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Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus

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  Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus ken.croft@gmail.com - 2014-10-24 15:47 -0700
    Re: Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus Mike Spurgeon <mike@mikespurgeon.com> - 2014-10-24 19:58 -0700
    Re: Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus Hugh Hood <hughhood@earthlink.net> - 2014-10-25 00:43 -0500
      Re: Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus ken.croft@gmail.com - 2014-10-27 07:42 -0700
    Re: Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus The Wizard <TheWizard@unknown.net> - 2014-10-26 12:07 -0400
      Re: Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus D Finnigan <dog_cow@macgui.com> - 2014-10-26 12:30 -0500
        Re: Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2014-10-26 13:57 -0400
          Re: Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus epc8@juno.com - 2014-10-27 08:10 -0700
      Re: Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus Egan Ford <datajerk@gmail.com> - 2014-10-26 16:42 -0600
        Re: Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus ken.croft@gmail.com - 2014-10-27 07:34 -0700

#22232 — Looking for a tech to work on an Apple II plus

There is an apple II plus in our office in Fort Worth Texas that needs to be revived, unknown what the current state is.  Company is looking for the top technician with a long resume of fixing Apple II plus computers.  Willing to pay for travel.  Any recommendation on how to find the best technician out there for this project who is willing to travel and work onsite?  Appreciate the help.

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#22235

On 10/24/2014 3:47 PM, ken.croft@gmail.com wrote:
> There is an apple II plus in our office in Fort Worth Texas that needs to be revived, unknown what the current state is.  Company is looking for the top technician with a long resume of fixing Apple II plus computers.  Willing to pay for travel.  Any recommendation on how to find the best technician out there for this project who is willing to travel and work onsite?  Appreciate the help.
>


Wow!

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#22238

Ken,

I realize that the weekend is here, but it would be most helpful if you
could find out from your Fort Worth people a few more details on the
problem, such as:


1. Is the problem the Apple II+ itself (e.g. - won't turn on; monitor won't
display, etc...)

Or,

2. Is the problem in some peripheral attached to the Apple II+ (e.g. -
printer won't print, I/O board not communicating, hard drive failed/failing,
etc...)

Or,

3. Is the problem some specialized custom software that normally performs a
specific task and that is now inoperative?



FWIW, there are _plenty_ of guys reading this newsgroup who have much more
electronic technical acumen than do I when it comes to the Apple II line,
although I've been using several Apple II's in a manufacturing business for
over 30 years now, and managed to keep them running despite all forms of
malady. Basically, one uses fundamental troubleshooting skills and either
keeps a boneyard of spares or knows where to find spares.

That said, I'm certainly not your guy to do low level hardware repairs, but
those guys do frequent this newsgroup. (Littlejohn, are you reading this?)

But, any tech you contact will first ask the type of problem, how urgent its
solution is and whether you can compensate them for their time and
expertise. Wozniak _might_ be a tad expensive, I imagine.


For example, if #1 is the issue, I'd recommend replacing the machine with
another one (either II+ or IIe), or perhaps changing the power supply out
for a known good one. Another Apple II machine can be had cheap these days
in a very short period of time. Ebay is your friend when price is not an
object.



If #2 is the issue, things can get way more complicated, particularly if it
involves rare hardware that is no longer available on _any_ used market.
Here the low level hardware guy can be invaluable.  This problem could be
not only more expensive, but also more time consuming than #1.

I took a tour of a cement (not concrete) manufacturing plant a few years ago
and was absolutely amazed that they were still using a II+ with an A/D board
for process monitoring. Since that visit, I've wondered just what happens
if/when that A/D board goes out, because I seriously doubt they will be able
to replace it. If they are smart, of course, they stockpiled a few spares.
If not, perhaps a catastrophic failure (as the maintenance boys term it) is
due.



Finally, if #3 is the issue, it could be a _very_ long day at the office,
particularly if the software was custom written and if backups are not
available. Let's hope it's _not_ #3, because it could be 'game over'.

 

On the other hand, even though it's not April 1st, I'm willing to concede
that I may have been 'had' by responding to this post. After all, you
specified someone  'with a long resume of fixing Apple II plus computers'?
Really? I'm not sure that would earn a place on _anyone's_ resume these
days. I'm still a little embarrassed when I confess to folks that I prefer
the AppleWorks Word Processor to Microsoft Word. They think I'm joking.

Anyway, pass on some details when you have them ...





Hugh Hood





in article e88830f5-b430-4042-9af4-eb7207a72387@googlegroups.com,
ken.croft@gmail.com at ken.croft@gmail.com wrote on 10/24/14 5:47 PM:

> There is an apple II plus in our office in Fort Worth Texas that needs to be
> revived, unknown what the current state is.  Company is looking for the top
> technician with a long resume of fixing Apple II plus computers.  Willing to
> pay for travel.  Any recommendation on how to find the best technician out
> there for this project who is willing to travel and work onsite?  Appreciate
> the help.

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#22254

Hugh - thank you for the detailed reply, likely more than I deserved from the initial question based on the other comical replies.

I get the humor, trust me.  But I'm trying to follow through with a request that I was given.

To further clarify, there is not a known problem, and there is no custom software or peripherals.

I believe this is a novelty item, not intended for any production use.  Just something to sit on the desk and impress visitors.  This is my opinion based on what I've seen.

As far as replacement, I believe there is some sentimental value attached.  Hence why the customer wants the work done in office rather than shipping it off.

Thanks for all the replies.

On Saturday, October 25, 2014 12:43:11 AM UTC-5, Hugh Hood wrote:
> Ken,
> 
> I realize that the weekend is here, but it would be most helpful if you
> could find out from your Fort Worth people a few more details on the
> problem, such as:
> 
> 
> 1. Is the problem the Apple II+ itself (e.g. - won't turn on; monitor won't
> display, etc...)
> 
> Or,
> 
> 2. Is the problem in some peripheral attached to the Apple II+ (e.g. -
> printer won't print, I/O board not communicating, hard drive failed/failing,
> etc...)
> 
> Or,
> 
> 3. Is the problem some specialized custom software that normally performs a
> specific task and that is now inoperative?
> 
> 
> 
> FWIW, there are _plenty_ of guys reading this newsgroup who have much more
> electronic technical acumen than do I when it comes to the Apple II line,
> although I've been using several Apple II's in a manufacturing business for
> over 30 years now, and managed to keep them running despite all forms of
> malady. Basically, one uses fundamental troubleshooting skills and either
> keeps a boneyard of spares or knows where to find spares.
> 
> That said, I'm certainly not your guy to do low level hardware repairs, but
> those guys do frequent this newsgroup. (Littlejohn, are you reading this?)
> 
> But, any tech you contact will first ask the type of problem, how urgent its
> solution is and whether you can compensate them for their time and
> expertise. Wozniak _might_ be a tad expensive, I imagine.
> 
> 
> For example, if #1 is the issue, I'd recommend replacing the machine with
> another one (either II+ or IIe), or perhaps changing the power supply out
> for a known good one. Another Apple II machine can be had cheap these days
> in a very short period of time. Ebay is your friend when price is not an
> object.
> 
> 
> 
> If #2 is the issue, things can get way more complicated, particularly if it
> involves rare hardware that is no longer available on _any_ used market.
> Here the low level hardware guy can be invaluable.  This problem could be
> not only more expensive, but also more time consuming than #1.
> 
> I took a tour of a cement (not concrete) manufacturing plant a few years ago
> and was absolutely amazed that they were still using a II+ with an A/D board
> for process monitoring. Since that visit, I've wondered just what happens
> if/when that A/D board goes out, because I seriously doubt they will be able
> to replace it. If they are smart, of course, they stockpiled a few spares.
> If not, perhaps a catastrophic failure (as the maintenance boys term it) is
> due.
> 
> 
> 
> Finally, if #3 is the issue, it could be a _very_ long day at the office,
> particularly if the software was custom written and if backups are not
> available. Let's hope it's _not_ #3, because it could be 'game over'.
> 
>  
> 
> On the other hand, even though it's not April 1st, I'm willing to concede
> that I may have been 'had' by responding to this post. After all, you
> specified someone  'with a long resume of fixing Apple II plus computers'?
> Really? I'm not sure that would earn a place on _anyone's_ resume these
> days. I'm still a little embarrassed when I confess to folks that I prefer
> the AppleWorks Word Processor to Microsoft Word. They think I'm joking.
> 
> Anyway, pass on some details when you have them ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hugh Hood
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> in article e88830f5-b430-4042-9af4-eb7207a72387@googlegroups.com,
> ken.croft@gmail.com at ken.croft@gmail.com wrote on 10/24/14 5:47 PM:
> 
> > There is an apple II plus in our office in Fort Worth Texas that needs to be
> > revived, unknown what the current state is.  Company is looking for the top
> > technician with a long resume of fixing Apple II plus computers.  Willing to
> > pay for travel.  Any recommendation on how to find the best technician out
> > there for this project who is willing to travel and work onsite?  Appreciate
> > the help.

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#22246

It's not even April 1st

On 2014-10-24 22:47:11 +0000, ken.croft@gmail.com said:

> There is an apple II plus in our office in Fort Worth Texas that needs to b
> e revived, unknown what the current state is.  Company is looking for the t
> op technician with a long resume of fixing Apple II plus computers.  Willin
> g to pay for travel.  Any recommendation on how to find the best technician
>  out there for this project who is willing to travel and work onsite?  Appr
> eciate the help.



--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---

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#22247

On 10/26/14 11:07 AM, The Wizard wrote:
> It's not even April 1st
>

Mr. Croft had read my book and contacted me by email earlier this week. 
In the email, he stated that the owner of the Apple did not believe it 
was broken, but was looking for someone who could help to fix it if 
indeed it was. I was the one who suggested that he post to this newsgroup.

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#22248

On Sun, 26 Oct 2014, D Finnigan wrote:

> On 10/26/14 11:07 AM, The Wizard wrote:
>> It's not even April 1st
>> 
>
> Mr. Croft had read my book and contacted me by email earlier this week. In 
> the email, he stated that the owner of the Apple did not believe it was 
> broken, but was looking for someone who could help to fix it if indeed it 
> was. I was the one who suggested that he post to this newsgroup.
>
I was thinking it's being used in some specialty application, now legacy, 
so they are stuck with the Apple II to keep things running.  There was a 
time when small computers were used as dedicated controllers, and in the 
end, it was easier to buy a new used computer to keep things going rather 
than adapt to a new computer or redo the whole thing.  Whatever it's 
controlling is probably legacy stuff too.  If they didnt' know the state 
of the APple II, they might think "repair" was the option, rather than 
replace.  Or, they need help with the specific hardware or software that 
makes this unique.

   Michael

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#22255

On Sunday, October 26, 2014 1:51:41 PM UTC-4, Michael Black wrote:

> I was thinking it's being used in some specialty application, now legacy, 
> so they are stuck with the Apple II to keep things running.  There was a 
> time when small computers were used as dedicated controllers, and in the 
> end, it was easier to buy a new used computer to keep things going rather 
> than adapt to a new computer or redo the whole thing.  Whatever it's 
> controlling is probably legacy stuff too.  If they didnt' know the state 
> of the APple II, they might think "repair" was the option, rather than 
> replace.  Or, they need help with the specific hardware or software that 
> makes this unique.

Last year there was a story about a manufacturer in Texas that was still using an IBM 402 accounting machine in their plant. When I lived in Detroit, there was plenty of CNC equipment in use still running MS-DOS.

30 years ago, someone showed me a shiny new piece of instrumentation called a centrifugal analyzer. Its software loaded off 8 inch floppy disks. It had the equivalent of a PDP-8 processor inside. The 8's small instruction set made the Apple 2 look luxurious. Shortly thereafter, I was using a gamma counter that output its data onto a teletype machine. The only way to analyze its data on a computer was to find a paper tape reader as an input device. IIRC it was 9600 baud serial, 8N1. *Paper tape*.

It's amazing what kinds of old equipment people still use in industrial and research settings.

I just put my 2e system back into storage yesterday. I no longer need to read or write Apple 2 disks as I did last year.

--- e

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#22251

On 10/26/14, 10:07 AM, The Wizard wrote:
> It's not even April 1st

And not even a Genius Bar joke.

Woz travels a lot, perhaps he can stop over between trips. :-)

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#22253

On Sunday, October 26, 2014 5:42:26 PM UTC-5, Egan Ford wrote:
> On 10/26/14, 10:07 AM, The Wizard wrote:
> > It's not even April 1st
> 
> And not even a Genius Bar joke.
> 
> Woz travels a lot, perhaps he can stop over between trips. :-)


Trust me, I get the Woz jokes and understand the perspective.  I'm just forwarding on a request that was given to me.  Don't shoot the messenger!

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