For those who are interested in the replica 1, I am currently working on a improved revision. The changes are only those that users of the replica 1 suggested. ATX power connection instead of AT for more common power supply useage is one improvement as well as being able to use a wall brick power supply. The other change is the the serial port is changed to a USB port that creates a virtual comm port on your PC or Mac. This allows Mac users to enjoy the replica 1 as well.
The replica 1 SE is in prototype stage now and a prototype board will be arriving in about a week to test out. If things go well, the replica 1 SE will be available in about a month. I'll post updates as they become available.
Vince
I'm looking forward to seeing it!
I'd also like to clarify, for those new to the Replica I, that using the current model with the Mac is very easy. You just need a serial to usb adapter and it'll work with any telecom program.
just tacking it on here... its a pdf
Apple-I Operation Manual
so does that mean no more of the original replica 1s are being made? because as nice as the new ones sound, I have neither a spare ATX powersupply, nor free USB port on my mac. I do have a spare At power supply, and a USB serial adapter.
and the reason I havnt gottern one yet is because cash is a little tight, and it's hard ro justify spending $200 on a replica of a computer with less horse power than my graphing calculator. I mean, i really want one, but I just dont have the money.
-digital
You won't have to use a ATX supply. You can use a wall brick power supply, which will be way cheaper or even free if you find one laying around the house.
I HATE wallbricks.
1. if they are big and heavy enough, they WILL fall out of the plug. that has happened with the one from a zip drive, and from a router.
2. they take up too much space on a power strip.
3. on more than one ocasion, i have had one short out one me, once where it actually caused a fire.
4. they are hard to replace if you lose them (though that has become easier since radio shack has thier line.)
5. they dont last very long, at least not with me. after a few years, the insulation on the wires gets brittle and cracks away.
so, yeah. wall bricks are awful. just my opinion, dont take it personally.
-digital
They also suck power, even when they arent used. They are also know as wall worts and vampires. Alot of the ones I've has have bad cables too.
John
Then get one with the brick seperate from the wall power... a lot of power supplies meant for cameras are like that.
It is true that wall-warts suck power even when not being used. However, without the current draw, they don't consume as much as they would under full load. There are a lot of reasons I made the change from AT to ATX. The biggest reason is I had a lot of people asking where to get converters to ATX. I then realized that AT power supplies are becoming more difficult to find since I designed the replica in 2003. The reason for the wall wart option is price. For those who don't want to use the expensive ATX, this is the best solution. Any 6-9V wall-wart will work with positive center 2.1mm standard connector. I agree this isn't the best solution, but the overkill, hard to find AT was no longer the power supply of choice. As for the USB instead of serial, that was an easy decision to make. More and more PC's don't have serial ports, some of the converters don't work as they should and it is just better technology. The only thing I changed was the connection. The USB device software actually will create a virtual comm port on your system. As for not having any available USB ports, I don't know what to tell you there except get another HUB. Obviously not everybody will agree with the changes but I was going by the majority. Putting everything onboard eliminates the lowcost option without the I/O but the new all-in-one board made it possible to add the new features without a cost increase.
Vince
so, is there an adapter to convert an AT power supply to ATX? if so, I'm no board.
and I already have 6 hubs on my system. sorry, but I have alot of devices, and alot of people use this machine. however, if you could design it with a mini b connector, I can use the same cable that I use to connect both my mobile phone, and PSP, which both use the mini b. but, if you are doing a full size B connector, I dont have any spare ports, unless I open my case and use the internal USB connector on my 5 port USB 2.0 card, which I usually use for a bluetooth/wifi dongle.
but, it's like I said, I just dont have $200 at the moment to justify buying a computer, even if it's a replica of an Apple I.
-digital
I don't know of an ATX to AT adapter but here's the thing. Just cut the red and black wire from the AT power supply, attach it to the 5V and GND that would be on the ATX connector and you are all set. You can do the same with -/+12V voltages too. Also, I have to think about this but it is possible that the serial I/O board will double up on the replica 1 SE. There might be signal loss trying that so I'll have to check into that. I still have a few serial boards for those lost souls who couldn't get one when they purchased their replica 1 initially.
The USB connector is the slave connector like on a printer or other slave device. I went with a device that isn't surface mount and that limits options with USB. This change was necessary for compatibilty with more users. Sure, some serial-USB converters will work but that is just more hardware required to make the replica 1 work with your computer.
And Digital, I userstand about the $200. When you have some play money people say the kits are a blast to build. I took extra steps to make the kit easy for beginners to build.
Vince
On some powersupplies it is difficult to coax one voltage (say, 12v) out without also having a draw on others (such as 5v) I ran into this problem trying to wire an LCD panel to an ATX supply with just the 12v and GND connected, and it wouldn't run the backlight. I added some stuff to draw on the 5v and it output more power.
That makes sense. The 5V is the voltage that the ps looks for a draw on, if I remember correctly. AT's were the same way. I had a lot of people ask me of the AT power supplies shut down with the replica or if the replica used enough power to keep it running. Obviously it used enough power. Attaching an old hard drive can help with the 5V issue. I've done that in the past.
By the way, I received the prototype SE boards today and everything is working as designed. I may have my first board in a while with zero errors! I just need to test the DC wall-wart section.
Vince
I received the prototype boards yesterday and built one right away. So far everything is working perfectly. I still need to test the DC wall-wart supply section but that is the last initial test. After that I'll really get down to the grind and write up a new manual with more instructions on construction. Here's a pic:
full sized pics are here:
http://www.brielcomputers.com/replica1.html
Stay tuned...
you still didnt answer my questions:
1. will the older Replica 1s continue to be made and for sale? and if they are being discontinued, how many of the older units are still for sale?
2. is there a converter to allow me to use my spare AT power supply with the new Replica 1 SE?
thanks. -digital
1. No, it is discontinued. Old software, old technology, the SE is everything I wanted the original replica to be.
2. Yes, you can cut the red and black wires on the AT power supply at the connector and attach them to the replica 1 SE 5V and Ground spots. Hardware is the only way it can be done, no adapter is available that I know of. I'm not going back to the AT connector, too many people wanted ATX.
that's to bad, i was hoping to find money sometime and buy the eproms from you for the original replica 1 rev c. if i cant anymore is there any way i can make my own?
Yes, Vince has made the firmware freely available.
It's very possible though, that the video and PS/2 controllers haven't even been changed, or if they have, will still work with the original Replica I. Vince?
Minor changes but all-in-all still 100% compatible.
I have 3 replica 1 SE prototypes. I'm going to keep 1 and that means I have two extras. Both are assembled and tested, 1 has the USB MM232 adapter and one doesn't. If you are interested, let me know.
They are all gone
Well, one last prototype run then I will order the production run. Give it a month for them to make the boards.
I claim one of the next run of prototypes now, if you plan on doing something as with the last one.
I was the lucky one who pestered Vince into sending me his USB SE prototype. I'm sure he won't mind me divulging a few details.
First off, I also have the Obtronix Apple 1 clone that I built up. It was fun to build, but I needed to order Vince's serial port adapter before it was really of any use. I didn't get any of the cassette interfaces sold on eBay for it so the serial interface was the only way to save/load programs. The Obtronix does make for a nice display between my Apple II and III.
The Replica 1 SE interested me more for its small size, USB connectivity, and I/O interface. Nice for retro embedded controller projects. I also use OS X instead of Windows. I have no need to hook the Replica 1 up to a keyboard or monitor - I just want to use it connected to the Mac.
It arrived yesterday. I found a 9V wall wart power supply with the correct polarity in my big box-o-junk, hooked up a USB cable, installed the FTDI USB/serial driver from their website, and rebooted. FTDI has very comprehensive driver support for their products. Kudos to Vince for using that interface in his design. Upon running ZTerm and setting 2400 baud, I had Apple-1 connectivity. I was able to immediately download and run my Apple 30th birthday tribute. BASIC is built in and fired right up. All in all, a very nice combination of retro and modern computing. Aside from the retro geek factor of this product, I think it has a lot of educational value for the advanced high school and entry-level college classes. Lots of available resources for 6502 programming, an I/O connector, and USB connectivity to the host computer make for an easy and affordable learning platform.
Well, that's just my $.02. I am definitely happy.
P.S. Oh, and the SE *looks* good. Along with the ATMEGA8515 chip, the 6821 and 6502 are the largest chips on the board. It has a nice balanced organization.
Thanks. For those who have been patiently waiting, I have ordered the production run of boards. This takes 4 weeks to get but soon you will be able to pre-order kits or assembled boards. The first batch is limited to 50 boards and then I will evaluate if I will do a second run.
The latest revision SE has onboard serial with the USB as an option. This gives flexability to those who still require a serial interface. I consider it some of my best and I think people will be happy.
More detailed information will follow soon along with pricing and where you can buy yours! Also, accessories will be available shortly to expand your replica 1.
Vince