While surfing the Mac auctions the other day I noticed that the
original compact Macs were getting ridiculously cheap. SE/30s hover around $25, while an
SE gets no bids at $5.
This is understandable: "slow" is a charitable term to apply to the
processors in these machines. Their original hard disks 
have a
smaller capacity than Zip disks, and some of them can't use more than
4 MB of memory.
Useless, right?
Well, maybe not. The cost (less than $50 in the auctions) and the
minor surgery of adding an Ethernet card to an SE or SE/30, can give
you the ultimate USB Mac accessory. In one device you get a floppy disk
drive (with caveats), a SCSI controller capable of driving up to seven
additional devices, a tiny hard drive (possibly), and a whole other
computer which can still do everything a computer could do in 1987 and
then some. Best of all, you get all the charm that a compact Mac
exudes.
A note: in the directions below, unless I mention the SE and SE/30
separately, SE refers to the family of computers to which the SE and
SE/30 belong. I briefly considered referring to this family of Macs as
the SE/x family. You can see why I decided otherwise.
Here's what to do.
1. Get a Mac SE or SE/30
The online auctions have them. The thrift shops have them. The
garage sales have them. Be careful, though, since only certain classic
Macs will do what we want. Mac 128s, 512s, Pluses, Classics, and
Classic IIs do not have expansion slots like the SE and SE/30, so they
aren't nearly as easy to put on an Ethernet network. The first SEs
shipped with 800 KB Mac format only floppy drives, so you'll want to
get an SE FDHD (Floppy Drive, High Density), an SE SuperDrive (same
thing, cooler name), or an SE/30, which all had MS-DOS format
compatible 1.4 MB floppy drives.
It'll need at least 4 MB of RAM (either already in the computer
or in the form of four 1 MB 30-pin SIMMs). Most SEs that have
survived this long have 4M of RAM already installed, but some stock
2.5M machines are still around. Don't pay more than $5 a SIMM for
30-pin RAM if you have to buy more. If your SE is a 2.5 MB, you'll only
need to replace the two 256k SIMMs with 1 MB SIMMs to bring it up
to 4 MB. SEs have a RAM ceiling of 4 MB (which was a ton of
memory in 1987). SE/30s have the still impressive limit of 128 MB, but
if you can find eight 16 MB 30-pin SIMMs, you're fairly
extraordinary.
Don't pay more than $15 for an SE FDHD, and don't pay more than $30
for a stock SE/30. SE/30s were hot machines in their day, and it isn't
impossible to find a very customized example with a huge hard drive and
up to 128 MB of RAM. Pay what you feel is reasonable for a custom
SE/30. Try to find a system with the keyboard, mouse, and the necessary
RAM, so you don't have to search for them separately.
If you can find one with an Ethernet card installed, add $5 to the
price you'd pay - and subtract the whole painful process described
below.
If you can't find an SE with an Ethernet card built in, look in the
same places you found your SE. Don't pay more for an Ethernet card than
you did for the rest of the computer! SE and SE/30 cards are not
interchangeable (SE/30 and IIsi cards are interchangeable, and a IIsi
with an Ethernet card might be cheaper and easier to find than the card
alone), so make sure to get the correct card for your machine. Make
sure the driver setup floppy comes with it.
2. Install the right System Software.
System 7.0.1 is about perfect for a 4 MB SE or an 8 MB
SE/30, and it's free for the downloading from Apple's web site. System
7.5.5, also free, has more functionality, but it requires more
resources. If you have an SE/30 with 8 MB or more RAM and an 80 MB or
larger hard drive, go for it. Don't bother buying Systems 7.6 or 8.x
for an SE/30; it's processor is a generation too old to work with
them.
If you are a purist or a masochist, you can probably accomplish
everything I mention later with 2.5 MB and some version of System 6,
but my directions won't necessarily work.
3. Install the Ethernet card. (skip to 4 if your SE already has
Ethernet)
This can be a daunting process for those unfamiliar with the insides
of a compact Mac. It really isn't all that complicated, though. Follow
any installation directions that come with the card or follow my
directions below.
I really can't encourage you enough to try to find an SE with an
Ethernet card already installed. However, if you are up for the
challenge, here's how.
First, the standard warning: WHENEVER OPENING AN ALL-IN-ONE MAC (or
any TV or computer monitor), AVOID THE "SUCTION CUP" ON THE BACK OF THE
SCREEN TUBE. ENOUGH ELECTRICITY TO KILL YOU HIDES UNDER THERE. Be
extremely careful with anything associated with the screen tube,
including the entire analog board. Electrocution isn't fun.
A) Start by removing all four screws from the back. There are two
screws in the recess below the handle grip on the top of the case, and
one at each end of the line of ports at the bottom of the back. The
heads on all of these screws are Torx, so you might have to buy or
borrow a tool. Make sure your Torx driver has a long enough shaft to
get to the handle screws. Sears sells one for less than $5.
B) Once the screws are out, use your fingernails and all of your
patience to slowly work the entire front chassis away from the back
cover, prying with a screwdriver or knife will just mar the case. One
helpful tip: put the bottom two screws back in a turn or two, then push
in on them with your thumbs while pulling back with your fingers on the
side, this will help to pop the back cover off of the chassis.
If you need to add RAM, do it now, by disconnecting all of the
cables attached to the logic board, and sliding it out of the chassis.
The SIMM slots are easy to spot, the SE has four and the SE/30 has
eight. Read Low End Mac's SE/30 page for
info about putting more than 8 MB in an SE/30. Put in the memory
you want, slide the logic board back in, and reconnect the ribbon and
power cables.
As long as you have the case off of the SE, this would be a good
time for a few other improvements. Blow compressed air through the
floppy drive to clean it out. If you have a spare larger Mac SCSI HD,
then by all means replace the 20M or 40M disk that's in there.
C) Slide the Ethernet card into the Processor Direct Slot, on the
side not blocked by the analog board, and attach the interface (the
Ethernet jack) card to the chassis with two little screws.
Make sure you remove the spacer on the back cover, so that you can
get to the Ethernet interface card you just installed, and then put the
cover carefully back on the computer.
If you've done everything correctly you should get the happy Mac
when you switch it back on. If not, make sure all your connections are
nice and solid and try again. I would recommend not putting the screws
back in until you've verified the computer's functionality.
D) Install any Ethernet drivers that came with the card.
3. Create an Ethernet network between your USB Mac and your
SE.
Not too much physical effort here, just cables and Control
Panels.
A) Buy or make a "crossover cable." A regular Ethernet patch cable
will not work between two Macs. An 8' crossover cable costs about $10.
Connect the crossover cable to both computers.
If you have an Ethernet hub, you could use it between the two Macs
with regular patch cables connecting them instead of the crossover. If
you are only going to have these two computers, it is less expensive to
simply use a crossover cable.
B) On the SE, open the "Network" Control Panel and set AppleTalk to
use the Ethernet port. Close the Control Panel.
C) On the USB Mac, open the "AppleTalk" Control Panel and set it to
Ethernet. Close the Control Panel. (Yes, this is the default, but humor
me and do it anyway.)
D) On the SE, open the "Sharing Setup" Control Panel. Give the SE an
owner, a password, and a name, and then click the "Start" file sharing
button. Close the Control Panel.
E) On the USB Mac, open the Chooser. Select AppleShare, and then
select the SE as a file server. Enter the owner's name and
password.
Select any drives on the SE that you wish to share. If it has an
internal hard drive, you can connect up to six external SCSI devices to
the SE, including external hard drives, CD-ROM drives, Zip/Jaz drives,
and SyQuest drives. Anything the SE can mount and share can be used by
the USB Mac. Check the check box next to each device you'd like to
mount at start up, and set the radio button to save your name and
password.
Close the Chooser.
F) On the USB Mac, open the "File Sharing" Control Panel. Give the
USB Mac the same owner, a password, and a name, and then click the
"Start" file sharing button. Close the Control Panel.
G) On the SE, open the Chooser. Select AppleShare and then select
the USB Mac as a file server. Enter the password. Select the USB Mac's
start up volume, and check the mount at start up box.
H) On the SE open the USB Mac's start up volume. Find the "Desktop
Folder." Make an alias to the Desktop Folder and drag it to the SE's
desktop. Rename the alias "Floppy Server" or something similar.
Unfortunately you can't directly share floppy disks. You can,
however, on the SE, drag the floppy's icon onto the "Floppy Server"
(Desktop Folder alias) icon. This will cause a folder, identical to the
floppy disk, to appear on the USB Mac's Desktop.
This is an extra step, but it is also the reason an SE is the
perfect SCSI Mac for this purpose. Another SCSI Mac could do the same
thing, but would require a CPU case and monitor and all the additional
space and cords that would add. The SE just sits there happily with its
tiny footprint, and its buckets of style.
I) Other possibilities.
You could follow basically the same procedure above but put the
floppy 's files in another location on the USB Mac. For instance:
another local volume's Desktop Folder, a specific folder in one of the
volumes (not on the Desktop), or on a RAM disk. You could also go to
the trouble of using DiskCopy to create a disk image of the floppy and
share that across the network.
J) Stand back and admire your creation.
So, what have you got for your effort?
You have a modern USB Mac that can cruise the Internet, play all the
newest games, play your MP3s, and generally be the coolest computer on
earth, just like it was straight out of the box.
You also have a classic Mac with all its charm and functionality
attached to your USB Mac. You can surf the Internet on your USB Mac for
games and screen savers and other applications for your SE. If you are
working on something on the USB Mac, you can pop over to the SE to use
the calculator, or to play a quick classic Mac game like Stuntcopter,
or solitaire, or reversi, or Risk, or Star Wars, or....
You can connect all those SCSI peripherals you've ignored for years.
With the right software, you can share some of your serial peripherals,
like that old StyleWriter, as well.
With the right software on your USB Mac, you can even share your
Internet connection with the SE, making it the perfect E-mail checker
or UNIX terminal. if you're a fan of ancient Internet applications you
could scrounge up a copy of MacWeb and see what the Web looks like in
black and white.
An SE vs. a USB FD
Cost
USB FD: A USB Floppy Drive costs $75-$99. It plugs right in, and set
up takes at most 3 minutes.
SEs: Our "worst case," an SE FDHD with a 20 MB hard drive and 2.5 MB
RAM at $10, a Torx driver at $5, two 1 MB 30-pin SIMMs at $5 each,
an Ethernet card at $10, and a crossover cable at $10, adds up to a
total price of $45 and about an hour of assembly and set up.
Our "best case," an SE/30 with a 250 MB hard drive, 20 MB RAM, and
an Ethernet card already installed at $35 and a crossover cable at $10,
adds up to a total price of $45 and about 30 seconds to connect the
crossover cable to the machines, and 5 minutes to set up.
Winner: SE/30. The extra $30-$54 you'd save makes up for the 2
minutes difference of set up time. It's up to you if an hour of your
time is worth $54 savings for the SE.
Ease of Use
USB FD: A USB floppy drive mounts, reads, writes, and ejects 1.4 MB
floppy disks traditionally and quickly. However, it cannot mount 800 KB
floppies.
SE: An SE requires copying the floppy's files to one of the USB
Mac's volumes, which can take up to a minute. And you have to throw
away the copied files on the USB Mac as well as ejecting the floppy
itself from the SE, when you're done.
Winner: The USB FD is easier to use.
Style
USB FD: A USB Floppy Drive is usually some version of curvy
translucent plastic. All very nice and USB Mac complimentary, assuming
of course that your USB Mac and your USB FD are the same color. The
tiny size of a USB FD makes it easy to hide if it clashes.
SE: An SE does not match your USB Mac. It is, however, the very
essence of Mac-ness and a great contrast to the latest Macs, especially
iMacs. Compact Macs are the '55-'57 Chevys of Mac style - they always
look cool, even next to a new Ferarri (that's the USB Mac, for the
simile impaired).
On the other hand, its footprint is considerably larger than a USB
floppy drive, especially considering keyboard and mousing space.
Winner: To me, it's the SEs. I'd rather have a whole '57 Chevy than
just a matching car-top carrier for my new Ferarri. Of course, I have a
big garage.
Other Features
USB FD: none.
SEs: The SE is a slow but fully functional SCSI Mac. You can play
games, process words, check email, and open and save files. You can
load up its SCSI controller with seven sharable SCSI peripherals and
share certain serial devices, too.
SE/30s were widely used as servers back in their day. They can still
run freeware web, file, and mail servers.
SEs make really cool alarm clocks.
With some toys from the Radio Shack catalog, SE/30s can run all your
X10 controlled appliances and lights in your "home of the future!"
And some day when we're all using telepathic interfaces to control
our TeraHertz quantum computers, a
broken SE will still make a great fish tank.
Winner: The SEs.
If you have the need to use floppy disks on your USB Mac, there are
two ways you can go. You can go the reasonable, easy, slightly more
expensive way, or you could adopt a compact Mac into your home. Even if
you already have a USB floppy drive attached to your USB Mac, the SCSI
controller and the style make an SE worth the time, space, and
money.
As a last note, almost everything you can do with an SE/30 can be
done with a Color Classic. If only they were $35 on the
auctions!
___ ___ __ __ __ _____ ______ ___ __
| V | | \| | ___| \/ \| |
| | | | _)_| O / O \ |__
|__|V|__|__|__|\__|_____|__|\__\_/ \_/_____)
Al Miner
Computer Guy, St.Thomas More School
3515 S.48th Ave. Omaha, NE 68106
e-mail: mineral@STM.creighton.edu
web: http://www.STMomaha.org
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
