I remember seeing that ad when I was a kid. Super cool company to be so forward thinking. They included everything we would later take for granted as standard connectors on home computers.
When you sit the keyboard on the disk drive unit like at 5:50, it reminds me of the SAM Coupe, which was a souped up ZX Spectrum clone. Of course, that used 3.5" drives instead of 5.25", but yeah.
Modular cables can either be straight-through or reversed. Make sure you identify the ground pin on either side and match it up. As far as the DC supply, just check the components that it connects to and make sure you supply less than all of their maximum voltage ratings; no more than 3/4 of that, really.
I've never used one of these. But the diagnostic controller has an EEPROM on board. Maybe that contains additional commands/software for disk diagnostics, as well as being a fully-fledged disk controller?
The GI Chip is a UART for the Serial Ports possibly, I had hoped it was he GI Sound Chip but after closer examination its the uart.. The rows of pins around the CPU could have also been for testing as well as an future expansion to a faster processor.
Dumping the ROM on that disk card and comparing it to a real Disk II card's ROM might help figure out if there's extra features. I wouldn't be surprised if they added a little something there so that you could hit a key to open a memory test.
From the IC manufacture date codes I can see on the motherboard and disk controller, it looks like it was made in mid to late 1983. I was heavily into Apple stuff at that time and read Byte and several other computer magazines religiously. Somehow, I've never heard of this machine. Fascinating.
Looks like a good computer for a school setting. Metal casing all around, modular, and perhaps with some rudimentary network capability using the serial port. A fully expanded "master" model with dual floppies and a printer connected to a handful of "student" models without drives and printer but with the ability to acces drives and printer on the master would seem a good fit for a classroom.
I hope you follow up on this one fairly quickly. It's a pretty unique find (I've been into Apple II's since the 80's and never heard of it) so exploring its' apparently expanded capabilities and testing compatibility should be interesting. You didn't get any documentation? Don't just let this be a "shelf queen" for a show-and-tell- video. We want to see you TRY to make it work and figure it out and really test it.
it was easier to clone and the apple 2 was overpriced so smaller companies could make it cheaper and better .and if they made their own custom system there wouldn't be enough 3rd party support .there were already too many systems out there back then .most of these companies would end up making ibm clones but they where too expensive at this point and cloning a vic 20 or c64 was too hard and commodore would sue .but there where too many apple 2 clones out there already so apple had a harder time suing but with the mac it was impossible to clone it legally .
just found this channel.....sweet! A fellow vintage geek!
I remember seeing that ad when I was a kid. Super cool company to be so forward thinking. They included everything we would later take for granted as standard connectors on home computers.
hope to see it in 🎬!
There was also the Einstein computer from Tatung so if you combine the 2 you get the albert Einstein computer
😄
Can't wait to see it try to come to life
Love the channel 🙏
I think the original Apple II model did only have left/right arrows. I believe up/down were only added on the IIe
Prince Albert.
When you sit the keyboard on the disk drive unit like at 5:50, it reminds me of the SAM Coupe, which was a souped up ZX Spectrum clone. Of course, that used 3.5" drives instead of 5.25", but yeah.
Allegedly some versions of this can do 256 colors .
Amazing amount of bodge wires for a Rev C board.
Mint video Aaron!
Modular cables can either be straight-through or reversed. Make sure you identify the ground pin on either side and match it up. As far as the DC supply, just check the components that it connects to and make sure you supply less than all of their maximum voltage ratings; no more than 3/4 of that, really.
I've never used one of these. But the diagnostic controller has an EEPROM on board. Maybe that contains additional commands/software for disk diagnostics, as well as being a fully-fledged disk controller?
So looking at the design of both boxes the connection to the top FDD box could be a bit tricky????
The GI Chip is a UART for the Serial Ports possibly, I had hoped it was he GI Sound Chip but after closer examination its the uart.. The rows of pins around the CPU could have also been for testing as well as an future expansion to a faster processor.
I like Albert
Dumping the ROM on that disk card and comparing it to a real Disk II card's ROM might help figure out if there's extra features. I wouldn't be surprised if they added a little something there so that you could hit a key to open a memory test.
From the IC manufacture date codes I can see on the motherboard and disk controller, it looks like it was made in mid to late 1983. I was heavily into Apple stuff at that time and read Byte and several other computer magazines religiously. Somehow, I've never heard of this machine. Fascinating.
the parallel port has some corrosion at the pins
Very cool vid. Never seen or even herd of the Albert before. 👍
Looks like a good computer for a school setting. Metal casing all around, modular, and perhaps with some rudimentary network capability using the serial port.
A fully expanded "master" model with dual floppies and a printer connected to a handful of "student" models without drives and printer but with the ability to acces drives and printer on the master would seem a good fit for a classroom.
up and down arrows were added on the ][/E so thats why this doesnt have them
I hope you follow up on this one fairly quickly. It's a pretty unique find (I've been into Apple II's since the 80's and never heard of it) so exploring its' apparently expanded capabilities and testing compatibility should be interesting. You didn't get any documentation? Don't just let this be a "shelf queen" for a show-and-tell- video. We want to see you TRY to make it work and figure it out and really test it.
you need to dump and then cover those eproms
The idea that someone would clone an Apple 2 computer is both peculiar and sad.
Why? It was fairly competitive at the time of release.
it was easier to clone and the apple 2 was overpriced so smaller companies could make it cheaper and better .and if they made their own custom system there wouldn't be enough 3rd party support .there were already too many systems out there back then .most of these companies would end up making ibm clones but they where too expensive at this point and cloning a vic 20 or c64 was too hard and commodore would sue .but there where too many apple 2 clones out there already so apple had a harder time suing but with the mac it was impossible to clone it legally .
He absolutely was, but Newton wasn't.