Complete Collection of Every Compact Mac?

[equill]

Now that you have re-posted that info. I recall your doing so before. Curiouser and curiouser. Charlieman's post back in this thread probably has a large bearing. That buckets were swapped during upgrades is apparent from the Service Source manuals provided to AASPs. Mix'n'match a variety of buckets, bezels and boards and you have the wherewithal to confuse archæologists in centuries to come, let alone those of the present MLAs.

For the 128K/512K/Plus, upgrades were provided to take account of larger FDDs, ROMs for larger FDDs and the new HDDs, RAM expansion, miniDIN-8 serial and SCSI ports. Add Charlieman's locality-customizations, ED versions (whatever they may embrace other than two letters), and the result is a salad of parts in season. The 512Ke gets only passing mention. Both beige and platinum bezels, buckets and keyboards are listed, each with its own number, but only one (platinum) for feets. Now that is feets discrimination.

Apple's TechSpec documents are useful to fix trim at release, but they do not seem to have been updated during the life of each of the models. Anecdotal evidence there often is, but not official, and it doesn't help when misread figures, dates or events are reported in the press.

de

 

[Kallikak]

Well, according to the early mac serial number decoder, my 512Ke with serial number F737453M0001ED, was the 4797th manufactured during the 37th week of 1987 in Fremont, CA. Now, 37th week? After quick calculation I make that about halfway through September, so right at the very end of the line. I guess that could explain the evolution of the colour and badge towards more Plus-like characteristics...

 

[JDW]

So who do we contact at LEM to ask for a correction of the dates in the two articles I've linked above?

I look forward to seeing these "platinum" 512ke photos. Please put the camera on a tripod in a well lit room, and shoot without a strobe (or go outside). Please white-balance on a sheet of white paper. If the photos aren't white balanced, it will be difficult or impossible to see the true color. Of course, if you can sit a beige machine side by side with the platinum machine, that would help too.

 

[macdownunder]

I look forward to seeing these "platinum" 512ke photos. Please put the camera on a tripod in a well lit room, and shoot without a strobe (or go outside). Please white-balance on a sheet of white paper. If the photos aren't white balanced, it will be difficult or impossible to see the true color. Of course, if you can sit a beige machine side by side with the platinum machine, that would help too.

Sorry - didn't have a few spare hours to do all that, just put the kids to bed and I need some sleep. But I've put the somewhat shakey photos I just snapped up for the time being.

http://macdownunder.no-ip.info/Platinum512ke

What I hadn't noticed before was that it is an ED model (and I thought I didn't have one!). As Kallikak has described, the Apple Logo on the front is not on a square inset, but more like the Mac Plus (minus the sign writing). The ED model number is on the rear. I have also taken a pic of the serial number which includes an ED suffix also.

If I get a chance over the weekend I might be able to take some better photos - but for the moment I have a busy job and two kids under 5 that take most of my time.

Kind regards,

Macdownunder.

 

[Kallikak]

Have you tried a google image search for "Macintosh ED"? This page, for example certainly shows "Macintosh ED" on the front, and the machine looks pretty platinum to me - http://www.apple-classic.de/page2/page2.html

 

[JDW]

Macdownunder, thank you for taking time to post the photos. And with two youngsters under the age of 5 myself, I know what you mean!

What you have is (to my eyes, based on your photos, anyway) a beige Mac 512k "European Directive" certified machine. There is nothing special about it insofar as it looks and works just like any other beige 512. It simply complied with the laws in various European countries, just like FCC in the USA. (The analog board may be of the "international 220v type, but again, this doesn't affect appearance or functionality of the machine.)

Knubbel Mac claims the ED machines were sold to the "educational" market. Whether that was true for all ED machines, I don't know. But the fact remains that the ED machines were made for sales in Europe.

After having look at the Macintosh ED photo on the page Kallikak mentions, it looks quite Platinum. However, white balance could be at work here. If not that, then we could "assume" the European version of the 512 got the Platinum look -- but I am leary to make such an assumption based on one tiny photo. Nevertheless, it would be hard to screw up the white balance on a beige machine to make it look platinum, so perhaps there is some merit to the theory. Also, aside from bad lighting in Macdownunder's photos, I believe that yellowing of the case could also mask the true color of the machine. But if you flip the machine over and look at the bottom, you can see what the true color was (most case-bottoms don't yellow much at all).

 

[Quadraman]

I found a Mac fan page that states that the 512K ED was platinum instead of beige. Your model number with the ED at the end suggests to me that is what this is. It is possible that some models did not have the Macintosh ED markings on the front or that someone cleverly removed the markings.

Here is a photo I found of an ED

http://www.homecomputer.de/images/machines/Apple_Macintosh_512k_ED_Large.jpg

It is clearly platinum. It does say Macintosh ED on the front, but I wouldn't imagine it would be too hard to remove without causing damage.

 

[equill]

Given the statements about the Apple logo on the bezel, and the date of release of the first platinum Pluses, perhaps it can now be hypothesized thus:

512Ke: Released in Apr. '86, in beige, with Apple logo in relief on an incuse rectangle, and with serial numbers beginning F6. From Jan. '87, provided with platinum Plus bezel, with flush-set logo, but with no legend beside the logo, and with serial numbers beginning F7. Withdrawn in Sep. '87.

Plus: Released in Jan. '86, in beige(, with Apple logo in relief on an incuse rectangle, and with serial numbers beginning F6). From Jan. '87, provided with platinum Plus bezel, with flush-set logo, with Macintosh Plus (or ED) legend beside the logo(, and with serial numbers beginning F7 to F0). Withdrawn in Oct. '90.

Parenthetical portions are conjectural, since I have no Pluses of my own to check. The use of platinum buckets with the appropriate cutouts for SCSI and miniDIN-8, or DB-9, should follow the pattern above.

My four youngsters range from 46 to 39, and are no trouble at all ... But I remember when.

de

 

[puckman]

I just checked yahoo auction for compact Mac's and even thought they have insane high starting bids not a single soul is bidding.

 

[stevep]

FYI in case this helps the discussion....

My 512Ke (M0001E) was made 45th week of 1986 and is beige.

 

[Kallikak]

Well my kids are 4 and 6, and they love using my macs - from the Plus to the iMac. This means I can set them up on a machine each while I work on my other machines, and my wife still counts it as child minding!

Here's an old picture I have showing my Platinum Plus, Platinum 512Ke, Beige HD20 and Beige mouse. The 512Ke is more platinum than the Plus! The ports at the rear as for any other 128K/512K mac. http://school.anhb.uwa.edu.au/personalpages/kwessen/mac/PlusAnd512Ke.jpg

Ken

 

[The Macster]

http://school.anhb.uwa.edu.au/personalpages/kwessen/mac/PlusAnd512Ke.jpg

On both of the 128k/512k/Plus mice that I have, the button is greyish, whereas yours looks to be the same colour as the rest of the mouse - were there two revisions of this mouse? I've never seen one like yours before.

 

[Quadraman]

http://school.anhb.uwa.edu.au/personalpages/kwessen/mac/PlusAnd512Ke.jpg

On both of the 128k/512k/Plus mice that I have, the button is greyish, whereas yours looks to be the same colour as the rest of the mouse - were there two revisions of this mouse? I've never seen one like yours before.

Yup. Yours is likely a platinum mouse or has a button from a platinum mouse. His is beige. I have only two Plus mice and both are beige because I didn't have my platinum Plus yet at the time I bought them. The keyboards on the beige and platinum are different colors, too.

 

[macdownunder]

whereas yours looks to be the same colour as the rest of the mouse

I think you'll find Kallikak's pictured mouse is the model made for the Apple //c and not strictly for the Macintosh (although they will fit and work of course).

Regards,

Macdownunder

 

[Bunsen]

I believe the 10" spec for the Colour Classic is just marketing - it's the same size tube as the other compacts right?

its just the same as the other compacts only in color

Not exactly, it's longer for starters, hence the deeper case on the CC

 

[puckman]

All compacts have a 9" screen but the colour classic has a 10", trust me on this one, I took the guts out of a Colour classic in the hopes I could stick it in a SE case. The screen does not fit in the bezel.

 

[Kallikak]

OK - time to go to the source. Here's a note from Apple's Colour Classic Hardware Reference ( http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Hardware/Developer_Notes/Macintosh_CPUs-68K_Desktop/Mac_Color_Classic.pdf ).

NoteThe actual screen size of the Macintosh Color Classic computer is

approximately the same as that of the Macintosh Classic, which has

always been called a 9-inch display. The display in the Macintosh Color

Classic is called a 10-inch display because the CRT has a 10-inch

diagonal; that is the conventional way of specifying the size of a video

display.

Ken

 

[stevep]

So the 10" diagonal measurement must be the unmounted CRT itself then? I measured the diagonal on a Classic II and a Color Classic and they were almost the same - close to 9". Not that it REALLY matters

 

[macdownunder]

I look forward to seeing these "platinum" 512ke photos. Please put the camera on a tripod in a well lit room, and shoot without a strobe (or go outside). Please white-balance on a sheet of white paper. If the photos aren't white balanced, it will be difficult or impossible to see the true color. Of course, if you can sit a beige machine side by side with the platinum machine, that would help too.

OK - found some time today. I have replaced the photos on my website:

http://macdownunder.no-ip.info/Platinum512ke/

These were taken outside in daylight on a white background - as requested. The following machines are in the line up (both back and front shots):

1). Beige Mac512ke

2). Platinum Mac512ke

3). Beige MacPlus

4). Platinum MacPlus

Hopefully this, along with Kallikak's photos, will settle the discussion on whether a 512 was manufactured in platinum.

Regards,

Macdownunder.

 

[JDW]

macdownunder, excellent photos with an amazing amount of detail -- enough to show a dead spider inside the handle of your platinum 512!

Well, unless someone can produce a photo of a US version 512 in platinum, I think we can safely say this gives quite solid evidence that (a) there was indeed a platinum 512k built, and ( B) that version was made especially for sale in Europe.

Thanks again for your time in shooting those photos. And watch out for any further spiders that might still be alive and biting! 8-o