Table of Contents for this issue:

UOM-Unidentified Old Mac
SUMMARY-Name this Mac!
Mac II compatibl
RE: Name this Mac
SE FDHD Motherboard and Applied Engineering HD+ Floppy Drive
Re: Classic Macs Digest 1.5
MaxAppleZoom
Mac IIfx
Re: TransWarp 4300
potpourri
Mac Old Fart List
MacWeb 2 is out
Re: Classic Macs Digest 1.5

It is beige, has 1 meg of RAM, an 800k internal floppy drive, and no name
on the case.

For connectors, it has the old style 9-pin rectangular (what is this
called?) printer port, the old mouse connector (also 9-pin, I think), and
no SCSI, just a external floppy port.

The only macs that use the funny looking mouse cable (and have the
keyboard plug in on the front) are the 128, the 512, the 512e, and the
Plus. The 128 was only upgradeable to 512K, I think.

What is this? I thought it was an upgraded 512ke, but someone has told me
it is an early Plus.

I don't think its a plus. As far as I know, the Plus got famous for being
the first mac with SCSI.

And ANOTHER identification question: I have an Apple dot matrix printer
with no name on it, same beige color as the Mac. I would assume it is
either an ImageWriter I or II. How can I tell the difference? And if I
want to find a cable for it, is the connection for an IWI different than
an IWII?

This is kinda beyond what I know, but I would have to guess that it is
the orriginal ImageWriter. I have one (I think its also unlabeled) but
I've never plugged it in (I got it with a 128 (upgraded to 512) at a yard
sale.

Anyway, I THINK you have a 512K or 512Ke with a orriginal ImageWriter.

MY ORIGINAL POST AND CONSENSUS RESPONSES SO FAR:

In addition to the MacPlus I have been writing about recently, I have
another ancient mac which I cannot identify:

It is beige, has 1 meg of RAM, an 800k internal floppy drive, and no name
on the case.

For connectors, it has the old style 9-pin rectangular (what is this
called?) printer port, the old mouse connector (also 9-pin, I think), and
no SCSI, just a external floppy port.

What is this? I thought it was an upgraded 512ke, but someone has told me
it is an early Plus.

The majority of replies I have gotten say that this cannot be a
MacPlus, since ALL Plus' had SCSI ports. So it must be an upgraded 512 or
128.

And while I'm at it, I hear that there was an external HD that could plug
into the floppy port, called HD20, or something. Is this the right name,
and any suggestions for used places I might call to see if I can get one?
Anyone want to sell one from this group? (Sorry - breach of group
etiquette, there, I guess.)

Only one person has recalled this drive, and recommends I get a
SCSI upgrade and use a regular HD instead, so I am looking into this.

And ANOTHER identification question: I have an Apple dot matrix printer
with no name on it, same beige color as the Mac. I would assume it is
either an ImageWriter I or II. How can I tell the difference? And if I
want to find a cable for it, is the connection for an IWI different than
an IWII?

The majority rules that this is an IWI. Whatever it is, it cannot
be a IWII, as those are not box-like and beige.

Thanks to all, and I am still interested in that HD20 floppy connected HD,
just in case I cannot do the SCSI upgrade thing, so if anyone finds one,
let me know...

-- Bret

Bret Alan Fessenden
Cynthia Benner

http://top.monad.net:80/~bfessenden/

Kelley Boylan asked:

I'm pulling a few old Mac II boxes out of the closet ('020) and am looking
for a list of compatible/incompatible software. E.g., does Netscape work?
What about Photoshop? I started going from site to site to check specific
software, but it turned into a real time-killer.

I use an unmodified Mac II at work running Japanese System 7.1 and using
such programs as Excel 5, Word 6, Filemaker Pro 2.1, Nisus 4.1, etc. It
has standard 8MB RAM and still has 800K drive, no accelerators or anything.
Works fine. I also have one at home that runs English 7.5.3 with the
Japanese Language Kit, Netscape 2.0x, Nisus, etc. This too has stock 8MB
RAM and no accelerators or anything. No problem.

george

Bret Alan Fessenden asks:

In addition to the MacPlus I have been writing about recently, I have
another ancient mac which I cannot identify:

It is beige, has 1 meg of RAM, an 800k internal floppy drive, and no name
on the case.

For connectors, it has the old style 9-pin rectangular (what is this
called?) printer port, the old mouse connector (also 9-pin, I think), and
no SCSI, just a external floppy port.

What is this? I thought it was an upgraded 512ke, but someone has told me
it is an early Plus.

I would also guess that it's an upgraded 512K or a 512Ke since as far as I
know all Pluses had a SCSI port. The serial port connectors are DB-9
connectors on those models.

And while I'm at it, I hear that there was an external HD that could plug
into the floppy port, called HD20, or something.

That's right. There were also some other disks made that would plug into
the serial ports (modem/printer), but I guess those were even slower than
the slow HD20.

And ANOTHER identification question: I have an Apple dot matrix printer
with no name on it, same beige color as the Mac. I would assume it is
either an ImageWriter I or II. How can I tell the difference? And if I
want to find a cable for it, is the connection for an IWI different than
an IWII?

The IW 1 is a kind of rectangular boxy looking thing that uses a DB 25
connector, The IW2 is a bit more stylish and kind of propped up on little
feet. It uses a round mini-8 pin connector. If what you have is a huge
rectangle with a huge fat ribbon, you have an LQ Imagewriter which also
uses the mini-8 connectors.

george

I have a Mac SE, which I recenly upgraded from an 800K motherboard
to a FDHD motherboard. This system is accelerated to 40 MHz with an Applied
Engineering Transwarp 1430. Attached to this system is AEHD Plus Drive
1.44Mb external floppy drive from Applied Engineering. I am running System
7.1, and have 4MB Ram, 535Mb internal, two 800K internal floppies, a Zip,
CD, 14.4K modem and an HP LaserJet 4ML connected.

I have a couple questions.

1. Before I installed the FDHD motherboard , the external floppy
worked fine - by loading a control panel @ startup. Now, the control panel
doesn't load, but this is normal - it reads the ROM version and loads
accordingly - not a problem. However, the drive does act strangely now. It
reads disks formatted with the old board and blank or unuseable, and after
ejecting a disk, the next disk inserted will be spit out immediately as if
it were ejected. After that happens, you can insert the same disk again,
and it will mount normally. This happens with OR without extensions
installed. The question is, could there be some sort of problem with the
new ROMs , or other problems with the other hardware installed, causing the
drive to act this way? It makes it a real pain for installing from 1.4Mb
floppies.

2. This question is about the Transwarp 1340. The CPU on it is an
MC68EC030. This CPU does not have the PMMU component within it. It is
socketed. There is an empty socket for a 68882 FPU chip. Can the MC68EC030
be replaced with aMC68030, enabling 32-bit addressing through software? If
I were to install a 68882 FPU, could I install one with a different speed
rating? I can get a 16MHz version, but I'm leery of pushing that FPU too
fast and cooking something important. How can I find a 40MHz version of the
68882?

3. General question - does anyone else use any of Applied
Engineering's products? If so, how have they worked for you? Have you had
to get any support since they went belly-up? My accelerator hasn't given
one whit of trouble, but the drive has been somewhat strange somethimes.
(Even before the FDHD upgrade) The only reason I'm still using this SE is
because I can't see spending more than a few $$$ on an upgrade without
getting into a 604e PowerMac.

Any help or suggestions would appreciated.

Dave Mitchell

OK, I have an SE with a 16Mhz accelerator sitting on my kitchen counter
running Now Contact and system 7.5.3. I have been looking for a recipe
program with a database of recipes and have had no luck. I've downloaded
dozens from the net but none has worked (either the screen was too small
or the program crashed or something). Anyone know of a good one?

Ohio Distinctive Software Inc has a program that includes Menu planning,
weight loss and special diet needs. It comes on both floppy and CD-ROM.
I dont have a web address or email but here is the snail mail.

Ohio Distinctive Software
4588 Kenny Road
Columbus Ohio 43220
(614) 459-0453

you wrote:

Subject: Re: 7in NuBus Monitor Cards (Manufactured by Apple)
From: Robert Zusman

Give up on MaxAppleZoom. It ONLY works on the original Apple TBF (Toby
Frame Buffer) video card - which is a full-length card. Get a third-party
NuBus video card, which will give you up to 1280 x 1024 resolution, and
allow many more monitor choices. A used Radius 24X is a good choice.

I write:

Not so! I have an Apple 8/24 card in My II and It works Great!!! My dad has a
13in RGB and just needs an Apple MacII-type card. The Radius solution would
only work on a Multi-sync monitor and we are trying to go very low budget
here....

Thanks for writing!

-Dave

From: Bill and Josephine Bair

1. Does anyone know if the IIfx is upgradeable? If so, what do I need?

As far as I know, it is not. You can expand RAM, but my suppliers are
reluctant to purchase it now because it is so expensive. The IIfx is
kind of a dead end as far as upgradeability goes, but it is still a
great computer.

The IIfx however is not self terminating and I
cannot find the terminator that came with it (I never had occasion to use
it before now).

I use a IIfx at work with 32MB of RAM and two monitors (an Aple 13" and
a 21"). Get as much memory as possible--these machines still work very
well. As far as the IIfx terminator you can get on from APS (I think it's
http://www.aps.com) for about $15. You only need this termination at the
end of the SCSI chain if you have an internal HD. Don't use any built in
termination. The SCSI circuit on the IIfx is of a higher speed than the
other Mac II's so that is one of the reasons for the black terminator. The
LaserWriter IINTX uses this and the 64 pin SIMMs too. If you are not
completely sure about what to do go to Apple's web site and locate the Tech
Info Libriary and search for IIfx termination problems. There is a wealth
of information about the IIfx and the difference between the platnum
terminators. Hope this helps.

Daveman

Dmitri V. Shishkin wrote:

I have a upgrade (accelerator) board at home labeled "TransWarp 4300" from
Applied Engineering. It has pds/nubus-looking connector; "MC68EC030FE40B"
processor; 40 Mhz crystal; cache card on top and another pci-type flat
connector. I guess it is pds, since it's flat, and if installed in smth
like IIci would cover all other nubus slots. It doesn't work on my LC III.
Any hints on what that board is for.

Applied Engineering made TransWarps for the LC and the SE (and maybe other
machines?). Both had 68030 chips and 68882 maths co-pros. The SE one ran at
25MHz and had "TransWarp SE" printed on the card - guess you would have
noticed that! So maybe it's the LC card, which ran at 40MHz and slightly
more than doubled the machine's speed, according to MacUser.

Chris Adams

Hi Classic fans:

I have a specific SE/30 question and comment on accelerator manufacturers.

Q. Someone told me that a 32-bit clean ROM from a IIFx would work in an
SE/30. Is this true? Are both ROMs socketed? Does ROM swapping work; i.e.
are the memory maps and I/O maps the same so that a swap actually works?
Your help would be appreciated.

I have noticed that in many prior postings, folks want to find out about
accelerating their old macs, and two companies consistently surface:
MicroMac and Sonnet Technologies.

Micromac Critique:
I have a DiiMO 50 MHZ board from Micromac, and it is advertised as
containing 50MHZ 68030 and 50MHZ 68882 chips. When the board arrived, it
had stickers covering the tops of both processor chips. I peeled off their
stickers, thus revealing a 40MHZ 68030 and a 33MHZ 68882. Therefore, their
advertising is false and misleading and is in violation of state (and
probably federal) statutes. The board is in fact "clock-chipped" to 50 MHZ
and their ads never mention this. Clock chipping can be problematic at
times, with random crashes and chip overheating being theoretical
possibilities. So far, Micromac has ignored my emails asking for an
explanation.

Sonnet Critique:
My past experience with Sonnet's technical support department was dismal.
So, if you buy an accelerator from them, hope that it works the first time;
otherwise, you may be in for a rude awakening.

General Comment:
Its a shame that such companies cannot carry out their business with
honesty, pride, or quality customer service. It really is (regrettably)
only about money. Other people's experiences with these companies would
probably be welcome in and a service to this group.

Bill

I found this list on the World Wide Web at: http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/~geoff/Old_Fart.html

I thought that the MacHeads on my list just might dig it. BTW, I sent it to a few prisoners of Wintel in order to further frustrate them.

� �

You know you're a Macintosh Old-Fart when you remember:

1. Switcher
2. Disk-swapping
3. Upgrading to a Fat Mac, and being blown away by all that RAM!
4. MiniFinder
5. Using MacPaint for the first time!
6. 400K floppies
7. The "whirr" of the original floppy drive
8. The OS, MacPaint and MacWrite all on one 400K floppy
9. Macintosh File System
10. Typing ugly documents with 73 fonts/styles, and thinking they looked good.
11. Playing Dark Castle
12. The amazing speed and power of the Mac II
13. The even more amazing speed of the Mac IIfx
14. Charts telling you which versions of Finder, System and other programs worked best together on which machines

A lot of antique Mac users were disappointed when the Web browser MacWeb
was apparently abandoned by EINet at v1.1.1E. It was fast, and the 68k
version had a minimum partition size of 750k and took only 463k of disk
space. It worked on black and white Macs without Color QuickDraw (tho'
without graphics) - ideal for Plus, SE and Classic users. All it really
lacked was support for tables and .jpeg images.

But now it seems version 2 has been released. Today I found the following info:

*********************
Michael Ackerman writes, "I was stunned to see version 2.0 of MacWeb (the
browser of choice for Macintosh SE users) on one of those America Online
CD-ROMs. This one came in the mail, packaged with the February, 1997
Macworld. The disk is called 'Ultimate Media Jam'. As far as I know, MacWeb
2.0 had been unreleased until now, or possibly part of one of Tradewave's
intranet products."
*********************

Question is, does v2 still run on our old Macs? Is it still lean and mean?
And has anyone put it on the net for download? Non-US netters won't be able
to get hold of the US Macworld very easily (we have our own edition).

Anybody out there tried it yet, or know where it can be found?

Subject: RE: Classic Macs Digest 1.3
From: Jones, Paul B

floppy disk (included) and for some screwy reason known only to Apple (X-(
said you have to have an Apple CD ROM player to install from the CD ROM.

because Apple would then have to include every screwy third party CD-ROM
driver ever made, on their CD.

PBJ

Fair enough, PBJ.

But my point was not that Apple didn't include the driver for my CD ROM
player, but rather that Apple's attitude is that if you don't have an
_Apple_ CD ROM player you can't install the OS from the CD.

I simply replaced the Apple CD ROM driver on the working copy of the FD with my
Aiwa CD ROM driver and proceeded by the book. Everything seemed to work fine,
although when I called Apple and asked if there was any reason for not using this
procedure the (Japanese) service rep just said, "We can't recommend it...."

Isn't this attitude analogous to saying "If you don't have an Apple
printer you can't print your Mac files."? or "If you don't have an Apple
hard disc, you can't store your Mac files."? ad infinitum?
According to all the talking heads in the business world, it was this
exclusivity mentality that got Apple into fiscal and market share trouble
in the first place.

RAH