Apple ProFile
| Apple ProFile | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| ProFile on an Apple Lisa 2 (Marcin Wichary, CC BY 2.0) | |
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | External 5 MB hard disk drive |
| Release date | September 1981 |
| Discontinued | September 1986 |
| Price | US$3,499 (5 MB, 1981) |
| Interface | Parallel, 25-conductor cable (8 data lines, 5 control lines) |
| Compatible | Apple III (with interface card); Apple Lisa; Apple II (with interface card) |
| Model | A9M0005 (US), A9M1005 (Europe), A3M0305 (ProFile for Apple III) |
| Power | 115 or 230 V AC (jumper selected), 47-63 Hz; internal supply +5 V, +12 V, −12 V |
| Storage | 4,980,736 bytes formatted (9,728 blocks of 512 bytes) |
The Apple ProFile is Apple's first hard disk, a 5 MB external drive introduced in September 1981 for the Apple III and later sold with the Apple Lisa. It connects through a parallel interface and contains a Seagate ST-506-type head disk assembly with Apple's own controller, analog and power electronics.[1][2] Its codename was Pippin. The Apple Hard Disk 20SC replaced it in 1986.[1]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Formatted capacity | 4,980,736 bytes |
| Surfaces and heads | 4 data surfaces, 1 head per surface |
| Tracks | 152 per surface, 254 tracks per inch |
| Blocks | 512 bytes per block, 16 blocks per track, 9,728 blocks |
| Average seek time | 180 ms |
| Data transfer rate | 5 Mbit/s |
| Rotational speed | 3,600 rpm |
| Start-up | 20 s to speed; ready to operate in 60 s |
| Operating environment | 10-40 °C; 8-80% RH, non-condensing |
Apple's Level II service manual describes 153 data tracks per surface and sectors of 512 bytes in the Apple III format or 532 bytes in the Lisa format.[3]
Hardware
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The cabinet holds the head disk assembly (HDA), a controller card mounted on top of the power supply, an analog card under the HDA, a small motor control card between the two, and the power supply.[2]
The HDA holds two rigid 5.25-inch disks and four heads in a sealed aluminium housing with a recirculating filtered air system. A brushless DC motor turns the spindle directly at 3,600 rpm. The heads are positioned by an open-loop stepper motor through a band actuator that wraps and unwraps around the stepper's capstan.[2] Depending on the revision of the motor control board, the spindle is stopped at power-off either by a mechanical brake or by reverse-biasing the motor coils.[3]
The controller card is built around a Z8 microprocessor. At every power-on it runs a surface scan of about a minute, checks every sector and spares out marginal ones, and it retries and spares sectors during normal use.[2][3]
The power supply provides +5 V, +12 V and −12 V and a Power OK signal that resets the Z8 before the DC outputs fall, so that a write in progress is not corrupted when power fails.[2][3] Apple's specification 062-0074 gives the outputs as +12 V ±6% at 1.5 A (3.5 to 4.0 A for 10 to 14 seconds at start-up), +5 V ±2% at 2.0 A and −12 V ±6% at 0.1 A, with 115 or 230 V input selected by a jumper, and identifies the supply as Astec AA11771.[4] Apple's 1982 Astec service package documents the earlier Astec AA11770 and AA11770/A supplies for the ProFile for Apple III as well.[5]
Using the drive
[edit | edit source]The ProFile has no controls except the power switch on the back. At power-on the red Ready light comes on for about 2 seconds, goes out for about 20 seconds while the disks come up to speed, flashes for about 40 seconds while the drive tests itself, and then stays on. Apple allows up to 3 minutes; a Ready light that is not steady by then indicates a fault.[2]
Switch the Lisa off before the ProFile, never switch the ProFile off while the Ready light is flashing, and wait until the light has been steady for at least 4 seconds, so that the heads have returned to their home position outside the data area.[2] The cooling vents are on the bottom: Apple warns never to enclose the drive or stand it on thick carpet.[2]
Maintenance and repair
[edit | edit source]- Apple ProFile General Maintenance: handling, opening the cabinet, Apple's speed and brake checks.
- Apple ProFile Troubleshooting Guide: Apple's start-up scan, troubleshooting flowcharts and power supply checks.
- Apple ProFile Capacitor Replacement Guide: the Astec power supply electrolytics.
- Hard Drive Maintenance and Repair
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Apple ProFile Documentation: the Level II service manual, the 1983 owner's manual and the power supply specification.
- Apple Astec Power Supplies Service Package: schematics and component lists for the ProFile supplies.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Apple ProFile", Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_ProFile (retrieved 4 October 2026). Introduced September 1981 at US$3,499; discontinued September 1986; codename Pippin; Seagate ST-506 mechanism with Apple-designed digital and analog boards; Apple III interface card, Lisa, Apple II interface card from 1983; superseded by the Hard Disk 20SC.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Apple Computer, ProFile Owner's Manual, 030-0604-A, 1983, hosted as File:Apple ProFile Owner's Manual (1983).pdf. Chapter 1 pp. 1-4 (PDF pp. 6-9); Chapter 2 pp. 5-10 (PDF pp. 10-15); Chapter 3 pp. 11-16 (PDF pp. 16-21); Appendix, Operating Specifications p. 17 (PDF p. 22).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Apple Computer, ProFile Level II Service Manual ("Pro-File Phase 1 Service Manual"), 072-0116, update 1 of 12 October 1984, hosted as File:Apple ProFile Level II Service Manual 072-0116 (1984).pdf. Section 1 Troubleshooting pp. 1.3-1.6 (PDF pp. 15-18); Section 2 Service Procedures, Cover p. 2.5, Power Supply p. 2.11, HDA Speed p. 2.23, Brake pp. 2.26-2.27; Section 3 Appendices, Switcher Power Supply p. 3.7 (PDF p. 129) and HDA description pp. 3.8-3.9; Appendix E schematics 050-5006, 050-4034, 050-5005, 050-5025, 050-5007 and 050-5009; Appendix F bills of materials.
- ↑ Apple Computer, Power Supply, ProFile, specification 062-0074-C, and purchased-assembly drawing 699-0059-B, hosted as File:Apple ProFile Power Supply Specification 062-0074.pdf. Sheet 1: input 115/230 V by jumper, 90-135 V and 180-270 V, 30 W steady and 55 W for 14 s at start, output voltages and currents, ripple; sheet 2: crowbar on +5 V, protection, environment; drawing 699-0059-B: Astec AA11771.
- ↑ Apple Computer, Apple Products Information Package: Astec Power Supplies, 6 August 1982, hosted as File:Apple Astec Power Supplies Service Package 1982.pdf (see Apple Astec Power Supplies Service Package). ProFile III supplies AA11770, AA11770/A and AA11771: schematics and component listings, pp. 21-31.