Microsoft C-97200 User Manual

RAMCard™

A Peripheral for the Apple II®

Produced by Microsoft

Microsoft Consumer Products

A division of Microsoft, Inc.

10700 Northup Way

C-97200

Bellevue, WA 98004

This manual Copyrights Microsoft, 1980

If you have any questions about this copyright, please contact:

Microsoft Consumer Products A division of Microsoft, Inc. 10700 Northup Way C-97200 Bellevue, WA 98004

RAMCard is a trademark of Microsoft.

Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc.

Z-80 is a registered trademark of Zilug, Inc.

Designer

RAMCard was designed for Microsoft Consumer Products by Don Burtis of Burtronix, Villa Park, California. Microsoft Consumer Products is grateful to Burtronix for its contribution to making RAMCard a reality.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Registration Information 4 RAMCard Warranty 4 Service Information 5

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 7

Important Note for DOS 3.2 Users and for 13-sector CP/M Users 8

CHAPTER 2 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 9

Opening your Apple II 9 Removing a chip 10 Inserting RAMCard 13

Inserting the Plug 13 Inserting the Card 15

CHAPTER 3 USING RAMCard 17

How To Use Your Existing Software 17 Compatible Software 18

Some Compatible Packages 19 Autostart ROM 19

CHAPTER 4 ADDRESSING RAMCard 21

Memory Maps 22 Control Addresses 22 Additional Technical Details 25

Status Bits 25 LED Indicators 26 RAMCard Hardware Details 27

RAMCard Schematic 29

Registration Information

registration card on file in order to contact you regarding any changes or updates to this product. Failure to return the registration card does not void your warranty, hut will make it impossible for us to contact you.

RAMCard Warranty

Microsoft Consumer Products (“MCP”) warrants to the original user of this product that it shall be free of defects resulting from faulty manufacture of the product or its components for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of sale. Defects covered by this Warranty shall be corrected either by repair or, at MCP’s election, by replacement. In the event of replacement, the replacement unit will be warranted for the remainder of the original ninety (90) day period or 30 days, which- ever is longer.

If this product should require service, return it to Microsoft Consumer Products, 400 108th Ave. NE, Suite 200, Bellevue, Washington 98004, postage paid, along with an explanation of the suspected defect. MCP will promptly handle all warranty claims.

THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN- CLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THOSE OF MERCHANTA- BILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE DESCRIPTION AND DURATION SET FORTH HEREIN.

MCPs SOLE OBLIGATION UNDER THIS WARRANTY IS LIMITED TO THE REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AND MCP SHALL NOT, IN ANY EVENT, BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM USE OR POSSESSION OF THIS PRODUCT.

Some states do not allow 1) limitations on how long an implied warran- ty lasts, or 2) the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. This Warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

Please take a moment now to fill out the RAMCard registration card that is enclosed and return it to us. We must have your

Service Information

If your RAMCard requires repair, please return it to the dealer from whom it was purchased. If it is not possible to return the RAMCard to your dealer, you may send it directly to Microsoft Consumer Products.

If the repair is required during the warranty period, please enclose proof of purchase. During warranty, we will replace or repair your RAMCard without charge. See previous section for more details regarding warranty coverage.

If the RAMCard requires service after the warranty period expires, it will be repaired for a flat fee of $39.50. This service charge does not cover damage due to negligence, misuse, or inadequate packaging on return to MCP.

To return your RAMCard for service, please mail it post-paid to Microsoft Consumer Products. Package the card securely as we cannot be responsible for damage due to shipping. BE SURE to enclose proof of purchase for warranty work or a check or money order for $39.50 for non-warranty repairs.

Mail post-paid to:

Microsoft Consumer Products A division of Microsoft, Inc. 10700 Northup Way C-97200 Bellevue, WA 98004

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

RAMCard is a printed circuit board that contains 16K bytes of additional random-access memory (RAM) for your Apple II or Apple II Plus computer.

RAMCard is designed for an Apple II with 48K bytes of RAM already in place. If your Apple II has less than 48K RAM, you will need to purchase enough 16K memory modules to bring your Apple II up to 48K.

RAMCard is compatible with Microsoft Consumer Products SoftCard, a circuit card for the Apple which contains a Z80 microprocessor, and allows you to run the CP/M operating system. RAMCard and Soft- Card together make a powerful combination that turns your Apple II into a full memory (56K), flexible (two microprocessors) microcomputer.

With RAMCard and SoftCard in place, you have 56K RAM available to run any of the languages available for the SoftCard, including Microsoft’s BASIC-80 (included in the SoftCard package), COBOL-80, FORTRAN-80, BASIC Compiler, and Assembly Language Development System.

RAMCard contains 16K of memory. But, because only 12K of additional addressing space is available in the Apple, 4K of addressing space must be shared by two 4K memory banks. This means that only 12K of RAMCard RAM is available to you at a given time.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR DOS 3.2 USERS AND FOR 13-SECTOR CP/M USERS

Apple II computers come standard with one of two BASICs: Applesoft or Integer BASIC. Standard Apple II systems have Integer BASIC and Apple II Plus systems have Applesoft.

If you are using an Apple Firmware Card installed in Slot 0 to make available the other version of BASIC, you must remove it when RAM- Card is installed. This means that the BASIC on the Apple Firmware Card will no longer be available.

To use RAMCard with the Microsoft SoftCard and CP/M, you must have a 16-sector system. This is because you must use the CPM56 program to update your CP/M system to 56K. The CPM56 utility is included only on your 16-sector CP/M master disk. In addition, most of the other software available for RAMCard also requires a 16-sector disk system.

These problems can be solved with Apple Computer’s DOS 3.3 16sector update kit, available at your dealer. This package contains software that will allow you to load the other version of BASIC into RAMCard, so that both versions of BASIC will be available for use by Apple DOS programs. A disk is also supplied with the DOS 3.3 package that will allow you to boot your old 13-sector disks.

CHAPTER 2

INSTALLATION

INSTRUCTIONS

This chapter gives step-by-step instructions for installing RAMCard.

We recommend that you read all the instructions first to acquaint yourself with the overall procedure. Then, perform each step with care exactly as described.

Opening Your Apple II

Since RAMCard is to be installed inside your Apple II, you must remove the cover of your Apple before you start.

\ It is dangerous to open any electrical or electronic

device with the power turned on. Additionally, attempting to insert or remove peripheral cards while your Apple’s power is on will probably destroy the cards and other parts of your APple II. Be sure to turn off the power to your Apple II before performing any of the steps in this procedure.

1. Turn off the power.

The POWER light on the lower left corner of the keyboard should not be illuminated.

CAUTION

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