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Mac SE, can I write 1.4MB floppies or am I stuck with 800k.

CYB3RBYTE

Well-known member
Hi, I recently bought this Mac SE with the intent of it being one of the last SE's introduced, with what I understand is the ability to write 1.4mb high density disks. I have an earlier SE with an 800k drive that I've restored, but I'm tired of using 800k disks as I don't have a bridge Mac at the moment.

However, upon receiving this and cleaning the floppy drive, it won't recognize 1.4mb disks properly. It does read and write 800k just fine. The drive internally had a black label. I was under the assumption that unless it said 800k floppy on the back of the machine, it was a later model capable of writing and reading high density floppies. Mine just says "SE" on the back and front.

Here are shots of the motherboard internally, I know you need a special rom and a SWIM to write 1.4mb disks.

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mg.man

Well-known member
Unfortunately, you have an IWM (344-0043), not a SWIM (344-0062) for the floppy controller. That will limit you to 800k - even if the drive is a 1.44M (2M). The -0062 (28 pin?) DIP SWIM chips are hard to find now, but @Kai Robinson made an adapter to use the more readily available PLCC version.
 

olePigeon

Well-known member
Well, there's the Kennect Technology Rapport floppy drive which offers FDHD on even a Macintosh 128k. The problem is that the only one on eBay is about $1000. You could just buy an SE FDHD for a fraction of that.

If I were a millionaire, I'd buy it just to have someone reverse engineer it so everyone could enjoy FDHD on any Mac.
 

CYB3RBYTE

Well-known member
That's what I feared about. Any idea why it doesn't say 800k, 20mb hard disk, etc on the back? Maybe because it's a late model SE they reduced the branding on the case?

I have a superdrive se on the way from eBay, if that turns out to not function, can I swap the SWIM, ROMS, and drive into it and use it?
 

Crutch

Well-known member
Well, there's the Kennect Technology Rapport floppy drive which offers FDHD on even a Macintosh 128k. The problem is that the only one on eBay is about $1000. You could just buy an SE FDHD for a fraction of that.

If I were a millionaire, I'd buy it just to have someone reverse engineer it so everyone could enjoy FDHD on any Mac.
There’s also the Applied Engineering AE HD Plus, which is also hard to find but is a complete functioning HD drive that works with a Plus or SE.
 

olePigeon

Well-known member
@Crutch I completely forgot about that. And with the AE driver it'll work. Although rare, probably not as rare and certainly cheaper than a Kennect. But the Kennect has a few extra tricks, like a proprietary higher density formatting scheme to create 1.2MB disks out of 800K disks, and 2.4MB disks out of 1.44MB disks. Pretty nifty.
 

CYB3RBYTE

Well-known member
Really cool! Those are external right?

Any ideas on whether or not I can use the ROMS and SWIM from an actual SE Superdrive model (the later FDHD) to make my 800k SE capable? I have a feeling the SE Superdrive I won on eBay may not be fully functional.
 

mg.man

Well-known member
Any idea why it doesn't say 800k, 20mb hard disk, etc on the back?
You're assuming that at no time in its 25+ year history no one swapped the logic 'board?? 😉

Any ideas on whether or not I can use the ROMS and SWIM from an actual SE Superdrive model (the later FDHD) to make my 800k SE capable?
Yes, they should work fine... but why not just put the whole logic 'board in? All SE's - 800k or 'HD' - share more or less the same logic 'board...
 

CYB3RBYTE

Well-known member
I mean that's a good point, and I would, but from the seller's rather "short" eBay description for the SE Superdrive, I'm expecting a battery bomb when I open it. So, if that were the case I'd like to save the components if I can :).

Thank you for your help, I'll be certain to post my progress on here! Expecting to get the computer on Friday.
 

CYB3RBYTE

Well-known member
It arrived yesterday. After verifying the ROM and SWIM, it looks to be a real 1.4MB capable machine! Yay!

Problem is, when I opened the floppy drive to clean it, the top head fell right off the arm! Whomp whomp. Now I need to find a replacement 1.44mb Sony drive, and people want $$$ for them now. I’m gonna recap it in the meantime to get it ready.

It also had a maxell bomb waiting to go off. Replaced that with an EBC.

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