r/VintageApple

My Macintosh SE/30 now has a new job: displaying Bitcoin prices and network stats on its little monochrome screen.

It’s running System 7.1 with just 4 MB of RAM. I put together a native 68k application called BlockMiner, written in C and compiled with Retro68.

The setup uses a BlueSCSI V2 with a Pico 2 W for storage and Wi-Fi networking, through DaynaPORT emulation and MacTCP. A small proxy running on a modern Mac fetches the data over HTTPS and serves a simple response the SE/30 can handle.

The app displays BTC/USD, the 24-hour change, block height, mempool size, transaction count and recommended fees. There’s also a full-screen mode with a big price display, and automatic updates every minute.

It’s a read-only monitor—the SE/30 gets to enjoy a peaceful retirement watching the numbers.

Getting the networking working took some troubleshooting, but it’s finally running on the actual hardware!

Pretty happy with how well Bitcoin fits into 512 × 342 pixels. 🖥️₿

Saw this on my morning walk today. Love that they didn't just buy a boring beige box from the hardware store. The force post is strong with this one.

Apologies if this breaks any rules.
RadeonNI is a ported driver for the Radeon HD 7570 that works under OS X 10.4.11 Tiger PowerPC. More accurately, it's a patched Mesa + a ported hardware interface from the Linux Kernel + a couple of plugins that enable the usage of Mesa as the GL driver for OS X. Performance is not great, but it's already better than the 6600 LE. You can download it under Github Releases. It can probably be made to work with other TeraScale 2 GPUs, but I only have a 7570 to test with at the moment and as such it is hardcoded to that specific PCI ID.

Full disclosure: The driver is 100% vibeslopped, I am not responsible if your 7570 catches fire or any other personal/bodily harm, works on my machine, etc.

Super excited to finally show off a little project I've been working on that I've named "InkTalk". This little device emulates the original LocalTalk adapters / option cards for Apple's printer line, like the StyleWriter and ImageWriter series. These adapters are getting harder to find and when they are available they are pricey.

So I figured why not make our own multi-functional adapter that can replace any of them. It registers the same NBP type and sockets for the ImageWriter and StyleWriter series so as far as the original Macintosh systems sees it's just like the official Apple ones. No external host or anything needed, totally self contained with LocalTalk on one end, printer on the other and USB-C for power (but it can be plugged in to a computer for firmware updates / debug).

As can be seen a few bodges were needed on the prototype revision, but they seem to be working great and I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on doing the first production order. Will make another post when they finally go up for sale. The test page in the picture above was printed from a PowerBook G3 running Mac OS 9 - totally stock, no software changes needed on it.

If you want to follow along with development I have a thread on 68KMLA here: https://68kmla.org/bb/threads/tashtalk-usb-tailtalk-and-inktalk-all-in-one-discussion-thread.52115/ (in the later pages). I'm adding support as we go to all the different printer types, and hope to perhaps even support QuickDraw LaserWriters at one point (but we will see).

The board design and firmware will be on the TailTalk GitHub repo here: https://github.com/FeralFirmware/TailTalk

I got this all for 100€, I'd say that's a pretty good deal?

The guy I bought this from checked and the computer works and he also reset the admin password for me.

Not sure what I'll use three keyboards and four mouses (mice?) for but not complaing lol

I was planning on gutting this thing and putting in a Mac mini M4 or smth. Originally I was going to get the juicy crumbs logic board but apparently it doesn't fit the 15" iMac.

What do you guys think I should do? :) any tips?

I got this computer bc I love the look of it (and vintage tech in general) and I needed a computer for my home server. I mean the Mac mini will be the computer and this is basically just a shell but still. I plan on having a separate NAS with a lot of storage attached to it.

Took this little piece of Apple history with me to Atlantis The Royal Hotel in Dubai 🇦🇪

One of the rare PowerBooks in my collection, originally released exclusively in Japan in 1998.The 240MHz version was a Japan-only model, making it a pretty unique Mac.

Even the original battery still works and actually holds a charge really well! I left it sitting for a few months and it still powered on.

I had to repair a trace that came up when I was de-soldering. It’s so easy to work on these. It’s it’s insane. I’ve overdid it with the solder, but it’s working so I wasn’t gonna fix and I don’t wanna break it. It is my first Macintosh. I also included the bag thatI bought the capacitors from. just confirmation the parts from these guys are good.

thanks to Ben Chapman for writing this guide/story ‘vintage computer up in smoke’ it’s got directions and a link to buy the part.

https://www.crackedthecode.co/replacing-failed-capacitors-in-a-macintosh-computer/

Now for that sticky drive oh man, I’m not pulling apart though. I’m gonna try to manage it without doing that.

These haven't been in stock for like a year (maybe longer?) so I'd reckon this is your chance if you'd been waiting. I was able to get just one last time and not sure how many are available this time around.

https://maceffects.com/products/inner-bezel-for-slot-loading-imac-g3-w-plastic-tabs

For fans of Applied Engineering products, this is my DataLink LC. This board combined an internal 2400bps modem, an FPU socket, and an extra serial port for the Mac LC's valuable single PDS.

This one appears to have the V.42bis upgrade allowing the model to achieve 9600bps. It also has the FPU/math co-processor socket populated with a Motorola MC68882FN16A. Missing is one of the two plastic standoff pegs, but I think I can make one.

I don't have any software or manuals, and I can't find much info on this model. I was able to find some brochure scans at https://ae.applearchives.com/mac/datalink-lc/ but that page isn't linked from that awesome site's main page.

I don't yet have a Mac LC, but I'll pick one up when I have the time to do a recap. Anyway, I loved AE's Apple II product line back in the day and I thought I'd share this one from their lesser-known Mac catalog.

shigoku: anime/manga TUI client (started as a port of sabigoku from rust to C++, improved a lot since that): https://github.com/barracuda156/shigoku

Easier to install from PPCPorts (shigoku).

For cover art a reasonably modern terminal is needed. Of what we got on powerpc: contour, mlterm, bobcat, foot, sakura. On modern macOS also kitty, iterm2.