Mac Plus Logic Board Upgrade for a 512ke

[ecliptik]

I have a Macintosh 512ke that I've been working on over the last 6 months and have really enjoyed it. As I've gotten more ambitious I've started bumping into it's limitations and want to take it to the next level. Earlier this week I came across a reasonably priced Mac Plus board with 4MiB of memory and it will be here within the week.

My understanding is the Mac Plus logic board is a drop-in-replacement for the 512ke and it should just work when hooked up. However due to the different port configuration, the old 512ke case back won't fit. After searching and reading forums I've come up with the following options.

1. Cut out the port part of the case so it fits both 512ke and Mac Plus logic boards
2. Buy a Mac Plus case back from Ebay or somewhere else
3. 3D Print a case back

I am avoiding option one since it's destructive and can't bring myself to do it.

Searching Ebay I found a few bare cases, but they're all extremely expensive after shipping and at that point I might as well buy a complete Mac Plus. I was hoping that there were after-market cases like MacEffects, but those only target SE models.

The third option seems best, especially after I found The Brewintosh [1] which is a 1:1 3d printable Mac Plus case. My assumption is that I can print just the back portions of the case, cutout/remove the ports and use it with the Mac Plus logic board. This also has the benefit of customization, printing it in different colors; and if the results are good maybe send it off to a 3d printshop and get a print in higher quality material (maybe transparent or tinted resin ala MacEffects).

Has anyone else had a similar experience with upgrading a 512/128 and getting a case or any thoughts about how to do this effectively? Anyone else 3d printed replacement cases?

Ironically during my searches I kept coming across posts how this was a common upgrade done in the 80s, so it's not unheard of, but doesn't see as common as it once was.

1.

 

[finkmac]

why not just buy a mac plus? they're fairly affordable still, and the 512ke is a bit unique compared to them.

 

[cheesestraws]

Yeah, 512kes are now rarer and more expensive than pluses, precisely because people upgraded them a lot back in the day. Now, if you would have fun doing the 3D printing and stuff, don't let me stop you - but if all you want is a working machine, you'll probably end up in a better position if you sell the 512ke and just buy a plus...

 

[robin-fo]

I‘d rather downgrade a 512Ke to a 512k instead of upgrading it to a Plus. (Why? Because there is software which only runs on 128k/512k Macs)

Personally, I‘d go for the 3D-Print option (more fun) or just buy a complete Mac Plus (safer, since whenever your Mac is open, there is the chance to break the CRT neck)

 

[nathall]

Many years ago (20+), I acquired a very large quantity of old Apple hardware that the UW was purging. Most were compact Macs, but there were Apples, Mac IIs and even a few Quadras. I repaired and sold the vast majority of these. I kept a few; have them to this day.

There were several 128ks and 512ks that had been upgraded by various means. Some had had the logics replaced with Plus logics, some simply had the RAM increased to 1Mb via odd add-on boards. Most of the 400k drives didn’t work for one reason or another and I replaced them with 800ks. I threw out more probably-repairable hardware in that timeframe than I care to recount. I recall in the crunch to move at one point, I threw away ~5 compact Macs of various types that simply wouldn’t power on.

One of my biggest regrets, now, is I should have been more focused on the preservation of that original hardware, rather than making them “more useful” and by extension, “more lucrative” when selling them. Back then, this stuff was in everyone’s basement or attic and in seemingly endless supply. Today, not so much.

Whatever you choose, just try to make sure you aren’t destroying or tossing original hardware. You might regret it later.