Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: blue.weeg.uiowa.edu!news.uiowa.edu!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!newsrelay.iastate.edu!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gatech!rutgers!utcsri!newsflash.concordia.ca!vax2.concordia.ca!spector From: spector@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector) Subject: Re: Need info re: Phazor, SeriALL, Grappler + (Buffered) Message-ID: <12AUG199418444616@vax2.concordia.ca> News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41 Sender: usenet@newsflash.concordia.ca (USENET News System) Nntp-Posting-Host: vax2.concordia.ca Organization: Concordia University References: Date: Fri, 12 Aug 1994 23:44:00 GMT Lines: 107 In article brianf@sempco.uucp (Brian Flanagan) writes... > >I recently picked up some old Apple cards, but didn't get any technical >documentation on them. Could someone please tell me... Sure.. :) >re: Buffered Grappler +: What are the 4 DIP switches used for? What is the >pinout on the cable (I don't have a cable for it.)? I have two standard Grappler+ cards, as well the the 64k Buffered Grappler+ version. The DIP switches are used to configure your card for a series of different printers out there (I'll list those settings below). You may also want to test the RAM memory on your Buffered Grappler+, so do the following to invoke it's built-in self test. Making sure the card is installed in slot #1, with the cable attached to the printer and the printer online with paper in it, turn on your Apple II with the RESET key hold down, then release it after 2-3 seconds. If you've done this correctly, a message will be printed saying the test is in progress. After 45 seconds the status of your RAM chips will be printed, numbered 1 to 8. If an "X" appears, this indicates the absence of a RAM chip or a _bad_ chip. If you see a "1", this means a DRAM chip has been found at the location and tests good. The cable you need is very common, and all my other Apple II printer cards use it. It's a 26-pin female, to a 25-pin centronics ribbon cable. G+ Pin assignments: DIP switch settings: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STB 1 DIP SWITCH POSITIONS 1 2 3 4 D0 3 D1 5 Epson Series and Star Gemini OFF ON ON ON D2 7 NEC 8023/C, Itoh 8510/DMP 85 OFF ON ON OFF D3 9 Centronics 739-1 OFF ON OFF ON D4 11 Anadex Printers OFF ON OFF OFF D5 13 Okidata 82A, 83A, 92, 93, 84 OFF OFF ON ON D6 15 Okidata 84 w/o Step II Graphics OFF OFF OFF ON D7 17 Apple Dot Matrix OFF OFF ON OFF ACK 19 IDS Printers (Any position) BUSY 21 P.E. 23 Notes: "+" side, or set to right, the switch is set to SLCT 25 the ON position. Switch 1 controls MSB, the 8th bit. N/C - Setting switch 1 to 'ON' makes MSB _not_ transmitted... GND all others [ps - Anyone know if a Grappler+ (or Buffered Grappler+) will function in an Apple IIgs to drive a centronics printer? (ie - DeskJet 560, etc). I haven't tried, but I suspect a ROM update may be necessary. Is it?] >re: Phasor (Applied Engineering) What are the 4 DIP switches used for? What >are the 2 POTs used for? Where can I get programming information for this >soundcard? Is Applied Engineering still in business? (I hope so, they're my >favorite Apple hardware company!) I've tried contacting them recently, but >couldn't find a current phone number. The Phasor is a great sound card. Offers you 12 sound channels (using all sorts of wave-form patterns and effects, simular to FM-synthesis in IBMs), 4 white noise generators (synthesized drums, etc) and a 1-voice synthesized speech channel, expandable to 2 speech channels. Has a 4 watt amplifier that can drive stereo speakers (left & right). It's compatible with most older sound cards, like the Mockingboard, ALF, SMS and Echo+. Few programs ever supported it, let alone many programs out there that supported the older cards. It did, however, come with some decent software that showed off the card's features and let you experiment with it a bit. The four DIP switches control emulation modes and standard Apple ][ internal speaker sound-level (only if you disconnect internal speaker and have old speaker toggling sent to Phasor). Switches #1 and #2 are for emulations. Switches #3 and #4 control your old internal speaker sounds, again, *if* you have speaker disconnected and that pin location on motherboard connected to Phasor. You can set Low, Medium and High volume with three different DIP positions. This doesn't affect Phasor music/sound however. To do that, you must turn those two pots you asked about. Each controls either the left or right stereo channel. Turning them clock-wise increases volume, and you probably don't want this too high up, or sound gets distorted! Put both on an equal setting, unless you want one channel louder/softer than the other. Phasor DIP switch emulation modes: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Native Phasor mode: 1: closed, 2: closed Mockingboard mode: 1: opened, 2: closed Echo+ mode: 1: opened, 2: opened (Never got this mode to work!) As for Applied Engineering, you won't be able to contact them. They went out of business back around March 1994. Not just the Apple II division, but the entire company as a whole (Mac, Apple, Amiga divisions -- gone!). You may be able to contact former AE employees on GEnie, there was a rumour of someone taking over their repair/support for II users. >re: SeriALL (Practical Peripherals) Same questions... What are the cable >pinouts? What are all the switches used for? I have a Practical Peripherals MicroBuffer II card. Mine seems to be the parallel version of what you have. If the same, it may use the same non-standard 20-pin connector. >If anybody has any technical information on any of these cards, (or knows where >I can get some) please e-mail me a note. > >Thanks! > >Brian Flanagan, please address E-Mail as follows, >from INTERNET: sempco!brianf@wupost.wustl.edu > UUCP: wupost.wustl.edu!sempco!brianf Mitchell Spector sb_spec@pavo.concordia.ca / spector@vax2.concordia.ca