8BitFlux Gets the Virtual Fingers Flying with a "Keyboard Serial Terminal" for the Apple-1, Apple II
Avoid RSI by "typing" programs into your vintage Apple over a serial connection at rates up to 57.6kbps.
Bobby Nijssen, of Dutch retro computing specialist 8BitFlux, has launched an accessory designed to speed loading software into an Apple-1 or Apple II-family microcomputer — by sitting between the keyboard and the motherboard and automatically "typing in" serial data.
"Use the Apple-1 Software Library and pick your favorite program, or use a terminal application (like Minicom)," Nijssen writes about the device's use. "Transfer BASIC or Mini-Startrek to a (real) Apple-1 in 30 seconds, at a speed of 57.6kbps. Compatible with Uncle Bernie's TurboType format and includes a CRC [Cyclic Redundancy Check]. The interface can be used with USB to RS232 cables, or connects with a COM port of an older laptop."
The Apple Computer Computer launched the original Apple Computer, later known as the Apple-1, in 1976 for a devilish $666.66; while short-lived, with production discontinued a year later, it made enough of a splash for the company to launch the Apple II family in 1977 — kick-starting Apple's meteoric rise in the personal computing market. Both machines are based on the MOS Technology 6502 and, like many microcomputers of the era, put the hardware in a single chassis with integrated keyboard.
Typing a BASIC listing into an early Apple isn't something you really want to do on a regular basis, though, which leads to a problem: how to load new software onto the system without a copy on a floppy disk or cassette tape? The answer: have another computer type it in for you.
Inspired by a 2008 design by Mike Willegal, Nijssen's keyboard serial terminal sits between the motherboard and the original keyboard — passing signals from the keyboard through invisibly, for everyday use, but also providing an RS232 serial connection for an external device. Data received over this connection is presented to the Apple-1 or Apple II as if it were typed — but at rates of up to 57.6kbps, orders of magnitude faster than your fingers could manage.
More information is available on the 8BitFlux website, including schematics and a bill of materials; kits are available to order through Tindie at $99.99 or $139.99 fully-assembled. Willegal's original design is documented on his own website, with downloadable hardware and software sources.