's a 556) where the variable resistance changes the timing: the internal routines measure the time in cycles, and for this reason the measures for the joystick will be completely off.
The IIc has a timer-the mouse card. Nobody used it to detect the speed of the system though. Likewise the IIgs has timer hardware that can be used. Older machines … it might be possible using some trickery, but nobody did that either.
Adrian- to fix that, try Jet Glue. I've used it on C-64's and it works great. My daughter is a dancer, and she uses it on her shoes. I broke a tab off my breadbin and decided to try it, and it works!!
Hi Adrian love the channel! I use my FloppyEmu to make real Apple II disks using an un-enhanced Apple IIe. Maybe it works for me because I'm putting FloppyEmu on Disk 2? Also, there have been significant firmware upgrades, not sure how long you've had your Emu?
I’m using a FloppyEmu on slot 6 on an enhanced IIe and am able to make Apple II disks, as well. I don’t use Copy II+ for copying. I use Apple Copy or other file copy programs. Bit copiers just don’t seem to work.
@@johnhlynn9625 I think you would have good results with copying by matching program with format. So for a sector-based copier like COPYA, a .dsk, .do or .po image would be acceptable. But if you want to use a bit copier like CopyIIPlus, try a bitcell format like .nib or .woz with Floppy Emu.
What is that card called that has an SD card reader on the side? I'm interested in getting one for my Laser 128 base model. Although, the floppy drive works just fine and I don't have a notch to make a side 2 of the diskettes. Also, was there an adapter that allows you to plug in an Apple mouse and a joystick at the same time or not really? It's also amazing that you can boot from an 800KB 3.5" drive, FloppyEmu, and that card that was on the side.
The only carp with these machines was always the quality of the keyboard build. They were notorious for having larger keys (space, shift, return esp.) breaking off in ways that weren't easily fixed. The //c keyboard was much more robust.
The zx spectrum had some tricks even with the missing timer: im2 interrupts (generated with raster 50 times /second), or floating bus. Did not had something similar on the Apple 2? It's really curious for me since I had the Macintosh back then (128k), and that computer had very crappy games in comparison.
On //e and later machines, you can poll I/O location $C019 to tell when the display's in vertical-blanking, intended to help with flicker-free screen updates, but this could also be used to calibrate a timing loop for different CPU speeds by counting elapsed cycles per 60Hz field. Also, when a mouse interface "card" is present (including inbuilt ones in the //c, //GS, and Laser 128*) it can be set to trigger an actual Vsync interrupt, though the mouse firmware uses this itself, so you'd want to set the vector back after calibrating to avoid breaking that. As far as I know, no games used either method, maybe because early Apples (II, II+) didn't support it, and accelerators were uncommon, especially early in the life of the platform.
I had a Laser 128 as my first machine, my father worked for a company that sold them. Every school in my area used them as well since they were significantly cheaper than the Apple IIe and IIc. The laser 128 is a IIe clone (rom wise) in a IIc style case. The one advantage the IIc has is it's keyboard is significantly better.
Regarding the side card slot, I had an external expansion chassis that plugged into the slot so your cards would be covered and protected. You can find them on ebay from time to time.
@@MrCodyswanson Did VTech actually sell the expansion chassis or was that 3rd Party hardware? I was just thinking about that. TI sold an expansion chassis for the TI-99 4A in its latter days. Atari designed the 1090 for the XL line for the very same reason but never released it.
Can't the software detect video sync? If so, that would be a 60Hz timing source. Console video games are timed that way, so I wouldn't be surprised if some Apple games were programmed like that also.
You actually can make a floppy disk for a IIc from source on the Floppy Emu. I've done it with both ProDOS and choplifter. You should maybe look into that again... You need to have the Floppy Emu internally connected if I recall...
Even if the Laser didn't have the IWM chip for the disk drive, it still might work with the 6502 running at warp speed! Try cpm after adding the additional ram. The B version must have been sysgened for more memory.
If it's assigning different controllers to different types of drives, would it possibly work with 1 5.25" and 2 3.5" disk drives daisy chained like you could with DF1: to DF3: on an Amiga? It's just one of them thoughts that wouldn't go away, since you could technically put 2 drives on each controller.
Probably should mention Ira Zelensky (sic) and the Commodore Plus/4 since it and the later Atari XE/ST lines had similar designs because of him. [he left Commodore to join Tramiel's Atari Corp].
@@TheJeremyHolloway Yes nice design concepts !! I never had a Laser system, loved the plus/4 and st range 520 & 1040 st, always wanted a 130 XE but mostly owned 8 bit systems like 800 & 600 XL computers and spectrums ..my first system was a 6502, learnt to code was on 64 & plus/4 .. I always called it c16 plus 4 ..!! until i started coding on BBC Micros.. a nice system on z80 owned but rare was the tatung einstein very few videos .. its how i began programming back in the 1980s
was there a Laser with an integrated CP/M-card? i remember such an "all in one" model which was at least announced in magazines. (myself i have never seen that machine)
Mind giving me the model of the red Acer laptop at 33:37? I believe I used to own one of these and I might get another one to relive my old laptop days. I used to really love it, but I think that it was thrown out because of a software fault (not by me, but by my parents) I remember using a binder clip on the hinge to make it last longer because the hinge had snapped and I wanted to keep using it.
@@Luis45ccs Chip's Challenge started life as a launch title on the Atari Lynx hand-held, which itself was initially created by Epyx. (According to Wikipedia, a crude Apple version was created to demonstrate the game, though it doesn't list an Apple version as an official release.)
Adrian, your videos are never too long.
Every time RIck Astley dancing came up on the little screen, I was totally mesmerized and can't recall what you were talking about... lol
That version of CP/M had some strings altered. The original error string was "CAN'T FIND Z80 SOFTCARD", and the original copyright string was "(C) 1982 Microsoft".
Yeah, googled the error, it was mentioned on groups.google.com/g/comp.sys.apple2/c/KKUuO_vMs7U : "I still get "CAN'T FIND
Z80 SOFTCARD" (or, in the hack, "CAN'T FIND STUPID CARD.""
I had The Lazer 128 simular to the one featured on this video but it wasn't the EX, thank you for doing a vid on this computer it was totally underrated and it brought back some good ole memories from my youth
I remember back in elementary school in the mid 80's. The classroom I was in had 3 Apple IIGS's. The teacher got a copy of Jeopardy! for the Apple II. When it was running it was discovered that it was running too fast. We couldn't type the answere fast enough before the timer ran out. So two of those IIGS's the speed was slowed down to make that game playable. Great videos keep up the good work.
I keep a jar of plastic slurry for things like this (broken lid.) Just a glass jar with a screw-on top. Fill it with some acetone, drop in some generic beige plastic parts (broken CD tray, keycaps, etc.) After a couple days, it’ll be soup.
It will off-gas the acetone and at some point turn solid. No worries. Reconstitute and carry on.
I have been trying to fix the front of a 3.5” floppy drive that needed some TLC. Trying to put the flap back in the two retaining slots requires bending the flap, which has resulted in it snapping three times now.
Apply plastic weld with Q-tip, smoosh parts back together, hold for a minute, set it aside for a day. Use an Xacto knife to trim off the splooge, sand with progressive grits, looks almost good as new! (Minus texture.)
If I remember the Apple joystick right (or at least the paddles), it uses a software loop to determine how long it takes a bit to flip. This was how Woz was able to avoid using an expensive A/D converter. He used software to count how long it took an R/C circuit to discharge and flip a bit. So a higher speed CPU would screw this all up.
Not quite... the only thing you got wrong is you read a memory location to _discharge_ the capacitor and count how long it takes to _charge_ (not the other way around). You're also right in that the faster CPU speed would screw up most paddle games unless you modified the game, or unless VTech had the foresight to modify the built-in PREAD function to take CPU speed into account.
@@SpearM3064 Well... I like my solution better! 😃
The PC game port used the same technique.
@@0LoneTech And the Atari 2600 reading it's paddles.
lmao "CAN'T FIND STUPID CARD"
That made my day
Finally some common language.
@@Rudofaux Yeah, could have gone on: "have you even plugged the goddamn thing"? But back then you didn't want to waste resources with lots of text, right?
@@BilisNegra sounds about right.
Guru meditation is funnier. And, really, "Cant find stupid card" is way better than "Error number 32856"
Best error message I've ever seen since "printer is on fire"
The expansion port on the Laser 128 is *mostly* Apple II compatible, but is really meant to be used with the expansion box. They put the slot 5 enable on an unused pin, and the expansion box routes it to the right place for 5. Without the box, only slot 7 will be properly enabled, as you discovered.
Apple II have so many new cards that making testing combination of cards crazy! And it's where the fun is.
The Apple I/II and Laser clones were a series of computers I missed in my childhood to the point I didn't even know they existed until I watched your channel. Lots of great history here how they tried to clone the Apple II line and did a decent job of it too I might add. I did know about Apple, but only starting with the Apple Mac Classic and up.
Whoa, nice screen capturing! In some ways I like the aesthetic of seeing your screen and your fingers together, but it’s certainly much easier to show the things like the colour fringing and stuff, and the graphics are really crisp.
Your description and links to videos are on point... wow!😊
I also have that Applied Engineering Z-80 Plus card. There is a version of CP/M made specifically for the card called CP/AM that you should be able to find online.
I might be mistaken but I believe the founder of Applied Engineering is discussing the old days in one of the main Apple II groups on Facebook. If not, it's the founder of another 3rd Party company that made Z-80 cards for the Apple II that was founded by a former Apple employee with Woz's financial assistance.
Probably someone said it already but, gotta love that Retrotink. Great to see you leveraging it here!
I love the fact that you keep some of the retro tech going there Adrian. Never saw the Laser series computers but most of the others you have on your channel. I did a quick search on ROMs for the laser and found one that is a latter version that someone copied off of a 128ex/2. I did download it unless you have already found it. Good luck on getting it to do more things.
40:46 Part three? I am going to pause on this series until all parts are released.
I'm envious. I always wanted a CPM card but never had one. :) You're making me want to dig my Laser 128EX out of storage. I still run some of my old Apple 2 games in emulation, but hearing those disk drive noises is making me feel nostalgic.
3:09 - The width is wrong too (note that the left robot's wheels are out-of-round)
The "booti" card is da bomb. I recently got one, you will LOVE it! I stopped using my FloppyEMU. It is the affordable solution most of us are looking for. It takes standard USB flash drives with standard windows FAT32 filesystem and allows you to attach any prodos ordered (.po) disk image to the Apple II. Just make/edit .po disk images on a PC using CiderPress, chuck them on the USB, and attach via the booti's configuration menu. You can even attach multiple images at the same time! 32MB .po for booting GS/OS 6.0.2? No problem! $60? No brainer!
@4:52 “So if you’re working on a laser 128…” 😂 hrm, have a feeling this won’t be the case for many of us. Thx for sharing as always!
If the CPU is a WD65C02. The reason some programs may lock up or reboot may be because some programs may be using the undocumented op-codes in the MOS 6502 that are unsupported on the WD65C02..
lol well that's BS!
The Apple //c and Enhanced //e both used a 65C02
As I recall, the 65C02 had 10 extra instructions over the 6502...maybe WD/Rockwell (the two companies that made the 65C02) just documented some hidden instructions? The //c and the Enhanced //e also reintroduced the mini assembler that was in the original Apple ][ ROM's, and didn't make the cut in the ][+/ original //e ROM's. You can tell an Enhanced //e in two ways: the boot screen shows "Apple //e" (instead of "Apple ][") on the boot screen, and if you enter the system monitor, and type "!" at the * prompt, you get the ! prompt (and are in the mini assembler). You can enter assembly language directly in that prompt, but it's a little lame in that it doesn't take mnemonics (unlike a nice software assembler!)
31:38 "CAN'T FIND STUPID CARD." lol, I was not prepared.
Such a fascinating machine and amazing degree of compatibility. The 40/80 column implementation seems to be a direct result of the clean room reverse engineering. Neat stuff. The "turbo" modes are pretty mindblowing as well, going up to 300% performance no less.
360%, if you want to get picky. :)
I used to work for this company back in the mid-80's -- specifically on these machines. Wow -- talk about a flashback to younger days.
so much fun and much to learn with Adrian..👌🤟
I've seen a CP/M card in a IIc. It had to connect so that it piggybacked off the IIc's CPU socket, and sat right behind the keyboard's PCB. This particular IIc was also configured with the Dvorak keyboard layout.
We also had a few of the Laser 128's in our middle school. Not sure if they were the EX version, though. They did have the expansion unit which gave a cage for the slot 5 and 7 cards. The school had a mix of Platinum IIe's and Laser 128's all networked together so they could share one hard drive, which was connected to a IIgs that was configured as the server.
Talking about the UniDisk 3.5 reminds me that they did make a Superdrive card for the IIe and IIgs that let you use a high density drive on them. Haven't seen one in person, but did see them in an Apple catalog sometime around the end of the IIe's life span.
Yes IIRC Total Replay will run at full system speed in it's menu but will lower the speed down in games so they work correctly. This was done to support an Apple IIgs that's set to it's fast system speed so you don't have to keep going into Control Panel to switch it back and forth.
Ah nice. I wonder if the Laser and IIgs use the same memory location to slow down the system?
@@adriansdigitalbasement The technical reference manual mentions that address $C074 is used to control the speed. It uses bit 7 and 6. 00 and 01 are 1mhz, 10 is 2.3, and 11 is 3.6 mhz.
I'd also make a guess that the crash issues you experienced are related to some sort of timing issue between the CPU and the rest of the system. The CPU actually slows down when it accesses various parts of the system to maintain compatibility.
I found the technical reference manual here:www.apple.asimov.net/documentation/hardware/machines/Laser%20128%20Series%20Technical%20Reference%20Manual.pdf
You have the absolute best intro. I always find myself doing a little dance with the music. Keep up the good work!
Fyi: a good way to repair plastic like that is to pin it in place. First glue it with something like epoxy or crazy glue. Then get some thin graphite fiber rod from the hobby shop. Drill one or more small holes though the part across the break such that the graphite rod fits snugly then glue it in place. (Generally you need a drill press, doing it by hand usually ends up with a mess) Graphite rod is crazy strong and and makes a great reinforcement.
A similar repair can be dobe on the little doors that use little nibs of plastic as higes when the little nibs break or wear off. Drill a hole though,cpress a piece of appropriately sized graphite rod in place and your good to go.
I always knew the Lasers were out there back in the day but I had no idea they were so affordable vs. the actual Apple II.. That plus all of the added hardware functionality made this a killer deal. My Dad also got me a //c in 1985 and spent at least double that!
The 3.whatever mhz. clock speed of the later Apple II machines (and clone!) always made me a little envious as a C64 user. Yes we had a greater software library but subLogic's flight simulators, etc., all seemed to run so smooth compared to my 64!
Check out the videos on TH-cam of Flight Simulator II and Karateka running on an Atari 8-bit computer with a 65816 upgrade to see how fast those games can play...
23:00 - if the ABS plastic welding is not an option, maybe you could try CA glue+baking soda. Look it up, it gives a lot of structural strenght and you can use it on surfaces that are not visible.
So I was looking at bit more at the tab -- sadly that specific broken part is what clamps onto the lower section of the case, so it needs to fit perfectly over this ridge in the lower section. Meaning when I glue it, it cannot have any glue "oozing" from the crack, even on the underside. I think the ABS welding is going to be my only option.... I would normally try to reinforce it with some extra ABS but unless I do it on the OUTSIDE it won't be possible. What a pain!!
@@adriansdigitalbasement Ohh, I see, that's bad news. Good luck on fixing it! By the way, did you find the CA glue+baking soda trick? It might be useful in the future. Cheers!
Dazzle Draw! I’d forgotten all about that program!
I had this machine when I was a kid and it was so much fun to read the Apple magazines and to type in the programs that were in there some were really boring and irrelevant and somewhere really awesome. And one of the Apple magazines there was a voice synthesizer and I typed that program in and it actually ran really good
Around the 9.00 mark I thought you were doing a dance party! Joke aside, when you used Dazzler Draw in the highest speed I notice it wasn't doing the flood fills correctly, it was not filling some area's. Anyway, another fun video even though I'm not a huge Apple fan..Paul..
Use a colon to refer to a time stamp like this 9:00.
@@sittingstill3578 Whilst I agree I should have used a colon I find your reply a bit confrontational..I don't think the mistake needed that tone..Relax...
@@Mclaneinc I was just trying to help. I enjoy finding time stamps in comments so I can see what others have enjoyed. As a result I try to clarify how this works for folks for the enjoyment of everyone. Thanks for sharing the reference!
On the slot 5 vs slot7 issue, the expansion connector is prewired as you say to be physically slot 7. Two connections not normally used for slot 7 on an apple2 contain the select pins for slot5 and are routed to the secondary slot in the expansion box. I used my original laser 128 as a high school student in the 1990s with an AE Phasor in the side slot, and it always appeared as 7.
Also, the cp/m card may give you a hard time on this machine due to DMA timing needs since the card relies on the apple/laser computer's ram to operate, especially if you're not running at 1mhz. I never tried it with a softcard style cp/m card. However, an applicard style cp/m card should work at any speed, as I use mine with a IIgs at full speed and my IIe with a transwarp at 3.6mhz. :) Last, try finding an AE cp/m disk, as it might take advantage of some hidden things on the AE card.
Wow, I'm fascinated by the Laser 128EX. So far, it looks like a perfect piece of hardware for early Apple II fans.
This is the computer I had when I was a kid and we spent hours reading magazines and typing in programs. All the Apple magazines of the day had basic programs in there
I can say that when we got our IIGS in 1986 we couldn't get a 3.5" drive... They weren't available yet. Instead we got a Unidisk 3.5" which wouldn't play some games and was a little slower. I mowed lawns all summer just to buy a $385 3.5" drive to play Bard Tale.
Please do a 24hr live stream event! All digital basement All day… would be epic
Can’t wait for part 3!
the other computer was jealous and the cover fell out of spite and anger because you were paying too much attention to the laser hahaha, it was like "that's not even a real apple!!" hahahaha.
I was thinking the same thing. It felt bad when he started playing with the 128. But when he opened up the real Apple II and took a card out of it to put in the 128? "That sir, is taking it too far!" LOL
Just a minor clarification but on the IBM PC and compatibles, games written for AT and later PC and compatibles check the CPU and adjust their speed but not games written for the IBM 5150 or XT (or compatibles wit the same CPU) as they just assumed the clock speed was 4.77 MHz as that was the only CPU speed option at the time on those machines. That is why latter PC compatible machines include the misnamed Turbo button, which contrary to its name does not speed up the machine when pushed but rather slows it down to 4.77 MHz so older games assuming the speed will run at the correct speed. I’m sure the namer of the turbo button might argue that Turbo mode is on default on those machines so pushing the button deactivates the mode thus the button is not misnamed but I’d argue it’s still confusing in that case regardless.
Even more confusing, while most turbo buttons slowed it down when pushed in, a minority of them were the other way around, slow until you push it in. In which case they’re more in line with the name and thus in some ways less confusing, but since the operation is opposite on most machines as you say, that makes it more confusing overall because people don’t expect pushing it in to make it faster.
There was an Applied Engineering Z-80 1 Megabyte card I had for the Apple IIc that was mounted internally. Lots of bank switched memory and when using assembly language.
Ahhhh lovely artifact colors!
23:00 I can't speak to it myself, but I've heard other people mention plastic revitalizers/rejuvinators/conditioners that help with old, brittle plastic like this to help restore some of their elasticity to that they don't just snap apart like that. The comments I've seen say that it works in a lot of cases. What exactly the product is that you use, I can't say for sure, but Google will likely point you in the right direction.
Alot of games, to prevent tearing, frame lock using a vertical sync function (not sure that 6502 has it, but the 6809 does), and in those cases, regardless of speed of the processor, the game will always run at the same speed (although faster speeds will make it run a bit smoother).
Yeah the Apple natively doesn't have any kind of vertical interrupt available for that. I think the mouse hardware does but it's definitely not stock on any Apple II. :-(
The 6809 was such a superior processor to the 6502! I enjoyed programming assembly language on my Color Computer 3 a lot, not that I really did anything useful.
@@Starchface The CoCo 3 was my first home computer. Loved that thing. I did so much with it.
@@Starchface It definitely was but Motorola wouldn't license it as loosely as the MOS 6502 had been so it never reached the same level of success. Look at the Atari Lynx released in 1989. It has a 6502 because Motorola wouldn't grant a similar license to Epyx/Atari Corp offering customization of the 6809 - and the 68000 too for that matter - as was available for the 6502 from the start.
Cool video. I have two. They work great. Thank you
Still have my Laser 128ex,also have the expansion slot box unit,with 3.5 disk and adaptor card
28:00 - That's the most OG Zaphod Beeblebrox thing you've ever said. :D
Gotta wonder how well the AppleWorks spreadsheet works at 3+ MHz. I recall building some sheets which took a while to run on a stock Apple //e (decades ago, of course). The higher speed would've been really nice.
WRT copying floppies, might wanna try running the Laser at a higher clock rate. The Apple //e had difficulty running terminal programs. It worked just fine when everything fit on the screen but, when the screen had to scroll, it was not uncommon to lose the first couple characters because scrolling the screen ate several milliseconds and the Apple Serial Card had 1 byte of buffering, meaning multiple characters were sent before the terminal program could check the port.
I discovered this while trying to use an Apple //e as a terminal connected to an Osborne O1 (52 column screen, physically painful keyboard). I could run at 300 baud (but who wants to do that) without issue but 1200 baud lost characters when the screen scrolled.
I have no experience with a //c so I can't speak to how well those worked. The fact that you could copy floppies at 115,200 on the //c means they likely had more hardware buffering on the serial ports.
Thats a really neat looking computer!
This is indeed a very interesting machine, and I'm not sure I would have rather had this over my Apple IIe back in the day.
I believe you are right about Total Replay slowing the system down for games, as it normally does this on IIGS computers.
You said in first video they were selling card adapter that made posible connect two cards into that side connector(for extra 50 bucks or so). Maybe thats why is slot 5 not working, as that expansion card has most likely own controller, setting one to slot 5 and second to slot 7.
We had those expansion bays in our middle school, they were pretty simple. I don't think they even had any extra chips inside, just wiring to make one slot appear as 5 and the other as 7. The Apple II expansion slots use a bus configuration to connect with the rest of the machine, which means a lot of the pins are shared between all the slots, while certain pins were used to identify specific slots.
@@evknucklehead Hm. Im assuming this machine has to diversify between two cards that could be potentionaly used and need to know which one it wants talk to. It cant use both of them at same time, so there has to be way to tell one to "shut up, im talking to other one". I guess its pin 1 and 34 on machine's connector? It leads to pin 1 on slot 5 and 7 connector...whatever it is(they are marked as SC5XX and SC7XX).
It means you could make your own adapter easilly. From schematics, theres just simple power circuit thats... kind of weird. Why it needs external 10V if it can take 12V directly from machine. For diode and +5V?
I let Adrian to brainstorm it, i have no clue how those Apples works.
@@cyphi474 I think it was a design choice so they wouldn't have to include a larger power supply in the Laser 128 itself. The machines were already quite cramped inside with all those expansion options built-in, and it was already much heavier and about twice as thick as the IIc. Also, in those days, the 12v rail wasn't nearly as important as it is in today's PSU's, so designers didn't make much current available on that line.
As for selecting the active slot, if I remember correctly, the Address lines on the bus were used for this purpose, with each slot having a specific range of addresses associated with it. This is similar to how PCs do things even today, with a major difference being how those addresses are allocated. On the Apple II series and its clones (and a lot of other 8-bit computers) these addresses are built into the hardware itself, while modern PCs can assign those addresses as needed.
@@evknucklehead So you could use both cards at same time? Because otherwise it doesnt give much sense. There is enough current for one card.
@@cyphi474 Both slots would be populated, but only one could ever be active at a given instant. The CPU can easily switch back and forth between slots as it performs its tasks, though, so it may seem like both are always active, even though in that instant they are not.
That speed issue reminds of the days with my first PC, a 80286 machine. It had a turbo switch, to switch between I believe 4.77 MHz and 16MHz. The 4.77MHz mode was for speed compatibility with older Intel systems. I remember the game digdug was unplayable in 16Mhz mode because it ran too fast. Putting the machine in 4.77MHz mode made the game run just fine.
Yeah those initial games didn't even think that we would have faster PCs one day :-)
I'd be surprised if those early games haven't been patched by enthusiasts in recent years...
I love the floppy disk noises.
I had a separate metal assembly that plugged into the expansion port that'd fit two Apple IIe form factor cards, so the port might have some stuff to support that. Sadly, all that was thrown away years ago...
@23:06 IF it really is ABS, use Nitro, put one drop of Nitro on the crack of either piece, wait 15 to 20 seconds. It will soften up the surface and let you glue it together without introducing foreign chemical substances. Works perfectly on lego and derivates.
On my Atari 8-bit with SDriveMax, I can use it with a 1050 disk drive and copy files and disks back and forth.
Superglue and baking soda maybe?
That is a nice clean break, just not sure about the plastic compatibility.
I guess a programmer knew anyone who saw the message "CAN'T FIND STUPID CARD" was already having a bad day and needed some cheering up.
It could be due to the way some games were coded an exception is generated, like for instance a divide by zero error.
Could also happen due to hardware, memory not keeping up, but then dazzledraw should lock up too.
Actually the Laser 128 EX has a COMPLETELY different but compatible disk controller in slot 7. It's known as a UDC (Universal Disc Controller). VTech sold it as an add in card for the //e.
I had this machine when I was young, but I don't remember having any software issues with the faster speeds. I do remember having trouble running a few games we bought. We had this disk called "Vegas games" but one of the games (I believe it was the 2nd game on the menu) would crash no matter what we did.
That flood fill glitched out there though at the faster speed...
Language Arts=Electronic Arts before selling out? Idk lol great video Adrian
The joystick doesn't work with the faster clocks because the "A/D" conversion is done by using an oscillator (I believe it's a 556) where the variable resistance changes the timing: the internal routines measure the time in cycles, and for this reason the measures for the joystick will be completely off.
The IIc has a timer-the mouse card. Nobody used it to detect the speed of the system though. Likewise the IIgs has timer hardware that can be used. Older machines … it might be possible using some trickery, but nobody did that either.
Great videos and what a lovely machine! Perhaps the only good Laser computer.
16:50 Liron Card?
Adrian- to fix that, try Jet Glue. I've used it on C-64's and it works great. My daughter is a dancer, and she uses it on her shoes. I broke a tab off my breadbin and decided to try it, and it works!!
Thanks for the tip
Hi Adrian love the channel! I use my FloppyEmu to make real Apple II disks using an un-enhanced Apple IIe. Maybe it works for me because I'm putting FloppyEmu on Disk 2? Also, there have been significant firmware upgrades, not sure how long you've had your Emu?
I’m using a FloppyEmu on slot 6 on an enhanced IIe and am able to make Apple II disks, as well. I don’t use Copy II+ for copying. I use Apple Copy or other file copy programs. Bit copiers just don’t seem to work.
@@johnhlynn9625 I think you would have good results with copying by matching program with format. So for a sector-based copier like COPYA, a .dsk, .do or .po image would be acceptable. But if you want to use a bit copier like CopyIIPlus, try a bitcell format like .nib or .woz with Floppy Emu.
I wonder if a Mockingboard could be set up as Slot5 for games that supported it?
i miss my laser 128, had one as a kid, wish i could find one close to me.
CANT FIND STUPID CARD. When that popped up in his screen that was hilarious! 😂
What is that card called that has an SD card reader on the side? I'm interested in getting one for my Laser 128 base model. Although, the floppy drive works just fine and I don't have a notch to make a side 2 of the diskettes. Also, was there an adapter that allows you to plug in an Apple mouse and a joystick at the same time or not really? It's also amazing that you can boot from an 800KB 3.5" drive, FloppyEmu, and that card that was on the side.
If the lid from the ][e is ABS plastic, you can weld that back together with a drop of acetone.
The only carp with these machines was always the quality of the keyboard build. They were notorious for having larger keys (space, shift, return esp.) breaking off in ways that weren't easily fixed.
The //c keyboard was much more robust.
The zx spectrum had some tricks even with the missing timer: im2 interrupts (generated with raster 50 times /second), or floating bus. Did not had something similar on the Apple 2?
It's really curious for me since I had the Macintosh back then (128k), and that computer had very crappy games in comparison.
On //e and later machines, you can poll I/O location $C019 to tell when the display's in vertical-blanking, intended to help with flicker-free screen updates, but this could also be used to calibrate a timing loop for different CPU speeds by counting elapsed cycles per 60Hz field. Also, when a mouse interface "card" is present (including inbuilt ones in the //c, //GS, and Laser 128*) it can be set to trigger an actual Vsync interrupt, though the mouse firmware uses this itself, so you'd want to set the vector back after calibrating to avoid breaking that. As far as I know, no games used either method, maybe because early Apples (II, II+) didn't support it, and accelerators were uncommon, especially early in the life of the platform.
We had Laser128 with CP/M and Turbo Pascal in my high school computer lab.
Does is run hot when it's running at the higher speed?
That was really fun!!
I had a Laser 128 as my first machine, my father worked for a company that sold them. Every school in my area used them as well since they were significantly cheaper than the Apple IIe and IIc. The laser 128 is a IIe clone (rom wise) in a IIc style case. The one advantage the IIc has is it's keyboard is significantly better.
Regarding the side card slot, I had an external expansion chassis that plugged into the slot so your cards would be covered and protected. You can find them on ebay from time to time.
@@MrCodyswanson Did VTech actually sell the expansion chassis or was that 3rd Party hardware? I was just thinking about that. TI sold an expansion chassis for the TI-99 4A in its latter days. Atari designed the 1090 for the XL line for the very same reason but never released it.
@@TheJeremyHolloway the one I have is metal and branded vtech.
Hmm... wondering if running at the higher speed mode speeds up the bus timing; and that’s exceeding what the CP/M card’s Z-80 can handle? 🤔
thank you for that cpm error! made my day!
cant find the stupid card!
...the feeling when when your pc cant use a smartcard OR a stupid card...
Can't the software detect video sync? If so, that would be a 60Hz timing source. Console video games are timed that way, so I wouldn't be surprised if some Apple games were programmed like that also.
You actually can make a floppy disk for a IIc from source on the Floppy Emu. I've done it with both ProDOS and choplifter. You should maybe look into that again... You need to have the Floppy Emu internally connected if I recall...
Even if the Laser didn't have the IWM chip for the disk drive, it still might work with the 6502 running at warp speed!
Try cpm after adding the additional ram. The B version must have been sysgened for more memory.
If it's assigning different controllers to different types of drives, would it possibly work with 1 5.25" and 2 3.5" disk drives daisy chained like you could with DF1: to DF3: on an Amiga? It's just one of them thoughts that wouldn't go away, since you could technically put 2 drives on each controller.
I wonder if the fine mouse resolution would improve the mouse responsiveness in Dazzle Draw?
Yes I think so -- would speed up the mouse speed. (Fine being slow, AFAIK)
Cool machine.
God I love those names they put in a cracked disk. I have one disk that says it was Ripped by Jack the Ripper. LOL
it reminds me of atari xe or st case??? or is it just me??
Probably should mention Ira Zelensky (sic) and the Commodore Plus/4 since it and the later Atari XE/ST lines had similar designs because of him. [he left Commodore to join Tramiel's Atari Corp].
@@TheJeremyHolloway Yes nice design concepts !! I never had a Laser system, loved the plus/4 and st range 520 & 1040 st, always wanted a 130 XE but mostly owned 8 bit systems like 800 & 600 XL computers and spectrums ..my first system was a 6502, learnt to code was on 64 & plus/4 .. I always called it c16 plus 4 ..!! until i started coding on BBC Micros.. a nice system on z80 owned but rare was the tatung einstein very few videos .. its how i began programming back in the 1980s
High speed mode will be awesome for Shadowkeep!
was there a Laser with an integrated CP/M-card? i remember such an "all in one" model which was at least announced in magazines. (myself i have never seen that machine)
I was curious if the other CP/M versions would show the "can't find stupid card" error.
I had an Apple //e and that same 3.5” external disk drive, and they worked together. 🤷♂️
Same here.
Mind giving me the model of the red Acer laptop at 33:37? I believe I used to own one of these and I might get another one to relive my old laptop days. I used to really love it, but I think that it was thrown out because of a software fault (not by me, but by my parents)
I remember using a binder clip on the hinge to make it last longer because the hinge had snapped and I wanted to keep using it.
2:06 Cool how Chuck Sommerville, the creator of Chip's Challenge, did this port.
Chip's Challenge, great program, in windows, in Amiga, and Apple II, great program in all
@@Luis45ccs Chip's Challenge started life as a launch title on the Atari Lynx hand-held, which itself was initially created by Epyx. (According to Wikipedia, a crude Apple version was created to demonstrate the game, though it doesn't list an Apple version as an official release.)