Maximize your MacIntosh with a 4MB USB Flash Drive Kit
One of the fun things about retro computing is that you can optimize all aspects of these systems without having to take out a bank loan, as was usually the case when these systems were new. Less amusing is that decades after systems like the Apple MacIntosch SE/30 were last sold, the 30-pin SIMMs that form the expandable RAM in those systems have become rather rare. This has led to many people making their own SIMM PCBs, including [Kay Koba] with a PCB for 4MB SIMMs as well as information on memory and parity ICs suitable for these SIMMs.
For systems like the MacIntosh SE/30 with 8 x 30-pin memory slots, the maximum capacity is 128MB, but that comes with a lot of pitfalls because its ROM is "dirty 32-bit". While this can be circumvented by swapping in a ROM from a later MacIntosh variant, the least invasive way is to enable the MODE32 system extension and install eight 4MB SIMMs for a total of 32MB of RAM. The RAM chips for these 30-pin SIMMs can be salvaged from the much more common 72-pin SIMMs, as well as any old new stock one may come across.
These 4MB SIMM PCBs are offered for sale by [Kay] with optional SMD components (capacitors, resistors and LEDs) included in the package. The original PCB design is attributed to the work of [Zane Kaminski] whose GitHub profile leads for example to. this 30-pin SIMM project.
Have you ever modded your MacIntosh or other retro system to maximum RAM and storage limits?
One of the fun things about retro computing is that you can optimize all aspects of these systems without having to take out a bank loan, as was usually the case when these systems were new. Less amusing is that decades after systems like the Apple MacIntosch SE/30 were last sold, the 30-pin SIMMs that form the expandable RAM in those systems have become rather rare. This has led to many people making their own SIMM PCBs, including [Kay Koba] with a PCB for 4MB SIMMs as well as information on memory and parity ICs suitable for these SIMMs.
For systems like the MacIntosh SE/30 with 8 x 30-pin memory slots, the maximum capacity is 128MB, but that comes with a lot of pitfalls because its ROM is "dirty 32-bit". While this can be circumvented by swapping in a ROM from a later MacIntosh variant, the least invasive way is to enable the MODE32 system extension and install eight 4MB SIMMs for a total of 32MB of RAM. The RAM chips for these 30-pin SIMMs can be salvaged from the much more common 72-pin SIMMs, as well as any old new stock one may come across.
These 4MB SIMM PCBs are offered for sale by [Kay] with optional SMD components (capacitors, resistors and LEDs) included in the package. The original PCB design is attributed to the work of [Zane Kaminski] whose GitHub profile leads for example to. this 30-pin SIMM project.
Have you ever modded your MacIntosh or other retro system to maximum RAM and storage limits?
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