Apple I Replica Creation: Back to the Garage

by Tom Owad

The aim of Apple I Replica Creation is to guide the reader in building,
programming, and understanding the Apple I. The book begins with a history of
the Apple I, but not the sort of corporate history you may be used to reading.
This account is of the computer itself, the early peripherals and modifications,
and the hobbyists and visionaries who bought and used the the Apple I.

The second chapter describes the tools and parts needed to complete the
project and chapter 3 introduces reader to digital circuits. This chapter is
very hands-on. It introduces basic logic gates and a few designs you can build
with them. This chapter won't make you an engineer, but it will give you
everything you need to start tinkering on your own.

In chapter 4 we get down to business with a step-by-step guide to building
the Replica I kit. While advanced readers may want to use chapter 7 and the
included software to design their own board, the novice will be better served by
having a working replica with which to experiment while reading the rest of the
chapters. Builders who run into trouble with the kit can fall back on the skills
they learned in chapter 3 to diagnose the problem or may ask for guidance on the
Apple I Owners Club forum at applefritter.com.

The kit assembled, it's time to learn a bit of programming. Chapter 5 is a
typical introduction to programming in BASIC, but Woz's implementation of BASIC
for the Apple I contains a lot of idiosyncrasies, making this chapter a valuable
reference for any Apple I programmer. Chapter 6 teaches the reader how to
program in assembly. This chapter explains how to use a cross-assembler and
introduces the (MOS 6502) processor's assembly instructions through exercises
and sample programs.

The final chapter, Understanding the Apple I, draws together everything
learned in previous chapters to examine how the replica really works. Memory
addressing, interactions with the bus, the functions of the processor, and
in/out are all discussed. The beginner will come away from this chapter with a
basic understanding of each chip on the replica's circuit board. More advanced
readers will have all the information they need to make their own modified
replica circuits.

The Replica I kit described in this book can be purchased from Briel
Computers for $119 (a bare-bones kit is available for $60). For advanced
builders, Briel sells just the specialized chips (programmed EEPROM, etc.) for
$30. The book's CD includes a full version of McCAD EDS SE 400, the best
schematic capture and pcb layout software for the Mac. The Replica I's
schematics, pcb layout, and fabrication documents are all included on the CD.
Send the included gerber files to a pcb manufacturer and get your own prototypes
made or modify the schematics to design your own custom boards.

McCAD EDS SE 400 is an excellent piece of software which I worked very hard
to get included with the book. The full EDS-1 package retails for $1495 (the
book includes a coupon for 50% off any McCAD product, by the way). This special
edition of the McCAD software was written exclusively for inclusion with Apple I
Replica Creation and is not available from any other source. The SE 400 version
of McCAD EDS includes all the features of the full version, but limits the
design's complexity so you can't design anything much more complex than a
typical 8-bit microcomputer. You'll be hard pressed to find a similar software
suite for under $500. The interface is without equal. While evaluating the
software, I got into an argument with a McCAD programmer over the proper layout
of the buttons in one of the dialog boxes, each of us backing up our position
with extensive references to the Apple Human Interface Guidelines. He won (but
only on a technicality!). These guys take user interface very seriously and I'm
happy to say I've never used a more intuitive design package. The McCAD package
is Mac OS X native, but also compatible with Mac OS 9. If you don't have a Mac,
you may want to consider picking up an old $50 iMac just for this software. PC
users might want to try running it in Basilisk.

Anybody interested in learning more about Apple I Replica Creation is welcome
to visit my website, Applefritter. There you'll find the Apple I Owners Club and
various user-contributed projects. Stop by and feel free to ask questions. We
have the Apple I Owners Club forum for discussion of the Apple I and a McCAD
support forum for those who have questions about the software. If there's
anything you'd like to know about the book, don't hesitate to
post.

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Tom Owad is a Macintosh consultant based in south-central Pennsylvania and the Washington, D.C. area, as well as vice president of Keystone MacCentral. He serves on the board of directors of the Apple I Owners Club, where he is also the webmaster and archivist. As the owner and webmaster of Applefritter, a Macintosh community for artists and engineers, he provides a platform for discussions, idea exchanges, and a vast collection of member-contributed hardware hacks and projects. He holds a BA in computer science and international affairs from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and is the author of Apple I Replica Creation: Back to the Garage.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I believe that I would have liked this book better had it been about, I don't know, building an Apple I replica. Instead, there is some stuff about basic electronics, some boolean algebra, some instructions about how to build a replica kit, and then inexplicably some retro mac hacks. The intro by Woz and the anecdotes by Apple I owners were interesting however.
-m