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Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1

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Hi Kalevi,

On 5/17/2025 2:47 PM, Kalevi Kolttonen wrote:
> Hi Charlie!
> 
> Charlie <charlieDOTd@vereyezon.net> wrote:
>> On 5/17/2025 10:31 AM, Kalevi Kolttonen wrote:
>>> Hi there!
>>>
>>> Sorry for these stupid questions, but I am totally
>>> new to Apple II. As I said in another post, I just
>>> bought Apple II Europlus. I cannot use before my
>>> VGA card arrives from US.
>>>
>>> The deal I got included Dan II Controller version
>>> 1.1. I know that this card is a floppy card
>>> emulator, but I am going crazy with chatGPT giving
>>> me conflicting advice. On the one hand, chatGPT claims
>>> that I can have two floppy disk controller cards.
>>
>> I believe that the Apple II Europlus is similar to the Apple ][+ which
>> means that it has 8 slots on the motherboard numbered 0 to 7.
> 
> Yes, it is very much like regular, USA Apple II+.
> 
>> You can
>> put an original style Disk II controller (one that accepts the ribbon
>> cables) into any slot except slot 0. It is common to put it into slot 6
>> as some software assumes that it will be there.
> 
> I see.
> 
>> The controller supports two Disk II drives. It should look like the
>> picture on this site:
>>
>> https://www.bigmessowires.com/2021/11/12/the-amazing-disk-ii-controller-card/
> 
> Yes, it looks like that.
> 
>> Be very careful when connecting the the ribbon cables that you don't
>> offset the cable connector with the pins on the card. This will damage
>> the drive.
> 
> Many thanks for your assistance.
> 
>>> On the other hand, it says that I cannot do that
>>> and I must choose between Apple original floppy
>>> controller and Dan II.
>>>
>>> So basically now chatGPT told me to remove the
>>> Apple floppy controller from slot 6 and put
>>> Dan II there instead.
>>>
>>> I am wondering whether Apple II could support
>>> more than two floppy drives? Slot 6 would have
>>> the Apple original controller and some other
>>> slot could have Dan II inserted? Is this possible?
>>
>> The Apple II can theoretically support two Disk II drives in each of
>> slots 1 to 7 for a total of 14 drives at once.
>> I am not familiar with the Dan II so I don't know if it has restrictions
>> that the original Disk IIs do not.
> 
> I believe my Dan II card contains a disk controller
> *and* it also emulates two floppy drives. So it is kind of
> a all-in-one disk card. You can insert two SD cards in
> Dan II and I suppose during the boot time you can
> select which WOZ image to use, and it will show up
> like a floppy disk to Apple II.

Sounds like a nice card.

> I did not get a manual for Dan II, but I noticed that
> it was still sealed in an anti-static plastic bag. When
> I opened the bag, I noticed that one of the SD cards
> slot already had an SD card. chatGPT told me that it
> probably contains some kind Apple DOS programs to
> boot.
> 
> chatGPT also told me to install Dan II into slot 6 because
> it, according to chatGPT, is the only one that can be
> used for booting. Some games supposedly assume slot 6.
> 
> 
> I guess my plan is to insert Dan II into slot 6 and
> maybe I will put the original Apple floppy disk
> controller card into slot 7.
> 
> Well, to sum it up, chatGPT claims that Apple II cannot
> boot from other slots than 6, but if I have my two
> real floppy drives in slot 7, it should be possible
> to access them from Apple DOS even though you cannot
> boot from them.

The Apple II+ can boot from any of the slots 1 to 7.
When you power on the Apple II it 'looks' for a bootable drive in slot 
7. If it finds one it boots it. If it does not find one it tries slot 6. 
If it does not find one in slot 6 it tries slot 5 and so on until it 
finds a drive to boot. So if you put your Disk II controller in slot 7 
that is the one that will boot.

If you want real floppies to boot and the Dan II is in slot 6 put the 
Disk II controller in slot 7. If you want the Dan II to boot then put 
the Disk II controller in a lower numbered slot like slot 5.

By the way, only drive 1 on a Disk II controller is bootable.

Also, if you are in Applesoft BASIC you can enter PR# followed by a slot 
number and after pressing 'RETURN' the Apple II will attempt to 
'activate' that slot. If the slot has a drive controller it will boot 
the drive that is attached.
The Applesoft BASIC prompt is ] so ]PR#6 will boot drive 1 in slot 6 if 
a boot disk is in that drive.

For the most part Apple II cards are 'plug-and-play'. You can put them 
in whatever slot you want. In general though many people do something 
like the following:

Slot 0: Language card (this card contains extra RAM/ROM. There is no 
Slot 0 on later Apple IIs).

Slot 1: Printer card (serial or parallel).
Slot 2: Communication card.
Slot 3: 80 column text card.
Slot 4: various cards.
Slot 5: various cards.
Slot 6: Floppy controller.
Slot 7: Hard drive.

Here are links to manuals that I found very handy when I bought my Apple 
][+ back in 1980.

http://www.applelogic.org/files/AIIREF.pdf
http://www.applelogic.org/files/AIIDOS.pdf
http://www.apple-iigs.info/doc/fichiers/basicpr1.pdf

> 
> Again, chatGPT has told me so many lies recently
> that it is hard to believe in what it says. But
> I believe what you have told me and that is: I can
> use two floppy controller cards and have four
> floppy drives connected. In my setup, two of those
> will be emulations and two of them will be real
> Apple drives.
> 
> br,
> KK

I think you will do much better asking questions here than relying on 
chatGPT.

Charlie

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Thread

Dan II Controller version 1.1 kalevi@kolttonen.fi (Kalevi Kolttonen) - 2025-05-17 14:31 +0000
  Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 Charlie <charlieDOTd@verEYEzon.net> - 2025-05-17 13:56 -0400
    Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 kalevi@kolttonen.fi (Kalevi Kolttonen) - 2025-05-17 18:47 +0000
      Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 Andrew Roughan <no_email@invalid.invalid> - 2025-05-18 01:27 +0000
        Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 Charlie <charlieDOTd@verEYEzon.net> - 2025-05-17 22:20 -0400
          Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 Andrew Roughan <no_email@invalid.invalid> - 2025-05-18 09:06 +0000
            Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 kalevi@kolttonen.fi (Kalevi Kolttonen) - 2025-05-18 15:02 +0000
        Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 kalevi@kolttonen.fi (Kalevi Kolttonen) - 2025-05-18 15:03 +0000
          Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 kalevi@kolttonen.fi (Kalevi Kolttonen) - 2025-05-18 15:06 +0000
            Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 kalevi@kolttonen.fi (Kalevi Kolttonen) - 2025-05-18 15:19 +0000
      Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 Charlie <charlieDOTd@verEYEzon.net> - 2025-05-17 21:54 -0400
      Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 Steve Nickolas <usotsuki@buric.co> - 2025-05-18 14:29 -0400
        Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 kalevi@kolttonen.fi (Kalevi Kolttonen) - 2025-05-18 19:08 +0000
          Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 Steven Hirsch <snhirsch@gmail.com> - 2025-05-19 21:46 -0400
            Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 kalevi@kolttonen.fi (Kalevi Kolttonen) - 2025-05-22 13:12 +0000
            Re: Dan II Controller version 1.1 Brian Patrie <bpatrie@bellsouth.spamisicky.net> - 2025-05-23 01:08 -0500

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