twconstantine
Active member
I picked up some Apple Speakers that connect perfectly to my AppleCS SC Plus and SE/30. This set up is getting there! I just need a grayscale card and I’ll be set!
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SE/30 AppleCD SC Plus and External Speakers
- Thread starter twconstantine
- Start date
mdeverhart
Well-known member
Great looking setup!
twconstantine
Active member
Thank you!
finkmac
NORTHERN TELECOM
keyboard looks fine. all the keys are there, it's ADB. what more could you ask for?
Looks like a fun setup!
AKIIs are fine, in my experience. The AK (M0116) would "match" better, but it's arguable whether or not that's important at all.
Most stuff in the Classic Mac OS never used the functionality on extended keyboards. They were only really ever important for terminal emulation and DOS/PC emulation. The reason the layout became normal in the mid '90s is more about that presumption of a DOS card and the bundle expectation and cost savings than the layout actually being important for what most people were doing, unless you simply presume most people need DOS emulation. (my personal theory is that Apple did, in fact, think most people needed DOS emulation.)
A handful of pro software titles used the F keys, but even then it was typically optional, whereas under DOS an f-key would be the only way to do some specific command.
If you want to get technical about "eras" - the AppleDesign Powered Spekers II (heretoforth ADPSII) are several years newer than anything else in this photo too, but they still look basically fine and the original ADPS, while bigger and slightly less "espresso" are still, in fact, basically espresso and not Snow White.
Maybe the Apple-branded Bose RoomMate speakers, but honestly even those don't look "Apple" per se, so this is one of those "we get what we can when we want to build something specific" situations, and with that in mind I think this looks great and it probably sounds great too!
AKIIs are fine, in my experience. The AK (M0116) would "match" better, but it's arguable whether or not that's important at all.
Most stuff in the Classic Mac OS never used the functionality on extended keyboards. They were only really ever important for terminal emulation and DOS/PC emulation. The reason the layout became normal in the mid '90s is more about that presumption of a DOS card and the bundle expectation and cost savings than the layout actually being important for what most people were doing, unless you simply presume most people need DOS emulation. (my personal theory is that Apple did, in fact, think most people needed DOS emulation.)
A handful of pro software titles used the F keys, but even then it was typically optional, whereas under DOS an f-key would be the only way to do some specific command.
If you want to get technical about "eras" - the AppleDesign Powered Spekers II (heretoforth ADPSII) are several years newer than anything else in this photo too, but they still look basically fine and the original ADPS, while bigger and slightly less "espresso" are still, in fact, basically espresso and not Snow White.
Maybe the Apple-branded Bose RoomMate speakers, but honestly even those don't look "Apple" per se, so this is one of those "we get what we can when we want to build something specific" situations, and with that in mind I think this looks great and it probably sounds great too!
beachycove
Well-known member
I really like this approach to collecting: one machine (or very few) maxed out and in use with period peripherals is an elegant alternative to 50 or 60 machines crammed on shelving and probably spilling over onto the floor. The latter approach has caused me a fair bit of trouble over the years, and I rather wish that I had had the sense to adopt the first approach instead — less being more — though I suppose I would have to say that I have turned a small profit from my hobby when all is said and done, and satisfied my curiosity about a wider range of vintage Apple hardware than would otherwise have been possible to boot. After a certain point, however, it gets tiresome to wade through too much crap to get to your old Mac.
As for the keyboard question…. The rubber-domed Apple Keyboard II ‘affords’, it absolutely has to be said, a truly awful typing experience. This absolutely matters if typing is what you do. The M0116, by contrast, has a wonderful touch because of its mechanical switches. The AEK I/II are also mechanical keyboards, obviously, and so are similar to the M0116 in touch (though in my experience, even two of exactly the same model can feel a bit different, presumably because of variations in the batch of switches used in manufacture, different patterns of wear/use, etc.). As has been said, the Function keys are pretty much useless on the big boys unless you want to get heavily into keyboard macros (or use WordPerfect for Mac a lot!), or have a penchant for DOS-on-Mac, but the one advantage of the AEK I/II as far as I am concerned is that the arrow and modifier keys are much more ergonomically placed on these, plus you get a Forward Delete key, versus either of the other two keyboards mentioned. Apart from that I don’t see the advantage of them, personally. I’ve customized my software to give me forward deletion by the use of a modifier key with the Delete key, which helps things along a lot; shareware Control Panels offering this sort of thing are readily available in the abandonware sphere.
I have examples of each of these keyboards and at various stages on life’s way have used all of them, some very extensively, but I find the M0116 to be my favourite. It is precise, proportionate, and fit for the task in hand, with nothing at all being superfluous. It also matches the Frog Design design language of the SE/30. And it sure fits on a desk better than do those AEK I/II aircraft carriers.
As for the keyboard question…. The rubber-domed Apple Keyboard II ‘affords’, it absolutely has to be said, a truly awful typing experience. This absolutely matters if typing is what you do. The M0116, by contrast, has a wonderful touch because of its mechanical switches. The AEK I/II are also mechanical keyboards, obviously, and so are similar to the M0116 in touch (though in my experience, even two of exactly the same model can feel a bit different, presumably because of variations in the batch of switches used in manufacture, different patterns of wear/use, etc.). As has been said, the Function keys are pretty much useless on the big boys unless you want to get heavily into keyboard macros (or use WordPerfect for Mac a lot!), or have a penchant for DOS-on-Mac, but the one advantage of the AEK I/II as far as I am concerned is that the arrow and modifier keys are much more ergonomically placed on these, plus you get a Forward Delete key, versus either of the other two keyboards mentioned. Apart from that I don’t see the advantage of them, personally. I’ve customized my software to give me forward deletion by the use of a modifier key with the Delete key, which helps things along a lot; shareware Control Panels offering this sort of thing are readily available in the abandonware sphere.
I have examples of each of these keyboards and at various stages on life’s way have used all of them, some very extensively, but I find the M0116 to be my favourite. It is precise, proportionate, and fit for the task in hand, with nothing at all being superfluous. It also matches the Frog Design design language of the SE/30. And it sure fits on a desk better than do those AEK I/II aircraft carriers.
twconstantine
Active member
It does sound great! Better than I expected actually. I’m not a stickler to the era appropriateness honestly. I just remember seeing these things as a kid and not ever being able to afford anything. I’m juts building a system that I enjoy and that looks good to me. It’s all older stuff, except the new parts I have on the inside to enhance it a bit.
twconstantine
Active member
It does sound great! Better than I expected actually. I’m not a stickler to the era appropriateness honestly. I just remember seeing these things as a kid and not ever being able to afford anything. I’m juts building a system that I enjoy and that looks good to me. It’s all older stuff, except the new parts I have on the inside to enhance
it’s my nature to collect every model, but I don’t have the space or budget. I have this one maxed out as much as I can with a SCSI2SD, Rominator2 and Bolles cards coming next week. I think this machine can do all I wanted it to do (except color). A Mystic Color Classic is still on my someday list. But again, I’ll just get another machine that serves that purpose and max it out too.
twconstantine
Active member
I haven’t had much luck with older Hard Drives!
You could buy the enclosure and replace the internal drive with a ZuluSCSI or similar. Would be a perfect aesthetic match, functional and reliable!
twconstantine
Active member
Man. That’s in my head now. It would make the system even taller, which might not be a good thing. I’ll have to think.
twconstantine
Active member
That would be a power tower for sure. I’d have to look up to the screen.That’s exactly what I’ve done. I have a SE/30 with a CD Plus, Tape drive and SC 20 with a RaSCSI which runs as an apple share server.. the power tower as I like to call it
That’s exactly what I’ve done. I have a SE/30 with a CD Plus, Tape drive and SC 20 with a RaSCSI which runs as an apple share server.. the power tower as I like to call it
Nice, very tall! I have a Synology NAS, they still support AFP and I've successfully connected to it for file shares over Ethernet as far back as System 7.5 with Open Transport.
croissantking
Well-known member
Share a pic with us!That’s exactly what I’ve done. I have a SE/30 with a CD Plus, Tape drive and SC 20 with a RaSCSI which runs as an apple share server.. the power tower as I like to call it
