(Part 2) Best products from r/VintageApple

I got an Apple IIGS at the Garage Giveaway at Kansasfest two weeks ago, and since then I've been tinkering with it almost daily. I took this photo to show off the IIGS working with my Magnavox 1CM135 monitor that originally came with my Amiga 4000. My IIGS did include an AppleColor RGB display, but after using it for a week I'm not very impressed with it. The Magnavox is more vibrant and puts out a sharper picture, and its built in speakers are a huge boon for the IIGS.

To make the IIGS work with the Amiga monitor, I bought a DB9 connector and a DB15 cable, snipped off the female end of the cable, and after finding the pinouts I made a IIGS RGB to "Almost-CGA" Analog RGB Monitor cable.

I plan on using a manual RS-232 switchbox to switch between my Amiga 4000, the Appple IIGS, and my CGA-compatible Tandy 1000HX so I can have all 3 computers plugged into this monitor at the same time.

Did you know you can use a SATA SSD in a Cube? With a simple adapter, it works. I am running my Quicksilver G4 tower off a 60GB SATA SSD using a similar adapter to this one and it works great. Just keep good backups because you won't have TRIM support in the OS and will either have to pull it and TRIM it from another computer occasionally, or do a reinstall if it ever starts getting really slow.

https://www.amazon.com/HDE-Interface-Adapter-Bridge-Converter/dp/B008X8NK0I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1474311096&sr=8-5&keywords=ide+sata+adapter

This is probably your best bet (or something similar). Basically, you power it with the USB port and plug it into the Ethernet port, and it creates a wifi to ethernet bridge. The cheaper one(s) need to be initially set up on a PC or other device that let's you add a wifi network (the one I have can only store one network at a time), but I think you could probably get all the settings you need from say your phone and plug them in, or use your phone as a hotspot and thus only need the one wifi connection. I think higher priced models will allow you to connect just as if it was a regular wifi card/dongle. I've got the cheapy one which is fine for around my house. I wold just need to manually add or change the DNS settings and such if I wanted to connect to another wifi which can be done through a web interface.

The Apple II has a composite video output - but you need an RF modulated signal for your tv. So, you can take the composite video signal to an RF modulator, like this one. If your television doesn't have a coaxial antenna input, you'll also need an antenna matching transformer, like this one.

I used the 2.5" version in my PowerBook 1400 and it worked fine. I haven't tried in an iMac yet, but it should. Important thing is to get the "industrial" CF with true IDE mode. Other cards said they would work, but I could never get them to initialize in Mac OS.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026OYEEQ/ref=psdc_15874201_t1_B000TMDE6G

I found this a while ago.
This is a good book, and you should be able to get it cheaply.

Pretty much all of the big programming toolkits can be found on macintoshgarden.

If you're buying soldering supplies, don't forget to buy "flux." It really helps "refresh" a solder pad.

Also: Buy a soldering iron with adjustable temperature and relatively high-power, e.g. 60W. You'll want the highest setting 400°+ to re-heat large solder pads more quickly. You can use lower-power (heat) settings for finer soldering tasks or where a 30W iron would be more appropriate, e.g. soldering semiconductor components like transistors or ICs.

Here's a example: https://www.amazon.com/YOUSHARES-Adjustable-Temperature-Soldering-Additional/dp/B01FLY2LR4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500871751&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=soldering+iron+adjustable&psc=1

Research is good.

To quote the sustainable softworks page (as linked above):
> OEM Alternative (Gigabit Ethernet but limited by USB 2.0)
> Device: http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Gigabit-Ethernet-Network-Adapter/dp/B003VSTDFG
> Driver: http://www.asix.com.tw/FrootAttach/driver/AX88178_Macintosh_10.4_to_10.7_Driver_v3.6.0_20111014.zip

I presume since the drivers they link to are for AX88178 that any hardware of a similar vintage and that same chip would probably work. That might not be true, but it does seem reasonable.

It appears that one design at least must have been common rebrand because (top two previously noted):
http://plugable.com/products/usb2-e1000/
https://www.sabrent.com/product/USB-G1000/usb-2-0-gigabit-101001000-ethernet-adapter-network/
https://www.startech.com/support/USB21000S

^ These all appear to be the same (or very similar) units with different brands

http://www.asix.com.tw/download.php
^ you can look get the chip makers drivers here, but for some reason it says
for AX88178 10.5 to 10.12 and for AX88178A 10.6 to 10.12
Supposedly they are for "For Apple x86/Power PC, 32-bit/64-bit platform"

StarTech appears to be providing the 1.3.2 version of the install guide whereas ASIX's site has the 3.10 version of the install guide. They each provide files, but I don't know what the respective driver version numbers are. My supposition is that the 10.4 to 10.7 driver on the sustainable softworks page must be somehow distinct from the 10.5-10.12/10.6-10.12 driver found elsewhere, but maybe it's the same driver? There is a 'history.txt' in the Mac folder of StarTech's driver download that appears to suggest that that driver is v3.6.0 just like the one linked at that other page.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Network-Adapter-StarTech-Accessory-USB21000S2-USB-2-0-to-Gigabit-Ethernet-/172797771920
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-2-0-to-Gigabit-Ethernet-Network-Adapter-USB21000S-from-Star-Tech-New-Sealed-/322624658741
^ the latter one here is a little pricey at almost $30, but it is NIB.

That one is USB. You'll need a Firewire one like this:

https://www.amazon.com/LaCie-16x-LightScribe-FireWire-300978U/dp/B000FGJVF4/

One reviewer on there has said they have it working on a G4, so odds are good for Mac compatibility.

West of Eden: The End of Innocence at Apple Computer
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00295MJHG/?coliid=I1Q8J5K347MYXY&colid=1J9YDKJ5WZ8PB&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Sophistication & Simplicity: The Life and Times of the Apple II Computer https://www.amazon.com/dp/0986832278/?coliid=I1I3Q5B2K8YST7&colid=1J9YDKJ5WZ8PB&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393330435/?coliid=I3IE3KZUF3E6WN&colid=1J9YDKJ5WZ8PB&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

You'll probably want this book: https://www.amazon.com/New-Apple-II-Users-Guide/dp/0615639879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469731613&sr=8-1&keywords=new+apple+ii+user%27s+guide

I love mine, and I've been using Apple IIs for 30 years.

Get a little 120GB SSD and plug it into one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/Kingwin-Adapter-Convert-Devices-Compatible/dp/B002SZDOM6

I did that on mine, and good god, it's ridiculously nice.

http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-2001-ADB-iMate-Universal-adapter/dp/B000067V8L/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450570210&sr=8-1&keywords=Griffin+iMAte

I have two, and they work great

Oops. I meant Insanely Great, by Stephen Levy.

Good question! Everything is captured onto a modern PC. From the Mac it's VGA out into an VGA-HDMI adapter, and then that into a USB 3.0 external HDMI capture card. Software is OBS.