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Fix red link: Apple II Reference Manual
Fix test program (was missing the 0 address and LDA #0 operand, and 0.A); correct monitor examples to Apple's (300: A9 00 not in manual); remove uncited 'only manual / primary source' and 'no register display'; add PIA, keyboard, monitor routines and RAM use from the manual; cite each section to page; copyedit
 
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Apple Computer Company, '''''Apple-1 Operation Manual''''', 1976, '''15 pages'''. Issued from
The '''''Apple-1 Operation Manual''''' is Apple Computer Company's manual for the [[Apple I]], issued from 770 Welch Road, Palo Alto, California.<ref name="cover">Apple Computer Company, ''Apple-1 Operation Manual'', cover and specifications page (PDF pp. 1-2). Hosted as [[:File:Apple-1 Operation Manual 1976.pdf]].</ref> The manual itself carries no date; its schematic sheets (drawing 00101) are dated 10 March and 2 April 1976.<ref name="sch">''Apple-1 Operation Manual'', schematic diagram, drawing 00101, sheets 1-3 (PDF pp. 11, 14-15).</ref> The hosted scan has 15 pages: the cover, the specifications page, eight numbered text pages, a page of interfacing circuits, the warranty and the three schematic sheets.
Apple Computer Company, 770 Welch Road, Palo Alto, California. This is Apple's only manual for
the [[Apple I]], and it is the primary source for every published figure about the machine.
 
<pdf>File:Apple-1 Operation Manual 1976.pdf</pdf>


== Contents ==
== Contents ==
 
* Specifications (PDF p. 2)
* '''Specifications''' — one page, the whole published specification of the machine.
* Section I, Getting Started (pp. 1-2, PDF pp. 3-4): keyboard connection through the "DIP" connector at B4, display connection at Molex J2, AC power sources at Molex J1, and a four-step test program
* '''Section I — Getting Started''': keyboard connection (the "DIP" keyboard connector at
* Section II, Using the System Monitor (pp. 3-7, PDF pp. 5-9): command syntax with worked examples, useful monitor routines, and the commented assembly listing of the monitor PROM at $FF00-$FFFF
  '''B4''', seven data lines, strobe of either polarity and either duration), display
* Section III, How to Expand the Apple System (p. 8, PDF p. 10): the 44-pin edge connector, refresh, DMA, and the keyboard and display software interface
  connection (Molex '''J2'''), AC power sources (Molex '''J1'''), and a four-step test
* Interfacing circuits: slow ROM, single step for the 6502, address display (PDF p. 12)
  program.
* Warranty (PDF p. 13)
* '''Section II — Using the System Monitor''': the monitor's command syntax and the complete
* Schematic diagram, drawing 00101, sheets 1-3 of 3 (PDF pp. 14, 15 and 11); sheet 3 includes the power supply
  commented assembly listing of the 256-byte monitor PROM at '''$FF00–$FFFF'''.
* '''Section III — How to Expand the Apple System''': the 44-pin edge connector, DMA, refresh
  timing, the PIA register map, and circuits for single-step, slow-ROM and address display.
* '''Schematics''': drawing '''00101''', sheets 1–3 of 3, the third sheet being the power
  supply.


== Apple's published specification ==
== Apple's published specification ==
<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" />
<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" />
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:95%;"
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:95%;"
|+'''Apple-1 Operation Manual, specifications page'''
|+'''Apple-1 Operation Manual, specifications page'''<ref name="cover" />
! Item !! Apple's figure
! Item !! Apple's figure
|-
|-
| Microprocessor || MOS Technology 6502
| Microprocessor || MOS Technology 6502
|-
|-
| Clock frequency || '''1.023 MHz'''
| Clock frequency || 1.023 MHz
|-
|-
| Effective cycle frequency || '''0.960 MHz''' (including refresh waits)
| Effective cycle frequency || 0.960 MHz (including refresh waits)
|-
|-
| Video output || Composite positive video, '''75 Ω''', level adjustable between zero and '''+5 V p-p'''
| Video output || Composite positive video, 75 Ω, level adjustable between zero and +5 V p-p
|-
|-
| Line rate || '''15,734 Hz'''
| Line rate || 15,734 Hz
|-
|-
| Frame rate || '''60.05 Hz'''
| Frame rate || 60.05 Hz
|-
|-
| Format || 40 characters/line, 24 lines, with automatic scrolling
| Format || 40 characters/line, 24 lines, with automatic scrolling
|-
|-
| Display memory || '''Dynamic shift registers (1 K × 7)'''
| Display memory || Dynamic shift registers (1K × 7)
|-
|-
| Character matrix || '''5 × 7'''
| Character matrix || 5 × 7
|-
|-
| RAM || 16-pin, 4 K dynamic, '''type 4096 (2104)'''
| RAM || 16-pin, 4K dynamic, type 4096 (2104)
|-
|-
| On-board RAM capacity || '''8 KB''' (4 KB supplied)
| On-board RAM capacity || 8K bytes (4K supplied)
|-
|-
| Power supplies || '''+5 V @ 3 A, ±12 V @ 0.5 A, −5 V @ 0.5 A'''
| Power supplies || +5 V at 3 A, ±12 V at 0.5 A, −5 V at 0.5 A
|-
|-
| Input power || '''8–10 V AC (RMS) @ 3 A''' and '''26–28 V AC (RMS) centre-tapped @ 1 A'''
| Input power || 8-10 V AC (RMS) at 3 A, and 26-28 V AC (RMS) centre-tapped at 1 A
|-
|-
| Recommended transformers || '''Stancor P-8380''' or '''Triad F31-X'''; '''Stancor P-8667''' or '''Triad F40-X'''
| Recommended transformers || Stancor P-8380 or Triad F31-X; Stancor P-8667 or Triad F40-X
|}
|}


== What this document settles ==
== What this document settles ==
The display is not memory-mapped. Apple gives the display memory as "dynamic shift registers (1K x 7)", and software reaches the keyboard and display only through the PIA. At $D010 (KBD data) the high-order bit equals 1. At $D011 (KBD control) the high-order bit indicates "key ready"; reading the key clears the flag and the rising edge of the keyboard strobe sets it. At $D012 (DSP data) the lower seven bits are data output and the high-order bit is a "display ready" input (1 ready, 0 busy); $D013 is the DSP control register.<ref name="s3">''Apple-1 Operation Manual'', Section III, How to Expand the Apple System, p. 8 (PDF p. 10).</ref>


'''The display is not memory-mapped.''' Apple's own specification gives the display memory as
Four of every 65 clock cycles are given to memory refresh, which is where the 0.960 MHz effective figure comes from. During a refresh cycle ϕ2 is inhibited and the processor is held in ϕ1. Dynamic memory added off-board must take its clock from ϕ0, which is the same as ϕ2 but continues through refresh cycles; PIAs are unaffected because they react to ϕ2 only. For DMA, the solder jumper marked "DMA" on the board must be broken.<ref name="s3" />
"dynamic shift registers (1 K × 7)". There is no screen buffer in the 6502 address space, and
the only display hardware visible to software is the PIA: '''$D012 DSP data''' (lower seven
bits are data out, the high bit is a "display ready" input, 1 = ready, 0 = busy) and
'''$D013 DSP control'''. The keyboard is '''$D010 KBD data''' (high-order bit equals 1) and
'''$D011 KBD control''' (high-order bit indicates "key ready"; reading the key clears the
flag, the rising edge of the keyboard strobe sets it).


'''Where the 0.960 MHz comes from.''' "Four out of every 65 clock cycles is dedicated to
Power at the edge connector: only +5 V is regulated. The +12 V, −12 V and −5 V pins carry raw DC of approximately ±14 V, external regulators must be used, and Apple warns: "Exercise great care in the handling of the raw DC, as no short-circuit protection is provided." Address lines are TTL buffered and the data lines can drive ten equivalent capacitive loads (one TTL load and 130 pF) without external buffers. The system is "fully expandable to 65K" through the connector.<ref name="s3" /> As supplied, the board draws no more than 1.5 A from the +5 V regulator, which can supply 3 A, so 1.5 A is left for expansion if the transformer is rated for it. The −5 V supply is derived from the regulated −12 V output.<ref name="s1">''Apple-1 Operation Manual'', Section I, Getting Started, pp. 1-2 (PDF pp. 3-4).</ref>
memory refresh." RF goes low 150 ns after the leading edge of ϕ1 and stays low for one clock
cycle; ϕ2 is inhibited during a refresh cycle and the processor is held in ϕ1. Dynamic memory
added off-board should be clocked from '''ϕ0''', which is ϕ2 except that it continues through
a refresh cycle; a PIA is unaffected, because it reacts to ϕ2 only.


'''The edge connector is dangerous if it is misread.''' Only '''+5 V is regulated''' there.
Keyboard: any ASCII keyboard with positive-logic data outputs connects directly; negative-logic outputs need 7404 inverters in the breadboard area. The strobe may be positive or negative, long or short. The B4 connector also carries the RESET and CLEAR SCREEN pushbuttons and supplies +5 V, +12 V and −12 V for the keyboard, and its pin 15 must be tied to +5 V (pin 16) for normal operation. The monitor accepts upper-case A-F and R only.<ref name="s1" />
The pins for +12 V, −12 V and −5 V carry '''raw DC of approximately ±14 V''', external
 
regulators must be used, and Apple writes: "Exercise great care in the handling of the raw DC,
Pressing RESET enters the monitor, which displays a backslash and drops to the next line. "A backslash alone (cursor remains on same line as backslash) indicates bad page 0 RAM."<ref name="s2">''Apple-1 Operation Manual'', Section II, Using the System Monitor, pp. 3-4 (PDF pp. 5-6).</ref>
as '''no short-circuit protection is provided'''." Address lines are TTL buffered and the data
 
lines drive ten equivalent capacitive loads (one TTL load and 130 pF) without external
Apple's test program exercises the keyboard, display and power supplies together:<ref name="s1" />
buffering. The board itself draws no more than '''1.5 A''' from the +5 V supply against a
# Press RESET. A backslash should appear and the cursor drop to the next line.
regulator rated '''3 A''', so 1.5 A is available for expansion if the transformer will supply
# Type <code>0: A9 0 AA 20 EF FF E8 8A 4C 2 0</code> and RETURN (0 is a zero, not the letter O).
it. For DMA, the solder jumper marked '''DMA''' must be broken. Apple describes the system as
# Type <code>0.A</code> and RETURN. The monitor lists the program just entered.
"fully expandable to '''65K'''".
# Type <code>R</code> and RETURN. The program prints a continuous stream of ASCII characters until RESET is pressed.
 
== Using the monitor ==
Commands are typed a line at a time, up to 128 characters, and none runs until RETURN is typed. SHIFT-O (backarrow) backspaces and echoes an underline; ESC cancels the line and echoes backslash-return. Addresses use the four least significant hex digits of a group and data values the two least significant.<ref name="s2" />
 
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:95%;"
|+'''Monitor command forms (Apple's examples)'''<ref name="s2" />
! User types !! Effect
|-
| <code>4F</code> || Opens (displays) location $004F
|-
| <code>.5A</code> || Displays from the last opened location to $005A
|-
| <code>4F.5A</code> || Displays a block in one command
|-
| <code>4F 52 56</code> || Displays several single locations; a blank or comma is a delimiter, and a string of delimiters acts as one
|-
| <code>4F.52 56 58.5A</code> || Displays several blocks at once
|-
| <code>30: A0</code> || Deposits $A0 at $0030
|-
| <code>: A1 A2 A3</code> || Deposits into successive locations after the last deposit
|-
| <code>10F0 R</code> || Runs the program at $10F0
|-
| <code>R</code> || Runs at the most recently examined location
|}


'''A diagnostic in one line.''' Pressing RESET should display "backslash — return". Apple:
Routines a user program can call: GETLINE at $FF1F (monitor entry), ECHO at $FFEF (prints the ASCII character in A, A not disturbed), PRBYTE at $FFDC (prints A as two hex digits) and PRHEX at $FFE5 (prints the low four bits of A as one hex digit). Locations $0024-$002B are the monitor's index pointers and $0200-$027F its input buffer; neither may be used by a program while the monitor is in use.<ref name="s2b">''Apple-1 Operation Manual'', Section II, p. 4 (PDF p. 6).</ref>
"A backslash alone (cursor remains on same line as backslash) '''indicates bad page
RAM'''" — that is, bad page-zero RAM, which the monitor needs before it can do anything else.


'''The monitor's real command set.''' Commands are typed a line at a time, up to
== What this manual does not contain ==
'''128 characters''', and nothing executes until RETURN is typed.
It has no parts list, no board layout or component placement drawing, and no troubleshooting procedure beyond the test program and the page-zero RAM indication. Component values have to be read from the schematic sheets. The cassette interface and BASIC had their own manuals.<ref name="a1soft">{{cite web |url=https://www.apple1registry.com/en/soft.html |title=Software and documents |publisher=Apple-1 Registry |access-date=2026-09-30}}</ref>


* '''<code>:</code>''' — store: <code>300: A9 00</code>.
== Pages that cite this document ==
* '''<code>.</code>''' — the '''range delimiter''', not a register display:
* [[Apple I]]: specifications, test program, monitor behaviour, edge-connector power
  <code>4F.52 56 58.5A</code> dumps three blocks. The monitor has no register display.
* '''<code>R</code>''' — run a program at the most recently opened address.
* '''<code>ESC</code>''' — cancels the line and echoes backslash-return.
* '''<code>SHIFT-O</code>''' (backarrow) — backspaces and echoes an underline.
* A blank or comma is a delimiter only; a string of them behaves as one.


Apple's own four-step test program, which exercises keyboard, display and supplies together,
<pdf> File:Apple-1 Operation Manual 1976.pdf </pdf>
is: RESET, then <code>:A9 AA 20 EF FF E8 8A 4C 2 0</code> RETURN, then <code>.A</code> RETURN
to list it back, then <code>R</code> RETURN — which prints a continuous stream of ASCII
characters until RESET is pressed.


== Related ==
Download: [[:File:Apple-1 Operation Manual 1976.pdf|Apple-1 Operation Manual 1976.pdf]]


* [[Apple I]] — the machine this manual documents
== Related pages ==
* [[Apple II Schematics]] — the addendum to the ''Apple II Reference Manual''
* [[Apple I]]
* [[Apple II Schematics]]
* [[Apple II Reference Manual]]
* [[Apple II Reference Manual]]


Latest revision as of 13:56, 30 September 2026

The Apple-1 Operation Manual is Apple Computer Company's manual for the Apple I, issued from 770 Welch Road, Palo Alto, California.[1] The manual itself carries no date; its schematic sheets (drawing 00101) are dated 10 March and 2 April 1976.[2] The hosted scan has 15 pages: the cover, the specifications page, eight numbered text pages, a page of interfacing circuits, the warranty and the three schematic sheets.

Contents

[edit | edit source]
  • Specifications (PDF p. 2)
  • Section I, Getting Started (pp. 1-2, PDF pp. 3-4): keyboard connection through the "DIP" connector at B4, display connection at Molex J2, AC power sources at Molex J1, and a four-step test program
  • Section II, Using the System Monitor (pp. 3-7, PDF pp. 5-9): command syntax with worked examples, useful monitor routines, and the commented assembly listing of the monitor PROM at $FF00-$FFFF
  • Section III, How to Expand the Apple System (p. 8, PDF p. 10): the 44-pin edge connector, refresh, DMA, and the keyboard and display software interface
  • Interfacing circuits: slow ROM, single step for the 6502, address display (PDF p. 12)
  • Warranty (PDF p. 13)
  • Schematic diagram, drawing 00101, sheets 1-3 of 3 (PDF pp. 14, 15 and 11); sheet 3 includes the power supply

Apple's published specification

[edit | edit source]
Apple-1 Operation Manual, specifications page[1]
Item Apple's figure
Microprocessor MOS Technology 6502
Clock frequency 1.023 MHz
Effective cycle frequency 0.960 MHz (including refresh waits)
Video output Composite positive video, 75 Ω, level adjustable between zero and +5 V p-p
Line rate 15,734 Hz
Frame rate 60.05 Hz
Format 40 characters/line, 24 lines, with automatic scrolling
Display memory Dynamic shift registers (1K × 7)
Character matrix 5 × 7
RAM 16-pin, 4K dynamic, type 4096 (2104)
On-board RAM capacity 8K bytes (4K supplied)
Power supplies +5 V at 3 A, ±12 V at 0.5 A, −5 V at 0.5 A
Input power 8-10 V AC (RMS) at 3 A, and 26-28 V AC (RMS) centre-tapped at 1 A
Recommended transformers Stancor P-8380 or Triad F31-X; Stancor P-8667 or Triad F40-X

What this document settles

[edit | edit source]

The display is not memory-mapped. Apple gives the display memory as "dynamic shift registers (1K x 7)", and software reaches the keyboard and display only through the PIA. At $D010 (KBD data) the high-order bit equals 1. At $D011 (KBD control) the high-order bit indicates "key ready"; reading the key clears the flag and the rising edge of the keyboard strobe sets it. At $D012 (DSP data) the lower seven bits are data output and the high-order bit is a "display ready" input (1 ready, 0 busy); $D013 is the DSP control register.[3]

Four of every 65 clock cycles are given to memory refresh, which is where the 0.960 MHz effective figure comes from. During a refresh cycle ϕ2 is inhibited and the processor is held in ϕ1. Dynamic memory added off-board must take its clock from ϕ0, which is the same as ϕ2 but continues through refresh cycles; PIAs are unaffected because they react to ϕ2 only. For DMA, the solder jumper marked "DMA" on the board must be broken.[3]

Power at the edge connector: only +5 V is regulated. The +12 V, −12 V and −5 V pins carry raw DC of approximately ±14 V, external regulators must be used, and Apple warns: "Exercise great care in the handling of the raw DC, as no short-circuit protection is provided." Address lines are TTL buffered and the data lines can drive ten equivalent capacitive loads (one TTL load and 130 pF) without external buffers. The system is "fully expandable to 65K" through the connector.[3] As supplied, the board draws no more than 1.5 A from the +5 V regulator, which can supply 3 A, so 1.5 A is left for expansion if the transformer is rated for it. The −5 V supply is derived from the regulated −12 V output.[4]

Keyboard: any ASCII keyboard with positive-logic data outputs connects directly; negative-logic outputs need 7404 inverters in the breadboard area. The strobe may be positive or negative, long or short. The B4 connector also carries the RESET and CLEAR SCREEN pushbuttons and supplies +5 V, +12 V and −12 V for the keyboard, and its pin 15 must be tied to +5 V (pin 16) for normal operation. The monitor accepts upper-case A-F and R only.[4]

Pressing RESET enters the monitor, which displays a backslash and drops to the next line. "A backslash alone (cursor remains on same line as backslash) indicates bad page 0 RAM."[5]

Apple's test program exercises the keyboard, display and power supplies together:[4]

  1. Press RESET. A backslash should appear and the cursor drop to the next line.
  2. Type 0: A9 0 AA 20 EF FF E8 8A 4C 2 0 and RETURN (0 is a zero, not the letter O).
  3. Type 0.A and RETURN. The monitor lists the program just entered.
  4. Type R and RETURN. The program prints a continuous stream of ASCII characters until RESET is pressed.

Using the monitor

[edit | edit source]

Commands are typed a line at a time, up to 128 characters, and none runs until RETURN is typed. SHIFT-O (backarrow) backspaces and echoes an underline; ESC cancels the line and echoes backslash-return. Addresses use the four least significant hex digits of a group and data values the two least significant.[5]

Monitor command forms (Apple's examples)[5]
User types Effect
4F Opens (displays) location $004F
.5A Displays from the last opened location to $005A
4F.5A Displays a block in one command
4F 52 56 Displays several single locations; a blank or comma is a delimiter, and a string of delimiters acts as one
4F.52 56 58.5A Displays several blocks at once
30: A0 Deposits $A0 at $0030
: A1 A2 A3 Deposits into successive locations after the last deposit
10F0 R Runs the program at $10F0
R Runs at the most recently examined location

Routines a user program can call: GETLINE at $FF1F (monitor entry), ECHO at $FFEF (prints the ASCII character in A, A not disturbed), PRBYTE at $FFDC (prints A as two hex digits) and PRHEX at $FFE5 (prints the low four bits of A as one hex digit). Locations $0024-$002B are the monitor's index pointers and $0200-$027F its input buffer; neither may be used by a program while the monitor is in use.[6]

What this manual does not contain

[edit | edit source]

It has no parts list, no board layout or component placement drawing, and no troubleshooting procedure beyond the test program and the page-zero RAM indication. Component values have to be read from the schematic sheets. The cassette interface and BASIC had their own manuals.[7]

Pages that cite this document

[edit | edit source]
  • Apple I: specifications, test program, monitor behaviour, edge-connector power

Download: Apple-1 Operation Manual 1976.pdf

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Apple Computer Company, Apple-1 Operation Manual, cover and specifications page (PDF pp. 1-2). Hosted as File:Apple-1 Operation Manual 1976.pdf.
  2. ↑ Apple-1 Operation Manual, schematic diagram, drawing 00101, sheets 1-3 (PDF pp. 11, 14-15).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Apple-1 Operation Manual, Section III, How to Expand the Apple System, p. 8 (PDF p. 10).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Apple-1 Operation Manual, Section I, Getting Started, pp. 1-2 (PDF pp. 3-4).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Apple-1 Operation Manual, Section II, Using the System Monitor, pp. 3-4 (PDF pp. 5-6).
  6. ↑ Apple-1 Operation Manual, Section II, p. 4 (PDF p. 6).
  7. ↑ Software and documents, Apple-1 Registry—link(accessed 2026-09-30)
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