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Posted by: killvore on 2026-06-19 22:47:01

I'm really excited for you, using a compact mac is such a cool experience and the SE is a great one 😄

The #1 quality of life improvement you can invest in is some kind of SD based hard drive solution - it completely solves the problem of "how to get stuff on to your mac". You can then use an emulator like the infinite mac website or Sheepshaver to set up hard drive images.

I second System 6.0.8, it flies on that thing! Get HyperCard 1, ResEdit, and load up on some games 😄

Posted by: Phipli on 2026-06-20 01:25:41

and I'm thinking about the fan

Old Mac fans were generally pretty good. Before replacing it, I'd suggest first just try putting three drops of sewing machine oil in the bearing. That usually makes them run quiet again by re-softening the grease.

so upgrading to FDHD is in the plans

Note this isn't just a case of replacing the drive, but also requires replacement ROMs (non trivial as there aren't programmable chips available with the same pinout) and the floppy disk controller. I've never upgraded my childhood SE. I used to just use a Zip drive with it, but I don't like them any more because they're unreliable.

and also a wired ethernet port.

Note that ZuluSCSI has WiFi that shows up as an ethernet port on the host.

File transfers are going to be difficult at first, I'll probably have to get an external floppy drive to use on the Blueberry iMac I have (fixed that up a year or so ago with max RAM and an SSD, bridged it to my wifi with an external adapter). Sourcing actual floppies will be interesting, of course.

(Almost all) USB drives won't read / write 800k disks. If you get a ZuluSCSI, WiFi is your best bet. Otherwise, using the SD card itself.

So many ideas, so much to learn (or relearn) 😎

That's the fun 🙂

Also, @Phipli - https://www.ebay.com/itm/176616311850 Seem legit or pirate/scammy?

If @rabbitholecomputing says they're good, they're fine 🙂 bit more expensive (as shown to me, realising I'm not on the same continent).

Posted by: Phipli on 2026-06-20 01:42:35

Get HyperCard 1, ResEdit, and load up on some games 😄

Ah yes, stuff to install. Assuming 4MB of RAM for some of this 😆

ClarisWorks 2.0, Illustrator 3.2, Stuntcopter, SpaceQuest, Oxyd, Starroids, A patched copy of Dark Castle. Stuffit Expander 4.1 (might need System 7) and StuffIt Expander 3.5.1, Disk Copy 4.2 and Studio Session. I recommend doing any decompression for sit / zip / bin / hqx files on your iMac then moving them over AppleShare to the SE. Keep in mind that if a file is bigger than 10MB, it probably isn't meant for the SE, as 10MB is 2.5x the maximum RAM and stock hard disks were 20MB if you even had the hard disk option.

http://macintoshgarden.org is your friend. Keep in mind the specs because much of the software there is for later machines.

I'm not great at that era of games because I didn't have ready access to them when the SE was my main computer.

Posted by: Phipli on 2026-06-20 01:54:26

I want to upgrade it to make it a neo-SE/30

This is likely the cheapest option to accelerate your SE :

MacEffects Performer PDS 68030 Accelerator for Apple Macintosh SE

MacEffects Performer accelerator is the perfect hardware upgrade for your Macintosh SE. The Performer accelerator features a 68030 clocked to 16mhz and a 68882 FPU (math coprocessor) to speed up CPU performance and math calculations. With the Performer accelerator you can enjoy a new level of...

maceffects.com

Performance is about double an SE if I remember? An SE/30 would be 4 to 5 times the performance. The difference is mainly due to the card still using the stock SE RAM, if you want SE/30 beating performance you need a card with onboard 30bit RAM. This means either finding one on eBay, or waiting for someone to finish a project. There is someone working on an upgraded Performer card, but as this is hobby stuff there isn't going to be any kind of guaranteed timescale for that.

Posted by: cheesestraws on 2026-06-20 01:58:00

Okay, it looks like I've got an SE coming

Good choice. The SE isn't, on its own, the most exciting machine in the world but it's solid, reliable and easy to repair if it breaks. A very good start.

Posted by: Phipli on 2026-06-20 03:51:02

Performance is about double an SE if I remember? An SE/30 would be 4 to 5 times the performance.

A stock Macintosh SE scores 5.11 for CPU on the following scale (this specific version of Norton System Info). "Upgraded Macintosh SE", at the bottom of the list, is a Total Systems Mercury, which is basically the same accelerator as the Performer by a different brand. So about 2.32 performance.

"Mobius 25EC+20" is a 25MHz 68030 SE upgrade with onboard RAM (and a 20MHz FPU). Macintosh SE 50MHz is a Total Systems Gemini Ultra 68030 at 50MHz. I don't have a score for a 33MHz board in the list, but a 33MHz 68030 would be somewhere between the Mobius and the Gemini Ultra. Probably around... 48 as a rating.

Side note, it is probably worth mentioning that sound often glitches with accelerators. If I'm running some sound heavy software and don't need the extra grunt, I generally disable my accelerator. This can often be done by holding the programmer's interrupt button while powering on.

But... I'd play with the stock SE for a while first! They're lovely machines and generally plenty fast if you keep your software period appropriate. If nothing else, you'll also get more joy out of an accelerator down the line if you can feel the difference.

Posted by: akator70 on 2026-06-20 13:04:26

But... I'd play with the stock SE for a while first! They're lovely machines and generally plenty fast if you keep your software period appropriate. If nothing else, you'll also get more joy out of an accelerator down the line if you can feel the difference.

Agreed. It's nice to have a 68000 machine to run software and games, sometimes requiring earlier versions of the System, that don't run on the later Macs.

Posted by: madsox on 2026-07-20 07:31:52

Updating here, my new old SE has arrived! USPS took a month to finally get it to me, with no info along the way, that was frustrating. But it did come to the US East Cost from Hawaii, so I expected it to take some time.

Now I need to open it up and start checking things! I'm guessing that someone in the MLA has put together a guide or two on how to do that... And yes, I have torx drivers on hand (including a long-handled one for the case screws) and a new multimeter on the way, I think I should find a capacitor kit, I know i've seen them around this place...

Posted by: Phipli on 2026-07-20 07:43:05

I think I should find a capacitor kit

With an SE, don't worry about the caps unless there are symptoms.

First thing is to get the back cover off and check the battery.

Don't hit the CRT neckboard while removing the 10pin power connector (there is a latch on the far side, and wiggle it out, don't yank on it), and don't forget to unplug the audio before lifting the logic board away from the chassis!

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