eMac 1,42 GHz, 2GB DDR RAM, 240GB SSD, (ofc with the famous acrylic swivel stand)
Macintosh SE/30, 32MB RAM, BlueSCSI v2
Macintosh SE 1/20 with SE/30-Board, 8MB RAM, Original SCSI HDD (for now, BlueSCSI V2 already in stock, waiting for parts)
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. 🖥️₿
Long time ago I bought myself a Macintosh SE30 and repaired/refurbished it.
Couple days ago I was offered an Macintosh SE for free, obviously a 4/20, of course I wouldn’t say no.
After i found inconsistence regarding the RAM (has 8MB installed), I looked further..
So I was gifted kinda the „Holy Grail“ of the Compact Mac Era 👀 almost screamed because I was this lucky 😁
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
I was frustrated with existing adapter solutions for the M0100 mouse, so I created an era-appropriate adapter that is USB-C native and can use any cable you want (short or long depending on your needs).
I created two different versions, the first one is for the more common rounded connector, and the second one is for the rarer chunky connector (I had to hunt down one of these mice with a chunky connector to be sure make it at the right size!). So people can pick the version that looks best with their mouse. (I listed a few adapters over at Lectronz for now if anyone is interested).
I use these adapters in workshops with my dedicated Mac Paint easy timelapse and clean screenshots emulator page (https://juliendorra.com/macintosh/), but of course it works with any emulator, or even with modern apps!
The first Macintosh mouse, the M0100 model, was the very first industrialized, consumer-ready, large-scale produced mouse. It is an incredible feat of design and engineering: the young design team at Hovey-Kelley managed to get from $500 mouses that needed regular tech maintenance like the ones at Xerox PARC to a $25 mouse that users can clean up in seconds. Most of them still work today! And as they were produced in the hundreds of thousands, you can find one anytime on second-hand marketplaces for a reasonable price.
Using a M0100 mouse on a modern computer is perfect if you want to really understand and feel what it was to use a Macintosh in 1984, but you can't justify the space or cost of a full 1984 Macintosh.
I especially love to hand the M0100 mice to my design students so they can draw in Mac Paint with the real pointing device it was designed for by Bill Atkison and Susan Kare. Using Mac Paint with the M0100 mouse always blows their mind and creates a incredible conversation about design, tools, and the evolution of (or lack of) the mouse-based computer.
This adapter is based on RP2040 Zero and use a custom PCB board to connect it to the DB9 connector (Yes, it is actually a DE9 connector! But everyone calls it DB9) .
I use an 'Universal Grey' color for the housing, as connector color varies a lot from mouse to mouse, due to age, UV exposure and changes in processes, so getting an exact match covering all connectors is quite impossible. I found that a neutral grey was working best in the end!