Games - Apple IIe Card

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	Games - Apple IIe Card

The Apple IIe Card (Apple Computer part #820-0444-A) is, in a sense, the smallest Apple II "computer" ever designed, though as a hardware emulator card it is not considered an extension of the Apple II line. Released in March 1991 for use with the LC family of Macintosh computers, the card allows compatible Macs to run software designed for Apple II computers (except the 16-bit Apple IIGS). Apple targeted the card at its widely dominated educational market to ease the transition from Apple II-based classrooms, with thousands of entrenched educational software titles, to Macintosh-based classrooms. Like the Apple IIe itself, the Apple IIe Card uses an onboard 65C02 CPU. The CPU is software-configurable to run at the Apple IIe's native 1.0 MHz speed or at an accelerated 1.9 MHz. Video emulation (text and graphics) was handled through software using native Macintosh QuickDraw routines, which in often resulted in operations being slower than a real Apple IIe except on higher-end machines.

Features

The Apple IIe Card emulates many of the expansion cards and peripherals one might install in a bare Apple IIe through the use of the host Macintosh's hardware instead, including a 1.44MB 3.5" SuperDrive, mouse, 1 MB RAM, 80-column text and graphical monochrome or color display, clock, numeric keypad, serial printer and modem ports, SCSI hard drive, and AppleShare file server. An included "Y-cable" enables one to attach up to two external 140K 5.25" floppy disk drives, an 800K "intelligent" 3.5" Unidisk, and a joystick or paddle control for use with the hard-coded Apple IIe emulator. An 800K 3.5" platinum or 1.44 MB SuperDrive will not work when attached via the Y-cable.

The card originally came with an owners manual, Y-cable, and 2 disks: the Apple IIe installer disk and the Apple IIe card startup disk. v2.2.2 is the latest known version of the startup disk.

Technical specifications

Mega II
("Gemini" chip); a complete Apple IIe on chip minus RAM and firmware
IWM (Integrated Wozniak Machine); floppy control functions
256K RAM built-in (128K for Apple II memory, 128K reserved for Macintosh)
65C02 processor running at either 1.023 MHz or 1.9 MHz
High-density 26-pin connector with "Y-cable" supports joystick/paddles and two Apple 5.25" or UniDisk 3.5" floppy disk drives
Ability to access up to 1 MB of native Macintosh RAM
All Apple IIe text and video modes supported, via QuickDraw software emulation

Notes: When emulating an Apple IIe, only a full-screen mode is available and all native Macintosh functions are suspended while running. A graphical control panel is available for configuring the virtual Apple II slots and peripherals; however, the Macintosh (as well as Apple IIe emulation) still remains suspended during this activity. Macintosh functions and control resume only once emulation is completely shut down and exited.

System compatibility

The card plugs into the PDS slot in many of the LC-series Macintoshes, but not all models and system software combinations are supported. Apple's lists the following models as Apple IIe Card-compatible: Color Classic, LC, LC II, LC III, LC 475, LC 520, LC 550, LC 575, Quadra 605, Performa 4XX, Performa 55X, Performa 56X, and Performa 57X. However, other models that have an LC-compatible PDS slot and support 24-bit memory addressing are compatible with the Apple IIe Card but are not officially supported. Systems 7.0 through 7.5.5 support both 24- and 32-bit addressing on suitable Macintosh models. (From System 7.6 onwards, Macintosh system software does not support 24-bit addressing.) To enable 24-bit addressing on supported systems, use the Macintosh Memory control panel.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Apple IIe Card ]

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