Checkmate Technology, Inc. MultiRam™ RGB Card Colorful Memory for the Apple™ //e Owner’s Installation Manual Owner’s Installation Manual for the MuItiRam™ RGB Card Checkmate Technology, Inc. 509 South Rockford Drive Tempe, Arizona 85281 (602) 966-5802 or (800) 325-7347 (c) Copyright 1986 by Checkmate Technology, Inc. All rights reserved Part #MRRGB -2 Manual Revised by Quentin Smith Edited by Christine Cecala Accelerator II is a trademark of Titan Technologies. Inc. Apple and the Apple Logo are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Apple Pascal. AppleWorks. AppleWriter //e, DOS 3.3. ProDOS, Filer and ProFile are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Cat Doctor is a trademark of Glen Bredon Copy II Plus is a trademark of Central Point Publishing CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. FlashCalc is a trademark of VisiCorp/Paladin IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corp. Jeeves is a trademark of PBI Software Locksmith is a trademark of Applied Business Systems MagiCalc and Magic Office are trademarks of Artsci, Inc. MultiRam is a trademark of Checkmate Technology, Inc. PinPoint is a trademark of PinPoint Publishing ProTERM is a trademark of ProTech Software, Inc. Quick Spell and MacroWorks are trademarks of Beagle Brothers Side, is a trademark of First Class Peripherals. Inc. SpeeDemon is a trademark of Micro Computer Technologies, Inc. SuperCalc 3. is a trademark of Computer Associates TimeOut is a trademark of Turning Point Software Word Perfect is a trademark of Word Perfect Corp. Wordstar is a trademark of MicroPro International APPLE COMPUTER, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTIES. EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. REGARDING THE ENCLOSED SOFTWARE PACKAGE. ITS MER- CHANTABILITY OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES. THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WAR- RANTY PROVIDES YOU WITH SPECIAL LEGAL RIGHTS. THERE MAYBE OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface - HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL ............... i Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION ................................. 1 FEATURES ........................................................ 3 Standard Features ........................................... 3 Optional Features .......................................... 5 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ........................... 5 Chapter 2 - INSTALLATION .................................. 7 UNPACKING THE MULTIRAM RGB CARD ......... 7 CARD CARE ..................................................... 8 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION .................................. 8 Ram Groups .................................................. 8 Memory Card Connector .................................. 9 RGB Video Connector ..................................... 10 CPU Port and CPU Memory Port ......................10 Jumper Block .................................................11 LED’s .......................................................... 11 ADDING MEMORY ............................................ 11 original Ram ................................................ 12 User Installed Ram ......................................... 13 RAM Removal ..............................................13 Installation Order ........................................... 14 Installation Procedure ..................................... 14 Dealer Installed RAM ..................................... 15 Factory Installed RAM ................................... 15 ADDING OPTIONS ............................................. 16 RGB Video .................................................. 16 MultiRam Memory Cards .............................. 17 MultiRam EX Card ....................................... 18 INSTALLING THE MULTIRAM RGB CARD ........ 18 Preparation ................................................... 19 Inserting The Card ......................................... 20 Chapter 3 - TESTING & TROUBLESHOOTING ... 23 Memory Bank versus RAM Bank ..................... 23 RAM TEST PROGRAMS.................................... 24 Test Display .............................................. 25 Test Selection ............................................ 26 Running A Test ......................................... 27 Test Results .............................................. 29 NON-RAM PROBLEMS .................................... 30 Chapter 4 - APPLEWORKS EXPANSION ................. 33 PURPOSE .............................................................. 33 EXPANDING APPLEWORKS ............................... 33 INSTRUCTIONS ................................................... 34 Floppy Disk Expansion .................................. 34 Hard Drive and 3.5 Disk Drive Expansion ...... 34 Adding Other Patches or Features ................... 35 PATCH.PATCH .................................................... 35 EXPANSION PROBLEMS .................................... 35 HELP .................................................................... 36 Chapter 5 - RAM DISKS .............................................. 37 CREATING THE RAM DISK ............................... 37 DOS RAM Disk ............................................. 38 ProDOS RAM Disk ........................................ 38 OPTIONS ............................................................. 40 Chapter 6 - COMPATIBILITY ..................................... 41 HARDWARE ........................................................ 41 RGB Monitors .............................................. 41 Disk Drives ................................................... 44 Co-Processor Cards ....................................... 45 Non-interruptible Power Supplies ................. 45 SOFTWARE ......................................................... 46 Chapter 7 - WARRANTY & SERVICE ....................... 47 WARRANTY ........................................................ 47 SERVICE POLICIES ........................................... 48 How to Get Help .......................................... 48 How to Return a Card ................................... 49 Returning Your Repaired Card ..................... 50 RAM Installation and Replacement Policy .... 50 Replacing Damaged Diskettes ....................... 50 Software Updates .......................................... 51 Newsletters .................................................... 51 Independent Software Developers ................. 51 Suggestions .................................................. 51 Preface HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL The manual is divided into four parts. Part 1, GETTING STARTED, should be read first by everyone. Chapter 1 summarizes MultiRam RGB’s features and minimum hardware requirements. Chapter 2 gives step-by-step instructions for installing MultiRam RGB and adding memory to the card. Chapter 2 is required reading for those of you who intend to install your own RAM. Chapter 3 covers testing and troubleshooting procedures. Part 2, USING THE MULTIRAM RGB CARD, shows how to use the software included with your MultiRam RGB Card. Chapter 4 explains how to use MultiRam RGB’s large memory with AppleWorks. Chapter 5 shows how to use the MultiRam RGB card as a fast RAM disk drive for ProDOS and DOS 3.3. Chapter 6 covers software and hardware compatibility questions. Part 3, THE MULTIRAM RGB SERVICE GUIDE, should be read by everyone. Chapter 7 describes the MultiRam RGB warranty and how you can get service if you have a problem and explains RAM replacement and software update policies. This manual assumes you know how to operate your Apple //e. If you are a new Apple lie owner or if any terms or procedures in this manual are unfamiliar to you, please refer to your Apple lie owner’s manual for help. Computer magazines, computer books, Apple user groups, your local Apple dealer and Checkmate Technology, Inc. are all sources of additional help. Finding local Apple dealers and user groups has been made easier by Apple Computer, Inc. since they provide a toll free phone number, 800-538-9696 extension 500, for this information. Apple’s own software publisher is Claris Corp. To reach their Technical Support call (415) 962-0371, and for Customer Service call (415) 962-8946. page i Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION This section highlights features of the MultiRam™ RGB card that are explored at length later in the manual. The MultiRam RGB card is an expandable, extended 80-column memory card for the Apple //e with Apple or IBM compatible RGB video output. MultiRam RGB’s memory is expandable on the card from 64K to 1 megabyte. You may easily expand the card by adding 64K or 256K RAM chips as your memory needs grow. There are currently two optional piggyback memory cards that fit onto the MultiRam RGB. The first is the MultiRam //e card, expandable to 768K, giving a total memory of 1.75 megabytes in one slot. The second is the MultiRam Plus card, which is expandable up to 4 megabytes. giving a total of 5 megabytes of memory in one slot. Either one of these cards can be added without interfering with: any card in slot one. At the time this card was designed there was an optional feature built in for a Static RAM pack. The Static RAM port exists on the MultiRam ROB card, however this feature was never put into production. The MultiRam RGB card’s video signals can be Sent to a monochrome monitor or composite color monitor (an NTSC monitor) through the Apple //e’s own video connector. The RGB card can also be connected to any Apple compatible TTL RGB monitor (Red, Green, Blue) through MultiRam’s RGB connector. Both a standard NTSC monitor and an RGB monitor can be connected at the same time. IBM compatible monitors can also be used with an optional Apple RGB to IBM RGB converter cable which is available from Checkmate. RGB video produces sharper displays by removing the extraneous colors that occur during color transitions in high resolution graphics screens and mixed mode screens showing both graphics and text. Further, using an RGB monitor, not only are double hi-res displays of 560x192 pixels in page 1 Introduction monochrome and 140x192 pixels in 16 colors possible, but both these modes can be mixed on one screen, something not possible without an RGB monitor. RGB monitor types are discussed more in Chapter 6 - Hardware and Software Compatibility. The MultiRam RGB has a CPU connector to allow a 16-bit processor to directly address all of its memory without bank-switching. A cable from this connector to the MultiRam EX card, which uses the 65C816 processor, allows your Apple //e to directly address up to 5 megabytes of memory. These cards were designed prior to the release of the Apple IIGS. The MultiRam EX card will run some 16 bit software however, most Apple IIGS software is NOT compatible with the MultiRam EX card. With all MultiRam RGBs unique features. MultiRam RGB still fits into the //e auxiliary slot and functions like a a standard Apple extended 80-column card. It is 100% compatible with all programs designed to show the //e 80-column display or double hi-resolution graphics and those programs using an additional 64K of auxiliary memory. Memory can be added to the RGB card in either 64K or 256K increments. The MultiRam RGB is shipped with a minimum of 64K memory installed. MultiRam’s unique hi-res RAM test display allows you to confidently add your own RAM to the card and then easily test the RAM for correct functioning. With more than 64K installed, MultiRam RGB brings greater power and versatility to your Apple. There are two ways to take advantage of this expanded memory. First, the program may already be written to see the additional memory, or there may be a patch that will allow the program to see and use the extra memory. The expansion disk included with this card patches, that is “teaches”, AppleWorks to use the extra memory. Chapter 4 explains how to patch AppleWorks and how other enhancements may be added. The second way to use the extra memory is to make a RAM disk and load application programs into it. The RAM disk improves execution speed of disk intensive programs and allows multiple diskette application programs to be loaded on one “disk drive”. The software to create the RAM disk is included on the MultiRam Software Disk with basic instructions included in Chapter 5 - RAM Disks. Refer to the MultiRam Software Manual for details. The best selling program for the Apple//computers, AppleWorks, can now use all of the RGB’s memory. MultiRam RGB and its AppleWorks memory expansion software eliminate the 55K memory Desktop limit that is normal page 2 Introduction for AppleWorks with an ordinary 64K memory card. A one megabyte MultiRam RGB card, for example, offers usable AppleWorks Desktop space of 758K. By removing AppleWorks memory limitations, MultiRam RGB truly turns AppleWorks into one of the best integrated packages available for any microcomputer. The MultiRam RGB card, AppleWorks, and a hard disk drive used together turn the Apple//c into a serious business machine capable of the most demanding tasks. With the RAM drive software included with the MultiRam RGB, programs can be accessed over twenty times faster than is normal with standard Apple disk drives. With 1 megabyte installed, MultiRam RGB can take the place of eight standard 5-1/4 inch Apple disk drives. Larger RAM disks can be created if a piggyback card is added to the MultiRam RGB card. Put your favorite unprotected programs onto a RAM drive and discover the speed and power of the electronic RAM disk. SQUIRT, an alternate program selector from Synesis Systems, also included, makes it easy to use this “electronic hard disk”. FEATURES MultiRam RGB offers mom standard and optional features than any other extended memory card for the Apple //e. MultiRam RGB is also easily expandable so that you can purchase the card with as little memory as you need today and grow into more memory as your needs and budget allow. MultiRam RGB’s flexibility insures your Apple //e a long, productive life. Standard Features The MultiRam RGB package comes with a large number of standard features: - Adds from 64K to 1 megabyte to the Apple //e - Uses standard 150 nanosecond 64K or 256K RAM chips in any combination (you can even add the 64K chips from your old extended 64K card to MultiRam RGB) page 3 Introduction - Easily user upgradeable at any time with 13 memory configurations possible: 64K 320K 576K 1024K 128K 384K 640K 192K 448K 768K 256K 512K 832K - Has five LED card/64K bank display indicators for programming convenience and operational verification - Expansion connector to allow an optional memory card to be added to the back of the RGB card - 16 bit CPU port to allow direct linear memory addressing by 16 bit microprocessors and an optional MultiRam EX 65C816 processor board - Software included to: ** Configure AppleWorks to use all of MultiRam RGB’s memory ** Use MultiRam RGB as a ProDOS RAM disk emulator ** Use MultiRam RGB as a DOS 3.3 RAM disk emulator ** Test MultiRam RGB memory for defective RAM ** SQUIRT, An easy to use ProDOS program selector - RGB video output supporting 80-column text (green), 16 color LORES graphics, 8 color HIRES graphics, and 16 color Double HIRES graphics (140 x 192 pixels with 16 colors, 560 x 192 pixels with monochrome only, and mixed 140 x 192 and 560 x 192 anywhere on screen). - Optional cables for either Apple TTL RGB monitors or the IBM TTL RGB monitors - 80-column standard video - Supports double hi-resolution graphics - Jumper allows card to work in older, lion-enhanced Apple //e “A” motherboards - Compatible with both the enhanced and non-enhanced Apple //e - Software updates available from Checkmate page 4