Thread
Complete Collection of Every Compact Mac?
Well, according to the early mac serial number decoder, my 512Ke with serial number F737453M0001ED, was the 4797th manufactured during the 37th week of 1987 in Fremont, CA. Now, 37th week? After quick calculation I make that about halfway through September, so right at the very end of the line. I guess that could explain the evolution of the colour and badge towards more Plus-like characteristics... 
So who do we contact at LEM to ask for a correction of the dates in the two articles I've linked above?
I look forward to seeing these "platinum" 512ke photos. Please put the camera on a tripod in a well lit room, and shoot without a strobe (or go outside). Please white-balance on a sheet of white paper. If the photos aren't white balanced, it will be difficult or impossible to see the true color. Of course, if you can sit a beige machine side by side with the platinum machine, that would help too.
I look forward to seeing these "platinum" 512ke photos. Please put the camera on a tripod in a well lit room, and shoot without a strobe (or go outside). Please white-balance on a sheet of white paper. If the photos aren't white balanced, it will be difficult or impossible to see the true color. Of course, if you can sit a beige machine side by side with the platinum machine, that would help too.
Sorry - didn't have a few spare hours to do all that, just put the kids to bed and I need some sleep. But I've put the somewhat shakey photos I just snapped up for the time being.
http://macdownunder.no-ip.info/Platinum512ke
What I hadn't noticed before was that it is an ED model (and I thought I didn't have one!). As Kallikak has described, the Apple Logo on the front is not on a square inset, but more like the Mac Plus (minus the sign writing). The ED model number is on the rear. I have also taken a pic of the serial number which includes an ED suffix also.
If I get a chance over the weekend I might be able to take some better photos - but for the moment I have a busy job and two kids under 5 that take most of my time.
Kind regards,
Macdownunder.
Have you tried a google image search for "Macintosh ED"? This page, for example certainly shows "Macintosh ED" on the front, and the machine looks pretty platinum to me - http://www.apple-classic.de/page2/page2.html
Macdownunder, thank you for taking time to post the photos. And with two youngsters under the age of 5 myself, I know what you mean!
What you have is (to my eyes, based on your photos, anyway) a beige Mac 512k "European Directive" certified machine. There is nothing special about it insofar as it looks and works just like any other beige 512. It simply complied with the laws in various European countries, just like FCC in the USA. (The analog board may be of the "international 220v type, but again, this doesn't affect appearance or functionality of the machine.)
Knubbel Mac claims the ED machines were sold to the "educational" market. Whether that was true for all ED machines, I don't know. But the fact remains that the ED machines were made for sales in Europe.
After having look at the Macintosh ED photo on the page Kallikak mentions, it looks quite Platinum. However, white balance could be at work here. If not that, then we could "assume" the European version of the 512 got the Platinum look -- but I am leary to make such an assumption based on one tiny photo. Nevertheless, it would be hard to screw up the white balance on a beige machine to make it look platinum, so perhaps there is some merit to the theory. Also, aside from bad lighting in Macdownunder's photos, I believe that yellowing of the case could also mask the true color of the machine. But if you flip the machine over and look at the bottom, you can see what the true color was (most case-bottoms don't yellow much at all).
What you have is (to my eyes, based on your photos, anyway) a beige Mac 512k "European Directive" certified machine. There is nothing special about it insofar as it looks and works just like any other beige 512. It simply complied with the laws in various European countries, just like FCC in the USA. (The analog board may be of the "international 220v type, but again, this doesn't affect appearance or functionality of the machine.)
Knubbel Mac claims the ED machines were sold to the "educational" market. Whether that was true for all ED machines, I don't know. But the fact remains that the ED machines were made for sales in Europe.
After having look at the Macintosh ED photo on the page Kallikak mentions, it looks quite Platinum. However, white balance could be at work here. If not that, then we could "assume" the European version of the 512 got the Platinum look -- but I am leary to make such an assumption based on one tiny photo. Nevertheless, it would be hard to screw up the white balance on a beige machine to make it look platinum, so perhaps there is some merit to the theory. Also, aside from bad lighting in Macdownunder's photos, I believe that yellowing of the case could also mask the true color of the machine. But if you flip the machine over and look at the bottom, you can see what the true color was (most case-bottoms don't yellow much at all).
I found a Mac fan page that states that the 512K ED was platinum instead of beige. Your model number with the ED at the end suggests to me that is what this is. It is possible that some models did not have the Macintosh ED markings on the front or that someone cleverly removed the markings.
Here is a photo I found of an ED
http://www.homecomputer.de/images/machines/Apple_Macintosh_512k_ED_Large.jpg
It is clearly platinum. It does say Macintosh ED on the front, but I wouldn't imagine it would be too hard to remove without causing damage.
Here is a photo I found of an ED
http://www.homecomputer.de/images/machines/Apple_Macintosh_512k_ED_Large.jpg
It is clearly platinum. It does say Macintosh ED on the front, but I wouldn't imagine it would be too hard to remove without causing damage.
Given the statements about the Apple logo on the bezel, and the date of release of the first platinum Pluses, perhaps it can now be hypothesized thus:
512Ke: Released in Apr. '86, in beige, with Apple logo in relief on an incuse rectangle, and with serial numbers beginning F6. From Jan. '87, provided with platinum Plus bezel, with flush-set logo, but with no legend beside the logo, and with serial numbers beginning F7. Withdrawn in Sep. '87.
Plus: Released in Jan. '86, in beige(, with Apple logo in relief on an incuse rectangle, and with serial numbers beginning F6). From Jan. '87, provided with platinum Plus bezel, with flush-set logo, with Macintosh Plus (or ED) legend beside the logo(, and with serial numbers beginning F7 to F0). Withdrawn in Oct. '90.
Parenthetical portions are conjectural, since I have no Pluses of my own to check. The use of platinum buckets with the appropriate cutouts for SCSI and miniDIN-8, or DB-9, should follow the pattern above.
My four youngsters range from 46 to 39, and are no trouble at all ... But I remember when.
de
512Ke: Released in Apr. '86, in beige, with Apple logo in relief on an incuse rectangle, and with serial numbers beginning F6. From Jan. '87, provided with platinum Plus bezel, with flush-set logo, but with no legend beside the logo, and with serial numbers beginning F7. Withdrawn in Sep. '87.
Plus: Released in Jan. '86, in beige(, with Apple logo in relief on an incuse rectangle, and with serial numbers beginning F6). From Jan. '87, provided with platinum Plus bezel, with flush-set logo, with Macintosh Plus (or ED) legend beside the logo(, and with serial numbers beginning F7 to F0). Withdrawn in Oct. '90.
Parenthetical portions are conjectural, since I have no Pluses of my own to check. The use of platinum buckets with the appropriate cutouts for SCSI and miniDIN-8, or DB-9, should follow the pattern above.
My four youngsters range from 46 to 39, and are no trouble at all ... But I remember when.
de
I just checked yahoo auction for compact Mac's and even thought they have insane high starting bids not a single soul is bidding.
FYI in case this helps the discussion....
My 512Ke (M0001E) was made 45th week of 1986 and is beige.
My 512Ke (M0001E) was made 45th week of 1986 and is beige.
Well my kids are 4 and 6, and they love using my macs - from the Plus to the iMac. This means I can set them up on a machine each while I work on my other machines, and my wife still counts it as child minding!
Here's an old picture I have showing my Platinum Plus, Platinum 512Ke, Beige HD20 and Beige mouse. The 512Ke is more platinum than the Plus! The ports at the rear as for any other 128K/512K mac. http://school.anhb.uwa.edu.au/personalpages/kwessen/mac/PlusAnd512Ke.jpg
Ken
Here's an old picture I have showing my Platinum Plus, Platinum 512Ke, Beige HD20 and Beige mouse. The 512Ke is more platinum than the Plus!
The ports at the rear as for any other 128K/512K mac. http://school.anhb.uwa.edu.au/personalpages/kwessen/mac/PlusAnd512Ke.jpgKen
On both of the 128k/512k/Plus mice that I have, the button is greyish, whereas yours looks to be the same colour as the rest of the mouse - were there two revisions of this mouse? I've never seen one like yours before.
Yup. Yours is likely a platinum mouse or has a button from a platinum mouse. His is beige. I have only two Plus mice and both are beige because I didn't have my platinum Plus yet at the time I bought them. The keyboards on the beige and platinum are different colors, too.
I think you'll find Kallikak's pictured mouse is the model made for the Apple //c and not strictly for the Macintosh (although they will fit and work of course).
Regards,
Macdownunder
Not exactly, it's longer for starters, hence the deeper case on the CC
All compacts have a 9" screen but the colour classic has a 10", trust me on this one, I took the guts out of a Colour classic in the hopes I could stick it in a SE case. The screen does not fit in the bezel.
OK - time to go to the source. Here's a note from Apple's Colour Classic Hardware Reference ( http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Hardware/Developer_Notes/Macintosh_CPUs-68K_Desktop/Mac_Color_Classic.pdf ).
Ken
So the 10" diagonal measurement must be the unmounted CRT itself then? I measured the diagonal on a Classic II and a Color Classic and they were almost the same - close to 9". Not that it REALLY matters
OK - found some time today. I have replaced the photos on my website:
http://macdownunder.no-ip.info/Platinum512ke/
These were taken outside in daylight on a white background - as requested. The following machines are in the line up (both back and front shots):
1). Beige Mac512ke
2). Platinum Mac512ke
3). Beige MacPlus
4). Platinum MacPlus
Hopefully this, along with Kallikak's photos, will settle the discussion on whether a 512 was manufactured in platinum.
Regards,
Macdownunder.
macdownunder, excellent photos with an amazing amount of detail -- enough to show a dead spider inside the handle of your platinum 512!
Well, unless someone can produce a photo of a US version 512 in platinum, I think we can safely say this gives quite solid evidence that (a) there was indeed a platinum 512k built, and ( B) that version was made especially for sale in Europe.
Thanks again for your time in shooting those photos. And watch out for any further spiders that might still be alive and biting! 8-o
Well, unless someone can produce a photo of a US version 512 in platinum, I think we can safely say this gives quite solid evidence that (a) there was indeed a platinum 512k built, and ( B) that version was made especially for sale in Europe.
Thanks again for your time in shooting those photos. And watch out for any further spiders that might still be alive and biting! 8-o
I always assumed that the old (beige) Plus was the one that had the 128/512-style front ie the logo in a square and no writing, and the Platinum the newer one that had the text? Did they also make some that had the text but the old colour then? I had assumed mine was just a little yellow, but actually it looks hard to tell the difference between a yellowed Platinum Plus and a Beige Plus.
Although maybe mine is more like the one you have one the far right in your picture, I think it's probably not as yellow as the Beige one. Presumably the one second-from-left is that machine's original colour, as that looks roughly the same colour as my G3, which is unyellowed. That Platinum 512ke is amazing, it looks brand new!
The colors have to be way off in that picture. Anything in platinum came with an extended keyboard. I don't think the old style keyboards even exist in platinum.
Your excellent pics vindicate my suggestion above, based on release and lifetime dates. They also support EveryMac's assertion that the 512Ke's prolongation of life after the release of the Plus was as a low-end version of the Plus. It makes sense, in that what could the Plus be more than if there was no low-end model? So it is also no surprise that its codename was Mac Minus.
Do you know whether your 512Kes were ever associated with the Apple/University Consortium program? My beige 512Ke has the model designation M0001ED, as yours do. The same LowEndMac piece above decodes the 'E' in 'ED' as 'extended' (the 'e' in 512Ke), and the 'D' as 'education'.
de
It's quite possible. The source I got them from did receive a lot of equipment from Melbourne University which had a Mac Consortium. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to be able to confirm it absolutely.
Kind regards,
Macdownunder
FWIW, I have a beige Plus with the text on the front, as well.
Macdownunder ... I can't remember if you posted the serial numbers for these Macs and your site is down. If you did not, would you please post the serial numbers at your convenience so they can be dated? In particular the Platinum 512Ke Thanks ...
I'd like to add to the confusion here with some of what i've picked up over the years of collecting the compacts... Hopefully I can convey this in a way that makes sense without pictures...
The Mac Plus with the 512k style front was (as far as i can find out) an upgraded Mac 512k.
Apple released an upgrade kit consisting of a Mac Plus logic board and a BEIGE Mac Plus 1MB rear 'bucket' - which replaced the old 512k parts to make a - Beige Mac Plus 1MB but with keeping the original old style beige 512k front bezel.
Also, an easy way to differentiate between a Beige Mac and a yellowed Platinum Mac is look at the rear power switch. The Beige style power switch is two tone (dark rocker switch with lighter outer surround). The Platinum's switch is one colour. Also, the keyboard connector 'hole' at the front can give away the difference. Beige Mac's have the connector set back in a rectangle, Platinum Mac's connector is not set back.
Lastly, there are 29 variations or different models of the compact range that i hope to accumulate, 25 if you aren't counting Colour display models... I can post up my list if anyones interested? I am seven short of what i consider a 'full collection.'
The Mac Plus with the 512k style front was (as far as i can find out) an upgraded Mac 512k.
Apple released an upgrade kit consisting of a Mac Plus logic board and a BEIGE Mac Plus 1MB rear 'bucket' - which replaced the old 512k parts to make a - Beige Mac Plus 1MB but with keeping the original old style beige 512k front bezel.
Also, an easy way to differentiate between a Beige Mac and a yellowed Platinum Mac is look at the rear power switch. The Beige style power switch is two tone (dark rocker switch with lighter outer surround). The Platinum's switch is one colour. Also, the keyboard connector 'hole' at the front can give away the difference. Beige Mac's have the connector set back in a rectangle, Platinum Mac's connector is not set back.
Lastly, there are 29 variations or different models of the compact range that i hope to accumulate, 25 if you aren't counting Colour display models... I can post up my list if anyones interested? I am seven short of what i consider a 'full collection.'
OK, I'll bite then: please post your list, I'd love to know what you consider the 29 variants of the Compact Mac (including the colour models).
Well thats what I have it was either a 128K or 512K but one of the previous owners got the official upgrade kit to a Mac Plus
But the real question is what category does this fit into? Is t a Mac Plus or is it a 512K? You could look at it as a modded 512K or you could look at it as having the parts that made it a 512K removed. Either way it has a bad solder joint on the analogue board(most likely) and the monitor only comes on if pressure is applied to the side of the case :-/ but thats a topic for another post some other time :lol:
In addition to the logic board and the bucket i also believe it came with a new keyboard, however the rocker is part of the analogue board my rocker switch is a lighter color than the rest of the computer and is one color. Everything else you said is absolutely true about that kit.
ok, lets count;
1. Macintosh
2. Macintosh 128k
3. Macintosh 512k
4. Macintosh 512ke
5. Macintosh 512ke (Platinum)
6. Macintosh ED
7. Macintosh Plus
8. Macintosh Plus (Platinum)
9. Macintosh SE 1/20
10. Macintosh SE 800/800
11. Macintosh SE FDHD
12. Macintosh SE/30
13. Macintosh Classic
14. Macintosh Classic II
15. Macintosh Colour Classic
16. Macintosh Colour Classic II
17. Macintosh Performa 200
18. Macintosh Performa 250
19. Macintosh Performa 275
... ??
1. Macintosh
2. Macintosh 128k
3. Macintosh 512k
4. Macintosh 512ke
5. Macintosh 512ke (Platinum)
6. Macintosh ED
7. Macintosh Plus
8. Macintosh Plus (Platinum)
9. Macintosh SE 1/20
10. Macintosh SE 800/800
11. Macintosh SE FDHD
12. Macintosh SE/30
13. Macintosh Classic
14. Macintosh Classic II
15. Macintosh Colour Classic
16. Macintosh Colour Classic II
17. Macintosh Performa 200
18. Macintosh Performa 250
19. Macintosh Performa 275
... ??