Apple II system clocks
Encyclopedia
Apple II system clocks, also known as real-time clock
s, were commodities in the early days of computing. A clock/calendar did not become standard in the Apple II
line of computers until 1987 with the introduction of the Apple IIGS
. Although many productivity programs as well as the ProDOS
operating system implemented time/date functions, users would have to manually enter this information every time they turned the computer on. Power users often had their Apple II's peripheral slots
completely filled with expansion cards, so third party vendors came up with some unique solutions in order to mitigate this problem with products like the Serial Pro and No-Slot Clock.
-like device that could be used directly in any Apple II
or Apple II compatible with a 28-pin ROM
. Dallas Semiconductor
produced the device as an easy implementation for a real-time clock
for a variety of applications. The clock was powered by an embedded lithium battery
, electrically disconnected until power was first applied to retain freshness. The non-replaceable battery had a life expectancy of 10 years.
In an Apple II, the No-Slot Clock resided under any 28-pin ROM chip, including one on a peripheral card. A user had to remove the ROM from its socket, insert the No-Slot Clock, and then reinsert the ROM chip into the top of the No-Slot Clock. The No-Slot Clock was both ProDOS
and Dos 3.3
compatible, however a software driver had to be patched into ProDOS or integrated into the applicable DOS 3.3 program. Once the driver was installed it emulated the Thunderclock. The No-Slot Clock was usually installed in the following locations on the motherboard in the following computers:
. By combining the functions of two cards into one, the Serial Pro freed up an extra slot for those with highly-populated machines. This card was unique in the sense that it did not use "Phantom Slots" to achieve this functionality. Previous multifunction cards required that a secondary function be "mapped" to a different slot in the computer's memory, rendering that slot unusable. The card was capable of a 12/24 hour clock format, was both ProDOS
and DOS 3.3
compatible, and had on-screen time and date setting built into its ROM, eliminating the need to run a program in order to set the time. The battery was a GE
DataSentry rechargeable Ni-cad battery which had a lifespan rating of 20 years. The card retailed for $139 during the late 1980s.
For more on the Serial Pro's communication capabilities, see its entry in Apple II serial cards
.
released its new ProDOS operating system in 1984, a Thunderclock software driver came built-in. From that point on, all new Apple II system clocks strived to emulate the Thunderclock. The card itself was more compact than the earlier "The Clock" from Mountain Computers and contained two battery holders for off the shelf alkaline batteries which were easily replaceable.
was possibly the most advanced system clock ever designed for any Apple II. The card utilized an onboard Z80 CPU and was capable of emulating all other system clocks which preceded it. The Timemaster H.O. was powered by a GE
Datasentry rechargeable Ni-cad battery which had a lifespan rating of 20 years. It was capable of 24 hour format or 12 hour with AM/PM format, millisecond timekeeping with an accuracy of 0.00005%, and an onboard timer which could time down any interval up to 48 days. It also maintained an internal calendar, separate of the 7 year cycle which ProDOS
mapped. The Timemaster H.O. was 100% ProDOS and DOS 3.3
compatible.
The "H.O." in Timemaster H.O. stood for "High Output". This referred to the 8-pin Digital I/O port on the card for advanced applications. Through this port, one could hook up Applied Engineering's BSR X-10
interface and "command console" to remotely control lights and electrical appliances. The BSR system could send signals over existing 120 volt wiring, eliminating the need for additional wires. The system could also be used for low voltage implementations. The Timemaster H.O. retailed for $99 during the late 1980s while the BSR option cost an additional $29. The command console cost $39.
Real-time clock
A real-time clock is a computer clock that keeps track of the current time. Although the term often refers to the devices in personal computers, servers and embedded systems, RTCs are present in almost any electronic device which needs to keep accurate time.-Terminology:The term is used to avoid...
s, were commodities in the early days of computing. A clock/calendar did not become standard in the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
line of computers until 1987 with the introduction of the Apple IIGS
Apple IIGS
The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
. Although many productivity programs as well as the ProDOS
ProDOS
ProDOS was the name of two similar operating systems for the Apple II series of personal computers. The original ProDOS, renamed ProDOS 8 in version 1.2, was the last official operating system usable by all Apple II series computers, and was distributed from 1983 to 1993...
operating system implemented time/date functions, users would have to manually enter this information every time they turned the computer on. Power users often had their Apple II's peripheral slots
Apple II peripheral cards
The Apple II line of computers supported a number of Apple II peripheral cards, expansion cards which plugged into slots on the motherboard, and added to and extended the functionality of the base system....
completely filled with expansion cards, so third party vendors came up with some unique solutions in order to mitigate this problem with products like the Serial Pro and No-Slot Clock.
No-Slot Clock – Dallas Semiconductor
The No-Slot Clock, also known as the Dallas Smartwatch (DS1216), was a 28-pin chipMicroprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
-like device that could be used directly in any Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
or Apple II compatible with a 28-pin ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
. Dallas Semiconductor
Dallas Semiconductor
Dallas Semiconductor, now a subsidiary of Maxim Integrated Products, designs and manufactures analog, digital, and mixed-signal semiconductors...
produced the device as an easy implementation for a real-time clock
Real-time clock
A real-time clock is a computer clock that keeps track of the current time. Although the term often refers to the devices in personal computers, servers and embedded systems, RTCs are present in almost any electronic device which needs to keep accurate time.-Terminology:The term is used to avoid...
for a variety of applications. The clock was powered by an embedded lithium battery
Lithium battery
Lithium batteries are disposable batteries that have lithium metal or lithium compounds as an anode. Depending on the design and chemical compounds used, lithium cells can produce voltages from 1.5 V to about 3.7 V, over twice the voltage of an ordinary zinc–carbon battery or alkaline battery...
, electrically disconnected until power was first applied to retain freshness. The non-replaceable battery had a life expectancy of 10 years.
In an Apple II, the No-Slot Clock resided under any 28-pin ROM chip, including one on a peripheral card. A user had to remove the ROM from its socket, insert the No-Slot Clock, and then reinsert the ROM chip into the top of the No-Slot Clock. The No-Slot Clock was both ProDOS
ProDOS
ProDOS was the name of two similar operating systems for the Apple II series of personal computers. The original ProDOS, renamed ProDOS 8 in version 1.2, was the last official operating system usable by all Apple II series computers, and was distributed from 1983 to 1993...
and Dos 3.3
Apple DOS
Apple DOS refers to operating systems for the Apple II series of microcomputers from late 1978 through early 1983. Apple DOS had three major releases: DOS 3.1, DOS 3.2, and DOS 3.3; each one of these three releases was followed by a second, minor "bug-fix" release, but only in the case of Apple DOS...
compatible, however a software driver had to be patched into ProDOS or integrated into the applicable DOS 3.3 program. Once the driver was installed it emulated the Thunderclock. The No-Slot Clock was usually installed in the following locations on the motherboard in the following computers:
- Apple IIeApple IIeThe Apple IIe is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and add-ons in earlier models...
: under the CD ROM (or CF ROM in later models) - Apple IIcApple IIcThe Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, was Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The end result was a notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place...
: under the Monitor ROM - Apple IIc+: under the Monitor ROM
- Laser 128Laser 128The Laser 128 was a clone of the Apple II series of personal computers, first released by VTech in 1984. Unlike the Apple II clones from Franklin, VTech reverse-engineered the Apple ROMs using a clean room design rather than copying them...
: under the ROM behind the metal cover on the bottom
Serial Pro – Applied Engineering
The Serial Pro was a multifunction serial interface and clock/calendar card from Applied EngineeringApplied Engineering
Applied Engineering, headquartered in Carrollton, TX, was a leading third-party hardware vendor for the Apple II series of computers from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s.-History:...
. By combining the functions of two cards into one, the Serial Pro freed up an extra slot for those with highly-populated machines. This card was unique in the sense that it did not use "Phantom Slots" to achieve this functionality. Previous multifunction cards required that a secondary function be "mapped" to a different slot in the computer's memory, rendering that slot unusable. The card was capable of a 12/24 hour clock format, was both ProDOS
ProDOS
ProDOS was the name of two similar operating systems for the Apple II series of personal computers. The original ProDOS, renamed ProDOS 8 in version 1.2, was the last official operating system usable by all Apple II series computers, and was distributed from 1983 to 1993...
and DOS 3.3
Apple DOS
Apple DOS refers to operating systems for the Apple II series of microcomputers from late 1978 through early 1983. Apple DOS had three major releases: DOS 3.1, DOS 3.2, and DOS 3.3; each one of these three releases was followed by a second, minor "bug-fix" release, but only in the case of Apple DOS...
compatible, and had on-screen time and date setting built into its ROM, eliminating the need to run a program in order to set the time. The battery was a GE
Gê
Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....
DataSentry rechargeable Ni-cad battery which had a lifespan rating of 20 years. The card retailed for $139 during the late 1980s.
For more on the Serial Pro's communication capabilities, see its entry in Apple II serial cards
Apple II serial cards
Apple II serial cards primarily used the serial RS-232 protocol. They most often were used for communicating with printers, Modems, and less often for computer to computer data transfer. They could be programmed to interface with any number of external devices which were RS-232 compatible...
.
Thunderclock Plus – Thunderware Incorporated
When the Thunderware Thunderclock Plus was released in 1980, it quickly became the de facto standard for an Apple II system clock. When Apple ComputerApple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
released its new ProDOS operating system in 1984, a Thunderclock software driver came built-in. From that point on, all new Apple II system clocks strived to emulate the Thunderclock. The card itself was more compact than the earlier "The Clock" from Mountain Computers and contained two battery holders for off the shelf alkaline batteries which were easily replaceable.
Time Master H.O. – Applied Engineering
The Time Master H.O. clock card from Applied EngineeringApplied Engineering
Applied Engineering, headquartered in Carrollton, TX, was a leading third-party hardware vendor for the Apple II series of computers from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s.-History:...
was possibly the most advanced system clock ever designed for any Apple II. The card utilized an onboard Z80 CPU and was capable of emulating all other system clocks which preceded it. The Timemaster H.O. was powered by a GE
Gê
Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....
Datasentry rechargeable Ni-cad battery which had a lifespan rating of 20 years. It was capable of 24 hour format or 12 hour with AM/PM format, millisecond timekeeping with an accuracy of 0.00005%, and an onboard timer which could time down any interval up to 48 days. It also maintained an internal calendar, separate of the 7 year cycle which ProDOS
ProDOS
ProDOS was the name of two similar operating systems for the Apple II series of personal computers. The original ProDOS, renamed ProDOS 8 in version 1.2, was the last official operating system usable by all Apple II series computers, and was distributed from 1983 to 1993...
mapped. The Timemaster H.O. was 100% ProDOS and DOS 3.3
Apple DOS
Apple DOS refers to operating systems for the Apple II series of microcomputers from late 1978 through early 1983. Apple DOS had three major releases: DOS 3.1, DOS 3.2, and DOS 3.3; each one of these three releases was followed by a second, minor "bug-fix" release, but only in the case of Apple DOS...
compatible.
The "H.O." in Timemaster H.O. stood for "High Output". This referred to the 8-pin Digital I/O port on the card for advanced applications. Through this port, one could hook up Applied Engineering's BSR X-10
X10 (industry standard)
X10 is an international and open industry standard for communication among electronic devices used for home automation, also known as domotics. It primarily uses power line wiring for signaling and control, where the signals involve brief radio frequency bursts representing digital information...
interface and "command console" to remotely control lights and electrical appliances. The BSR system could send signals over existing 120 volt wiring, eliminating the need for additional wires. The system could also be used for low voltage implementations. The Timemaster H.O. retailed for $99 during the late 1980s while the BSR option cost an additional $29. The command console cost $39.
Other System Clocks
- AppleClock – Mountain Computer
- California Computer Systems Clock – California Computer Systems
- CPS Multifunction Card – Mountain Computer
- The Clock – Mountain Computer
- Timemaster II H.O. – Applied Engineering
- Hayes Stack Chronograph – Hayes Microcomputer Products
- Time II – Applied Engineering