I decided I wanted a WarpSE accelerator. This is what I did to get one.

[jasa1063]

The WarpSE is a 25MHz Motorola 68000 accelerator for the Mac SE. It was intended to be sold through Garrett's Workshop, but both it's development and Garrett's Workshop seemed to have come to an end. Every last product on Garrett's Workshop is out of stock and there hasn't been any update on the WarpSE GitHub page for over a year. There have been many starts and stops to this project since 2021 and it has been frustrating. I had originally decided to just use the SuperMac SuperCard accelerator I had and move on, but there was this feeling that there may still be a way get this accelerator. This is due to the fact that several were sent out to beta testers and using the current firmware, the accelerator was fully functional. You normally have two choices with projects like a BlueSCSI. You can build one yourself or purchase one from an authorized reseller. Since a WarpSE is not available for purchase, that only left building one. I will be the first to admit I do not have the skill set to even attempt trying to build something like this.

I reached out to someone I know and asked if they would attempt to build one for me. This would be a time and materials project. An order a minimum quantity of PCBs was made, but then we ran into a serious issue. We came to find out that the current PCB on the GitHub repo is not compatible with the current firmware. There were board level changes that have occurred, but the firmware was not updated to match. The only choice was to order another minimum quantity of an earlier PCB that was sent out the beta testers. Once these came in, everything worked as expected.

In the end I had two built. One to use now and the other as a spare or to go into another Mac SE in the future. This accelerator is really fast and totally compatible. It benchmarks just as fast a Mac Classic II and boots up in just seconds. I have run this through it's paces and there are no issues with software, the floppy, SCSI or audio. I am including some benchmarks using SpeedOMeter 3.23 for both a Classic II (it has an FPU card) and the SE with a WarpSE. I am also including photos of the two accelerators I had built.

Just a couple closing items. First the 2nd WarpSE I have is not for sale, second the person who built me this accelerator is going to remain anonymous. This has been a touchy subject with some people and I don't want the person who helped me out to get dragged into this discussion. If they wish to come forward separately, they are free to do so. My whole point was to show it is possible to obtain one of these. I just wanted to share my experience giving some guidance on what to look out for with the GitHub repo as it currently stands.


WarpSE GitHub repo:

GitHub - garrettsworkshop/WarpSE: WIP 25 MHz MC68HC000-based accelerator card for Macintosh SE

WIP 25 MHz MC68HC000-based accelerator card for Macintosh SE - garrettsworkshop/WarpSE

github.com

WarpSE discussion thread on Tinkerdifferent:

https://tinkerdifferent.com/threads/warpse-25-mhz-68hc000-based-accelerator-for-mac-se.253/

 

[jasa1063]

WarpSE (Front)

 

[jasa1063]

WarpSE (Back)

 

[jasa1063]

SpeedOMeter 3.23 (WarpSE)

 

[jasa1063]

SpeedOMeter (Classic II w/FPU card)

 

[JTRetro]

As someone who was(is?) beta testing a WarpSE for Zane for years...and who still has his WarpSE....I can attest to both the speed and compatibility of these accelerators. They are excellent!

It is unfortunate that they did not go into full production......

 

[jasa1063]

As someone who was(is?) beta testing a WarpSE for Zane for years...and who still has his WarpSE....I can attest to both the speed and compatibility of these accelerators. They are excellent!

It is unfortunate that they did not go into full production......

It is regrettable that none ever made it to final production, but at least it is possible to still obtain one and that is a good thing!

 

[JTRetro]

Agreed! Perhaps someday a limited run of these could be produced.

 

[Trash80toG4]

Nice! Congratulations on getting them up and running. Curious about board production, minimum quantities and price point? Haven't seen enough of that kind of thing to make heads or tails out of it.

edit: how many layers?

 

[JDW]

Some will think me odd for saying this, but there have been things that have taken place in the last couple months that have made me shed some tears. This thread too has caused me to shed a few, although for reasons of joy rather than sadness. And believe me, tears of joy are so much better than tears of sadness.

I guess this proves I’m a true geek. It shows that I’m an oddball. That is to say, when I first was granted the gracious opportunity by Zane to test his amazing handiwork, I was just floored by how great his creation was and still is. My immense sadness, regarding the fact it never was mass produced, emanated from my love of what he created. It came forth out of my respect for Zane. Anyone who goes through the original WarpSE thread and reads all that I wrote needs to put those words of mine in perspective with that firm understanding. I admire Zane and love his work! And I wish, so very deeply, I could get in touch with him, if not but as a friend, even to talk about things unrelated to this hobby. We need that important human connection.

But with regard to Zane’s creation, it was always my hope was that many other people in the community would be able to experience this electronic work of art for themselves. That hasn’t happened yet, but this thread is groundbreaking. To me, it’s wonderful beyond words.

It just goes to show that one determined person in our hobby really can achieve great things when they set their heart to it and find someone in our community willing to help. Sometimes you have to do that with great courage and boldness too because there are the naysayers out there who try to discourage discussion on such topics.

It may surprise many of you to know this, but sometimes the naysayers are not necessarily bad people. They are trying to do what THEY THINK is best for the original creators and community as a whole. But at the same time, they are basically discouraging others from pursuing precisely what @jasa1063 achieved. That is why, in this particular case at least, I stand firmly behind what jasa1063 has done and cannot support any naysaying at all. Indeed, I am clapping my hands now while standing and saying a very loud bravo!

There is no small amount of joy in my heart about this achievement.

To boldly go where a few in our community have gone before is precisely what makes this hobby worth participating in. It gives it meaning.

Sometimes we need to stop and think…

Why are we here?
Why are we doing this?

And if the answer doesn’t boil down to “a little bit of happiness in this very unhappy world,“ then we really don’t have much motivation to continue in it.

We all need a little bit more happiness in our lives. I’m so glad jas1063 has obtained that. It’s fantastic. And my day today feels so much brighter because of it.

 

[jasa1063]

Thanks @JDW for those kind and encouraging words. I am so glad this has brought some happiness to you today given what you have been through lately. As to details of the build, since I did not build the WarpSE I have I can only offer a suggestion. It should be possible to compare the boards I have had made to the PCB revisions on Github and find the matching one. The rest would be ordering, assembly and flashing the firmware. That sounds simpified, but that is exactly what the person who built these for me did. They went through the thread here on Tinkerdifferent and determine what PCBs were used for the beta testers. I will make an inquiry with the person who did the build and see if they can provide some specifics on what they did to pull this off.