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Help identifying a generic (Apple II?) external floppy drive

OleLila

Well-known member
I picked this up locally planning to use it with a IIc. It looks the part, it even came from the local school system. The last 2 characters on the model number are even "GS". There is a disk inside it...Wheel of Fortune" form 1988 that says on the label "Boot DOS disk (version 2.11 or greater) then insert this one to launch the game. When I look at the serial ports on older PC's, I do not see this 19 pin DB connection, but it does fit the port on the Apple IIc. Really, really do not want to fry the Iic. Anyone out there have any confidence on this or a way to test? 

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Gorgonops

Moderator
Staff member
Unfortunately there were dozens of fly by night companies that made generic Apple II compatible floppy drives, so it's possible the only way you could possibly confirm it is by looking through old magazines and seeing if you can find an ad for "Memory Plus Distributors". The fact that its model number ends with "GS" makes me pretty confident it *is* intended for Apple II-family machines despite the fact you found a PC disk inside it. I can't think.of any PC that used a daisy chain system with a 19 pin connector.

 

OleLila

Well-known member
Perfect..thank you. I googled searched but couldn't narrow it down.

It spins but no LED. I have ROM version 0, so I cannot boot. I did use Apple Utilities disk to format and duplicate a disk....it all the commands went through and it thought it duplicated but the duplicate didn't work. Will have to clean the head later and try again.

Again, Thank you for searching this out.

 
Last edited by a moderator:

sstaylor

Well-known member
I love how the ad describes them as "super quite".  (Instead of "quiet", for those who aren't pedants and/or proofreaders.)

 

Gorgonops

Moderator
Staff member
I like to imagine that "super quite" line being composed by a copywriter sporting a monocle and white handlebar moustache sitting in front of a strange steampunk version of an Apple II equipped with a monitor that somehow incorporates coal-gas backlighting.

 
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