Getting programs to a IIe PDS Card

[erichelgeson]

Hi all,

I recently salvaged a IIe Card from a LC and have been trying to document and understand how to get software to it and manage/run programs. To be honest this is my first time using an Apple II since elementary school where all the commands were written on a chalkboard, so I'm a bit rusty.

I have a bunch of random questions:

• The IIe card is in a Color Classic - but it seems the screen is cut off on the right. Is the resolution required for the card 640x480?
   
  
• I was able to take a `.po` file and write it to a 3.5" 800k disk (using the internal drive) and boot the IIe from it - using http://www.lazilong.com/apple_II/adfs/downloads/ - Though I'm not sure how to use other file types or disk sizes (the program says it is not the same sector count)
   
  
• I was able to create a 10mb ProDOS HDD partition, but I'm not really sure how to "use" it. Can I copy programs on to it and run them somehow? I copied that 800k disk contents to it but it didnt seem to do anything.
   
  
• I can set it to boot from an AFP server (though I'd have to be over a phonenet network as I cant have two PDS cards in) - besides http://ivanx.com/a2server/a2server_story.html - is there any AFP servers that I could run say in OS7/8 on another 68k or PowerMac machine?
   
  
• I see a lot about ADTPro - though does the sound input get passed through to the IIe card? If I wanted to hook up a USB ->Serial/Modem port (on the classic) what kind of cable is required? I have a Belkin USB  -> Modem/Printer adapter, maybe that would work to get from a modern computer to the IIe card.
   
  
• I do have a FloppyEMU and the reproduction cable for the IIe card - though I believe I have to flash it over to Apple, and then Flash it back to Mac. Does anyone use the same FloppyEMU for their Apple and Macs and flash back and forth? I'd like to keep this as a last resort option as Flashing back and forth doesnt seem fun.
  

Again pretty new to this whole Apple II ecosystem so appreciate any tips or pointers on how to go about this!

 

[Verault]

Believe it or not the CRT can do 640 X 480 with a MOD, but dont worry you dont need it. The card will run at a slightly higher resolution that the MAc Colour classic. You dont need to do anything special (does the same thing on the LC). I have 3 cards and Various LC's and a color classic myself.

Using the software for the IIe card (do you have the software installed?) The software can be found online or the 1999 Apple Legacy Cdrom ISO. ADT pro will work but you will need a serial din cable.. The same one that works with the IIgs I think.

ADTPro is your friend! It really is the best.

I am 99% sure you CANNOT run a hard drive of any kind on the IIe card unfortunately.. Floppy emu works. My cards did not come with the cable so I had to make my own.

Any more questions send me a PM if you want.

Edit::: Oh yeah, the two capacitors on the IIe card are notorious for leaking and corroding traces. Get them removed, cleaned of electrolyte and replaced.. of my 3 cards I had to install a bodge wire on one of them since it was so corroded the pads lifted off.

 

[bibilit]

Well you can use a Prodos partition on the hard drive, but never done myself. 

You can use the inner floppy drive(s) (using my card with an LC with two drives and hard drive myself)

you need the IIe startup software to get in and out from the Apple II environment 

IIRC, using a proper floppy disk with any Apple II program on it will get you also directly to it. 

Have you the Y cable ? Hard to do anything without, as you will be able to hook a Joystick and 5,25 drive  

 

[erichelgeson]

I do have the software and can get into the card - all that works fine.

The resolution oddly fixed itself after a reboot - not sure why it was cut off before.

ADTPro seems nice but I'm having trouble getting any modern machine to actually use it - Sound wont work as the Input/Output doesnt seem to be passed into the iie card. I have both kingston usb->serial and usb->9pin - but they are not seen by my modern macs or windows machines. May have to buy a modern usb->9pin solution.

I was able get MacADT to send the adt.dmp (version 1.3.3) to the apple ii and start it over serial, but I get "Not a 16 sector disk" as I only have 800k disks when I try to receive files.

I have the reproduction Y cable and a joystick. I might just have to bite the bullet and flash my FloppyEMU to load some stuff. I'd be nice to copy some programs to the ProDOS partition I made but again not sure how to manage that

Lastly I was able to login to my AFP server via appletalk - but it says something "boot configuration not found, contact your administrator"

 

[Verault]

Well you can use a Prodos partition on the hard drive, but never done myself. 

Where in the IIe software have you seen an option to use a Prodos hard drive partition? If this exists this is the first I have read of it. Can you please provide a photo or some proof? Having a hard drive on a iie card is a game changer as up to now everything I have understood is that it does not work. IT does not even support smartport hard drives.

erichelgeson Download ADTPro 2.0.2 (version 2.0.3 is very picky about JAVA and myself and many others have not gotten it to run properly), 2.0.2 runs flawlessly.

 

[erichelgeson]

Where in the IIe software have you seen an option to use a Prodos hard drive partition?

It's mentioned in the manual https://apple2online.com/web_documents/apple_iie_card_owner__s_guide.pdf

Just create a ProDOS formatted drive and it shows in the "SmartPort" section of the configuration screen. I have one setup but no idea how to use it

 

[Verault]

Wow that would be fantastic! If you figure out post back!!!  Maybe download this image and try it out: https://wiki.reactivemicro.com/32_Meg_Hard_Drive_Image

 

[LaPorta]

I have my IIe Card set up that way. Once it is in the Smart Card area, you can start right from it. It should be automatic as long as there is a valid system in there.

Edit: It may not have been obvious, but the "It" is the Hard Drive ProDOS partition!

 

[erichelgeson]

Interesting, I'll see if I can write that image to the prodos partition.

Side note - the latest flopplyemu firmware has a new file called `emumode.txt` that if I understand it correctly can change modes on the fly without re-flashing - is that correct @bigmessowires

 

[bibilit]

Dsk2file is also useful to create a real disk from images. 

Ciderpress is another option to create Apple disks with a Windows computer. 

 

[erichelgeson]

Getting further - got that image on the FloppyEMU in Smartport mode - shows it. But the IIe card starts - says:

"Apple ProDos 8 v2.4.1"

then

"Previous Clock Installed".

then

"FBC4 -    A=06 X=57 Y=00 P=71 S=F9"

Not sure what it's trying to tell me.

On the bright side FloppyEMU with regular disks seems to work fine.

 

[erichelgeson]

Progress! - BMOW has a working po file on their site - so downloaded that and it booted right up! https://www.bigmessowires.com/2018/12/04/prodos-software-collection-for-floppy-emu/

edit: there's a more up to date image from the author here - will try it later http://www.apple-2.com/

I created an exactly 32mb drive on my RaSCSI - but OS7 doesnt seem to mount the drive if the only partition is a prodos partition (so couldnt set it in the iie card app) - so I created a 40mb file - formatted it exactly 32mb and the rest is a Mac partition.

I copied over everything from the BMOW po using Apple System Utils to the 32mb prodos hdd partition... but it's not bootable? I'm unsure if I have to do something else to make it boot. I am able to run/browse to it and play games off of it, but I just get a `]` prompt when it's the only drive in the system.

 

[Verault]

Seems your making progress and almost there.. Just probably missing some small detail.

 

[erichelgeson]

Was able to play some Oregon Trail and Pac Mac with the wife last night so it was a good time, but still booting from the floppyemu.

I did update to the latest image from apple-2.com - but I am unable to do a disk copy from within the apple ii as the sizes of the drives (floppyemu's and one on the mac) do mot match. When formatting ProDOS with Apple HD Setup Max(32Mb) is actually 1kb less than 32Mb! The size does not match and it fails to copy as it's not exactly the same.

I did attempt to copy files again but still no boot. I'm not sure if there's an order or blessing or something needed to make files on a ProDOS drive boot, but I'm a bit stuck on that.

 

[erichelgeson]

1024*32 == 32,768 - not 32,767

 

[Realitystorm]

Some guides I've written that might help.

https://www.savagetaylor.com/topics/oldcomputersandgames/apple_iie_emulator_card/

 

[Realitystorm]

On the apple iie card software you'll find the prodos extension, you need that to work with prodos partitions.

 

[Verault]

Eric Any updates on your progress? I am pretty curious to see if we can get this working.

 

[erichelgeson]

Well progress! I used CiderPress to make a new drive 1 kb smaller. Opened the image from apple-2.com, select all, copy, open the new drive I created and "special" pasted them in preserving prefix.

After that I booted off the FloppyEMU again, opened Copy II - did a sector copy to the ProDOS partition on the Mac. Relabeled the drive to FE (to match the other image) - rebooted and walla - it works!

@Realitystorm I did read through your guides and were helpful, but I was never able to create an exactly 32mb partition or have your images mount. As mentioned above any single partition that I made ProDOS that did not also have a mac partition never showed up. And the Apple HD utility would not allow me to create the correct size partition.

Regardless I'm happy and I'll zip up and upload this to the RaSCSI Mac Garden page - works with BlueSCSI/Arduscsino too.