Apple IIe vs Apple IIe Platinum

[Keatah]

In revisiting this topic. I tend to favor the //e for the aesthetics of the keyboard, and, naturally, my own original //e from the BBS epoch for sentimental reasons. There is no reason not to keep both.

 

For technical reasons, I'd recommend the Platinum:

It's the latest incarnation, the chips and parts are newest with less wear/tear due to their date codes.

The overall design of the Platinum consumes ever so slightly less power IIRC.

There are a few less chips.

The RAM is of a different design and brand <- a big deal I believe.

The game A/D port has filtering caps. Some people remove these.

Platinum units are likely to be in better condition because they were bought late in the game and then soon eclipsed (like all other micros) by ms-dos rigs.

 

Downside of the Platinum //e is the keyboard, I've had to touch-up some solder joints on several, because they cost-cut and excluded reinforcing crossmembers on most of these. No big deal if you can handle a soldering iron. And once repaired/reflowed, is good for another 10-year round of pounding Microsoft Decathlon style!

Edited August 1, 2016 by Keatah

[Keatah]

does the plat have a 65C02 like the //e enhanced, //c, 2GS and //e card for mac

i have never ran into compatibility problems with my //c but there are some changes to the C version chips that could

 

Platinum comes with 65C02 standard as well as the //e "enhancement kit" roms.

If anything, I think you'd encounter firmware/rom issues first, rather than 65C02 instruction issues.

 

To the layperson and over 95% of the users, the Platinum //e is an Enhanced //e with the addition of the numeric keypad pad and slightly reduced parts count.

Edited August 1, 2016 by Keatah

[Asaki]

The platinum //e comes with the 64K/80Column card plugged into the slot for you. Otherwise it is identical in capabilities. In fact, when you buy them on fleabay, you often need to still bring it up to 128K and 80 Columns, because people unplug the card or lose it for whatever reason.

 

True: the Platinum I got from a thrift was missing this card.

[Keatah]

Yah. happens all the time. Luckily they are on ebay for reasonable prices. You can find them for $10.

[Asaki]

Now I just need an image of Apshai Trilogy that doesn't freeze =|

[Keatah]

When and where does it freeze?

[Asaki]

I'd have to check, but I'm pretty sure it's right after you make your character, choose a dungeon, and try to start a new game.

I've only tried it in AppleWin, but so far it seems like that emu is pretty accurate as far as trouble disks go.

[First Spear]

I like the Platinum //e keyboard feel and the overall look is a little closer to modern computers, it has more of an 80's aesthetic than the 70's, darker look.

For what it's worth, the Franklin Ace 1000/1200 keyboard was better than the ][+ and ][e, and the 2200 keyboard was better than the //e Platinum for long-term keyboard pounding. But to stay in the true Apple family, I'd go with the Platinum for all of the reasons already mentioned.,

[Asaki]

Yeah, I was surprised at how good the keyboard felt. I guess I was expecting it to be mushy like my Atari 600XL or something.

[shoestring]

I purchased a //e enhanced recently that appears to have the platinum motherboard.

 

It has 1986 and ntsc international silkscreened on the main logic board.

 

The CPU is a Rockwell 6503 which came in a 28 pin package. A low cost version of the 6502.

[Keatah]

6503 28-pin package? Don't think I ever saw one of those. Pics please!!

 

I do know, that Apple had a 6503, which is just a custom part number for 65C02. There is nothing low-cost about it. Big mfgs can dictate their own part numbers if they want to. And Apple is no exception.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Keatah

[+FujiSkunk]

I didn't like the Platinum for one specific reason: the reversed positions of the open-apple and solid-apple/option keys. That made playing pinball game David's Midnight Magic impossible!

[Keatah]

Indeed!! IIRC when I was a kid I wired some real buttons and taped them to the side of the computer for that express purpose. No soldering, no cutting, no drilling. Just tape that could be pulled away!

 

And it felt like a pinball machine!

 

I did similar with A2-PB1, which I liked better with all those adjustable parameters. Then came pinball construction set, which was a killer app in the house for nearly a month!

 

Midnight Magic and the Construction Set share code don't they?

[shoestring]

I stand corrected. It's the 40 pin 6503 (65C02) package in my Apple IIe.

 

There is a 28 pin version but I've never heard of one used for the Apple II

[JamesD]

I stand corrected. It's the 40 pin 6503 (65C02) package in my Apple IIe.

 

There is a 28 pin version but I've never heard of one used for the Apple II

I don't think you'll see a 6503 in an Apple II. It has an internal clock, and only enough address pins for 4K of RAM.

To sync with the video requires an external clock.

 

If they had multiplexed the upper address lines with the data lines, they could have freed up 3 pins for the external clock and still addressed 64K.

The MC6803 and 65816 do something like that.

[Asaki]

I didn't like the Platinum for one specific reason: the reversed positions of the open-apple and solid-apple/option keys. That made playing pinball game David's Midnight Magic impossible!

What do the Apple keys do in that game? I played it a couple times, and I don't recall ever pressing them.

 

...but it's been a while, maybe I just forgot...

[+FujiSkunk]

What do the Apple keys do in that game? I played it a couple times, and I don't recall ever pressing them.

 

...but it's been a while, maybe I just forgot...

 

The Apple keys were the joystick/paddle buttons in disguise. David's Midnight Magic was ostensibly a combination joystick and keyboard game, but really you could play very easily play it with just the keyboard... if you had an original IIe. With the original keyboard, the left and right flippers were the left and right apple keys respectively, the space-bar "bump" was right between them, and the left and right Magna-Save buttons were right above them.

 

That all went out the window with the Platinum's lay-out.

[Asaki]

I've got a Platinum, but I really don't remember that...but actually, now that I think about it, I don't even remember if I actually played the game...maybe I couldn't figure out the keys and decided to play something else.

 

Speaking of keys, does Choplifter! have any keys that work, or does it require a joystick? I couldn't figure it out, and the Internet was no help.

[Osgeld]

yes you can play choplifter with the keyboard, I dont remember what keys it is but usually I just start hitting them until something happens

[simbalion]

yes you can play choplifter with the keyboard, I dont remember what keys it is but usually I just start hitting them until something happens

Do that with a modern PC and you'll crash something. One major advantage of the 8-bits!