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PowerExpress/PowerMac 9700 Prototype
Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2017-03-09 10:23:19
THX, should PEx-in-a-Drawer™ ever achieve bootable status, it's headed into a clear plexi display case hanging above the pet IIfx, its umbilical connected to an external PSU/Utility Cable box tucked away between the two 21" CRT TPDs it'll be driving like it's a friggin' Cube or TAM rock star  .  .  .

.  .  .  but I'm definitely not holding my breath. :🙂

Posted by: MJ313 on 2017-03-09 10:27:24
...its umbilical connected to an external PSU/Utility Cable box tucked away between the two 21" CRT TPDs it'll be driving like it's a friggin' Cube or TAM rock star  .  .  .
😎

Posted by: captainserial on 2017-03-09 10:35:15
Goody goody gumdrops! [ 😀 ]  You can probably imagine my excitement over your discovery and anticipation of that arrival. I've had to be content with listening to the startup chimes of my ROM DIMM deprived bare PEx board on an annual basis (approximately) for going on fifteen years now!
Oh yes, I understand. I stare longingly at TriPEx™ every day and suppress the urge to boot it and then pull the plug at the desktop. My SCSI2SD and PRAM batteries arrive today, and the mouse gets here Saturday.  🙂

Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2017-03-09 10:55:35
LOL! That'd make DuPEx™ of hap's PExBox.
Posted by: haplain on 2017-03-10 14:09:28
That's for sure a pex. I have 2 at this point and all the marking are right. What a sweet unit.

I know Jim well and will ask him about his Manhattan... if he has one.
Posted by: captainserial on 2017-03-10 14:58:44
The USPS Gods have brought the mouse a day early, as a sign that they favor this endeavor!

IMG_0533.jpg

I now have everything I need to boot this beast. Here we go...
Posted by: captainserial on 2017-03-10 15:24:53
IMG_0535.jpg

IMG_0536.jpg

IMG_0537.jpg

IMG_0539.jpg

IMG_0541.jpg

IMG_0542.jpg

Hard drive sounds bad. Knocks for awhile, then works normally, then starts knocking again. More picture momentarily.

Startup chime is like Shwa-na-na-na-na...
Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2017-03-10 15:30:34
I has serious jealous. :-/

Posted by: MJ313 on 2017-03-10 15:43:29
Wow, that's truly awesome! 

and to my rom-less buddy, a glimmer of light in the darkness?
Posted by: captainserial on 2017-03-10 15:52:04
IMG_0543.jpg

IMG_0545.jpg

IMG_0546.jpg

And there it stands for now. I don't want to stress the hard drive, so I'm switching to booting from the SCSI2SD to try to copy some files.
Posted by: ArmorAlley on 2017-03-11 10:39:45
A Black Screen of Death? Is this a New World Mac, btw?
Posted by: captainserial on 2017-03-11 15:38:02
A Black Screen of Death? Is this a New World Mac, btw?

I don't know, I've never even seen a screen like that before. I don't believe this is a new-world Mac.
Posted by: captainserial on 2017-03-11 15:47:25
I was able to boot to an 8.6 install CD and connect to my Linux server over AppleTalk so that I could format the SCSI2SD with Lido. It would have been a lot easier with a USB floppy drive! I threw 8.6 onto the SCSI2SD since I knew that version worked.

I recovered 90% (I didn't copy some programs and damaged files) of the contents of the original hard drive, but there was nothing that looked like Apple internal or pre-release software on there. It almost looks like a hard drive transplanted from another Mac. I don't want want to expose somebody's personal information, so I won't post the whole set of files, but if anybody wants to looks through the System Folder I will post that. To my eyes it looks like a vanilla 8.6 install though.

I'm going to reformat the SCSI2SD with a bigger card and try to get some version of 9 on there, then I'll give Flasher a try. I'll post some screenshots of System Profiler shortly.
Posted by: captainserial on 2017-03-11 16:19:10
Mac OS 8.6 System Profiler:

Picture 2.pdf

Picture 4.pdf

It's a Powerbook! lol.
Posted by: captainserial on 2017-03-11 23:08:15
For those that need it, here is the ROM I dumped:

TriPEx.ROM.zip
Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2017-03-12 13:38:26
Very nice, I can't wait to find out if your dump is the same as hap's? That would be excellent news indeed. [🙂] ]'>
Posted by: Powertrip on 2017-04-13 16:28:55
This is even more epic than my Daystar Unicorn. Glad it still fires up!
Posted by: alk on 2017-04-16 07:41:43
Did you guys see the $15,000 PEx on eBay right now?
Posted by: captainserial on 2017-04-16 10:15:55
Did you guys see the $15,000 PEx on eBay right now?
Wow, looks familiar too! Is this Hap's?

Here's the (mobile) link:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Unreleased-Prototype-Apple-Power-Express-Macintosh-PEX-9700-/152507510472?hash=item238227eec8%3Ag%3A0UgAAOSw%7ECFY7Z%7EO&_trkparms=pageci%253A9fd535d2-22b3-11e7-9f0a-74dbd1a0aab8%257Cparentrq%253A773bb4fa15b0a5eb36167e7dfff7c8ae%257Ciid%253A7
Posted by: belgaonkar on 2017-04-16 12:06:52
yep. thats hap. He's also got the $100,000 iPod Proto for sale.
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