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Macintosh SE "Resto-mod" Work Log

6

68k

Experienced Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2013
Messages
155
Location
Fort Worth, TX
Howdy!

Well, i'm bored, and I found a sweet old compact Macintosh to tinker with.

One of the reasons I couldn't resist rescuing it is because it has a CPU accelerator installed!

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16 MHz 68020 processor and 4 MB of RAM..... but no hard disk (shipped with the 2 x 800K floppy config). Obviously, this will need to change. My plan is to go with an Aztecmonster compact flash solution.
 
Anyone know where I can find a set of System 6.0.x diskettes (800K), or any recommendations on how I can build up a hard disk image and write it to a compact flash card for use in this machine?

It looks like Apple has pulled their disk images of 6.0.x and all other freeware legacy OS files from their website.
 
You might want to look into building or buying a SCSI2SD. It uses a MicroSD card, which you can put in a regular SD card carrier and just stick into a MacBook or any computer with a SD card reader.

I use them in SE and SE/30s that I'm fixing up just like you are. They work great.
 
Thanks for that! I thought about going that route, but I like the idea of having the CF card accessible from one of the floppy ports in place of one FDD. Being able to pull the card to load more software will be convenient and I won't have to mess with floppies again!

Speaking of floppies, I unearthed my PB 3400C to begin writing these 800K disks, and the floppy drive is bad! Is there an easy way I can format and install system 6 directly to a CF card via an emulator?

There has to be an easier way!
 
68k said:
Thanks for that! I thought about going that route, but I like the idea of having the CF card accessible from one of the floppy ports in place of one FDD. Being able to pull the card to load more software will be convenient and I won't have to mess with floppies again!

Speaking of floppies, I unearthed my PB 3400C to begin writing these 800K disks, and the floppy drive is bad! Is there an easy way I can format and install system 6 directly to a CF card via an emulator?

There has to be an easier way!
Click to expand...

Get the floppy emu it's brilliant:

http://www.bigmessowires.com/macintosh-floppy-emu/
 
Has anyone used rescuemyclassicmac.com to order disks? I'd rather go this route than spend hours trying to get disk images on 800K floppies.
 
I whole heartedly encourage you to get a Floppy Emu at the very least. You can then just download disk images onto it and not worry about making usable floppies. If you want usable floppies, it simply makes it easier. You copy the disk image from your modern computer onto the SD card, stick it in the Floppy Emu, mount the disk image as a floppy. Next, use Disk Copy 4.2 and copy that floppy!

It'll also work with an Apple II if you get one. It's constantly being updated for more and more support. Pretty much done, now. Even works as an HD20!
 
68k said:
Speaking of floppies, I unearthed my PB 3400C to begin writing these 800K disks, and the floppy drive is bad!
Click to expand...

Is it not reading disks or is it making funky noises?

Try taking the drive apart and cleaning the heads with isopropyl alcohol on a cuetip. Just lightly brush the cuetip on it, don't man handle it unless you want to rip the heads off.

You can also use a PC to write Mac floppy disks with emulators like Basilisk II or HFVExplorer.
 
Ordered the aztecmonster. I've removed one of the drives to begin modifying the floppy sled to accommodate the AM at the proper height. Being able to access the CF card through one of the floppy slots will be awesome!
 
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Looks stock, right? Look a bit closer.... :)



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I am really pleased at how this turned out. This will make getting files on the Mac a breeze. I can also run different operating systems on different cards, should I run into any incompatibilities with software.

Drilling the mounting holes for the metal standoffs was NOT easy. The floppy drive brackets are made of some seriously thick metal!
 
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My trusty PB 3400C has been the perfect "bridge computer" for getting system files on the CF card for use in the SE. System 6.0.8 has been loaded onto the card, now to test when I get home!


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Not that anyone seems to care at this point, but it's finished!

Getting files on the CF card is a bit more difficult that I thought. I've been copying files to the PB3400C, then using a CF PC-card adapter to attempt to load files to the CF card. 9/10 times, the PB3400 freezes mid-copy and requires a hard reset. I can't figure out why....

Anyway, here is the finished product (minus some cleaning) :)
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Thanks! Anyone know of any utilities for the PC that will let you read an HFS file system on a physical drive? I tried creating an image and opening in basilisk but that did not work.
 
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