My Mac Plus Hyperdrive 20 recreation

[ESM-NL]

Back in the nineties, I had a Mac Plus with a Hyperdrive 20 system installed. Initially it was a Mac Plus from the printing company where I started working in 1990 after finishing the school for graphics/printing in Utrecht (The Netherlands). Around 1993 I was able to sell it from the company I still work for and it became my second Mac alongside my LC-III. I upgraded the RAM to 4Mb, bought a nice blue carrying bag and later I replaced the Miniscribe HD for a better one. The old one I still have. The last thing I did was converting a stock System 6.0.7 NL into a version that could work with the Hyperdrive internals. With ResEdit I put all the resourses that has to do with Hyperdrive into a stock System file and so I created a more stable system than the System 3.2 that came with the Hyperdrive 20.

I had it for about 2 more years untill a colleague ask me if he could borrow it for a friend who needed a computer for a while. At first I didn't want to do that, but after some insistence from my colleague I lent it, assuming that I could trust this colleague. But the story ended sad: it never came back... (but I still know the serial number of the Mac Plus).

A few months ago I found Hyperdrive 20 parts on eBay, just what I needed to recreate the Mac I ever had. On a local online marketplace I was able to find a cheap Mac Plus logic board and last week I also bought a Mac Plus without keyboard and mouse (it worked fine after some care and cleaning and the keyboard+mouse of my Mac 512Ke).

What I have so far:
- Mac Plus with 4Mb RAM
- extra Mac Plus LB, also with 4Mb RAM
- Hyperdrive 20 board: [HYPERDRIVE 20 Rev. 2.0 PII-M1 8616] from 1986
- the CPU clip/bracket
- the Hyperdrive PSU
- The fan+controller box
- Miniscribe 8425 20 Mb drive
- PDF Hyperdrive 10,20 Installation
- PDF Hyperdrive 10 manual
- PDF/Paper Hyperdrive User Manual
- The original Hyperdrive system floppies
- a System 6.0.7 NL for Hyperdrive 20 on 5 floppies (and disk images)

Still missing:
- EMI filter for the fan
- hard drive bracket
- different line filters
- 3 spacers for the Hyperdrive 20 board
- the Hyperdrive 20 badge

What I did so far:
I mounted the clip/bracket over the CPU of the extra Mac Plus LB. I measured all the lines from under the LB to the end of the flatcable and every line is connected. For the PSU, I established that it is in the 220V-setting.

What I still need to do:
Testing and maybe recapping the PSU and rewire the outcomming cables because the are all cut off. Also finding out where I can tap the 220V-power on the analog board of the plus.

Finding out the jumper setting of the [Rom Size Select] on the Hyperdrive 20 board. The seller told me these parts came with a Mac 512K when he bought it and I don't know if the current settings are right. Non of the manuals I have seen so far mentioned these jumper settings. If I couldn't find info, it will be just a matter of trail-and-error.

Finding spacers, the EMI filter and line filters would not be problem, although I am not an electronics guy.

A big challenge will be finding or making a hard drive bracket.

And for the finishing touch I need to find a Hyperdrive 20 badge, but I assume they are just as rare as other Hyperdrive parts.


If anybody has info about the Hyperdrive 20, the parts or has something for sale, let me know. This is a project that takes some time (I am not in a hurry), also due to other ongoing mac projects I work on.

 

[bakkus]

Just wanted to leave a note saying this is exactly the sort of project I love. Recreating a dear memory. My first computer experience was on a 512k, later an SE with a Jasmine 40MB external drive. I know the craving to recreate exactly that environment.

 

[JDW]

@ESM-NL
The fact that your colleague or his friend stole your expensive Mac is both crazy and infuriating. I doubt having the serial number will help you track the culprit down now in 2025, but it's nice you still have it.

Of course, you and I have been talking about those mysterious jumpers privately for a while, and I am truly and utterly bummed that "olepigeon" over at the 68kMLA hasn't responded to my PM about it. I sent that PM to him on June 5th, and today is the 13th. He has the documentation for that model, and it would only take seconds to have a peek. @dougg3 , would you happen to know of another way to get in touch with OlePigeon?

UPDATE: I found OlePigeon has accounts on AppleFritter, Reddit and the VCF Forum. So I contacted him there too. Sometimes persistence pays off. We shall see. I do hope I can get him to scan his manual because that version (which covers jumpers) is no where to be found on the internet!

 

[ESM-NL]

@ESM-NL
The fact that your colleague or his friend stole your expensive Mac is both crazy and infuriating. I doubt having the serial number will help you track the culprit down now in 2025, but it's nice you still have it.

I have still the serial number due to old network reports I made back in the days. Yesterday I found another document where I put more info in: bought in May 1993 and the last time I did some work on it was in March 1996. After that it got lend out. But I never used the serial number to try to track it. But maybe some day it appears online for sale, who knows.

Of course, you and I have been talking about those mysterious jumpers privately for a while, and I am truly and utterly bummed that "olepigeon" over at the 68kMLA hasn't responded to my PM about it. I sent that PM to him on June 5th, and today is the 13th. He has the documentation for that model, and it would only take seconds to have a peek. @dougg3 , would you happen to know of another way to get in touch with OlePigeon?

UPDATE: I found OlePigeon has accounts on AppleFritter, Reddit and the VCF Forum. So I contacted him there too. Sometimes persistence pays off. We shall see. I do hope I can get him to scan his manual because that version (which covers jumpers) is no where to be found on the internet!

Thanks for all the help. I hope the jumper-info or the whole manual will pop up after your request. Our conversation on FlickR has at least bring me to this forum.

 

[dougg3]

@dougg3 , would you happen to know of another way to get in touch with OlePigeon?

I don't, but it sounds like you've got your bases covered!

 

[JeffC]

What is the question with the jumpers? I have a 512ke with a HyperDrive. The controller board was damaged so I bought a replacement controller board off eBay. It was from a Mac Plus kit, and came attached to a Plus logic board. It is nearly the same part number as your controller board, and may actually be the same if the trailing "1" on mine is hidden behind the silk screened numbers next to it. I put the Plus HyperDrive board onto my 512ke logic board and it works. I am not sure if that info helps with your specific situation. I have attached a photo of my board, you can see my jumpers are in the same position as yours in the photo you posted above.

Unfortunately neither my machine or controller board came with any documentation.

Edit: looking at photos, I see the Plus board that came with my replacement HyperDrive controller board has some interesting bodge/resistor mods. I added a photo, this was the only one I took previously, however I can dig out the logic board tomorrow and take some better photos if it would help.

 

[JDW]

What is the question with the jumpers?

Hi, Jeff. Thanks for your kind input, photos, and your question.
@ESM-NL said the following in his opening post which answers your question...

Finding out the jumper setting of the [Rom Size Select] on the Hyperdrive 20 board. The seller told me these parts came with a Mac 512K when he bought it and I don't know if the current settings are right.

Separately from that...

My persistence in sending OlePigeon multiple messages across various platforms worked. He sent me a PM to say he will pull his HyperDrive kit soon and examine the documentation. Naturally, I will report back when he does that. (And yes, I will also extend him an invitation to join TinkerDifferent too.)

 

[ESM-NL]

I am not sure if that info helps with your specific situation. I have attached a photo of my board, you can see my jumpers are in the same position as yours in the photo you posted above.

Thanks for this info. It is indeed helpfull. If this works on your 512Ke board, than the jumper setting on my board should be good to go on my Plus board as well. It could be that the 512K where this system comes from was in fact a 512Ke, with the same ROMs as a Plus (I only bought the Hyperdrive stuff, not that 512K).

My persistence in sending OlePigeon multiple messages across various platforms worked. He sent me a PM to say he will pull his HyperDrive kit soon and examine the documentation. Naturally, I will report back when he does that. (And yes, I will also extend him an invitation to join TinkerDifferent too.)

That's good news. Perhaps it is the missing link for this specific board.

 

[JDW]

Bad news.
OlePigeon replied back to say that his printed documentation doesn't mention the jumpers at all.

He told me he speculated they might pertain to the Mac's ROM, but I pointed out to him the jumper's close proximity to the two ROM chips on the HyperDrive controller board. And beyond that, there are 4 different jumper pairs! So it doesn't make much sense why you would need so my jumper setting variations to choose either the Mac's 64K or 128K ROMs. I think they pertain to the ROM chips on the HyperDrive board, but knowing WHAT SIZE is the real mystery. And since you have 4 pairs of jumpers pins and because I see 2 jumpers in the photos, that leaves the door open to many combinations possible.

 

[phunguss]

Well, looking at it from a binary perspective, that gives you 16 options. The board ROMs are 24pin and the sockets look like they could take up to 28pin. Maybe there were other ROM chips available at the time that would fit those sockets as alternates? I would pull the chips and read/backup the data before you attempt any other jumper configurations, in case one configuration is erase/write.

 

[ESM-NL]

I would pull the chips and read/backup the data before you attempt any other jumper configurations, in case one configuration is erase/write.

For now, I let the jumbers in the position they are. I don't have the tools or the knowledge to read of backup the ROMs on the Hyperdrive board.

Bad news.
OlePigeon replied back to say that his printed documentation doesn't mention the jumpers at all.

Still thanks for reaching out to him. I keep it for now to the jumper settings as they are. It works in a 512Ke, so I don't see reasons te believe it wont work in a Plus.

 

[JDW]

OlePigeon kindly replied back to me saying he has the ability to dump the ROMs on his controller. But I hesitate to ask that of him because I don’t believe that would be particularly helpful to what’s being described in this thread.