Complete LC520 Kit

[Cory5412]

I finally liberated another Mac. It's not a particularly spectacular mac, but not all Macs have to be. This little beauty is an LC520, in stock 5/80 configuration. It's got the internal cd300i caddyload, and what looks like the complete set of documents for the LC520 -- including a cool packing list for a second machine which was a "lab pack" machine containing no manuals/discs or anything.

It was from the high school, just a little machine they used to run word processing and pagemaker on, I installed 7.1 from the LC520 install CD, it's a nice little machine, not a top performer like the 840av, but an average machine that really represents what a lot of people were using at the time, I think. I haven't got much software on it yet, I've got to be a bit judicious about what I choose to install, with only an eighty meg hard disc, but I'll probably put some of my old mac apps on it at some point.

The LC5x0s aren't as big as I remember them being, maybe it's just that when I had my 575, I was a much smaller person. This is a reasonably small machine, and I'll probably try to take it to the university with me, at some point.

Another little note -- the display is GORGEOUS, it'll make a great machine for writing when I just need to pay attention to that, some 68k games, I may even transplant the IIe card in there, and get some games for that, my roommate for this coming year and I had a German teacher that might loan us a few II games.

Anyway, just thought I'd let the board know of this little find, a legitimate rescue/liberation of a Mac with a 68k processor in it.

 

[funkytoad]

Very Nice!

 

[gobabushka]

sweet machine, back a couple of years ago, my main machine was a maxed out performa 550, same machine, just a faster processor if i remember correctly.

 

[Cory5412]

Yeah, the 520 has a 25Mhz 030 while the 550 has a 33MHz 030.

I posted some images online: http://dana.ucc.nau.edu/clw249/lc520-images/

sorry for the big files, I just took a big jpeg right off my camera and a few decent size scans, but it's a directory listing so you know up front how big the files are.

Of note are the packing lists (both) and the tech information sheet. The desk photo shows the LC520 as it's currently set up too.

Also of note, the PRAM battery in this thing works great! It's basically never been unplugged though, since being set up in 1993 or 1994. (Manufacture date: August 1993)

Also Also of note, if you look at the photo, you'll notice that the machine has a sticker under the cd drive! those four logos are all on one sticker, and they are proof that this machine comes out of a way non-Jobs era. The fact that there are so many little loose sheets is also a bit of evidence to this. Heck, the tech info guide reveals that ADB can support up to 500mA draw, and the keyboard draws 25mA and that the mouse draws 10mA. Does Apple still really have information like this?

 

[MacMan]

That is a nice machine. Those little Sony Trinitron displays are a pleasure to look at. Unfortunately 5xx machines weren't sold in the UK so I've never had a chance to lay hands on one, but the Trinitron tube is used in the Macintosh Colour Displays.

My Colour Classic has a similar thing with the sticker, except it's sticker is just the Quicktime logo on the bottom right of the front of the machine.

 

[LCGuy]

Agreed on the Trinitrons. I have a Macintosh Colour Display thats in almost new condition, and it is an absolutely spectacular display...the only thing that could possibly make it any better would be if it wasn't fixed at 640x480.

 

[tmtomh]

Yeah, the Trinitrons rule. When you put them next to shadow mask CRTs of the era (580 series, and Apple's downmarket 14" monitor), the difference is so great it's not even funny. It's a shame - an LC580 can take a giant, cheap IDE HD, but its shadow mask screen still makes it inferior to the Trinitron-based LC575.

At any rate, that's a great haul, Cory! Original packaging - and that sticker is pretty rare. Unlike on the CCs, where the QT sticker is almost impossible to remove in one piece, most of the LC5xx series have had their stickers removed long ago. (In fact, judging from the fact that one hardly ever sees a telltale non-yellowed area where the sticker was, I presume most of them had their stickers removed early in life, perhaps because they were in school environments a lot of the time).

Best,

Matt

 

[Cory5412]

I don't actually have the original boxing, but I do have the box for the docs/software kit, and other than the boxing for the system, I've got it all. There is even an EnergyStar sticker inside the box for the 520's docs kit.

The other 520 from the school also has its CD/Quicktime/PhotoCD/2x sticker, but the edges were starting to peel a bit more. The system isn't even very yellowed, it wasn't in a room where it ever got daylight, plus the headphone jack out front is still intact, unlike the 575 I had so long ago.

 

[alk]

Very very nice. I love those "Hook" cases. I like them even better than the PPC AIO cases. I'd love to pick up one of those machines and do a case mod to fit in a PowerPC board like from the 6500.

I forget, does the 520 take the Apple AV System and TV Tuner? If so, that could be an interesting diversion. ;-)

Anyway, great find!

Peace,

Drew

 

[Cory5412]

Unfortunately no, the 520 doesn't take the video system. The 580 does though, just the video, no TV or FM for it. Actually, you could probably put a 6500 board in a 580 quite easily, it's the same board and setup as a 630 if I remember correctly, that'd be an interesting project.

 

[LCGuy]

Yeah...unfortunately the 580 was the only "Hook" Mac ever to take a Video System...which is a shame, really, as IMHO a Video System would be better off in a 575, having the better display and all.

For the record, Cory, you are correct on the 580 using the same board as the LC630..they're exactly the same board.

 

[Temetka]

Can you switch CRT's between the 575 and the 580? Then you can have the Trinitron display and PPC.

 

[alk]

You would still need to do a bit more than that. The x500 and x400 boards require an additional 3.3 V power line that the 68k equivalents do not. This is basically a "Takky" mod to a Hook instead of to the "mini-Hook" Color Classic.

Peace,

Drew