dinosaurattic

Show Notes: Apple Mac SE FDHD superdrive system

Introduction

Mac_SE/30 front view

Note: Corrections have been made to this listing based on comments from "A (self-elected/described) serious collector :-)"
1 GB Ram changed to 1MB ram, Mac SE/30 changed to Mac SE FDHD and 6800 changed to 68000 and ADDED that this has a 20MB hard disk.
Just to be clear, I'm not a big Apple user - I bought two Newtons (the original messagepad and the 2000) and a G4 powerbook new from Apple and that's it. My main go to systems were Atari. I offered to print the "Serious Collector's" comments in full on the web-page but he/she apparently didn't want to stand by their words so I'm updating the site without their hilarious commentary and this is all the credit they will get. Of course, if they were a tiny-bit smarter they could have gotten a percentage of the sale from having helped me to improve the listing but I guess for some "Serious Collectors" :-) it's more important to talk smart than to actually be smart.

Straight from the Dinosaur Attic is an excellent representative from the Apple MAC era of the late 1980's. The MAC SE FDHD is a working 68000 based system with 1MB of ram (hot stuff for the day). This one is running System 7, which did not arrive on the scene until 1991 about the same time that these were being discontinued I think - but please check with "A Serious Collector" if the dates are important to you :-)

Overview

MAC SE 30 back

The Mac SE FDHD is the successor to the original, ridiculously underpowered 128K mac and the better, but not quite there yet, Mac plus. The Mac itself looks like Apple slightly shrunk the screen and then cut the "business market" Lisa, which had been selling for about 3 years, in half, in order to create this consumer model. Even though I was working full-time at the time these came out I really couldn't justify paying the "Apple Premium" to buy a Mac anything and forget about the insanely priced Lisa. Or, to put better put the Lisa price in perspective, back then you could buy a brand new fully loaded Mustang convertible for the same money as a Lisa.

Anyway, I picked up this Mac SE much later, in the 90's, and unlike the earlier Mac's which were generally too underpowered to run System 7, this one stayed in use for most users, long after being discontinued. As usual, the Dinosaur Attic is a non-smoking environment, so there is no “Joe Camel” effect on electronics (or anything else) where they smell like an ashtray.


It's Alive

MAC SE/30 warming up

This particular system went into storage about 20 years ago when I had increasingly less time to spend on the hobby side of computers. Dinosaurattic is my vehicle for documenting some of the systems that I have collected and am now selling off as I downsize. Unsurprisingly the SE, workhorse, did boot up first time. however it is also showing its age. I have to let it "warm up" which means powering it on and letting it sit for about 5 minutes. I can then turn off the power for a couple of seconds and turn it on again. There may be an operative keyboard command to force a reboot instead of the power switch, but I havent figured it out - or more likely long forgotten what it was.


MAC SE/30 starting up

It's Running!

MAC SE/30 starting up

I haven't spent any time running this system although I have booted it up several times to take pictures and to write this up. The last time booted was 2022-03-20. That said, this is an old system. If I was going to keep it, then I would look into getting the capacitors replaced at the very minimum.

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Note: This is Classic/Vintage/Antique equipment which means it more than 20 years old and sold AS IS with the agreement that you the purchaser know how to safely test, power on and operate such equipment.


Thanks!
DinosaurAttic.com