Apple ][e Platinum

[Academician]

Hail friends!

I have finally been able to acquire the computer that I have been after for a good 12 years since I saw my first Apple ][e at a friends house.

Here It Be

I'm likely going to get a Monitor ][ Color or similar to replace the GS monitor it comes with. And probably another 5.25" drive to make copying disks a few hundred times easier.

Speaking of, does anyone know a reliable and cost effective source for 5.25" DSDD disks, there are a few lots on eBay but the prices are a bit high for my taste.

I was wondering if anyone could give some guesses as to what expansion cards this thing has. Obviously it has to have one of the 5.25" disk controllers but I'm unsure about the two other ports on the back. The small white one I have no clue about, maybe a joystick? The larger black one I suspect to be a parallel port, but I won't know for sure until I get it of course.

-Academician

 

[MacMan]

That is amazing, and what a low price too! It's a pity they aren't as cheap as that here.

 

[Quadraman]

If that's local pickup, you got a steal.

 

[Academician]

Unfortunately it isn't a local pickup. Where I live a ][e usually goes up for sale every year or so tops and it's usually $50 or more. That's what I ended up paying for my current GS, but it did come with a lot of software and all the original manuals so I wasn't going to complain.

I feel like I got a pretty good deal considering what shipping on a lot of other ][e auctions are going for atm...

 

[luddite]

I was wondering if anyone could give some guesses as to what expansion cards this thing has. Obviously it has to have one of the 5.25" disk controllers but I'm unsure about the two other ports on the back. The small white one I have no clue about, maybe a joystick? The larger black one I suspect to be a parallel port, but I won't know for sure until I get it of course.

Looks like a parallel printer card in slot 1, mouse card in slot 4 and a 5.25" disk controller in slot 6. It probably has an 80-column / 64K RAM card in it too.

Odd that it would come with a IIgs RGB monitor, as that won't work with anything other than a IIgs... nice to have if you add a IIgs to your collection though.

 

[Quadraman]

I was wondering if anyone could give some guesses as to what expansion cards this thing has. Obviously it has to have one of the 5.25" disk controllers but I'm unsure about the two other ports on the back. The small white one I have no clue about, maybe a joystick? The larger black one I suspect to be a parallel port, but I won't know for sure until I get it of course.

Looks like a parallel printer card in slot 1, mouse card in slot 4 and a 5.25" disk controller in slot 6. It probably has an 80-column / 64K RAM card in it too.

Odd that it would come with a IIgs RGB monitor, as that won't work with anything other than a IIgs... nice to have if you add a IIgs to your collection though.

You know, I was thinking but didn't want to mention it in case I was wrong, but Apple did sell an upgrade kit for the IIe that turned it into a IIgs. The only problem with it is that you can't fit full length IIgs expansion cards inside a IIe case because of the way it angles down in the keyboard area. It is very possible if the previous owner was using it with a IIgs monitor, that there could be a IIgs motherboard inside.

 

[luddite]

You know, I was thinking but didn't want to mention it in case I was wrong, but Apple did sell an upgrade kit for the IIe that turned it into a IIgs. The only problem with it is that you can't fit full length IIgs expansion cards inside a IIe case because of the way it angles down in the keyboard area. It is very possible if the previous owner was using it with a IIgs monitor, that there could be a IIgs motherboard inside.

I think it's more likely that the monitor was included by chance. A "stealth" IIgs would be a nice find, but I doubt this is one since it has no 3.5" drives (assuming it is a complete system) and it doesn't have an RGB video port. Only time will tell...

 

[Academician]

Time will tell indeed :beige:

Since he seems to be some technology recycler I wouldn't doubt that it's just a chance inclusion simply to get rid of it, I know how CRT monitors take up space . The I/O ports on the back of the system also are vindicative of a ][e, so here's hoping.

I'm not too worried about the monitor atm, I always have a TV to hook it up to for the time being. Not to mention my ][gs' monitor does have some weird color issues, so I've been looking to test it with another to make sure of the problem, so this is a welcome chance

-Academican

 

[luddite]

FWIW I've found the platinum colour composite monitors that match the IIe to be quite poor compared to the green phosphor ones*. Nowhere near as sharp, and they seem to be quite a bit more fragile (especially the video input and power connector). OTOH, if you're a gamer or a collector then the mono model just won't cut it ;-)

*opinion based on limited empirical observation -- to be taken with a grain of salt.