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Macintosh 512K

From RetroTechCollection
Macintosh 512K
Specifications
ManufacturerApple Computer, Inc.
TypePersonal computer
ReleasedSeptember 1984
DiscontinuedApril 1986
Intro priceUS$3,195
CPUMotorola 68000 @ 7.83 MHz
Memory512 KB, soldered, not user-expandable
StorageInternal single-sided 400 KB 3.5-inch floppy drive
Display9-inch monochrome CRT, 512 ร— 342 pixels
SoundFour-voice, 8-bit D/A conversion, 22 kHz sampling
ROM64 KB
Ports / interfaceDB-19 external floppy; DE-9 mouse; RJ-11 keyboard; 2 ร— RS-232/RS-422 serial (DE-9)
Power105โ€“125 V AC, 50โ€“60 Hz, 60 W maximum
Dimensions13.6 in H ร— 9.6 in W ร— 10.9 in D (34.5 ร— 24.4 ร— 27.6 cm)
Weight16 lb 8 oz (7.5 kg)
OS / FirmwareSystem 1.1 โ€“ System 4.1
PredecessorMacintosh 128K
SuccessorMacintosh 512Ke
CodenameFat Mac
Model no.M0001W

The Macintosh 512K was introduced in September 1984 as a Macintosh 128K with four times the memory. Everything else โ€” the 68000 processor, the 64 KB ROM, the 9-inch monochrome screen and the single-sided 400 KB floppy drive โ€” is the same, and Apple services the two machines from a single manual.[1] It sold for US$3,195 and was nicknamed the Fat Mac.[2]

The extra memory made the machine usable with the larger applications of the period, but it still had no internal hard disk, no SCSI port and no memory expansion: the RAM is soldered down. The Macintosh Plus addressed all three.

Maintenance

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The 512K is mechanically and electrically the same machine as the 128K, so its servicing, board layout and schematics are shared. See Macintosh 128K/512K General Maintenance and the Macintosh 128K page.

The machine contains a CRT; read CRT Discharge Procedure before opening the case.

Specifications

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Every figure in this table is from Apple's own specification pages for the 128K/512K.[1]

Item Specification
CPU Motorola 68000, 7.83 MHz
RAM 512 KB (the same manual covers the 128 KB machine)
ROM 64 KB
PRAM CMOS custom chip with 256 bytes of parameter memory, backed by a 4.5 V user-replaceable battery
Floppy drive Internal single-sided 3.5-inch drive, 400 KB
External floppy DB-19 connector
Mouse DE-9 connector; mechanical tracking, optical shaft encoding at 3.54 pulses per mm
Keyboard 58 keys, software mapped, RJ-11 connector
Serial Two RS-232/RS-422 ports, DE-9 connectors
Sound Four-voice, 8-bit digital/analogue conversion, 22 kHz sampling rate
Video 9-inch diagonal screen, 512 ร— 342 bit-mapped display
Line voltage 105โ€“125 V AC, 50โ€“60 Hz
Maximum power 60 W
Dimensions 13.6 ร— 9.6 ร— 10.9 in (34.5 ร— 24.4 ร— 27.6 cm)
Weight 16 lb 8 oz (7.5 kg)

Memory

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The 512 KB is soldered to the logic board. Apple offered no memory upgrade for this machine, and the RAM configuration is fixed in the logic that decodes it; period third-party boards that fitted Macintosh Plus ROMs and more memory existed, but they are logic board modifications rather than upgrades.[2] The Macintosh Plus, which introduced the four 30-pin SIMM sockets used across the rest of the compact family, is documented on the Macintosh Plus Memory Upgrade Guide.

Power rails

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Unlike the later compacts, this generation does have a published voltage adjustment. Apple's procedure connects the Macintosh voltage test cable (part number 077-0135) to the external floppy port and adjusts the regulator on the power/sweep board for 11.90โ€“12.75 V on the orange lead and 4.85โ€“5.15 V on the red lead; if both cannot be brought inside those windows the board is replaced.[1] The full procedure, with its warnings, is written up on Macintosh Plus General Maintenance, which uses the same board family.

Known board-level faults

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The Dead Mac Scrolls documents two faults that present as software problems:[3]

  • A 512K or 512Ke that resets a directly connected ImageWriter II on the printer port, or that never appears on an AppleTalk network, usually has a failed 26LS30 line driver at board location B6.
  • On an original 128K analogue board that has been paired with an upgraded logic board, repeatable system errors that no other Macintosh shows are a low +5 V rail; the overvoltage reference diode (1N5349B) at CR18 is the part to check.
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References

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  1. โ†‘ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Apple Computer, Macintosh 128K/512K Service Source โ€” Specifications, Take Apart and Adjustments chapters. Hosted on this wiki: File:Macintosh 128k.512k.pdf.
  2. โ†‘ 2.0 2.1 apple-history.com, Macintosh 512K (secondary source, used for the introduction price, codename and market dates).
  3. โ†‘ Larry Pina, The Dead Mac Scrolls, Peachpit Press, 1992, "Early Macs" chapter. Hosted on this wiki: File:The Dead Mac Scrolls 1992.pdf.