RetroTechCollection

Apple Newton accessories

Apple's accessories for the Apple Newton MessagePad and Apple eMate 300: storage cards, modems, connection kits and cables, the Print Pack, power, cases and pens. Order numbers come from Apple's accessory data sheets, one in Polish from January 1996 covering the MessagePad 100, 110 and 120, and one from November 1997 covering the 120, 130, 2000 and 2100.[1][2] Service part numbers are from the Newton FAQ's list.[3] The battery packs, the charging station and the backup software have their own pages: Apple Newton NiCd Battery Pack, Apple Newton Rechargeable Battery Pack, Apple Newton Charging Station and Apple Newton Backup Utility. The keyboard is on Apple Newton Keyboard.

An Original MessagePad in its zip case with its stylus, power adapter and other accessories (National Museum of American History, CC0)

Storage cards

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Newton OS reads SRAM cards and linear Flash cards in the PC Card slot without extra software. SRAM cards keep their data on an internal battery; Flash cards need none.[4]

2MB Flash Storage Card

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Apple's 2 MB Flash Storage Card (order number H0008LL/A; service part 661-1695) is a PC Card for extra storage and backups. Apple rated it at 2,000 business cards, 1,600 notes of up to 50 characters, 4,000 appointments of up to 20 characters, or up to 400 screens of ink. It needs no power to keep its contents and can be write-protected.[1][3]

4MB Flash Storage Card

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The 4 MB Flash Storage Card doubles the capacity of the 2 MB card. Apple's order number was H0092LL/A in the 1996 list and H0230Z/A in 1997, when it was sold for the MessagePad 120, 130, 2000 and 2100.[1][2]

Linear Flash cards

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Third-party linear Flash cards work if their chips suit the Newton. The Newton FAQ's compatibility table, compiled from owners' reports:[4]

Linear Flash card compatibility (Newton FAQ)[4]
Card type (supply voltages) MessagePad 1x0, Newton 1.x MessagePad 1x0, Newton 2.0 MessagePad 2000/2100 eMate 300
SRAM Yes Yes Yes Yes
AMD Series D linear (5.0/5.0 V) No Yes Yes Yes
AMD Series AD linear (5.0/5.0 V) No Yes Yes Yes
Intel Series II (5.0/12.0 V) Yes Yes Yes Read only
Intel Series II+ (5.0/5.0 V) See note Yes Yes Yes
Intel Value Series 100 (5.0/5.0 V) No No Yes Yes
Intel Value Series 200 (5.0/5.0 V) No No No No

Intel cards carry their family in the model number: iMC0nnFLSA for Series II, iMC0nnFLSP for Series II+ and iMC0nnFLSC for Value Series 100, where nn is the capacity in megabytes. Newton OS 2.x is thought to be needed for cards over 4 MB, although one owner reports a 40 MB Series II+ card working in a MessagePad 100, which is the note against that entry.[4]

PC Card adapters

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Apple sold no adapter for other storage media. CompactFlash cards, IBM Microdrives and Iomega Clik! disks work in a PCMCIA (PC Card) adapter once Paul Guyot's free ATA Support package is installed on the Newton.[4] Wikipedia also notes that owners wrote drivers for ATA Flash cards, CompactFlash among them.[5]

Modems

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Newton Fax Modem

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Apple's external Newton Fax Modem (order number H0039LL/B; service part 661-1692) connects to the serial port. It runs at 2,400 bit/s for data and 9,600 bit/s for fax, to CCITT V.22bis and V.22 and Bell 212A and 103 for data, with MNP class 2 and 4 error correction and MNP 5 compression, and to CCITT V.29, V.27 and V.21 for fax. It weighs 200 g and runs from two AA cells or the Newton power adapter.[1][3] It cost US$149 in 1993; the modem could receive faxes, but the first Newton software could not.[6] The Fax Modem Card (H0085LL/B) is the same modem as a Type II PC Card.[1] For the MessagePad 100, a zip-up Communications Carrying Case (H0053LL/A) holds the MessagePad and the external modem together.[1]

Apple's troubleshooting for a missing dial tone starts with the modem's batteries or adapter.[7] No repair information for the modem itself has been published; check its battery compartment for leaked cells before anything else (see Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage). Most PC Card modems that are not "software modems" also work in a Newton.[8]

Connecting to a computer

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Newton Connection Kit

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The Newton Connection Kit is Apple's desktop software for viewing, editing, synchronising and backing up Newton data and for installing packages, sold with a serial cable and manual. In 1993 it cost US$129, and a Connection Pro version with import and export cost US$199.[6][1] Version 2.0 came as Newton Connection Kit 2.0 for Macintosh (H0030Z/C), which needs a 68030 or faster Macintosh with System 7, 4 MB of RAM and 3 MB of disk, and for Windows (H0029Z/C), which needs Windows 3.1 on an 80386DX or better with 4 MB of RAM and 8 MB of disk.[1] The Windows version was written for Apple by Traveling Software.[9] For Newton 2.0 devices Apple supplied the Apple Newton Backup Utility and later the Newton Connection Utilities instead, but recommended the Connection Kit for devices staying on Newton 1.x.[10][11]

A MessagePad 1x0 connects to a Macintosh with a standard mini-DIN-8 serial cable, and to a PC with a mini-DIN-8 to 9-pin cable plus a 9-to-25-pin adapter where needed.[12] On a PowerBook with an internal modem, the modem port may have to be switched to an external modem first, and AppleTalk must be off when the printer port is used.[13]

Newton Serial Adapter

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The Newton Serial Adapter (order number H0227Z/A) converts the 26-pin Newton InterConnect port of the MessagePad 2000 and 2100 to a round serial socket for the Newton Keyboard, Mac and PC serial cables, printers and modems. Apple describes it as InterConnect to DIN 9, compatible with RS-232 and LocalTalk; the Newton FAQ describes the socket as a standard mini-DIN-8.[2][14] Apple's eMate Service Source calls it the Newton Interconnect Adapter and uses it to test the eMate's 26-pin port.[15] Every adapter has part number 590-0756 moulded in. The grey ones were made for pre-production MessagePad 2000s; one owner reports them electrically identical to the black production adapter, which the Newton FAQ has not confirmed.[14]

InterConnect to DIN 8 serial wiring (Apple specification, Table 1-1)[16]
Signal HSKo HSKi TXD− Gnd RXD− TXD+ GPI RXD+
InterConnect pin 19 20 18 23 8 6 7 21
DIN 8 pin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

The adapter's locking bumps grip the InterConnect socket hard, and the socket's solder joints on the MessagePad 2000 and 2100 board crack from the strain of plugging it in and out. Owners file down the bumps on the top of the adapter, and resolder a loose socket.[17] Apple also sold the Newton Serial Cable for Mac OS (H2246LL/A, a standard DIN 8 cable) and for Windows (H0229Z/A), both used through the adapter on a 2000 or 2100.[2]

Printing

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Newton Print Pack

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The Newton Print Pack connects a Newton to parallel printers made for DOS and Windows PCs: dot-matrix printers of 80 or 120 columns, portable printers, and Hewlett-Packard DeskJet and LaserJet printers. It is a serial-to-parallel converter cable with printer drivers for the Newton (order number H0015LL/B; cable service part 922-2035), and cost US$99 in 1993.[1][6][3] In the first version the drivers were stored in the cable and installed themselves when it was plugged in.[18] Apple's guide lists the printers each driver supports; a printer not on the list cannot be used. On a MessagePad 2000 or 2100 the cable plugs into the Newton Serial Adapter.[19]

Newton Print Pack 2.0

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Apple's 1998 Newton Print Pack 2.0 uses a modified serial-to-parallel cable with no software inside; the drivers install from a Mac or Windows disk with the Newton Connection Utilities or the Newton Backup Utility. The drivers are Epson LQ, Epson FX, HP DeskJet, HP LaserJet, Canon BJ-10ex (renamed from Canon BJ), and the new Canon BJC and Epson Stylus. Owners of version 1.0 could install the 2.0 software and keep their old cable.[18] The Newton FAQ notes that GDT Softworks made the converter, which contains a processor that works with the drivers, so an ordinary serial-to-parallel cable will not work.[20] If Newton Package Installer refuses the 2.0 package because "GDTPrintDriver" is already installed, delete the old package from the Extensions folder first or install with the Backup Utility.[18]

Power

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The Newton Power Adapter (7 V, 0.5 A, order number H0011Z/A in 1996) came with the MessagePads up to the 130, and the Newton 9W Power Adapter (7.5 V, 1.2 A, H0213LL/A, or H0214Z/A with plugs for Europe, the UK and Australia) for the 2000, 2100 and eMate. Either charges the rechargeable packs, the 9W adapter faster except on the MessagePad 100.[1][2][21] Apple's requirements for any substitute are on Newton Interconnect Port Hardware Specification. The Battery Booster Pack (H0010LL/B; service part 922-0570) holds eight AA cells, bought separately, and plugs into the Newton's power socket by cable.[1][3]

Cases

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Carrying Case

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The Carrying Case is black synthetic leather and closes tightly to protect the MessagePad and its cards: order number H0009LL/A for the MessagePad 100 and H0122LL/A for the 110 and 120.[1] For the 120, 130, 2000 and 2100 Apple sold the leather book-style MessagePad Carrying Case (H0218Z/B) with room for a PC Card, business cards and notes, and for the 2000 or 2100 with the keyboard a nylon book-style case with a built-in easel (H0245LL/A).[2]

Leather Case

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The Leather Carrying Case is high-grade black leather with a zip and room for the MessagePad, cards and business cards: H0012LL/A for the MessagePad 100 and H0075LL/A for the 110 and 120.[1] In 1997 Apple also sold a briefcase-style MessagePad and Newton Keyboard Leather Carrying Case (H0228Z/A) and a leather MessagePad Wireless Communications Case with room for a mobile phone (H0181Z/B).[2] Service part numbers include 922-0563 (leather) and 922-0569 (sport) for the H1000 and 922-0761 and 922-0896 for the 110 to 130.[3]

Stylus

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Newton pens[22][1][2][3][23]
Models Pen Order number Service part
Original MessagePad, 100 Stylus, 125.7 × 8.5 × 5.5 mm – 922-2036 (pack of 10)
110, 120, 130 MessagePad Telescoping Pen H0076LL/A (1996), H0076LL/B (1997) 922-0754 (pack of 5)
2000, 2100 MessagePad 2000 Pen H0209Z/A 922-2969 (pack of 5)
eMate 300 eMate pen – 922-2682

The pens are plain plastic with no electronics: the screens are resistive and respond to pressure.[22][24] Apple's care instructions are to wipe the tip with a soft dry cloth, to use only the Newton pen on the screen, and to press the Reset button with a pencil or ballpoint pen, never the stylus.[25] On the 120 and 130 the pen is released by pushing and releasing its end.[26] Open designs for 3D-printed replacements exist for the MessagePad 100 and for the 110, 120 and 130 styluses.[24]

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Apple Computer IMC Poland, Akcesoria do Newton MessagePad (Newton MessagePad accessories), Polish-language data sheet, 2 pp., PDF created 12 January 1996. Hosted as File:Akcesoria do Newton MessagePad data sheet (Apple Poland, 1996).pdf; listed on Apple Newton Data Sheets. Order numbers and specifications for MessagePad 100 and MessagePad 110/120 accessories, in Polish; translated here.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Apple Computer, MessagePad Accessories data sheet, November 1997, L00517K, 2 pp. Hosted as File:MessagePad Accessories data sheet (1997).pdf. Order numbers and specifications for MessagePad 120/130 and 2000/2100 accessories.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 The Newton FAQ Group, Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, 2a "What are the part numbers for Newton devices and accessories?", newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026). Community list of Apple service part numbers.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, B1a "What type of storage cards can I use?", B1b "Which storage cards are compatible with my Newton?" and B1c "Can I use a PCMCIA storage card adapter in my Newton?", newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026). Community reference: SRAM and linear Flash supported natively; the compatibility table by chip family; Intel model number patterns; SRAM cards said to work only up to 4 MB; Newton OS 2.x believed necessary above 4 MB, with one report of a 40 MB card working in a MessagePad 100; ATA media through Paul Guyot's ATA Support package and a PCMCIA adapter.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia, "MessagePad" (read 2 October 2026), section on connectivity.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Cary Lu, "Newton", Macworld, September 1993, pp. 102–105, archive.org. US$149 external modem, 2,400 bit/s data and 9,600 bit/s fax, no fax receive in the first software release; US$99 Newton Print Pack, a serial-to-parallel cable with driver software stored in it; US$129 Newton Connection Kit and US$199 Connection Pro.
  7. ↑ Apple Computer, Apple MessagePad Handbook (Newton 2.0), 030-8951-A, 1996, chapter 14, printed p. 342 ("There is no dial tone"). Hosted as File:Apple MessagePad Handbook (Newton 2.0, 1996).pdf.
  8. ↑ Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, B2a "Which modems can I use?", newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026).
  9. ↑ Apple Computer, Newton Connection Kit for Windows User's Guide, 030-5277-A, 1994. Hosted as File:Newton Connection Kit for Windows User's Guide (1994).pdf; listed on Apple Newton User Manuals.
  10. ↑ Apple Computer, Newton Backup Utility User's Guide for the Macintosh Operating System, 008-0027-A, 1995, p. 1. Hosted as File:Newton Backup Utility User's Guide for Mac OS (1995).pdf.
  11. ↑ Apple Computer, MessagePad 2100 data sheet, November 1997. Hosted as File:MessagePad 2100 data sheet (1997).pdf. Newton Connection Utilities software included.
  12. ↑ Apple Computer, About Cables, 030-8266-A, 1995, held by UNNA as AboutCables.pdf.
  13. ↑ Apple Computer, Connecting a Newton PDA to your Macintosh, 030-7372-A, 1995, held by UNNA as ConnectingMPtoMac.pdf.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, 1k "What makes a grey Newton Serial Adapter different from a black one?" and B10 "Are there any accessories that use the Interconnect port?", newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026). Four known variants (black "Taiwan N 1", grey "Taiwan N 2", black "China N 1" and "China N 2"); part number 590-0756 moulded into every one; the grey version made for the pre-production DVT MessagePad 2000, after a pin in the port was changed between EVT2 and DVT; Apple's only InterConnect accessories being this adapter and an InterConnect-to-DB-9 cable.
  15. ↑ Apple Computer, eMate 300 (Service Source), Symptom Charts: Serial Port, PDF p. 40. Hosted as File:EMateServiceManual.pdf.
  16. ↑ Apple Computer, Newton Interconnect Port Hardware Specification for the MessagePad, draft of 13 August 1997, Table 1-1 and pp. 1-8 to 1-11. Hosted as File:Newton Interconnect Port Hardware Specification (1997).pdf; see Newton Interconnect Port Hardware Specification.
  17. ↑ Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, C6f "How do I fix the broken serial port on my MessagePad 2000/2100?", newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026).
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Apple Computer, Newton Print Pack 2.0 ReadMe, 1998, held by UNNA as drivers/printer/PrintPack2/readme.txt (read 2 October 2026). The Print Pack 1.0 cable with embedded software that installs automatically; the 2.0 cable without it; installation through Newton Connection Utilities or the Newton Backup Utility; the 1.0 cable working with 2.0 software; the seven 2.0 drivers; the GDTPrintDriver conflict with Newton Package Installer; two known printing limitations.
  19. ↑ Apple Computer, Using the Newton Print Pack, 033-0870-A, 1998, pp. 1–5 and the compatibility list. Hosted as File:Using the Newton Print Pack (1998).pdf.
  20. ↑ Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, B8 "Which printers can I use?", newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026).
  21. ↑ Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, B7 "Which power adapters can I use?", newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026).
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Sharp Corporation, Service Manual, Model BO-A300, Chapter 1 (PDF p. 2): stylus pen 125.7 × 8.5 × 5.5 mm, no cable, no switch. Hosted as File:Sharp BO-A300 Newton MessagePad Service Manual.pdf.
  23. ↑ Apple Computer, eMate 300 (Service Source), Exploded View, PDF p. 118: Stylus (Pen) 922-2682. Hosted as File:EMateServiceManual.pdf.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Newton FAQ, Part II: Hardware, C10 "Why doesn't a Newton pen work on an iPad?" and B12 on 3D-printed parts, newtonfaq.com (read 2 October 2026). Resistive touchscreens; an Apple Pencil works as a Newton pen; open 3D models for the MessagePad 100 stylus and the 110/120/130 stylus.
  25. ↑ Apple Computer, Apple MessagePad Handbook (Newton 2.0), 1996, Pen care, p. viii (PDF p. 8). Hosted as File:Apple MessagePad Handbook (Newton 2.0, 1996).pdf.
  26. ↑ Apple Computer, Apple MessagePad Handbook (Newton 2.0), 1996, Quick Start, step 5, printed pp. 5–6.


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