Belated #MARCHintosh project #1 completed (mostly): I made a CatMac SE!

The motherboard is my spare/parts SE board - I cannibalized the ROM chips a while back to swap with my other SE in order to use a SuperDrive, so this one's got the original ROMs in it. It's also missing a battery and a speaker. But otherwise, the electronic bits all work great. I'm using the PicoPSU and SE-Combo board that I purchased from Joe's Computer Museum a couple months ago.

The case itself is a 7/10 for me. It's decent, but flimsy in places. That's not so much a problem with the model itself as what I used to print it - basic & matte PLA on a Bambu X1C. I'd probably use PETG if I were to do it again. Removing the supports from inside the drive slots was an absolute nightmare, even when using a dedicated support filament. And when I close it up, the BlueSCSI SD card slot is a bit askew, so right now I have to have the cover off to insert/remove the SD card - going to see if I can use a wad of tape or paper to adjust the positioning.

But other than those relatively minor complaints, it's a beautiful design reminiscent of the Apple's 80's frogdesign aesthetic. I opted for a black case, blue LED & translucent light pipe and red reset/interrupt buttons to give a bit of a retro-futuristic touch (and it'll match my Amiga 500’s new case). And it's completely quiet, just like my IIfx.

So I think what I'm going to do is swap out the motherboard with the one from my other SE, so this one will get the recapped board with the 030 accelerator on it. I'll move the floppy drive over to this machine as well, and then it'll move over to my Tower of Power. Since the BlueSCSI V2 on this machine also supports Wifi, it means I can put away the Asante EN/SC and save even more space (and power outlets) on the Tower.

As for the other SE, I think I'll give the case a good cleaning and then move it to my living room where it will become a "working" display piece (like my 30's Minerva radio).

#RetroComputing #VintageMac

I've been cleaning up my space where my #homelab and stuff is. It's my pretty little #Mac collection and other misc parts.

Not pictured: The PowerMac G5 and MacBook Pro 5,1 systems, or the boxes of cables and parts all over the shelf next to this shelf (because it's messy).

#Mac #apple #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #vintagemac #retromac #powerbookg4 #imacg5 #MacBook #iMac #intelmac #intel #collection #collector #2000s #early2000s

March 14, 1984, Susan Kare demonstrates the Macintosh user interface on an episode of The Computer Chronicles. I love how she says “Mac,” not “the Mac.” #vintageMac #classicMac #Apple #Macintosh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmWOtf4Ziso

@vkc shares some BlueSCSI love in this video - installing LinuxPPC on a 9600 (one of my favorite Macs!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClvEuUQGoXg

#BlueSCSI #retrocomputing #vintageMac #MARCHintosh

Excerpts from Bill Atkinson’s last interview, with David Pogue. The bit about “loser-friendly” software made me laugh. What a brilliant and kind soul he was. #vintageMac #classicMac #Macintosh #Apple

https://pogueman.substack.com/p/bill-atkinsons-last-interview

Oh boy! Best accessories for vintage Apple stuff https://www.sfbags.com/products/mackpack-se30

❤️🙌🎉 #apple #mac68k #retromac #vintagemac