Macintosh SE FDHD
 | |
| Macintosh SE FDHD, with the "FDHD" badge under the name (All About Apple museum, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Personal computer |
| Released | 1 August 1989 |
| Discontinued | 15 October 1990 |
| Intro price | US$3,700 |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 at 7.8336 MHz |
| Memory | 1 MB, expandable to 4 MB (30-pin SIMMs, 150 ns or faster) |
| Storage | 1.4 MB SuperDrive; optional second floppy drive, or 20 or 40 MB internal SCSI hard disk |
| Display | 9-inch monochrome CRT, 512 × 342 pixels |
| Sound | Four-voice, 8-bit D/A conversion, 22 kHz sampling |
| ROM | 256 KB |
| Expansion | Macintosh SE expansion slot, 96-pin Euro-DIN |
| Power | 90–140 V AC or 170–270 V AC, 47–63 Hz, 100 W maximum |
| Dimensions | 13.6 × 9.6 × 10.9 in (34.5 × 24.4 × 27.6 cm) |
| Weight | 17–21 lb (7.7–9.5 kg), depending on drives fitted |
| OS / Firmware | System 6.0.3 – System 7.5.5 |
| Predecessor | Macintosh SE |
| Successor | Macintosh Classic |
| Model no. | M5011 |
The Macintosh SE FDHD is the Macintosh SE with Apple's 1.4 MB high-density floppy drive (FDHD, "floppy drive high density", later sold as the SuperDrive). It replaced the 800 KB SE on 1 August 1989 and was itself replaced on 15 October 1990, the day the Macintosh Classic was introduced.[1] EveryMac gives the price as US$3,700 and the model number as M5011.[2]
Apart from the drive, its controller and its ROMs, the FDHD is the same machine as the SE: same case, analogue board, power supply, memory rules and service manual. The Macintosh SE/30, introduced in January 1989, had already brought the high-density drive to the compact Macs.[3]
What changed from the SE
[edit | edit source]- The SWIM (Super Woz Integrated Machine), a development of the IWM, replaces it as the floppy controller, and the FDHD drive reads, writes and formats 400 KB, 800 KB and 1.4 MB disks.[4]
- New ROMs support the drive. System 6.0.3 or later is required; with older software the SE mistakes the high-density drive for an 800 KB mechanism.[5]
- The front bezel carries a high-density drive label, which Apple says may read "FDHD", "1.4 MB" or "SuperDrive".[5]
An older SE with its original ROMs cannot use high-density disks, but can use an FDHD drive with 800 KB disks.[1]
Identifying an FDHD logic board
[edit | edit source]Apple's rule for choosing an exchange logic board:[5]
- battery in a holder: the machine shipped with the 1.4 MB drive, so use board 661-0536;
- soldered battery with an IWM (disk controller not marked 344-0062): an 800 KB SE, board 661-0526;
- soldered battery with a SWIM (344-0062): an SE upgraded with the kit below; use 661-0526 and move the customer's SWIM and ROMs across.
The 1.4 MB drive upgrade
[edit | edit source]Apple's SuperDrive Upgrade Kit for the SE contains two ROMs, a SWIM, an audio extension cable with a ferrite bead to reduce interference, the 1.4 MB drive, system software, two labels and a return form. The procedure:[5]
- Remove the cover, discharge the CRT, and remove the video board, the hard disk or upper floppy drive, the logic board and the lower floppy drive. See CRT Discharge Procedure.
- With an IC extractor, remove the IWM and the two ROMs.
- Fit the SWIM (344-0062) at D8, the high ROM (342-0701) at D6 and the low ROM (342-0702) at D7, each with its notch towards the RAM SIMMs.
- Fit the 1.4 MB drive as the lower drive, then refit the logic board, the upper drive, the video board and the cover.
- Put the high-density label next to the lower drive slot, install System 6.0.3 or later, and run diagnostics.
- Fit the audio extension cable, ferrite end towards the audio jack, between the audio cable and the rear audio jack.
Pina records one self-inflicted fault: an SE that shows a black-and-white checkerboard with no startup sound immediately after this upgrade has a reversed or misplaced ROM or controller chip at D6, D7 or D8.[6]
Apple recommends dust shields on all 1.4 MB drives. Replacement drives ship with one fitted; clean an existing drive before adding a shield.[5]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]Apple's SE Service Source describes the FDHD machine; its specification pages list a 1.4 MB floppy drive.[5] The full table is on Macintosh SE#Specifications. The PRAM battery threshold is the SE's: replace the cell if it reads below 2.8 V.[5]
Maintenance and repair
[edit | edit source]The FDHD shares its maintenance, troubleshooting and capacitor pages with the SE:
- Macintosh SE General Maintenance
- Macintosh SE Troubleshooting
- Macintosh SE Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Macintosh SE Memory Upgrade Guide
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mac SE, Low End Mac—link(accessed 2026-09-30) The SE page also covers the FDHD: introduction and discontinuation dates, order number M5011.
- ↑ Macintosh SE FDHD Specs, EveryMac.com—link(accessed 2026-09-30)
- ↑ Mac SE/30, Low End Mac—link(accessed 2026-09-30)
- ↑ Apple Computer, Guide to the Macintosh Family Hardware, 2nd edition, Addison-Wesley, 1990, Chapter 1, p. 21. Hosted here: File:Apple Guide to the Macintosh Family Hardware 2nd Edition 1990.pdf.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Apple Computer, Macintosh SE Service Source (126 pp.), hosted here as File:Macintosh SE.pdf (see Macintosh SE Service Source). Specifications PDF pp. 6–13; Upgrades, 1.4 MB Drive Upgrade, PDF pp. 87–95; Take Apart, floppy drives, PDF pp. 55–59; Additional Procedures, Battery Verification PDF p. 98 and Identifying SE Logic Boards PDF pp. 106–111.
- ↑ Larry Pina, The Dead Mac Scrolls, Peachpit Press, 1992, p. 174. Hosted here: File:The Dead Mac Scrolls 1992.pdf.