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Manuel Mejia Jr - 2002.11.05
Of all of the Triassic Macs, the Mac Plus has the most sentimental value among the Low End Mac community. For many 1980s computer users, it was the first Mac they ever owned. For others, it was the first device they used as a replacement for the venerable typewriter.
The Mac Plus is probably the most durable Mac ever produced by
Apple. Unlike the typewriter, there were no moving 
parts that needed periodic cleaning and oiling.
Indeed, other than the keyboard, the mouse, and the floppy drive,
The Plus has no moving parts. It operates as a silent servant. The
Plus is capable of silent operation because it doesd not use any
type of cooling fan. Cooling was done using passive convection
through vents molded into the case.
Parts that don't move tend to last a very long time - but there are a few exceptions. One non-moving part that has to be attended to from time to time is the Plus' parameter settings or PRAM battery. This battery allows the Plus to maintain the internal clock while the computer is not in use and unpowered.
The Plus uses an Eveready 523 4.5 volt alkaline battery. The battery is about the size of the more familiar 1.5 volt AA cell that is used in portable CD players. The Eveready 523 battery is not the typical battery one could buy at a local discount store. It also does not have the long lifespan that is enjoyed by more modern lithium cells
As time and Mac models came and went, the old 523 became difficult to find. "Battery Plus," the specialty battery outfit, does not carry the 523 or its Ray-O-Vac equivalent. When my 523 died, Battery Plus took 3 "1/2 AA" size 1.5 volt batteries and encased them in series using shrinkwrap thermoplastic. Presto ! I had a new 4.5 volt PRAM battery for my Mac Plus.
Another problem that appears on the Triassic Mac Plus is the gradual decay of the video picture. This is due to the video card. This card, with its large electrolytic capacitors and transformer, is mounted sideways against one wall of the Plus. Over time, the weight of the transformer pulls its contacts away from the circuit board. The result - an erratic picture.
A permanent fix requires resoldering the transformer back onto the circuit board. A provisional fix that also rectifies the problem calls for slapping the right side of the Plus so that the transformer is knocked back into its proper physical location! What interesting tales one learns from an old Apple techie. I have tested the theory, and it appears to be sound.
In terms of the electrolytic capacitors, after a decade or so the substances that make up the inside of the capacitor degrade. This can cause the capacitor to burn out. Once this happens, you have to replace the capacitors with new ones. See Replacements for High Failure Probability Parts on Mac 128K/512K/Plus Analog Board for a helpful parts list.
When Apple conceived the design for the Mac Plus in 1986, they anticipated that the computer buyer would keep the machine in use for a long time. Knowing this, they designed and built a machine that had few moving parts and would have a lifespan that would outlive several generations of Energizer Bunnies. How long a Mac Plus can last is still up to debate.
The last Plus came off the assembly line in 1990. Many thousands are still serving their masters in the new Millennium. It would not be surprising to see Mac Pluses at work for many more years to come.
Recent Triassic Mac articles
- Remembering HyperCard, 08.11. Apple's easy to use, powerful environment for creating media-rich interactive programs is fading away.
- The Web has left 68K Macs behind, 08.04. Those with older Macs are running into their own digital divide as ISPs drop support and Web and email standards evolve.
- To err is human, to correct divine, 11.21. More information on why the Mac Plus degrades over time -- and how to fix it.
- More in the Triassic Mac index.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Mac Pro overclocking, Windependence with Darwine, Blu-ray for Macs, and more, Mac News Review, 07.04. Also more on running Leopard on non-Apple hardware, Ubuntu on a Mac mini, the first autofocus webcam with Zeiss optics for Macs, and more.
- Wouldn't life be great with an iSlate?, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 07.04. PDAs and smartphones are too small for some tasks, full-fledged Tablet PCs are overkill, and ebook readers are too limited. Apple has the tech to own this niche.
- Mac of the Day: Performa 6200 May 1995 - This 'Road Apple' is one of the worst Macs ever built.
- List of the Day: G4 'Books an email list for G4 iBooks and PowerBooks.
- July 5 in LEM history: 98: The iMac: First of a family? - iMac Perfect for schools - 00: Apple is not your friend - 01: 75 Mac Advantages - Do you trust me? - 02: The joy of X with Classic - The good, the bad, and the intrusive - 05: No Quartz Extreme for Pismo - A brief history of NeXT - 06: Education iMac - iTunes and the French interoperability law - TopXNotes - Apple's secret battery reset utility - Misleading hard drive capacity
- The Macintosh Portable started a notebook revolution, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 07.03. Before Apple introduced the Mac Portable, notebook computers were text-based and ran MS-DOS. Ever since, graphical interfaces have been the norm for laptops.
- More links in our archive.