TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY
28 06 11 - 13:51
TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY WE BRING YOU THE SHIFT KEY MOD:
With the "Shift-Key Mod", you use the shift key to signal the software from an unused part of the Apple II Game port. The Port can address four separate hand controls and three hand-control pushbuttons of which only two of each are used by the standard game paddles and joysticks. This leaves unused two hand control inputs and a hand-control pushbutton input. The "Shift-Key Mod" exploits the address of this remaining pushbutton input. In practice, software supporting the modification first reads the character value at the address of the keyboard. Then, since joysticks use pushbuttons #0 and #1, the software reads the state of the address of pushbutton #2 (PB2). If the PB2 address is operated then the software simply makes the keyboard value represent uppercase.
To keep things in perspective, please note that this does not modify the Apple II to display lowercase nor enter lowercase characters into your programs when the II is in its native 40-column mode. To read the shift key's new address, the Apple II must have special software; without it, the II stays in 40-column mode. Most 80-column cards have firmware to read the address and display lowercase when in 80-column mode. When coding, you can easily enter lowercase characters into your own program's output strings with 80-column cards supporting the modification. However, when the program runs in 40-column mode, lowercase characters will appear as "garbage" characters. Adding the reasonably-priced "Lowercase Character Generator" on the motherboard allows proper display of lowercase characters in 40-column mode. Apple Writer also supports lowercase character generators. - APPLE COMPUTER, INC. NO HOMO
HI I'M BILLY MAYS AND I APPROVED THIS MESSAGE.
four comments
Or sign up for the forum. You're not going to make much of a difference here. Lucent - 28-06-’11 17:50
This is a bloody excellent idea. hail adversity - 29-06-’11 15:51