Do you have a LaserWriter or LaserWriter Plus? Help wanted identifying some ROMs.

[danda]

There were quite a few ROMs made for the LaserWriter and LaserWriter Plus, each coming with a different version of PostScript, shown below. Thanks to Apple Tech Info article 10390, the LaserWriter ROMs section of BitSavers and the Apple Service Programs Manual for this info.

Name	ROM version	PostScript revision	ROM size	ROM code	ROMs dumped
LaserWriter	1.0	23.0
LaserWriter	2.0	38.0	512k	342-0081-A 342-0082-A 342-0083-A 342-0084-A 342-0085-A 342-0086-A 342-0087-A 342-0088-A	Yes, in MAME, and checksums also exist on BitSavers. Thanks @compu_85!
LaserWriter	3.0	47.0	512k	342-0568-A 342-0569-A 342-0570-A 342-0571-A 342-0572-A 342-0573-A 342-0574-A 342-0575-A	Yes, in MAME, and checksums also exist on BitSavers
LaserWriter	3.0	47.0	1024k	342-0359-A 342-0360-A 342-0361-A 342-0362-A
LaserWriter Plus	1.0	38.0
LaserWriter Plus	2.0	38.0	512k	342-0089-A 342-0090-A 342-0091-A 342-0092-A 342-0093-A 342-0094-A 342-0095-A 342-0096-A 342-0097-A 342-0098-A 342-0099-A 342-0100-A 342-0101-A 342-0102-A 342-0103-A 342-0104-A	Couldn't find files, but they are listed in MAME, and checksums also exist on BitSavers
LaserWriter Plus	3.0	47.0 (it can report 42.2, but actually has 47.0)	1024k	342-0363-A 342-0364-A 342-0365-A 342-0366-A 342-0367-A 342-0368-A 342-0369-A 342-0370-A
LaserWriter Plus Upgrade Kit		47.0	512k	342-0371-A 342-0372-A 342-0373-A 342-0374-A 342-0375-A 342-0376-A 342-0377-A 342-0378-A 342-0379-A 342-0380-A 342-0381-A 342-0382-A 342-0383-A 342-0384-A 342-0385-A 342-0386-A	I have these in my LW, and so does @oldappleguy. Checksums also exist on BitSavers so there probably are dumped somewhere?

But... you will see that there are some rows that are missing the chip numbers: the original LaserWriter 1.0 ROM, and the original LaserWriter Plus 1.0 ROM.

So I'm calling on all those with a LaserWriter or LaserWriter Plus - does your machine have the missing ROMs, and can you help complete the table? Finding out the "ROM version" is quite easy if your LaserWriter works - just power it on, print the startup page, and then look at the bottom of the "Line chart" example that the page shows. It will either show "2.0", "3.0" or nothing, indicating that it's 1.0.

If your LaserWriter is poorly and doesn't print, you can also find out in one of two ways:

1. Connect to the printer over serial (or with a program like LaserTalk) which lets you console into the printer. When you connect, it will print out the PostScript revision - see the image below for an example of this on my LaserWriter Plus Upgrade Kit.
2. Take off the top cover and look at the ROMs themselves.

 

[danda]

Did some more digging today, and found someone selling the board of a LaserWriter on ebay that has the LaserWriter 3.0 v47 1024k ROMs in it (342-0359-A, 342-0360-A, 342-0361-A, 342-0362-A). I'm tempted to get it to preserve those ROMs, but international shipping and imports is over $35 which adds on a bit, plus I currently don't have ROM dumping abilities. Anyone interested in doing this?

I also had a look at my LaserWriter Plus, and found it has the LaserWriter Plus 3.0 v47 1024k ROMs (342-0363-A, 342-0364-A, 342-0365-A, 342-0366-A, 342-0367-A, 342-0368-A, 342-0369-A, 342-0370-A).

So that just leaves the 1.0 ROMs for the LaserWriter and LaserWriter Plus to be found, plus the LaserWriter Plus 2.0 v38 512k ROMs that must have been dumped as checksums are online, but I cannot find any files for them. It is the 1.0 ROMs, especially the LaserWriter ones (with PostScript v23) that I'm really trying to find, so if anyone has a LaserWriter they want to check for me, I'd really appreciate it!