Macintosh 512Ke
Encyclopedia
The Macintosh 512K enhanced (512Ke) was introduced in April 1986 as a cheaper alternative to the top-of-the-line Macintosh Plus
, which had debuted three months previously. It was the same as the Macintosh 512K
but with the 800K disk drive and 128K of ROM
used in the Macintosh Plus. Like its predecessors, there was little room for expansion. Some companies did create memory upgrades that would bring the machine up to 2 MB or more. It is the earliest Macintosh model able to run System 6
OS.
The 512Ke shipped with the original short Macintosh Keyboard, but the extended Macintosh Plus Keyboard with built-in numeric keypad could be purchased optionally. A version of the 512Ke sold outside of North America only included the full keyboard and was marketed as the Macintosh 512K/800. Later, the larger keyboard would be included standard in North America as well.
Although the 512Ke included the same 128K ROMs and 800K disk drive as the Mac Plus, the 512Ke retained the same port connectors as the original Mac. For this reason, 512Ke users' only hard disk option was the slower, floppy-port-based Hard Disk 20
, or similar products for the serial port, even though the 512Ke ROMs contained the "SCSI Manager" software that enabled the use of faster SCSI
hard disks. Apple did point users to certain third-party products which could be added to the 512Ke to provide a SCSI port.
could be upgraded to a 512Ke by purchasing and installing Apple's $299 Macintosh Plus
Disk Drive Kit. This included the following:
One further OEM upgrade replaced the logicboard and the rear case (to accommodate the different port configuration) with that of the Macintosh Plus
which essentially added built-in SCSI
functionality and up to 4MB RAM. As Apple's official upgrades tended to command a premium, many third party manufactures offered add-on SCSI cards as well as RAM upgrades to achieve the same functionality. The new ROM allowed the computer to run much newer system and application software and though it loaded more data into RAM it only slightly decreased the amount of available memory by 1.5K, leaving well over 370K available for applications.
Macintosh Plus
The Macintosh Plus computer was the third model in the Macintosh line, introduced on January 16, 1986, two years after the original Macintosh and a little more than a year after the Macintosh 512K, with a price tag of US$2599...
, which had debuted three months previously. It was the same as the Macintosh 512K
Macintosh 512K
The Macintosh 512K Personal Computer, also known as the "Fat Mac", is the second of a long line of Apple Macintosh computers, was the first update to the original Macintosh 128K. It was virtually identical to the previous Mac, differing primarily in the amount of built-in memory , which quadrupled...
but with the 800K disk drive and 128K of ROM
Old World ROM
Old World ROM Macintosh computers are the Macintosh models that use a Macintosh Toolbox ROM chip, usually in a socket . All Macs prior to the iMac use Old World ROM, while the iMac and all subsequent models until the introduction of the Intel-based EFI Models are New World ROM machines...
used in the Macintosh Plus. Like its predecessors, there was little room for expansion. Some companies did create memory upgrades that would bring the machine up to 2 MB or more. It is the earliest Macintosh model able to run System 6
System 6
System 6 is a graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers. It was released in 1988 by Apple Computer and was part of the Mac OS line of operating systems. System 6 was shipped with various Macintosh computers until it was succeeded by System 7 in 1991. The boxed...
OS.
Model differences
Originally, the case was identical to its predecessor, except for the model number listed on the rear bucket's agency approval label. It used the same beige-like color as well. But like the Macintosh Plus, at some point in 1987 the 512Ke adopted the standard Apple "Platinum" color, as well as the exact same case-front design as the Plus (without the name), though keeping its original rear bucket. Later in its lifespan, the 512Ke was discounted and offered to the educational market, badged as the Macintosh ED (M0001D & later M0001ED).The 512Ke shipped with the original short Macintosh Keyboard, but the extended Macintosh Plus Keyboard with built-in numeric keypad could be purchased optionally. A version of the 512Ke sold outside of North America only included the full keyboard and was marketed as the Macintosh 512K/800. Later, the larger keyboard would be included standard in North America as well.
Although the 512Ke included the same 128K ROMs and 800K disk drive as the Mac Plus, the 512Ke retained the same port connectors as the original Mac. For this reason, 512Ke users' only hard disk option was the slower, floppy-port-based Hard Disk 20
Hard Disk 20
The Macintosh Hard Disk 20 was the first hard drive developed by Apple Computer specifically for use with the Macintosh 512K. Introduced on September 17, 1985, it was part of Apple's long awaited solution toward completing the Macintosh Office announced in January 1985...
, or similar products for the serial port, even though the 512Ke ROMs contained the "SCSI Manager" software that enabled the use of faster SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
hard disks. Apple did point users to certain third-party products which could be added to the 512Ke to provide a SCSI port.
Official upgrades
A Macintosh 512KMacintosh 512K
The Macintosh 512K Personal Computer, also known as the "Fat Mac", is the second of a long line of Apple Macintosh computers, was the first update to the original Macintosh 128K. It was virtually identical to the previous Mac, differing primarily in the amount of built-in memory , which quadrupled...
could be upgraded to a 512Ke by purchasing and installing Apple's $299 Macintosh Plus
Macintosh Plus
The Macintosh Plus computer was the third model in the Macintosh line, introduced on January 16, 1986, two years after the original Macintosh and a little more than a year after the Macintosh 512K, with a price tag of US$2599...
Disk Drive Kit. This included the following:
- 800 KB double-sided floppy disk drive to replace the original 400 kB single-sided drive
- 128 KB ROM chips to replace original 64 KB ROM
- Macintosh Plus System Tools disk with updated system software
- Installation guide
One further OEM upgrade replaced the logicboard and the rear case (to accommodate the different port configuration) with that of the Macintosh Plus
Macintosh Plus
The Macintosh Plus computer was the third model in the Macintosh line, introduced on January 16, 1986, two years after the original Macintosh and a little more than a year after the Macintosh 512K, with a price tag of US$2599...
which essentially added built-in SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
functionality and up to 4MB RAM. As Apple's official upgrades tended to command a premium, many third party manufactures offered add-on SCSI cards as well as RAM upgrades to achieve the same functionality. The new ROM allowed the computer to run much newer system and application software and though it loaded more data into RAM it only slightly decreased the amount of available memory by 1.5K, leaving well over 370K available for applications.
System software
After June 1986, the 512Ke shipped with System 3.2. After it was discontinued, Apple changed the recommended OS for the 512Ke to System 4.1. System 6.0.8 is the maximum OS for the 512Ke.External links
- Macintosh 512Ke technical specifications at apple.com]