Laser 128 ROM versions?

[c***@gmail.com]

Hi all. I have several Laser 128 machines (two EX, two standard..)
These machines have various ROM versions - 4.2, 4.3, and 6.0.

Would anyone happen to have any information on:

a) What the last Laser 128 ROM version was and

b) What differences there are between Laser 128 ROM versions.

I'm also trying quite hard to find a Laser 128 EX/2 (they seem
amazingly hard to come by).. Would anyone happen to have a 128 EX/2
ROM image? I've heard that it had a built in control panel, and was
just curious as to how that might be put together.

Thanks,

-Chris

[t***@cowgod.org]

Post by c***@gmail.com
Hi all. I have several Laser 128 machines (two EX, two standard..)
These machines have various ROM versions - 4.2, 4.3, and 6.0.
a) What the last Laser 128 ROM version was and
b) What differences there are between Laser 128 ROM versions.
I'm also trying quite hard to find a Laser 128 EX/2 (they seem
amazingly hard to come by).. Would anyone happen to have a 128 EX/2
ROM image? I've heard that it had a built in control panel, and was
just curious as to how that might be put together.
Thanks,
-Chris

Here's an image of ROM v6.1 from my 128EX/2:

http://cowgod.org/apple2/roms/laser128ex2-v6.1.bin

Tom

[c***@gmail.com]

Post by t***@cowgod.org

Hi all.  I have several Laser 128 machines (two EX, two standard..)
These machines have various ROM versions - 4.2, 4.3, and 6.0.
a) What the last Laser 128 ROM version was and
b) What differences there are between Laser 128 ROM versions.
I'm also trying quite hard to find a Laser 128 EX/2 (they seem
amazingly hard to come by).. Would anyone happen to have a 128 EX/2
ROM image? I've heard that it had a built in control panel, and was
just curious as to how that might be put together.
Thanks,
-Chris

http://cowgod.org/apple2/roms/laser128ex2-v6.1.bin
Tom- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

Very cool! Thanks.

[AppleCPM]

Hi!
<--- snip --->

Excellent site!!! I can finally fill the gaps in my collection
of ProDOS versions.

Willi

[lyricalnanoha]

Post by AppleCPM
Hi!
<--- snip --->
Excellent site!!! I can finally fill the gaps in my collection
of ProDOS versions.
Willi

Indeed, I ain't seen ProDOS 1.1 in well over 20 years. xD

-uso.

[c***@gmail.com]

Post by AppleCPM
Hi!
<--- snip --->
    Excellent site!!!   I can finally fill the gaps in my collection
of ProDOS versions.
Willi

It is a cool little site he has there.. I promptly leeched everything.
I hope he doesn't mind. :)

-Chris

[AppleCPM]

Hi!

Post by c***@gmail.com
It is a cool little site he has there.. I promptly leeched everything.
I hope he doesn't mind. :)

Tom's site has three different flavors of version 1.0 of ProDOS
dated August, September and November. I have one dated October. That
version will be on its way to Tom as soon as I take a moment to pull
it off my Amiga 3000.

Willi

[c***@gmail.com]

Whoops.. I think I accidentally e-mailed Tom this reply vs posting it
to the group..

I was able to do some experimenting tonight..

Dumped the ROMs from my 128EX v6.0 and regular 128 v6.0 - they were
identical.

However, took Tom's 6.1 EX/2 ROM and loaded it into one of my junker
128's (Non-EX), and maybe surprisingly, it booted up and worked fine.
I was even able to access the EX/2 control panel (with time date
settings, etc - of course they didn't stick, though) on the regular
128.

So, looks like the 128 and 128EX ROMs are the same, but the EX/2 is
different.

An interesting anomaly - the pitch of the "beep" on the Laser 128
using the EX/2 ROM changed along with the speed setting (normal,
medium, fast) in the control panel and by doing the ctrl-(1..3)-reset
key combination.. Of course, the system's speed didn't actually
change. Interesting, though, because I always thought the EX and EX/
2's 'beep pitch' change according to speed was actually due to the CPU
speed. Looks like it's artificial.

[Michael J. Mahon]

Post by c***@gmail.com
An interesting anomaly - the pitch of the "beep" on the Laser 128
using the EX/2 ROM changed along with the speed setting (normal,
medium, fast) in the control panel and by doing the ctrl-(1..3)-reset
key combination.. Of course, the system's speed didn't actually
change. Interesting, though, because I always thought the EX and EX/
2's 'beep pitch' change according to speed was actually due to the CPU
speed. Looks like it's artificial.

They probably chose new "notes" for the beep that would be distinct
but still about the same duration and recognizably "beeps".

If the regular 1kHz beep routine is run at accelerated speed, it
begins to sound like a short, high pitched "cheep".

-michael

******** Note new website URL ********

NadaNet and AppleCrate II for Apple II parallel computing!
Home page: http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon/

"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."

[Jeff Blakeney]

To: chris155

Post by c***@gmail.com
Hi all. I have several Laser 128 machines (two EX, two standard..)
These machines have various ROM versions - 4.2, 4.3, and 6.0.
a) What the last Laser 128 ROM version was and
b) What differences there are between Laser 128 ROM versions.

I have a Laser 128 and a 128EX. I believe they are ROM versions 3.0 and
6.0 respectively. I'm not sure what the differences are but one thing I
did discover is that the 128EX supported an AppleDisk 3.5 Drive
connected to the disk port but the 128 didn't. Whether this has to do
with the ROM version or the hardware revision, I'm not sure.

[schmidtd]

On Mar 6, 10:47 am, "Jeff Blakeney"

  To: chris155

Hi all.  I have several Laser 128 machines (two EX, two standard..)
These machines have various ROM versions - 4.2, 4.3, and 6.0.
a) What the last Laser 128 ROM version was and
b) What differences there are between Laser 128 ROM versions.

I have a Laser 128 and a 128EX.  I believe they are ROM versions 3.0 and
6.0 respectively.

I have a Laser 128 (not EX) and it's at ROM version 6.0.

[Mark Frischknecht]

My Laser 128EX has rom Version 6.0