Hi
over in the marketplace forum I've posted a request to find a used or cheap IDE interface /compact flash solution to load games and so on into my IIe.
Its been decades since i sold a few 2e's and 2c's and macs in a shop and I haven't much retained knowledge of the IIe at all. I have a 2e enhanced, 2 x floppy drives, and dos disks, would now like to get a CF card loaded and booted and play some games etc etc.
please can someone answer a few questions:
Rich at dreher.net seems to be constructing a new card but that feels beyond my err, "fiscal abilities" :(. as does probably, reactivemicro's microdrive and the focus card, really. I'm in UK so shipping adds even more.
can anyone suggest a cheaper alternative? I have cf cards and ide <> adaptors already. used?
and, what do i need to do to boot dos and load games etc from a CF card? which dos, does that go in a particular partition etc, will any game or program then "just work" on any of the above cards? does ciderpress sort all that stuff out, is it simple? any guides please point me at them!
Sorry for perhaps are what obvious questions but I've forgotten totally and cant quite find the answers I'm looking for.
TIA all! Iain
Typically, due to the SMART architecture that Apple wrote into the software to handle new/future data storage devices, ProDOS 8 is what you get to use for an OS with Rich's CF card readers, to date. He is working on a new one that can handle DOS 3.3. BTW IMHO his are the best, and whenever he's found flaws in his firmware, or done upgrades he has sent out free replacement IC's. Now that is the mark of an honorable person.
Um, good luck going cheap on this hardware. He sells out of all of his runs. They tend to be low in quantity. If you want one, pay the full price, it's worth it. If I were you, I'd start saving the money, and sign up for his upcoming model.
Mutant Pie
IMO, The CFFA's are the best hard drive solutions out there. I have at least one of every hard drive options ever made for the Apple II line, and the harddrive in all 3 of my frequently used Apple's (II+,IIe,IIgs) are CFFA's.
I can't wait till the CFFA 3000's are complete.
thanks all.
I might not be able to wait for the CFFA 3000. literally, as i'm bad at waiting
is there anything I cant do with a microdrive - are there any programs i wont be able to load and run or save data from? copy protected or multi disk games, will they work ok?
thanks again for help.
ps someone kindly noted there's a cffa on ebay. thats got quite expensive already - muddying the waters even more. help!
Iain,
Without waiting for Rich to finish his newest creation, your best bet would be to go with ReactiveMicro.
If you are worried about being able to partition or copy to the CFFA Card, they have CFFA Cards already partitioned. One specifically for the IIe and one for the IIgs. They each have several Copy programs and other neat stuff loaded.
I realize that you are attempting to upgrade within some kind of budget, but if you are waiting for prices to go down though, you are bound to be using floppies a long time. I don't think costs will go down as time goes along.
Hi
before i order a microdrive, does any one recall how much rich's earlier ccfa's cost? One went for $300 on ebay recently.
Just in case it is worth waiting, else I'll order a microdrive.
ta for help, all
iain
The CFFA drives were $99 plus $5 shipping to the US.
thanks !
iain
"Patience Daniel-San...Patience."
Mister Miyagi
Iain,
Hold on. It's coming.
Iain,
They have a blog over at A2 Central about Rich testing his second prototype card.
It won't be long now.
Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Oh Boy! (excitement) lol
I forgot... There's a new batch of Uthernet Cards for sale too.
$300! For that I might just sell mine.
Have you considered using ADTPro to tide you over until the new CFFA is released? The software is free, and all you need is a simple serial cable and some DSDD disks. If you're just playing games, this is a great option.
This has been my solution, until the new CFFA is released.
Hatta, please accept my THANKS for that ace bit of info. I was blissfully unaware.
I have kept a pc with serial for programming flash carts for my atari's, had no idea the concept existed for the apple!
Thanks again I shall get to it!
Don't thank me, thank the authors of ADTPro. I almost didn't mention it because I figured everyone already knew about it, heh. It really is an amazing application.
There's also the Apple II Game Server that serves up single file games over serial. I haven't used it since it's untested on the IIgs, which is what I own. But, it might save you some discs. They're not as cheap as they used to be.