Xebec Sider for Apple II

I have a complete Sider setup, and it's a fun device to have on an Apple II. Drive is. Like most of the old Apple II cards, the Xebec card is fairly durable and will continue to work for years. The drive on the other hand is not so durable, and of the six that have passed through my hands, only two of them still worked. Plus, it seems that as these old Apple II computers are sold off, the Xebec cards get separated from the drives and sold or given away, and the drives are thrown out, etc. My experience with these setups is the cards are not common but much easier to find than the drive. So if you have the drive, you're well on your way. I should say that before you spend to much effort looking for the card, make sure that your drive works. To do this, plug it in, turn it on, and make sure that the power light comes on and the drive spins up. If the drive doesn't spin up, you could have a problem. If it doesn't spin up, open the case and try switching the power connector to the drive (there are two of them.) If it still doesn't work, then you likely have a dead drive, which is fairly common. The Xebec card is a SASI (not SCSI) controller, and to the best of my knowledge will only work with the Sider drive. That also means that if the drive is dead, you'll have a difficult if not impossible time finding a replacement drive for it. Also, make sure that you're drive has the terminator cap on one of the two plugs on the back. I had to have one custom made because mine was missing. Obviously, you'll also need the connecting cable between the drive and the Xebec card. Anyway, if you turn the drive on, and the power light comes on and the drive spins up, be happy because you'll have a much easier time finding the controller card. Try asking on the comp.sys.apple2 newsgroup. Someone there probably has a spare controller card for it. I have the user manual and setup disks if you get that far, and I can mail copies to you. E.