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CPU replacement for Mac Plus?
Posted by: mboconnell on 2008-03-27 11:19:21 Could the 68010 processor could be installed in a Plus? It is available in the same form factor (63 pin DIP), and has the same power requirements. Would I also need a new clock crystal? As I understand it, the plus has a 15MHz crystal that is divided in half for the 7.8MHz CPU.
Posted by: Aoresteen on 2008-03-27 12:43:48 Could the 68010 processor could be installed in a Plus? It is available in the same form factor (63 pin DIP), and has the same power requirements. Would I also need a new clock crystal? As I understand it, the plus has a 15MHz crystal that is divided in half for the 7.8MHz CPU. Yes it can. But it will work as a 68000; AFAIR the Mac OS didn't support the extra features of the 68010. Some early upgrades (Brainstom?) would use a Kelly Clip & socket to replace the CPU. I kow a couple of guys who pulled the 68000 chip and installed a socket for a 16mhz 68000 upgrade. You will need a new xtal. Over the years Motorola and othere made the 68000 family in different form factors so check the specs. http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/68010/ But why stop at a 68010? How about a 68030? http://www.micromac.com/products/performer.html They seem to be still selling them for the Mac Plus! Are they really still selling them? The site is up but last update is 1998. Can someone give them a call? Thanks!
Posted by: ~tl on 2008-03-27 13:07:37 http://www.micromac.com/products/performer.html They seem to be still selling them for the Mac Plus! Are they really still selling them? The site is up but last update is 1998. Can someone give them a call? I believe they went out of business a long time ago. The site has just never been taken down, I guess someone forgot about it!
Posted by: Anonymous Freak on 2008-03-27 13:08:29 I just called. I'm guessing it's down to a one-man operation (the guy answered the phone only with his name,) and is out of Mac Plus upgrades; but seemed to imply (I didn't ask,) that they still had some for the SE.
Posted by: ~tl on 2008-03-27 13:12:14 I just called. I'm guessing it's down to a one-man operation (the guy answered the phone only with his name,) and is out of Mac Plus upgrades; but seemed to imply (I didn't ask,) that they still had some for the SE. That's interesting! I wonder if they have any of the DiiMO 030's left... I know a lot of people would kill for one!
Posted by: tomlee59 on 2008-03-28 07:01:30 Some early upgrades (Brainstom?) would use a Kelly Clip & socket to replace the CPU. I kow a couple of guys who pulled the 68000 chip and installed a socket for a 16mhz 68000 upgrade. You will need a new xtal. The Brainstorm avoided the need for a new crystal by connecting to the 16MHz oscillator that already exists on the Plus/SE. It's a little ugly, but it works. The Brainstorm snakes a wire (through a 47 ohm resistor, or some similar value) to a pre-existing 16MHz signal. The Brainstorm people were very clever. Their upgrade board is a model of economy of design.
Posted by: JDW on 2008-03-28 07:04:19 I've posted about MicroMac before on this site, but many of those posts were lost one year ago when we had a hard drive crash. (And as we celebrate the anniversary of that crash, I sincerely hope regular backups of this site are being made so we don't lose everything again.) MicroMac is out of business, but the fact they have left their website up is nothing more than a sheer act of deception. Yes, I've written them before. Still have their email replies to. But that's from a couple years ago. Now if you write them, no one will reply at all. But not to worry, you can still buy some MicroMac products such as the Diimo 50MHz 030 PDS accelerators here in Japan. Have a look at my DiiMO photos on Flicker. Click on the topmost photo and read through the comments I've posted. Toward the bottom I've given you all the details you need to know about where to buy. And yes, I bought my DiiMO from NEXTRO Japan. Getting back on-topic, I don't know if NEXTRO sells the Mac Plus upgrades, but you ought to ask. They just might. And if they don't, they will be happy to sell you a Classic or SE that runs OS X Leopard, with an LCD color screen too!
Posted by: kastegir on 2008-03-28 08:40:44 I bought one of the plus upgrades a few years ago when Micromac was blowing them out. I think it was like $20. It's still in the plastic, I'll probably install it soon as I've just about got my Plus sorted out.
Posted by: trag on 2008-03-28 15:00:37 When Sun Remarketing was doing their liquidate-through-Ebay, I picked up five of the Brainstorm accelerators. I forget what I paid. Something like $15 each, I think. I picked up several because A) No one else was buying them and B) I had an eye toward reverse engineering them to learn something about how accelerators are built, and accidentally destroying the subject is a fine tradition in reverse engineering. That is also where all the new (unused) Mac Plus Mice came from. They sold boxes and boxes of them with 50 to the box. I picked up one and a smaller box of 20 or 30. Now I have more mice than I'll ever use in my attic. I am slowly reducing the supply through sales at $10 shipped within the USA.
Posted by: uniserver on 2013-08-07 12:59:33 sorry, trag do you still have these, i think some people might like to get their hands on one or 2 🙂
Posted by: uniserver on 2013-08-07 13:08:55 This is terrible, now i am destine to make a turbo plus 🙁 I would assume these Brainstorm accelerators run at 16mhz.
Posted by: reukiodo on 2023-10-22 00:32:53 According to https://68kmla.org/bb/index.php?threads/aliexpress-motorola-68010.41952/ which doesn't link to, but refers to the 68010 worked in a very upgraded 128k Mac. With this success, I've ordered a 68010 to swap into my Macintosh Classic to see if I can replicate his success.
Posted by: croissantking on 2023-10-22 04:30:30 Necropost lol. In the video, Sean sees no improvement with running an 010. Still cool though.
Posted by: Phipli on 2023-10-22 04:37:28 Necropost lol. We've been having a lot of that lately... I think Neil Kinnock is going to win the election. In the video, Sean sees no improvement with running an 010. Still cool though. The only real improvement would be in very small loops of a certain type, like, two opcode loops or whatever it was.
Posted by: cheesestraws on 2023-10-22 04:53:17 It also breaks the Calculator desk accessory for some reason I never bothered looking at very closely.
Posted by: Phipli on 2023-10-22 04:55:45 It also breaks the Calculator desk accessory for some reason I never bothered looking at very closely. Does it? I've heard this, but it was tested in the video and worked fine (within the limited testing)? Might only impact some versions, or not at all. Curious to know. I've been meaning to put a 68010 in an SE. I keep forgetting.
Posted by: cheesestraws on 2023-10-22 05:26:02 Does it? I've heard this, but it was tested in the video and worked fine (within the limited testing)? Might only impact some versions, or not at all. Broke for me, but again, I spent no time looking at it really. I haven't watched the video and don't intend to, life is too short.
Posted by: Phipli on 2023-10-22 05:52:53 Broke for me, but again, I spent no time looking at it really. Interesting, I wonder what the difference is. I haven't watched the video and don't intend to, life is too short. Cheesey. Steady. I linked the timestamp specifically it's a 20 second watch and I wasn't saying you had to, was just providing data succinctly. I... Sometimes struggle with the anti YouTube thing around here. Yes, the factual errors bug me a lot, and the refusal to correct things, which to be fair, is financially forced by YouTube not allowing edits without writing off the views, and I have stopped watching videos from people who cause harm to rare hardware But... They are human too. Personally, I prefer written, searchable instructions, but that doesn't make video, or video makers evil.
Posted by: Crutch on 2023-10-22 12:48:57 Continuing the tangent, I have no visceral anti-YouTube thing but will also almost never watch a video. There is something about feeling “locked into” a time commitment, however brief, of watching a video vs just scrolling through text … But yeah, I watched this one, and Action Retro indeed points his finger repeatedly at a functioning Calculator DA. Thanks @Phipli for linking the timestamp.
Posted by: Crutch on 2023-10-22 12:49:46 I've posted about MicroMac before on this site, but many of those posts were lost one year ago when we had a hard drive crash. (And as we celebrate the anniversary of that crash, I sincerely hope regular backups of this site are being made so we don't lose everything again.) (Fascinating adumbration from JDW in 2008)
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