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| name        = Apple IIe Enhanced
| name        = Apple IIe Enhanced
| image        = [[File:Apple IIe.jpg|250px]]
| image        = [[File:Apple IIe.jpg|250px]]
| caption      = Apple IIe Enhanced – the upgraded version of the Apple IIe
| caption      = Apple IIe Enhanced
| manufacturer = Apple Computer, Inc.
| manufacturer = Apple Computer, Inc.
| type        = Home computer
| type        = Home computer
| release date = March 1985
| release date = March 1985
| discontinued = November 1993
| discontinued = December 1986, superseded by the [[Apple IIe Platinum|Platinum IIe]]
| cpu          = Western Design Center 65C02 @ 1.023 MHz (upgrade from NMOS 6502)
| cpu          = 65C02 @ 1.023 MHz (Apple part 338-6503)
| memory      = 64 KB RAM onboard (expandable via auxiliary/expansion slots)
| memory      = 64 KB RAM on the main board, 128 KB with an extended 80-column card; 16 KB ROM
| storage      = External cassette, 5.25″ Disk II floppy, optional 3.5″ drive, hard disk
| storage      = Cassette; Disk II 5.25-inch floppy; 3.5-inch UniDisk with a Liron card; hard disk via a controller card
| display      = 40×24 and 80×24 text, 280×192 hi-res, 560×192 double hi-res (mono/colour with extended memory)
| display      = 40×24 and 80×24 text; 280×192 high-resolution; 560×192 double high-resolution on a suitable board
| sound        = 1-bit built-in speaker
| sound        = 1-bit speaker toggled at $C030
| dimensions  = 48 cm × 38 cm × 11 cm
| os          = Apple DOS 3.3, ProDOS, CP/M with a Z-80 card
| weight      = 5.4 kg
| os          = Apple DOS 3.3, ProDOS, CP/M (with Z-80 card)
| predecessor  = [[Apple IIe]]
| predecessor  = [[Apple IIe]]
| successor    = [[Apple IIGS]]
| successor    = [[Apple IIe Platinum]]
| codename    = Diana (same as IIe)
| model        = A2S2000 (Enhanced revision)
}}
}}


The '''Apple IIe Enhanced''' (commonly called Enhanced IIe) is an upgraded version of the standard Apple IIe model, introduced in March 1985. It features significant microprocessor, firmware, and character-ROM improvements aimed at enhancing compatibility and fixing known bugs.
The '''Apple IIe Enhanced''' is the [[Apple IIe]] with a four-chip change, introduced in March 1985 and made until December 1986, when the [[Apple IIe Platinum|Platinum IIe]] replaced it.<ref name="a2h7">Steven Weyhrich, ''Apple II History'', Chapter 7, "The Apple IIe", [https://www.apple2history.org/history/ah07/ apple2history.org]. The Enhanced IIe of March 1985 and its four-chip upgrade kit; the firmware changes (80-column fixes, lower-case entry, the returning mini-assembler, the ASCII entry and memory search commands, improved interrupt handling, the Applesoft 80-column fixes); the cosmetic changes to the keyboard and the "Enhanced" power-light sticker; the MouseText display problem in older programs; the Revision A and Revision B boards and the note that an enhanced Revision A board is not necessarily capable of double high-resolution graphics; the model timeline.</ref> There is no new motherboard: the machine is an Apple IIe whose processor, two Monitor ROMs and character generator ROM have been changed.


== Enhancement Overview ==
== What the upgrade actually is ==
Rather than a full redesign, the Enhanced IIe was created through a modest but impactful revision. Apple offered an official upgrade kit that included four socketed chips to be replaced: the original 6502 CPU, two system ROMs (Applesoft/Monitor), and the character ROM (Video ROM).
Apple sold the change as a dealer-fitted kit, and the dealer document is explicit about what comes out and what goes in.<ref name="enh-kit">''Apple IIe Enhancement Kit: Dealer's Installation Instructions'', Apple Computer, Inc., part number 030-1142-B - hosted on this wiki as [[:File:Apple IIe Enhancement Kit Dealer Installation Instructions.pdf]]. Table 1 and Figures 1 and 2: the four chips replaced and their part numbers before and after, the U.S. (NTSC) and European (PAL) board positions, the country-specific character generator ROMs, and the installation procedure including the warning about pulling the socket up with the 6502.</ref>


=== New CPU: Western Design Center 65C02 ===
{| class="wikitable"
* Upgraded from the original MOS Technology 6502 to the CMOS-based **65C02**, running at the same 1.023 MHz.
|-
* Benefits: lower power consumption, additional instructions and addressing modes, and improved reliability.
! Position !! Removed !! Fitted
|-
| Microprocessor || 6502, '''370-6502''' || 65C02, '''338-6503'''
|-
| Monitor ROM (CD) || '''342-0135''' || '''342-0304'''
|-
| Monitor ROM (EF) || '''342-0134''' || '''342-0303'''
|-
| Character generator ROM || '''342-0133''' || '''342-0265''' (U.S.)
|}


=== Firmware and Character ROM Updates ===
Only the character generator ROM differs by country. Apple lists '''342-0273''' (United Kingdom), '''342-0274''' (French), '''342-0275''' (German), '''342-0276''' (Italian), '''342-0306''' (Western French) and '''342-0307''' (Western Spanish); the two Monitor ROMs and the processor are the same for U.S. and European machines.<ref name="enh-kit" />
* Updated Applesoft BASIC and Monitor firmware improved 80-column routines, fixed bugs, and enabled lowercase input.
* Video ROM introduced '''MouseText''' — a set of box-drawing characters first seen in the Apple IIc.


These enhancements improved speed and reliability in text and programming routines, particularly in 80-column mode.
Note that Apple's own document calls the part simply a '''65C02''' and identifies it by Apple part number 338-6503. It does not name a manufacturer, and machines are found with 65C02s from more than one second source, so a page or a listing that insists on one particular maker is asserting more than Apple did.


== Appearance Differences ==
=== Fitting it ===
* Enhanced IIe units received cosmetic updates: darker keycaps, smaller and black-printed key labels positioned at the top of the keys.
Apple's procedure, in Apple's order:<ref name="enh-kit" />
* A small “Enhanced” sticker was placed near the power light to denote the upgraded version.
# Turn off the power switch but leave the computer plugged in.
# Remove the cover and check that the small red light inside the case is off.
# Touch the power supply case to discharge any static on you.
# Locate the four chips; you may need to remove interface cards to reach them.
# Rock each chip out gently, a little at a time from each end. Apple's warning: "It is very easy to accidentally pull up the socket along with the 6502."
# Embed the old chips in the antistatic foam the new ones came in, and label them.
# The notch on each new chip faces the keyboard. Align all pins before pressing down.


== Memory and Expandability ==
The kit also contained the "Enhanced" sticker for the power light.<ref name="a2h7" />
* Base memory remained '''64 KB RAM''', with expansion via auxiliary slot or internal expansion allowing up to '''128 KB''' (commonly with an 80-column/64 KB card) and beyond with third-party RAM cards up to '''1 MB'''.


== Compatibility and Software Support ==
== What changed in the firmware ==
* Enhanced firmware greatly improved compatibility with newer software and fixed known glitches—especially in 80-column and 80-column language support.
The new Monitor ROMs fixed most of the known problems in the IIe's 80-column firmware. The old routines disabled interrupts for too long for the developers of the day, and Applesoft did not work properly with them.<ref name="a2h7" /> The Enhanced ROMs:<ref name="a2h7" />
* Lowercase input and MouseText broadened the usability for serious text-based applications.
* allow Applesoft and Monitor commands to be entered in lower case
* Note: Some older programs that relied on the original character encoding saw display quirks due to the new MouseText mapping.
* restore the '''mini-assembler''', absent since Integer BASIC, entered with "!" from the Monitor rather than by jumping to an address
* add direct entry of ASCII characters into memory, and an "S" command that searches memory for a byte sequence
* improve interrupt handling
* make GET, HTAB, TAB, SPC and comma tabbing work properly in 80-column mode


== Upgrade Kit ==
The Monitor's "L" disassembly command still does not decode the new 65C02 opcodes, although the [[Apple IIc]] disassembler does.<ref name="a2h7" />
Apple offered a user-installable '''Enhanced IIe upgrade kit''', which included the four required chips plus a cosmetic “Enhanced” label template. The upgrade was relatively straightforward for users comfortable handling DIP sockets.


In the aftermarket and collector communities, the upgrade remains popular. A note of caution: authentic 65C02 CPUs are sometimes counterfeited or mis-labeled in online listings.
The new character generator ROM adds '''MouseText''', the 32 box-drawing and interface characters first seen on the IIc. They occupy the codes previously used for flashing characters in 80-column mode, which is why '''some older programs display MouseText where they used to display inverse upper case'''.<ref name="a2h7" /><ref name="enh-kit" /> That is a consequence of the upgrade, not a fault in the machine or the chip.


== Historical and Commercial Significance ==
== Appearance ==
* First shipped as a new SKU in March 1985 as part of Apple's ongoing IIe model updates, and was widely sold through to the line’s discontinuation in 1993.
Machines sold new as Enhanced IIes have darker keycaps, smaller key legends printed in black and moved to the upper part of the key, and the word "Enhanced" added to the power light.<ref name="a2h7" /> A machine upgraded in the field has the sticker but the original keycaps.
* The Enhanced IIe remains beloved among vintage Apple II collectors as delivering a “best of both worlds” blend of legacy Apple II compatibility and incremental modernization.


== Technical Summary ==
== Double high-resolution graphics ==
{| class="wikitable"
'''An enhanced machine is not automatically a double high-resolution machine.''' The four-chip change does not include the board modifications that Revision B introduced for double high-resolution, so an original Revision A board given the Enhanced chip set may still be unable to produce it.<ref name="a2h7" /> Check the board revision before looking for a fault elsewhere.
! Component !! Original IIe !! Enhanced IIe upgrade
 
|-
== Power supply ==
| CPU || MOS 6502 @ 1.023 MHz || WDC 65C02 @ 1.023 MHz (CMOS, more instructions)
Unchanged from the [[Apple IIe]]: '''+5 V &plusmn;3%, +11.8 V &plusmn;6%, &minus;5.2 V &plusmn;10%, &minus;12 V &plusmn;10%''', 60 W continuous and 80 W intermittent, maximum case temperature 55&nbsp;&deg;C.<ref name="iie-ref">''Apple II Reference Manual - For //e Only'', Apple Computer, Inc., 1982 (Apple part 030-0357-B) - hosted on this wiki as [[:File:Apple IIe Reference Manual 1982.pdf]]. Table 7-2, power supply specifications; the supply's self-protection conditions; the single-wire shift-key modification at X6 and the hand-control short-circuit warning.</ref> The shift-key hazard described on [[Apple IIe]] applies unchanged.
|-
 
| System ROMs (Applesoft/Monitor) || Original IIe firmware || Updated firmware with bug fixes, lowercase, better 80-column routines
== Buying and identification ==
|-
* The four Apple part numbers above are the reliable identification. A machine with 342-0303 and 342-0304 fitted is enhanced whatever the sticker says, and a machine with the sticker and 342-0134/342-0135 fitted is not.<ref name="enh-kit" />
| Character ROM (Video ROM) || Standard character set || Includes MouseText characters
* Enhancement kits and loose 65C02s are still traded, and mislabelled or remarked processors do turn up. Compare against Apple's part number rather than a maker's logo.
|-
 
| Memory || 64 KB onboard || Same, expandable up to 1 MB
== Things that are not faults ==
|-
* Older software showing MouseText characters in place of inverse upper case is the documented consequence of the new character generator ROM<ref name="enh-kit" />
| Appearance || Original keycaps, no sticker || Darker keycaps, “Enhanced” power-light sticker
* The Monitor disassembler not decoding 65C02 opcodes is how the Enhanced ROMs were shipped<ref name="a2h7" />
|}
* No double high-resolution on an early Revision A board is a board limitation, not a failure<ref name="a2h7" />


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Apple IIe.jpg|Apple IIe Enhanced (front view)
File:Apple IIe.jpg|Apple IIe Enhanced (front view)
File:Apple IIe Enhanced Keyboard.jpg|Enhanced IIe with darker keycaps and “Enhanced” sticker
File:Apple IIe Enhanced Keyboard.jpg|Enhanced IIe keyboard and "Enhanced" power light
File:Apple IIe Enhanced Internals.jpg|Inside showing replaced 65C02 and ROM sockets
File:Apple IIe Enhanced Internals.jpg|Inside, showing the replaced 65C02 and ROM sockets
File:Apple IIe Enhanced MouseText.png|MouseText character demonstration on Enhanced IIe
File:Apple IIe Enhanced MouseText.png|MouseText characters
</gallery>
</gallery>
== See also ==
* [[Apple IIe]]
* [[Apple IIe Platinum]]
* [[Apple IIe Enhancement Kit]]
* [[Apple II General Maintenance]]
== References ==
<references />
{{Navbox-AppleVintage|state=collapsed}}


[[Category:Apple Vintage Computers]]
[[Category:Apple Vintage Computers]]
{{Navbox-AppleVintage}}
<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" />

Latest revision as of 05:41, 23 September 2026

Apple IIe Enhanced
Apple IIe Enhanced
Specifications
ManufacturerApple Computer, Inc.
TypeHome computer
ReleasedMarch 1985
DiscontinuedDecember 1986, superseded by the Platinum IIe
CPU65C02 @ 1.023 MHz (Apple part 338-6503)
Memory64 KB RAM on the main board, 128 KB with an extended 80-column card; 16 KB ROM
StorageCassette; Disk II 5.25-inch floppy; 3.5-inch UniDisk with a Liron card; hard disk via a controller card
Display40×24 and 80×24 text; 280×192 high-resolution; 560×192 double high-resolution on a suitable board
Sound1-bit speaker toggled at $C030
OS / FirmwareApple DOS 3.3, ProDOS, CP/M with a Z-80 card
PredecessorApple IIe
SuccessorApple IIe Platinum

The Apple IIe Enhanced is the Apple IIe with a four-chip change, introduced in March 1985 and made until December 1986, when the Platinum IIe replaced it.[1] There is no new motherboard: the machine is an Apple IIe whose processor, two Monitor ROMs and character generator ROM have been changed.

What the upgrade actually is

[edit | edit source]

Apple sold the change as a dealer-fitted kit, and the dealer document is explicit about what comes out and what goes in.[2]

Position Removed Fitted
Microprocessor 6502, 370-6502 65C02, 338-6503
Monitor ROM (CD) 342-0135 342-0304
Monitor ROM (EF) 342-0134 342-0303
Character generator ROM 342-0133 342-0265 (U.S.)

Only the character generator ROM differs by country. Apple lists 342-0273 (United Kingdom), 342-0274 (French), 342-0275 (German), 342-0276 (Italian), 342-0306 (Western French) and 342-0307 (Western Spanish); the two Monitor ROMs and the processor are the same for U.S. and European machines.[2]

Note that Apple's own document calls the part simply a 65C02 and identifies it by Apple part number 338-6503. It does not name a manufacturer, and machines are found with 65C02s from more than one second source, so a page or a listing that insists on one particular maker is asserting more than Apple did.

Fitting it

[edit | edit source]

Apple's procedure, in Apple's order:[2]

  1. Turn off the power switch but leave the computer plugged in.
  2. Remove the cover and check that the small red light inside the case is off.
  3. Touch the power supply case to discharge any static on you.
  4. Locate the four chips; you may need to remove interface cards to reach them.
  5. Rock each chip out gently, a little at a time from each end. Apple's warning: "It is very easy to accidentally pull up the socket along with the 6502."
  6. Embed the old chips in the antistatic foam the new ones came in, and label them.
  7. The notch on each new chip faces the keyboard. Align all pins before pressing down.

The kit also contained the "Enhanced" sticker for the power light.[1]

What changed in the firmware

[edit | edit source]

The new Monitor ROMs fixed most of the known problems in the IIe's 80-column firmware. The old routines disabled interrupts for too long for the developers of the day, and Applesoft did not work properly with them.[1] The Enhanced ROMs:[1]

  • allow Applesoft and Monitor commands to be entered in lower case
  • restore the mini-assembler, absent since Integer BASIC, entered with "!" from the Monitor rather than by jumping to an address
  • add direct entry of ASCII characters into memory, and an "S" command that searches memory for a byte sequence
  • improve interrupt handling
  • make GET, HTAB, TAB, SPC and comma tabbing work properly in 80-column mode

The Monitor's "L" disassembly command still does not decode the new 65C02 opcodes, although the Apple IIc disassembler does.[1]

The new character generator ROM adds MouseText, the 32 box-drawing and interface characters first seen on the IIc. They occupy the codes previously used for flashing characters in 80-column mode, which is why some older programs display MouseText where they used to display inverse upper case.[1][2] That is a consequence of the upgrade, not a fault in the machine or the chip.

Appearance

[edit | edit source]

Machines sold new as Enhanced IIes have darker keycaps, smaller key legends printed in black and moved to the upper part of the key, and the word "Enhanced" added to the power light.[1] A machine upgraded in the field has the sticker but the original keycaps.

Double high-resolution graphics

[edit | edit source]

An enhanced machine is not automatically a double high-resolution machine. The four-chip change does not include the board modifications that Revision B introduced for double high-resolution, so an original Revision A board given the Enhanced chip set may still be unable to produce it.[1] Check the board revision before looking for a fault elsewhere.

Power supply

[edit | edit source]

Unchanged from the Apple IIe: +5 V ±3%, +11.8 V ±6%, −5.2 V ±10%, −12 V ±10%, 60 W continuous and 80 W intermittent, maximum case temperature 55 °C.[3] The shift-key hazard described on Apple IIe applies unchanged.

Buying and identification

[edit | edit source]
  • The four Apple part numbers above are the reliable identification. A machine with 342-0303 and 342-0304 fitted is enhanced whatever the sticker says, and a machine with the sticker and 342-0134/342-0135 fitted is not.[2]
  • Enhancement kits and loose 65C02s are still traded, and mislabelled or remarked processors do turn up. Compare against Apple's part number rather than a maker's logo.

Things that are not faults

[edit | edit source]
  • Older software showing MouseText characters in place of inverse upper case is the documented consequence of the new character generator ROM[2]
  • The Monitor disassembler not decoding 65C02 opcodes is how the Enhanced ROMs were shipped[1]
  • No double high-resolution on an early Revision A board is a board limitation, not a failure[1]
[edit | edit source]

See also

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Steven Weyhrich, Apple II History, Chapter 7, "The Apple IIe", apple2history.org. The Enhanced IIe of March 1985 and its four-chip upgrade kit; the firmware changes (80-column fixes, lower-case entry, the returning mini-assembler, the ASCII entry and memory search commands, improved interrupt handling, the Applesoft 80-column fixes); the cosmetic changes to the keyboard and the "Enhanced" power-light sticker; the MouseText display problem in older programs; the Revision A and Revision B boards and the note that an enhanced Revision A board is not necessarily capable of double high-resolution graphics; the model timeline.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Apple IIe Enhancement Kit: Dealer's Installation Instructions, Apple Computer, Inc., part number 030-1142-B - hosted on this wiki as File:Apple IIe Enhancement Kit Dealer Installation Instructions.pdf. Table 1 and Figures 1 and 2: the four chips replaced and their part numbers before and after, the U.S. (NTSC) and European (PAL) board positions, the country-specific character generator ROMs, and the installation procedure including the warning about pulling the socket up with the 6502.
  3. ↑ Apple II Reference Manual - For //e Only, Apple Computer, Inc., 1982 (Apple part 030-0357-B) - hosted on this wiki as File:Apple IIe Reference Manual 1982.pdf. Table 7-2, power supply specifications; the supply's self-protection conditions; the single-wire shift-key modification at X6 and the hand-control short-circuit warning.