Jess Ragan Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 ...I'm wondering if I should give a damn. I picked up a Franklin Ace 2200 (Apple IIe clone) at a garage sale recently, but connecting it to a television had decidedly mixed results. The picture was the most problematic; usually, I couldn't get one, but even when I could, the onscreen text was distorted and wavy. I tried inserting three different disks, but that didn't get me very far... the discs would load for what seemed like an eternity, without any results. (On the rare occasion that I did get a picture and the disc seemed to finish loading, all I got was a jumbled mess of multicolored letters and symbols.) Finally, the switch on the power supply seems to be permanently shorted to the "on" position. Switching it on and off has no effect... the machine turns on the moment you plug in the power cable. So my question is this... considering that I only paid two dollars for the system, and considering the number of issues with it, is it worth the trouble of repairing this machine? Can it be repaired? I would guess that there's an intermittent short in the video connection and a permanent one in the power supply, but I've got no idea how far this rabbit hole goes. Maybe there are issues with the floppy drive, maybe the video RAM is borked, or maybe the CPU itself is damaged. I can't honestly say. I would like this system to work so I can retrieve some of the old software I wrote in high school, but to be honest, it's not high on my list of priorities. (I'd like to get this machine running. I'd like to build an RGB or VGA cable for my Genesis a lot more.) One other thing... do I need an Apple DOS or Franklin DOS disc to make this machine functional, or is the OS baked right into the firmware? It has been a long, looooong time since I've used an Apple II and I don't know for sure what's required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiv Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 That's the tricky part with some of these clones.. The 2200 was a great machine, and a bit unique with the separate keyboard. A really interesting looking machine.... But most Apple II collectors collect Apples... There are people who are interested in the Franklin series, but whether there are any local?? And shipping on all those older (larger) machines is usually spendy... That said, if I came across a partially working Franklin, I'd keep it and try to fix it.. I always wanted one back in the day (more of the Ace 1000 line tho..). I believe you just need Apple DOS (or prodos).... Good luck with it... desiv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 basic is baked in but dos requires a disk, typically programs are self booters so if you have software you have dos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 So it's probably safe to assume that the machine's just not loading software, for whatever reason. I've tried three discs; there should have been SOME reaction, at least! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiv Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 (edited) Could be.. If you are have bad disks / bad drives, it can either keep trying to load forever, or eventually load garbage and crash out to the monitor (which might be those wavy lines you are seeing).. With an Apple and BASIC in ROM, you should be able to hit CTRL and RESET to get to BASIC in ROM. Then you can try the standard: 10 PRINT "HI" 20 GOTO 10 RUN And see if the garbage on your screen looks like a garbage version of the word RUN scrolling by.... desiv Edited August 12, 2013 by desiv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 Thanks! I wasn't sure how to access BASIC with this machine. I'll need to put it back together first, but I could always give that a try. I'd like to fix the switch on the power supply, but would like to drain it of its charge first. (Because, you know, getting shocked is something I could really do without.) Also, I'm thinking of replacing the wires on the composite jack just in case, because it could be the reason the display isn't working properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiv Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 What are you connecting it to? With my Apple IIc, when I use the little green monitor, it usually does something similar to that when I first turn it on. At first I thought it was the Apple, but it appears that power cycling the monitor while the IIc is on resolves it, where power cycling the IIc doesn't. So I think it's the monitor I have that has trouble syncing with the IIc. Might still be the IIc putting out a weak sync signal, but usually once everything is warmed up, it's good... Good luck.. desiv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 How about some pics of the areas you think need attention. While these old machines might have things wrong, they are eminently repairable. And the repairs usually last a long time. Not like the shit they make today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 (edited) Update: opening the machine revealed that its last owner had tinkered with it, or at least sent it to a less than reputable repairman. The switch on the power supply had both wires removed and re-routed elsewhere, there was a resistor stuck on the composite video port (the image on Old Computers suggests that it shouldn't be there), electrical tape covered the wires in some spots... ugh. I could take some snapshots if you'd like; I put it back together but I can always disassemble it again. Edited August 13, 2013 by Jess Ragan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 By the way, I was using the composite jack on the family television set. I also have an Amiga monitor elsewhere but haven't tested the machine with it. I assume that the video jack on the system is composite and not RF, correct? You know, since the sound comes out of a speaker inside the system and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 on a normal apple its composite, should be the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiv Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Do you have the manual? http://archive.org/details/Franklin_ACE_2000_Series_Computer_Users_Reference_Manual_1985_Franklin_Computer desiv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 I do now! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 I'm not sure about the 2200 but other Franklins (starting with the 1000?) had monochrome composite output. The resistor might be a color mod. I think ProDOS requires actual Apple II ROMs or a patch to work on the Franklin. I think it looks at the Copyright. Make sure you test with a DOS 3.3 disk to be sure that's not the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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