thompson@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Mark Thompson) (03/24/91)
First off, many thanks to my respondents on the matter of updating an old 512KE: Dave Platt suggested... > Check out a board called MacRescue, by Computer Care. It's a > daughterboard which clips onto the 68000 CPU chip. It includes a SCSI > port (the connector replaces the battery-compartment drawer) and six > SIMM slots that you can fill with 256k SIMMs (available quite cheaply). He also related a story of a friend's problem installing his MacRescue into a very-unusually upgraded Mac, with Computer Care fixing the problem and installing it for him - no charge. > A 512ke with a MacRescue, six new SIMMs (for a total of 2M of memory) > and an external 40-meg drive (e.g. a Quantum, purchased from any of > several reputable third-party dealers) makes a very nice single-user > machine. I'd recommend installing an external fan (e.g. a FannyMac or a > Mac-b-cool) to supplement the convection cooling, and adjusting the > power supply's +5 trimmer once the upgrade has been completed. John Norman Sims, Jr. (synchronicity strikes!) suggested a commercial package called NewLife 1, made by Newbridge Microsystems (800-267-7231) and marketed by MAYA Computer (800-541-2318). This apparently sounds the same as a MacRescue, but is noticeably cheaper, at $199 for the package including 2MB of RAM. John also noted that SIMMs are useless in upgrading a 512 (unless you get a package that needs them, like the MacRescue or NewLife). David W. James suggested buying an original 512->Plus Apple Upgrade package (he had one available for purchase, so though they are not commercially available (I believe?), this is still a viable option). Patrick Hoepfner suggested going for buying a Classic, noting that once you've spent $2-300 on an upgrade package, and another $100 on technician fees (I don't know how to install something like this, and my father certainly doesn't), you're getting kind of close to the street Classic Price, especially if you count on getting $200 or so for the 512KE as it is. So for a new power supply, monitor, mouse, etc., is it worth the extra $200 or so? My dad is currently pondering it, and came back at me with another... how about a used Classic/Plus or some such? How much would something like that be? Thanks to all the respondents, and I'll be pondering this one for a few days. - Mark Thompson Adrift in a sea of knowledge University of Illinois at U-C thompson@m.cs.uiuc.edu