9" Compact Completists?

[volvo242gt]

Usually, the bucket will just say 512k on it.

 

[LaPorta]

I’ll check my 512k tonight, but to my knowledge the plastic case always simply said 512k, and the printed serial info told that it was a 512ke

 

[volvo242gt]

^Yup. It'll say either M0001W or M0001E on the serial label underneath the bezel, and just say Macintosh 512k on the back.

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Awesome thanks again guys, corrected on my running sheet.

 

[bigmessowires]

Personally, I find pre-SE machines to be... rather older feeling and less refined than the later models. I suppose that sounds obvious when said that way. The peripherals are particularly different to the ADB ones, to the extent that I don't enjoy using them. That spoilt the whole experience of using a Plus for me.

That's perfectly reasonable. I saw similar comments recently about why some retro-gaming collectors don't have Atari 2600 systems. In short: because they're just not very fun by any current standard, even if they have historical value. I can't imagine that anybody with a Mac 128K is really using it for anything. They just have it for the sake of having it, which is fine but isn't what many people are interested in.

 

[volvo242gt]

Agree with @joshc about 90%. The 10% is the fact that the M0100 mouse is more comfortable than the ADB mice for my hands. Been thinking about modifying a M0100 so it works as an ADB mouse. The SE is just a better machine than the Plus. Part of the reason why I wished I'd started out my Mac adventure with one instead of the Plus I got.

 

[cheesestraws]

I can't imagine that anybody with a Mac 128K is really using it for anything.

Yeah - I got the 128k last out of all the compacts because I kind of felt it was a huge hole. It's probably my least favourite out of all of them, even the Classic II, and if I didn't have all the others (for some handwavy definition of 'all'), I wouldn't have bothered.

Amusingly given his comments above, it was @joshc who finally talked me into getting one.

 

[Crutch]

128k’s get a bad rap! They are perfectly great for playing Infocom games, Mouse Stampede, Airborne (with a shorter musical overture sadly) and cooking up some nifty programs in MS-BASIC. And the original MacPaint remains a beautiful piece of software.

That said I haven’t turned mine on in 18 months, but in theory …….

 

[Phipli]

128k’s get a bad rap! They are perfectly great for playing Infocom games, Mouse Stampede, Airborne (with a shorter musical overture sadly) and cooking up some nifty programs in MS-BASIC. And the original MacPaint remains a beautiful piece of software.

That said I haven’t turned mine on in 18 months, but in theory …….

Do they run HyperCard?

That's all any computer needs to do to be useful.

 

[LaPorta]

I personally haven’t fired up the majority of my compacts in years.

 

[stepleton]

I think you may also need the Drexel University Macintosh 128: the university required all students to buy a Mac, so Apple made a thousand or so with a D logo on the front cover. https://www.reddit.com/r/VintageApple/comments/9lhu9q
My first computer was a Classic, and that's the only compact I need. Still have it, still works...

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

@stepleton that's awesome! Drexel has always been a Mac stronghold. My good friend ran the university's MUG around 1998. I recently bought an ImageWriter II from an alum who used it with his SE while attending Drex in the late 80s.

Are there other limited special edition Compacts we should add?

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Amusingly given his comments above, it was @joshc who finally talked me into getting one.

That's his MO. @joshc likes trying to get people to buy Pismos too!

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Found an interesting video on the Drexel Original Macintosh (was not badged as a 128k)

Video tells of an Apple University Consortium of 24 US schools established to incorporate the new Macintosh into their universities. These schools were provided non-public info about the Mac during its development and early testing machines. Drexel was a member and seems Dartmouth was too.

Anyone know of any other university-badged Original Macs that were part of this program?

FF to 27:21 for the history segment

 

[JC8080]

Found an interesting video on the Drexel Original Macintosh (was not badged as a 128k)

Video tells of an Apple University Consortium of 24 US schools established to incorporate the new Macintosh into their universities. These schools were provided non-public info about the Mac during its development and early testing machines. Drexel was a member and seems Dartmouth was too.

Anyone know of any other university-badged Original Macs that were part of this program?

FF to 27:21 for the history segment

That mirrored image is making my brain hurt.

 

[JC8080]

I love my 128k just because it is the original, however I came across it by chance and would not have otherwise been on the hunt for one. I drove 4 hours to go look at an SE/30 that was supposed to be good, but was battery bombed. The guy also had about 15 other broken compact Macs, he was just in the electronics surplus business. I don't know how or why he had them, and he didn't know anything about them. As I was picking through broken machines trying to salvage my 4 hour drive, he says "Oh I also have one of the original Macs" and points to a green Apple carrying bag tucked away under a shelf. It was a 128k complete with bag, keyboard, and mouse. Of course it also did not work, but I bought it anyways. The logic board had a bunch of issues, but after I sorted them all I ended up with a nice working 128k.

The only compact Mac I am missing is a Classic, and I don't plan on adding one to my collection. Classics are nice machines, I have just never felt much draw to them. Though if someone is only going to have one compact Mac, that is a good one to have. My Classic II and Color Classic are both in need of repair, otherwise all my compacts are working. My favorite is probably my 512k HyperDrive, followed by my SE with a 25mhz Radius '020 accelerator. I am not sure why I like that machine more than my accelerated SE/30.

Edit:

The only compact Mac I would jump to buy at this point would be a dual-floppy 512ke. A company did conversions where they added a second internal floppy drive. The second drive ejected out a slot cut in the right side of the case, not out the front like a dual-floppy SE. I am definitely not thinking about a dual-floppy SE. Somewhere I have a copy of an ad for one, but I wasn't able to find it quickly this morning. If you know where one is, please PM me.

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Here's the latest. Some general tweaks and corrections, also added production dates.



And @JC8080 agree about the mirror image above.

 

[bigmessowires]

Drexel was a member and seems Dartmouth was too.

Darthmouth's policy of "every student gets a Macintosh" was front and center in my mind when I applied to schools in 1988, and it definitely influenced my decision to apply there. It was noteworthy at a time when most incoming students didn't own a computer, and when the Macintosh was also a very niche product. I did not end up attending Darthmouth though!

The only compact Mac I would jump to buy at this point would be a dual-floppy 512ke. A company did conversions where they added a second internal floppy drive. The second drive ejected out a slot cut in the right side of the case, not out the front like a dual-floppy SE. I am definitely not thinking about a dual-floppy SE.

That seems... weirdly unnecessary. Wouldn't it have been much cheaper and simpler to just connect an external floppy drive? You wouldn't have been able to get three floppy drives like the SE can do, since the ROM and motherboard did not support it, so I don't really understand the point.

 

[JC8080]

Darthmouth's policy of "every student gets a Macintosh" was front and center in my mind when I applied to schools in 1988, and it definitely influenced my decision to apply there. It was noteworthy at a time when most incoming students didn't own a computer, and when the Macintosh was also a very niche product. I did not end up attending Darthmouth though!


That seems... weirdly unnecessary. Wouldn't it have been much cheaper and simpler to just connect an external floppy drive? You wouldn't have been able to get three floppy drives like the SE can do, since the ROM and motherboard did not support it, so I don't really understand the point.

I'm not sure why it was done, when I get home later I'm going to try and find the ad. I saw them at a Boeing surplus auction in the early 90s, there was a whole pallet of them.

 

[JC8080]

The dual-floppy modification was called the MacDouble D-D, it was two internal 400k floppy drives. According to this page (link), the company would either do the install work on your machine (I assume you would provide the 2nd 400k drive), or you could buy a machine with both 400k drives for $1,995. The second image below which was found in an old 68kMLA post specifies the $1,995 is for a 512k with dual drives.

All in all it's an odd modification. If it was shortly after the introduction of the original Mac it would make sense, but by July 1986 there were so many other options available. Including just an external drive.

Still, if anyone knows where one is, please PM me.