Memory test program for Apple ][+

[carlsson]

So our computer club has two Apple systems: one ][+ with some sort of Language card/memory expansion, and one Europlus with some mouse interface but only partly malfunctioning keyboard. We've also got at least one Disk ][ card and three drives of which 1-2 appear to work, plus a Super Serial Card that I've verified answers to Ctrl-A but I haven't been able to wire up a proper cable to make it communicate.

 

Anyway, most 48K software loads fine on the ][+ but as soon as I tried ProDOS (or more precisely boot ADTPro), I get this "Relocation/Configuration Error" which I understand means the last 16K on the expansion card doesn't work. I tried to enable HGR modes and got even more garbled output than one should. Then I gave all chips a firm push to sit in their sockets, which caused the HGR modes to display a more likely image of garbage but the program still wouldn't boot.

 

Now I wonder if there is some recommended memory test software so I don't have to randomly shift around RAM chips.

 

Also I realize that I have a problem about transferring software since I can't boot ADTPro either from floppy or bootstrapping, until I have figured out the serial (null modem?) cable and found a PC with a good enough serial port. I've got some USB adapter that kind of worked with some other basic serial applications before, but perhaps a desktop PC with a real serial port is preferred, if only it is recent enough to run Java and ADTPro. I found that I can bootstrap the smaller ADT program though, which should work with serial. Perhaps there is a light version of the bigger program too elsewhere.

 

But yeah, my first problem is figuring out how to get 64K to work in either of the two Apple machines. I haven't tried to move the memory expansion to the Europlus with the malfunctioning keyboard but I might try that to rule out that the problem isn't elsewhere.

[bluejay]

Apple-Cillin should be good enough a test program. The Apple II Disk Server (Google that) has this really cool thing that lets you create floppy disks from their archive via the cassette port. The website has detailed instructions on how to use it. 
 

Alternatively you could just use ADTPro with cassette, that is, if your computer has both audio input and output jacks.

 

SSC can use both straight or null modem cables, depending on the configuration of a switch thingy on the card. It’s a black block mounted to a DIP-14 (maybe 16, I dunno) that has a triangle on it, pointing to either “MODEM” or “TERMINAL”. That selects what kind of serial cable you’re using. 
 

One more thing, the built in self test (ctrl open apple reset, I think, to activate it) probably tests the expansion RAM too, although I’m not too sure. In any case, it would probably just spit out a “bad ram” error or something equally vague. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by bluejay

[carlsson]

Yup, I've been using ADTPro through an audio connection with another ][+ clone before, and managed to bootstrap the smaller ADT software through audio on the mentioned ][+ but if the Apple II Disk Server takes less memory so it fits within 48K, I'll look it up.

 

Also neither of the two Apple models have an Open Apple or pretty much any Apple logo key from what I can recall. Perhaps it is aliased to another key combo, or the built-in self test applies to later models like //e, IIgs etc?

[bluejay]

Oh, right. The self test is probably Apple //e or later. 
 

The Disk Server is unlike ADTPro. The website has a whole list of software of all kinds, all with audio files you can play back right in your browser. The Apple automatically executes the program the audio file feeds it, which writes data from the cassette port onto disk. I used this a lot to load programs to my //e before I had my SSC. 
 

https://asciiexpress.net/diskserver/

here’s a link. 

Edited July 31, 2021 by bluejay

[carlsson]

Back to the crime scene. This is Dino Eggs. Apparently it looks the same without the 16K expansion so it seems like a memory fault on the main board. A good memory test program would be valuable, or I need to find a 4116/8116 tester.

 

Edit: I found another Apple II with busted keyboard but apparently OK RAM. Unfortunately it is NTSC.

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by carlsson

[bluejay]

https://archive.org/details/a2_Apple_II_Plus_Dealer_Service_Programs_19xx__II
I found this after some googling. Looks like a pretty thorough testing utility to me.

[carlsson]

Thanks, I'll have a closer look at that later.

[carlsson]

On 7/31/2021 at 5:48 AM, bluejay said:

https://asciiexpress.net/diskserver/

So I tried this last Sunday. Unfortunately I never got anything to load properly, trying various volume settings, sound cables and even two smartphones (Motorola and Sony). I got to the stage where it loads Insta-Disk but then at best I got a screen full of garbage characters. Eventually I made a motherboard swap so now I have one mostly working Apple II (which I believe is an Europlus) and one spare model with both a few non-working keys and undiagnosed RAM fault. Not even with the newly assembled machine, I got the Disk Server to work. I'll try with a laptop at a later time, assuming those have more powerful sound output than a smartphone.

 

ADTPro still won't load due to Relocation/Configuration Error, so I assume there may have been RAM faults both on the motherboard of the first Apple and the RAM/language card, but that is something for later to diagnose. I suppose I could read up on schematics and write my own BASIC program to test memory areas but since there are ready-made programs which does this so much better if only I'm able to load them, I hesitated from rolling my own so far.

[GameGeezer]

FYI

 

PRINT PRE(0)

 

The best option for proper RAM tests is ROMX. It has RAM tests a diags built into the boot images.

[carlsson]

I believe you meant PRINT FRE(0) to tell how much memory is available, and that a low number would indicate that a memory chip above that range was faulty. It still means I need to map in which order the memory chips are ordered. I'll look into ROMX at some point, plus using something more powerful than a smartphone to use the Disk Server.

[Baldrick]

On 10/19/2021 at 4:05 AM, carlsson said:

So I tried this last Sunday. Unfortunately I never got anything to load properly, trying various volume settings, sound cables and even two smartphones (Motorola and Sony). I got to the stage where it loads Insta-Disk but then at best I got a screen full of garbage characters. Eventually I made a motherboard swap so now I have one mostly working Apple II (which I believe is an Europlus) and one spare model with both a few non-working keys and undiagnosed RAM fault. Not even with the newly assembled machine, I got the Disk Server to work. I'll try with a laptop at a later time, assuming those have more powerful sound output than a smartphone.

 

ADTPro still won't load due to Relocation/Configuration Error, so I assume there may have been RAM faults both on the motherboard of the first Apple and the RAM/language card, but that is something for later to diagnose. I suppose I could read up on schematics and write my own BASIC program to test memory areas but since there are ready-made programs which does this so much better if only I'm able to load them, I hesitated from rolling my own so far.

Relocation/Configuration error on ProDOS boot is indicative of faulty RAM in the upper 16K bank of the lower 64K.

Motherboard RAM on a IIe and Language Card RAM on a II+.  Your II+ either has a bad RAM chip on the language card or the RAS/CAS signal is not addressing the RAM chips properly.  If you have a language card with a ribbon-cable strap to the last RAM chip on the motherboard then the RAS/CAS signals are probably fine.  However there are "strapless" language cards that generate their own RAS/CAS signals on-board.  They usually have a potentiometer to tailor the signal.  Some have a fixed resistor there.  In any case, start with the easy stuff- 4116 RAM chips.

 

With regards to asciexpress.net, the trick is to use a stereo-to-mono adapter on your smartphone.  Having only one channel of audio into the Apple II's cassette port is not reliable.  Combining the smartphone's left and right into a monophonic signal will increase the signal transmission reliability substantially.

 

[carlsson]

Yes, the Language Card is connected by a ribbon cable. I'll investigate this at a later point.