I recently got an Apple II keyboard to use instead of the IIe keyboard I was using. This keyboard has an onboard encoder and a layout that is closer to the original Datanetics keyboards. One thing to watch out for when hooking an Apple II keyboard to an Apple I, when you rewire it if you hook it up backwards, you will blow the 7404 on the encoder board. I know that this has happened to several people, and it happened to me as well. »
As you know, maintaining accuracy with my Apple 1 replica has been a high priority. I had been able to find nearly every component used on the original Apple 1 computers with one major exception: the LM323K Voltage Regulator. Vintage LM323Ks were created with a gold base. This had a drastically different aesthetic from the steel ones sold today. I looked everywhere for a vintage LM323K but had zero luck. This was really the last remaining component that I could not find for an accurate Apple 1. »
With my keyboard interface still incomplete I haven’t been able to do a full test of my Apple 1. However, I was able to enter the test program from the Apple 1 operations manual. The program ran just as expected. At this point I am waiting for my replacement ATMEGA8515 for my IIe interface to arrive from Jameco. I figured out that I had accidentally connected D6 to pin 7 on the keyboard socket which is 12V+. »
My effort to find the right keyboard for my Apple 1 was a long and relatively fruitless process. Since the original Apple 1 did not supply a keyboard, a variety of keyboards were used. The requirement is that the keyboard needs to provide an ASCII interface that you can wire into the Apple 1 keyboard socket. A common choice for this was a Datanetics keyboard. As it turns out, datanetics and every other variety of ASCII keyboards have become very tough to find. »
In Mike Willegal’s blog post Video Imperfection he described about a problem with the Apple 1 that caused dots to be seen on the screen when the brightness on a monitor was turned up to a very nigh level. This turns out to be true on his kits, the Obtronix clones and even the original Apple 1’s. Interesting, little-known problem. I snapped a couple pictures of my own Apple 1 to demonstrate. »