Different Macintosh in Original User Guide?

[unity]

Speaking of vents, I just noticed the faceplate is also not a final revision.

 

[Gorgonops]

Just an off-topic observation: that Apple aficionados are able to obsess and catalog all these tiny differences between late prototype stages and actual canonically-released production plastics represents a major difference between Apple and Commodore. Particularly during the PET-era Commodore all these little detail changes wouldn't have mattered, they probably would have pushed units fitted with buckets bearing hand-drilled ventilation holes out the door to unsuspecting customers if it saved a buck here or there.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I'm definitely obsessed with the TwiggyMac, always have been because of the Slotloader CD application. The rest of the details are fun to try to align with the memoirs of the Mac team on folklore.org. I'm wondering how long it took SJ to blow the traditional Apple logotype off the bucket, move the badge over and put that big Macintosh vanity plate on its ass. Talk about retaliation for having been booted off the Apple/// project. []

 

[unity]

I always wondered if it said Apple because they were trying to fool some into thinking it was a new all-in-one Apple product, not the top secret skunk works project code named Macintosh.

 

[Macdrone]

These macs were programmer units sent out before the models were announced, so i was told.  ready to go but not finished as to hide the final form.  Apples were in relief on the feet also.  I see your feet are missing so i would guess removed because of it.

 

[unity]

I still have not seen the Apple rubber feet in the wild. I know the story about them and even the company that made them, but does anyone have pics of them installed on a machine?

 

[North Hedge Ned]

The standard feet on my units here are not even installed.  The feet that are there really look like the ones on my the Apple II series, and even on the bottom of the ProFIle drives and maybe even the Disk II's.  As for the faceplate, I had not noticed that yet.  Interesting input everyone - thank you.  My long torx is on its way.  Hope to have the units opened by the end of the week. Stay Tuned, and keep the input coming - very interesting.  

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

What's different about the faceplate? What's a faceplate, front bezel detail?

 

[North Hedge Ned]

I agree Trash - after I read and replied I looked up on the web.  The front of mine looks the same a photos of released 128K's.  Actually, my vents look the same too.  The guts will tell the story I think.  Slight difference that I see in venting is where the serial number would typically be.  Very slight, but the vents under the floppy on mine are all cut out slits.  Released versions seem to have more solid plastic intact.

I think this may very well be a Twiggy bucket, then venting applied, with a release ready front.

Oh I can't wait for my torx to arrive so I can get inside these things!

 

[unity]

The vents are different. Notice on production there are a couple wider bands, North's are all thin.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Remember, the early 128ks had a "heat diffuser" along the top of the sweep board. There was a soft-recall where it was removed when a Mac went in for service because it was causing failures of the sweep boards by trapping heat. I am pretty sure that diffuser is also a relic of the deign with no vents  .  .  .  The second revision 128k (no, not the boded 128k) did not even have it installed, just the holes on the board remained.

Interesting, does your original,, first year DrexelMac have the diffuser or just the holes? My Branded DrexelMac doesn't appear to have the holes. Is the 512k/ke front bezel indistinguishable from the 128k's? Mine may well have started life as a FatMac before its Plus upgrade and accelerator installation?

So I can just imagine what having no vents was causing to the boards! It would also explain why the rearward vents never had a proper finish. Look at any 128k, even the ones in this thread, and you can see the vents changed in size and the mold has casting marks that were never properly polished up from that change. They were narrowed to match the top vent inserts because the top ones could not be as wide due to the case design. So rear vents narrowed to match better with the new top vents. Being a rouge unit, I dont think the original Mac really went though as much testing like machines of today do. And with Jobs so set on his ways I can see his distain for vents as it would detract from the look.

Interesting points about the rear chamfer vents.

I've been wondering about the dateline of the examples. Prototyping and testing of the case was far in advance of software development.

1981 - Steve took over the project in January 1981, and the Macintosh entered the post-Jef era, on track to becoming a real product.

1882 - In February 1982, it was finally time to release the design (Case) for tooling.

1982 - in August 1982, he (Burrell Smith) quickly designed the fifth iteration of the Macintosh, the one that actually shipped in January 1984

1983 - Sony's new 3.5 inch drive that they started to ship in the spring of 1983 through Hewlett-Packard  .  .  .

1983 - By the fall of 1983, we had committed to announcing and shipping the Macintosh at Apple's next annual shareholder's meeting, to be held on January 24th, 1984.

1984 - January 24, 1984 - the big day had finally arrived.

So the shift from 5.25" Twiggy for the Mac to the 3.5" Sony form factor happened somewhere between spring and early summer of 1983 giving only a few months for development of the 128k front bezel. Methinks the Macintosh vanity plate would have been changed in that same time frame.

 

[unity]

All my early Macs in hand have the diffuser installed. Both the Drexel I have and the one I just sold. But I have had more regular Macs come though my hands with it removed. You can easily see the solder work done to remove it. It seems until the last 10 years or so people did not even notice the diffuser, it was pretty rare to find one. Even now its not terribly common but more common than the dark grey sweep board cover sheet or copper ground clip (between sweep and frame, hold two black screws).

 

[Dog Cow]

Hi All,

I am very puzzled here.  Everyone take a look at the picture here of the guy in the class room that shows the rear of an Original Macintosh from the User Manual [...]

Notice anything strange?  There is no large product product label on the back.  Now, all of the other photos in the book that show the rear, have the label on the back.  There is also something more strange.

A bunch of photos in the User's Guide show people using Twiggy Macs. Look carefully and you can see the larger 5.25" opening.

Also, on your Macintosh and on other pre-release Macintosh cases, notice the position of the modem port and printer port are swapped. The modem port ended up being on the outside in production Macintosh, but it is on the inside on the pre-release models.

 

[Dog Cow]

I won't give advise one way or the other on this given its a prototype shell, but I never use case splitters because they often scratch/nick the interface between the two haves. I wont even buy a Mac if its chewed up like that. I always lay face down and do the slap on the side as I lift technique and let the weight of the CRT/internals anchor the faceplate down as the bucket pops off.

This is the official Apple Service method to open a compact Mac case.

In summary: the only tool you use is the screwdriver. You don't pry, or slap or shake, or do any other wonky thing. It's simple.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Interesting, I've never seen that process, torsion method?

 

[Dog Cow]

You merely loosen the 2 top and bottom screws, then use the screwdriver to apply downward force on the screw head, while with your other hand you pull up on the top handle of the case.

The screws never need to leave the case. You simply lift the case straight up, and set it down in the same way. Then you set the RFI shield on top so you don't forget to reinstall it.

 

[unity]

I shall try that next time!

 

[unity]

Oh, also speaking of vents - again. Check your side vents along the bottom. They were in groups of three on early ones and later it was one long vent on each side.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Never noticed that, both the painted and 3.5" FDD adapted TwiggyMacs have vent triads, but there's no side view of the unvented TwiggyMac on 'fritter.

Did any of the shipping Macs have the Apple Logotype with rainbow badge to its right?

Did all shipping Macs say Macintosh with the rainbow badge at the left?

 

[slomacuser]

The prototype from '81 used Apple III Apple logo badge





Later changed to Apple Lisa and Profile style