Macintosh 512k & Macintosh SE FDHD

[iMac600]

Still collecting preliminary data about these, so you'll have to excuse the incompleteness of this post. A Macintosh 512k and a Macintosh SE FDHD are on the liberated list for today, for a grand total of $40 AUD. So... as an initial power on test:

The Macintosh SE boots up just fine, although it may need some adjustment of the screen geometry. Only slightly off centre, no big deal. Needs a hard disk installed since the original was removed.

The Macintosh 512k doesn't boot up just fine, as I expected. It powers up, and I see video output (clear and crisp) but I get a Sad Mac. No chime. The hex code below the Sad Mac isn't readable as it's printed as garbage. I'll eventually take the logic board out and exchange a few components to see what I can do for it.

EDIT: We have a problem. The Macintosh SE lacks its internal drive carrier for the hard disk. While I can rig up a new drive carrier... it also happens to lack the original SCSI cable. I may need to improvise here too. I have made it boot successfully though, so it's all uphill from here.

 

[iMac600]

Macintosh SE is together and running System 7.1, although i'd like to get System 6 running on there eventually.

Macintosh 512k unfortunately now doesn't want to start at all. This narrows the problem down to capacitors though as it's the documented "Flupping" issue. Wackymacs has given me a component list to repair the logic and analog boards, so kudos to him for that. Maybe we can make this old Mac sing again.

I haven't ruled out either the logic board or the analog board, but unlike other scenarios where the system will power up then die after a few moments, this machine will stay powered up once it gets the power to do so. Try to make it run from a cold start though and success is otherwise unlikely. Something's sucking down the juice faster than it should be, or the system can't keep up with the factory ratings due to age. Therefore, i'm turning to capacitors or rectifiers.

Apart from this it's a very tidy little machine. Still has its original factory beige colour, minimal if any external case damage and is in otherwise great shape for its age.

On a sidenote just looking at the back here... it says M0001ED. 800kb drive, 128k ROM. Nice.

 

[Mars478]

Wow Great conquest!

I love the Screen bezels on the 128/512k/plus. It looks like a tuxedo for some reason to me

 

[iMac600]

This thread deserves more photos...

My "Redneck Repair" to the hard disk. Simple enough, when there's nothing to secure the drive in... improvise! In the great war that us 68k Macintosh Liberation Armymen (and women) are fighting, sometimes we just need to make do on the battlefield. Hence i've strapped the drive in (40MB Quantum ProDrive LPS, of course) and made my own ribbon out of 2 SCSI connectors and 2 IDE ribbons. Works like a dream.

As you can see, all is well.

Running System 6.0.8 quite happily. Fond memories of my Macintosh Classic (which for those that don't know, died of capacitor failure resulting in logic board corrosion the exact day I first joined this forum) are recreated in this old Macintosh SE, which uses the same hard disk, same software as the Classic before it.

The 512Ke will eventually be restored, hopefully. Depends on what I find once I get the case open, hopefully it's minimal damage and just failed capacitors on the analog board. Considering I managed to get a Sad Mac out of it earlier, I would say there's hope yet.

 

[iMac600]

Thanks for the feedback crew, appreciate it.

Dismantled the 512k today. Found some calcium marks from moisture along the base of the case, but thanks to Apple's design team thinking ahead... no damage done thanks to the metal base plate protecting the electronics. Wiped it off, and that was that. Saw all the signatures on the inside... beautiful. The electronics look in pretty decent shape as well, which is great, although the capacitors on the analog board still need replacement.

 

[JRL]

Wow, nice SCSI cable hack! I wouldn't have been able to think of something like that. xD

anyways, nice finds, and fair price for what you got! I've always liked the Macintosh SE/its variants.

 

[Mars478]

Very good. I am on a campaign for a working compact.

 

[iMac600]

The SE's over in the IT department at the moment. The IT systems administrator said it "bought back a lot of memories" so I let them keep it for the night.