Apple IIgs Laptop Project Weblog | A2GS.com

Project Update # 7

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:31:00 +0900

Here is a photo from the initial video output testing that we figured we would share with the Apple II community. The shot shown here is the Castle Wolfenstein 3D selection screen. running on the test laptop to VGA screen.

Project Update # 6

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:13:18 +0900

Today marked a major milestone for the A2GS-L01 Project Team. Video testing began with team members Jim Maricondo and Bill Martens performing the test in the Tokyo office. While some minor glitches and near miss disasters happened, the final video tests of the day were better than expected.

Further tests are expected in the coming days as prep work for the next stage is begun, but with the results achieved today, it means the project team is nearly on schedule once again for the July introduction of the machine to the public.

A major re-design of the machine was also begun today which will make production of the machine much easier and allow users to receive faster service when their machines need in-house servicing.

Project Update # 5

Tue, 18 May 2010 20:31:01 +0900

We received the first prototype battery for our laptop project. After fully charging the battery, it was plugged into a fully loaded Apple IIgs. The specs on the machine were Microdrive Turbo, Transwarp IIgs running at 18Mhz, and an 8mb memory card.

Tests on the battery were then performed with the battery lasting some three hours and fourty-five minutes before finally dying.

The battery is currently being re-charged for testing on a bare-bones unit with CFFA, Uthernet, and 8mb Ram card for a final test of the battery. Test results will be announced in Update # 6.

Project Update # 4

Fri, 14 May 2010 12:02:11 +0900

Alas, an update on where we are on the project. We were finally able to get all of the parts for the project in this week and are proceeding with the build of Prototype #1 which will be demoed at KFest 2010 by the A2GS Laptop project Team.

Orders for the machine will begin in KFest 2010. All orders will be filled with a 30 day turnaround as all machines are built to order.

More information about ordering and pricing will be provided at the start of Kfest.

Project Update #3

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:20:04 +0900

Thanks to lots of uncontrollable circumstances with our lives, we have had a bit of a hiatus with the project until now. The assembly of the machines will begin next week with our current goal of completing the first three units by the end of the month.

From that point all of the machines will be shipped to our testing folks for final electronics assessment. Cases will be added to the machines shortly there after with the machines being available for order about the first of July.

There are rumors that we will be announcing availability at KFest, however, we are hoping to make our first deliveries at KFest this year.

Also, the cost of the machine has been asked on multiple community platforms. AT this point we have the Barebones Machine cost which will be $1399 per A2GS-L01 machine. The Barebones machines is for those users who already have their own CFFA cards and other IIgs related cards.

Pricing for the fully loaded units will be announced later.

If you would like to be notified future items related to the project, be sure and tune in to our Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/a2gs or send us an email using the contact form on this site.

Project Update # 2

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:48:17 +0900

Final parts for the prototypes have begun to arrive and the project has taken on a whole new dimension as the ideas that we had back many years ago, are slowly being realized by the A2GS-L01 build team. Milestones this week include the following items:

* We have assembled all components for the three prototype machines, each which will demonstrate a different aspect of Apple IIgs computing. The displays will be added in the next week and testing will occur the following week. These displays will be standard LVDS displays and should give the A2GS-L01 crystal clear output.

* Also added to the machine this week is the touch pad and keyboard, giving the machine a retro look with a completely modern functionality. Sound card will also be added to the machines in the coming week, making the A2GS-L01 sound output truly stereo.

* A battery was decided upon this week which should power the laptop with sufficient power for several hours. We are pushing for as much time on battery as we can without sacrificing too much weight.

Final power testing will occur in March with case building to begin shortly there after. As for a release time frame, we still have not decided on a final release date for the machine, however, current time frames are pointing towards a pre-Kfest announcement of availability.

Project Update

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:47:19 +0900

I know, many of you are wondering what the status of the A2GS-L01 Laptop Project is, and after several inquiries, I figured I would go ahead and let everyone know what is going on.

The Slot connectors are in hand and have been implemented. These were a bit hard to get initially as the ones we are using are not exactly cheap. We hope to find a less expensive supplier for them by the time we start production later this month.

Obviously, anytime you take on a project like this, you have to expect a few glitches along the way and we have run into a couple. We have set out to engineer a new solution for our video which is taking a couple of extra weeks. Also we have ordered some special made components which were specifically engineered for the machine. Those parts are due to arrive sometime in the next week to 10 days and will then be included in the project.

Our first engineered components are in the hands of our vendors and are being shipped today. I am sure, there will be a few surprises when people open their machines. We are still on course to ship the first units by 1 April but that date remains soft as we are having more memory boards produced just for this project.

Stay tuned for more to come in the next few days and weeks.

Build Day 6

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:33:04 +0900

This build day was the best one yet, with the prototype nearing assembly. We managed to mark up the Plexiglass sheets being used in the prototype framing as well as assembling the power connector,soldering the components onto the Motherboard for the keyboard connection and the power connection.

A change in the blue print of the motherboard level was introduced which also brought changes to the mid-plane. However, these changes were overcome by instantly changing them in the computer as well as on the Plexiglass sheets. These sheets will be cut within the next day or two and prepared for build day 7. Build day 7 will last no longer than two or three hours but will produce the final internals of the machine.

We are expecting all of the components for the machine also to arrive somewhere around Build day 7 or possibly Build day 8. Should the components not arrive in time, the machine will be tested with alternative components. Build day 8 will likely mark the turn-over of the machine to the engineers who will work on power consumption and battery issues.

The next build day (Day 7) will be this coming week, with the complete assembly of the machine occurring that day. From there, the machine will be power checked and burn in tested and then will be inserted into a case.

Build Day 5

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:46:12 +0900

Build Day 5 turned into more of a shopping trip than an actual build day. However, we needed many things that we could not have done without. The trip to Akihabara was also enlightening in the fact that we may have found a few simpler solutions to some of the engineering issues we were facing including the ability to do the VGA to LVDS output for the laptop type display.

After going over pages and pages of notes the previous night, we have a fairly focused trip and in two hours of actual shopping, purchased all of the remaining parts other than those which have been ordered via EBay or the mail.

Things are progressing and at this point we are awaiting parts in the mail to arrive to complete the build. More updates coming soon.

Build Day 4

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:11:34 +0900

I know an update on the project has been a bit long in coming. But then while most people celebrare Christmas and New Years, we all seem to celebrate by doing projects. But then alas, we did break down this year, and that means the real Build day 4 unfortunately has been postponed until after New Years day to allow us to celebrate the holidays. There has, however been some progress in the project in spite of the build day being postponed. The new build day will be classified as Build day 4b

The drawings have been printed for the cutout of the temporary case and all of the parts necessary to the initial build are in hand.

All final components for internal completion of the Prototype should be arriving by the 10th of January to complete the first prototype, including the new BusTapps and the Memory Risers.

Build Day 3

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:52:48 +0900

The recent Build Day 3 for the A2GS Laptop Project was basically a final parts listing day for the team. Figuring out how many of each part we needed to buy and whether the parts would be available long term.

We also got our final layouts for the machine changed and ready for print. Changes included allowing for the new form factor of the sound card and the Ambery as well as space for the battery pack.

Build Day 4 is scheduled for the 29th of December, and will be the Frame Build day for the machine. Final acquisition of parts will hopefully occur by the 29th although with the holidays fast approaching, we are not expecting them until at least the 10th of January.

Build day 2

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:16:49 +0900

Build Day 2 was held with Bill, Philip, and James taking part in the session. Among the items accomplished in this session was a reconfiguration of the blueprint and cross section of the machine. The changes included, replacing the XRGB with an Ambery converter and the addition of another slot on the mid-plane.

Also, final measurements necessary for the ordering of the Memory Tower (c) card were made and the order is being placed for the first run of 20 units.

The mockup of the machine was also changed to include the plastic components and the LCD. Photos of the mockup will be available tomorrow.

The next build day will be held on Tuesday, December 22nd. Tasks for the day will include finalization of the build and spacing. The prototype from there will be shipped to our case builder for case prototyping.

A2GS-L01-A Drawings Completed

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:38:14 +0900

The A2GS Laptop Project team has been working overtime this weekend in preparations for the upcoming Build Day 2 of the project. We now have the entire machine drawn in cad and all card locations specified.

The drawings are all multiple layer and show all four of the layers of the machine. This is a major step in the project due to the fact that we now know exactly how many parts we will need for the machine and which real world Apple IIgs cards will be able to fit in the machine. (Yes, the Transwarp IIgs will fit too, for those who were worried about that one).

Our thanks go to Philip for his outstanding work and efforts in the project this weekend.

Build day 1

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:07:34 +0900

This day produced several items that are key to completion of the prototype machine. Between the efforts of James, Philip and Bill, we have accomplished the following milestones:

a) Design of new type of BusTap(c) for the laptops.

b) Design of the Memory Tower(c) for the laptops

c) disassembly of the monitor and reassembly for insertion into the machine. Testing also was performed and monitor confirmed to work fine.

d) specification of the cross section and complete measurements of the internals of the prototype machine.

e) specification of the size of case necessary for the machines.

Components A&B will go to manufacturing as soon as we confirm all measurements are good to go.

Each of these items are now marked on the task list as being completed. The team continues to work fervently towards a pre-Christmas build completion of Prototype # 1 of the A2GS-L01 as it is now known in our circles.

At this point the items we still need for the project is the the battery, however, we currently have a 9600 MaH battery listed for the machine which should provide more than three hours of battery life to the fully loaded A2GS-L01.

Build day 2 will be on Tuesday next week and will include Power up of A2GS-L01-a. More to come soon.

Next Build day is Tuesday

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 11:58:47 +0900

The A2GS Laptop Project team will meet once again on Tuesday to begin the assembly of the A2GS Laptop prototype machine. All of the components which will be used in the machine are nearly in hand for the prototype with a couple of exceptions. We expect to have a powered unit that day running OS 6.1 from the CFFA or a Focus Card.

This weeks assembly and testing will include the following five items:

A) Powering up the IIgs motherboard, CFFA, and XRGB2 with output to the LCD. The goal is to assemble and test all primary components .

B) The slot extenders will be assembled and tested in order to confirm that all cards will operate smoothly with the extenders. Card that will be tested in this build day are the 4mb RAM card and the CFFA / Focus cards. Other cards will be tested in the next scheduled build day.

C) The XRGB2 to LCD cable which we expect to have completed later today. We hope to have an Ambery converter in hand by our next build day for testing.

D) We also will have the Keyboard connected and tested. The parts for a clean connection between the //c Keyboard and the //e connection on the IIgs motherboard have been purchased and are being assembled prior to the build day.

E) Acrylic top and mid section cut and inserted into the prototype, cleaned up and sized for future machines. Hinges installed for the mid plane.

All other components such as the External Connectors for the Ethernet, Disk IO, Game IO and CF Flash Extension will be added at a later date.

15" Monitor Purchased for Prototype

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:06:12 +0900

A nice little 15" LCD monitor was purchased for the prototype today by the Laptop Project team during a trip to Akihabara. The monitor, while not exactly what was wanted for the demo machines, it was decided, would be quite sufficient for the prototyping and component testing process that is occurring at this time.

Also, most of the connector components for the machines also were purchased including power connectors, keyboard connectors and of course, video connectors.

Assembly of some components is not ongoing with many of them expected to be near assembly readiness by next week.

TDX Sound Cards being Tested in The IIgs Laptops

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:08:29 +0900

The TDX Sound cards, currently being prototyped by Andrew Webber, are now also being tested in conjunction with the Apple IIgs Laptops. The Apple IIgs Laptop Project team made the decision to use the TDX sound cards due to the fact have been in the design and prototyping process during the same time frame and are nearing commercial release.

By using these particular cards, a new source of cards is available for sound with the laptops complete with modern parts and this also allows our build and production team to have replacement parts on hand for the machines for quite some time. Also, our testing is helping Andrew work out any last little kinks left prior to them being released.

If you would like to follow the TDX sound card project, go to their website at: http://drewbiegs.blogspot.com/

This step in the project fulfills the stereo sound requirement set by our team. Stay tuned for more items being included in the project.

Change in Plans for Video

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:27:01 +0900

Originally, we had figured on using our XRGB2 units as our video conversion board for the Apple //gs to LCD go between. However, since an announcement in the comp.sys.apple2 group this morning announcing that the Ambery Converters work with the IIgs, we have decided to use the circuit boards from them in our prototypes.

At this point, this is one less major hurdle we have to cover due to the fact that the Ambery unit only pulls 5V. The XRGB2's are 13.8V and thus would have required much more than just a bit of wiring.

Also with this change, we gain a bit more space internally and may be able to have another slot or another item such as CD-ROM unit in the machines.

More to come on these changes as we implement them.

Mockup Completed

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:21:16 +0900

The initial mockup of the IIgs Laptop has been completed, and the final parts for the machine are being acquired. Build of the initial prototype should begin sometime in the next week.

The mockup units are done up in a brief case in order to save on time and any mold casting that would be required. This allowed us to change parts around easily and actually produce two different possible keyboard layouts.

Mockup two which will be done on Thursday will be completely done in Acrylic with the briefcase and will be available for photographs. (To be posted here early next week.)