Why does my Apple IIe run so _fast_ ?

From: Phil Guerney <guerney_at_uq.net.au>
Date: Mon Jun 28 07:24:52 1999

I have just played with an Apple IIe (Model A2S2128X) I was given. It is
obviously "souped up" as everything runs so _fast_. Most games are
impossible to play on it. I just tried a pinball simulation and the ball
just bounces around at 100mph! I ran a BASIC graphics extension demo and the
bits which were supposed to show "slow" drawing to the screen were real
fast, and the "fast" draw was instantaneous.

It is not hard to guess that a chip called the "ZIP CHIP Model 8000" plugged
into the lower left of the motherboard has something to do with it! I came
into microcomputers through the Commodore line, and have never known much
about Apples, and I have not accumulated enough reference material to find
something about this add-on.

Another thing with this unit is that it happily runs DOS 3.3 but any ProDos
disks are greeted with a "UNABLE TO LOAD PRODOS" banner. So it will not run
Apple Works etc.

There is also a PlusRAM II 1MB RAMCARD which is fully populated with 1MB
RAM. I suspect that card must have cost $$$ in its day. What do I need to
access this memory?Another slot holds a tiny card called a Berkely Softworks
IRQ Manager. The centre slot contains a AIIE 80col/64K Memory Expansion
card. The remaining slots are the more common Disk II Interface, Mouse
Interface and "AII Parallel Interface" cards.

Anything anyone can tell me about what makes this IIe run like it does?

Phil
in Brisbane, Australia.
Received on Mon Jun 28 1999 - 07:24:52 BST