The mystery unfolds and gets bigger the further I dive into my pile of stuff. The latest find, or should I say, mystery? An odd item that, at first glance, seems to be an original Apple IIe…..
Seems fairly standard, right? One begins to wonder when you turn it over, however. No labels whatsoever… So, is this some kind of Apple II prototype? Did someone forget to put the labels on it? Have they all fallen off? Have a look at the rear of the unit and see the strangest thing ever!
What’s this???? Serial ports? ADB port? WHAAAAAT? Oh, oh I get it! It must be one of those IIgs upgrades in a IIe case that was available when the IIgs came out in 1986. Ok, that’s cool because I bet not too many of those were sold. Let’s take a look inside…..
Now that’s different! A blue board! So, the mystery deepens now! Pouring over the web for answers I found out about some prototype systems, one of which looks like mine and sold at Christie’s Auction for a crazy amount of money. But wait, the unit at auction is a green board, dated 1986. Mine….. well, let’s take a closer look…
Where is the part number? 6xx-xxxx-? What about that handwritten 1694 – is that a serial number? Ok, this is seeming more and more like a development or prototype board to me. What about the other markings on the board?
Alright, so this must be some kind of prototype, because online research shows that pre-released boards bear this SKA321-03 marking. However, the online samples show a date of 1986. What about the date of 1985 on my board then? Is this one of the earliest developed boards right after the Phoenix project? Where does this board fit in on the Apple IIgs timeline? What about the other chips on the board? Let’s take a look…
Some good old chips from 1985 there and a soldered on VGC chip with a telltale prototype writing on it….. Does this unit work? Yes, it powers on but there is a key thing missing from the board – the ROM! I believe that the lack of a ROM is the cause of the strange video on boot. Oh to have the prototype ROM… I wonder if a ROM pulled from a commercial IIgs would work?
This board is full of mystery! What is its place in the development of the Apple IIgs? Yes, 1985, but specifically at what stage was this board? Why is it blue?
I have reached out to a developer from the IIgs team, and he now has his own authority on the investigation. So far, it is assumed that this board was installed into a IIe using the upgrade case bottom that was commercially available at the time.
The jury is still out, however, on this mysterious 1985 version.
Stay tuned to this post because I will have more to reveal on this unit as it goes onto the work bench. If you have any insight, please feel free to chime in on the comments below.
