Macintosh 512Ke

Release date not published

An enhanced compact monochrome Macintosh with 512 KB memory, 128 KB ROM and an 800 KB double-sided floppy drive.

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Processor: 68000 8 MHz (Macintosh 512Ke)
CPU cores: 1
Memory: 512 KB
CPU: Motorola MC68000, nominally 8 MHz with the exact 7.8336 MHz clock frequency published in the original owner guide and technical library; 32-bit internal architecture and 16-bit external data path. No PMMU, FPU, CPU cache or second processor.
Memory type: Fixed 512 KB RAM and 128 KB ROM; no RAM slots or built-in memory expansion. The enhanced model has the larger ROM and double-sided floppy drive, without the Macintosh Plus’s expandable memory or SCSI connector.
Storage type: One internal 800 KB double-sided 3.5-inch floppy drive, with optional external 400 KB or 800 KB drive. No fixed internal storage or internal CD-ROM. Apple Hard Disk 20 is an optional external device attached through the disk interface, not an internal or SCSI drive.
Expansion slots: None; no standard internal memory expansion. A separately included programmer’s switch can be fitted for reset and interrupt functions by application developers.

Screen size: 9″
Resolution: 512 × 342
Panel: CRT
Display type: Built-in 9-inch monochrome bit-mapped CRT, 512 × 342 pixels. Original owner guide and technical-library sheet agree; the current Apple table’s generic 512 × 384 entry is expressly corrected by its own screen-size note. Native refresh rate unpublished in these exact sources.

Ports: Headphone jack
Back ports: DB-9 mouse connector, RJ11 synchronous serial keyboard bus, two DB-9 RS-232/RS-422 serial connectors, external floppy DB-19 and sound output for amplifier/headphones. No ADB, USB, FireWire, Ethernet, external video or SCSI connector. Current Apple support warns that the serial ports do not support handshaking or synchronous modems.
Speakers: Built-in sound system; original maker guide specifies four-voice sound with 8-bit digital-to-analogue conversion at 22 kHz. No built-in microphone.
Keyboard and mouse: Original guide describes a separate 58-key detachable keyboard, mouse, System Tools disk, Guided Tour disk and audio cassette, plus a programmer’s switch. Maker cover shows an extended keyboard with numeric keypad; gallery photos can include optional external drives, keyboards, printers and other separately supplied equipment. These are labelled rather than treated as standard computer hardware.

Type: All-in-one
Weight: 7.5 kg
Width × depth × height: 246 × 276 × 346 mm
Operating system: macOS
Size and weight detail: Main figures use later exact Apple technical-library metric values: 346 mm high × 246 mm wide × 276 mm deep and 7.5 kg main-unit weight. Original 1986 owner guide instead gives 344 mm height; current support retains 13.6H × 9.6W × 10.9D inches. These small maker rounding differences are retained explicitly. Keyboard and mouse excluded; original guide separately lists 1.2 kg keyboard and 0.2 kg mouse.
Power supply: Exact technical-library sheet specifies 105–125 V AC, 50–60 Hz and maximum 60 W for this documented voltage version; no universal-voltage claim. User-replaceable 4.5 V Eveready No. 523 or equivalent clock battery.
In the box: Exact original guide is titled Macintosh 512K enhanced, the long name of Macintosh 512Ke. Current maker support lists introduction 14 April 1986 and discontinuation 1 September 1987; a distinct first retail-sale date has not been established, so released is omitted. The guide names Macintosh 512K enhanced System Tools; the current support table’s retrospective original-system-software entry is not adopted as a verified launch disk version. Photographs are original maker owner-guide images of this exact model, with scan colour casts and period screen contents retained.

Processor	Memory	Storage
68000 8 MHz (Macintosh 512Ke)	512 KB	–

Model	Type	Processor	Memory	Storage	Screen	Weight	Released
AppleMacintosh 512K	All-in-one	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh 512K)	512 KB	–	9″	–	Sept 1984
AppleMacintosh Plus	All-in-one	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh Plus)	1 MB	–	9″	–	Jan 1986
AppleMacintosh SE	All-in-one	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh SE)	1 MB	20 MB	9″	–	1987

Front setup from the original Apple 512K enhanced guide, with a separately supplied external 800 KB floppy drive, keyboard and mouse: Apple, original Macintosh 512K enhanced owner’s guide, archived by VintageApple; original scan.
Original Apple 512K enhanced guide detail showing the rear power connection: Apple, original Macintosh 512K enhanced owner’s guide, archived by VintageApple; original scan.
Front view from the original Apple 512K enhanced guide, with an optional Hard Disk 20 beneath the computer and a separate keyboard: Apple, original Macintosh 512K enhanced owner’s guide, archived by VintageApple; original scan.