Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An In-depth Description, March 2, 2005
I'm the author of Apple I Replica Creation. The promotional material tends to be a bit lacking in technical detail, so I'd like to provide a more in-depth description of the book.
The aim of Apple I Relica 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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A blast from the past, June 14, 2005
It's been a long time since I've really built a computer, with a soldering iron. The glory days may be gone, but that doesn't mean you can't relive them, or at least learn a little about what they were like. This book will help.
It's really intended to serve as a companion to Vince Briel's Replica-1 kit. You order the parts from his web store, solder them together, make it actually work, and then write software for it. This book doesn't teach a whole lot on the hardware side, just enough to help you put together the kit and debug any mistakes you made in the process of assembling it. Other books are better if you're actually interested in learning the electronics.
If you can solder, though, and you just want to play with a vintage architecture, this book will serve as an excellent companion to the kit, especially once you finish the kit and want to start programming it.
If you're completely new to electronics as a hobby, read the first few chapters, then find other inexpensive kits to practice soldering before you actually plunk down the cash on the Replica-1. They're great soldering (and inevitably also desoldering) practice, and the experience will fill in any gaps left by the introductory chapters.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and educational, March 17, 2005
I think this book is a great idea - show somebody who is comfortable with computers how to actually build one. What better one to build that the one that started the personal computer revolution?
The first few chapters go over the basics, although, in my opinion you should be familiar with computer terms such as breadboard, gates, and flip-flop if you plan to build the "Apple I" replica. I found the "build your own Apple I" chapter suprisingly short until I realized it was just the "here's how to put together the Apple I replica from a kit you can purchase". It took me a while to figure out that you can either A) build an Apple I completely from scratch using the schematic that comes with the CD or B) purchase the Replica kit and put it together. Option B is obviously quicker and easier, as it also comes with the ROM already loaded with BASIC. Option A is the "we don't need no stinkin' help" way to do things... Since you can purchase some parts of the Replica kit separately, I suppose you could do a combo A/B approach.
The later chapters go over BASIC and Assembly, followed by a large Appendix explaining opcodes, instructions and electrical engineering basics. Also included is an Appendix called "Hacking Macintosh" which describes how to take your Mac (the original, not the iMac) apart and create a "Lego" case, a way to hack your mouse and a way to apply a colored skin to the G4 Cube. While entertaining, it has nothing to do with the rest of the book and just seems completely out of place. I can only assume this is there to get readers to go check out the author's web site.
I was in grade school when the Apple I came out, so I think I will enjoy trying to put this book through it's paces and see how much of the Apple I I can put together myself. It looks like a fun (and educational) project to try out.
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