Macintosh Classic II

The Macintosh Classic II (also called the Performa 200) is a personal computer made by Apple Computer, Inc. It was sold from October 1991 to September 1993. Like the early Macintosh models, it had a small all-in-one design with a built-in 9-inch black-and-white screen. It also had a handle built into the case so it was easier to carry, though laptops were not common at the time.

The Classic II used the same 16 MHz Motorola 68030 processor as the older Macintosh SE/30. But it was about 30% slower because it had a cheaper 16-bit data bus, not the faster 32-bit bus of the SE/30. It came with 2 MB of memory and could be upgraded to 10 MB. It had a 40 or 80 MB hard drive.

Even though it looked like the Macintosh Classic, the inside of the Classic II was more like the Macintosh LC. Apple used the same custom chips as the LC, which helped lower the number of parts and make it cheaper to build. But unlike the LC and SE/30, it didn’t have a Processor Direct Slot for upgrades, making it the second compact Mac without one.

In 1992, Apple rebranded the Classic II as part of its new Macintosh Performa series, calling it the "Performa 200". It had the same hardware but came with extra software, depending on the store. This software usually included At Ease, a simpler interface than the normal Finder. The Performa 200 cost around US$1,250 when it came out.

The Classic II was the last compact black-and-white Mac and the last desktop Mac to include a port for an external floppy disk drive. Apple stopped supporting the Classic II on January 1, 2001.

 Hardware 
The Classic II had a 50-pin internal slot that could be used for a math co-processor (FPU) or extra ROM, but not for general upgrades. Apple didn’t make any official cards for it,Macintosh Classic II: Math Co-Processor Card Availability but some companies made their own, like the FastMath Classic II and others that used the 68882 chip. Later, hobbyists also made open-source expansion cards.

alt=The main circuit board from an Apple Macintosh Classic II showing the CPU, memory and other logic chips.|left|thumb|452x452px|Macintosh Classic II main board
The picture shows the Classic II’s main board. The high-voltage parts like the power supply and screen driver were on a separate board. The 68030 CPU is on the right, near the FPU/ROM slot. Below the CPU are two ROM chips. RAM is on the bottom left. This board has 4 MB of RAM—2 MB built-in and 2 MB added with SIMMs. Above the RAM is the “Eagle” chip for video and other functions. Nearby is the SCSI and serial chip, and the connectors for hard drives. A small battery holder is to the left of the CPU. The floppy disk connector and controller chip are near the top. The ADB controller chip is on the far right.

 Gallery 

 References 

 Other websites 
 Classic II (Performa 200) Information pages at Mac512.com

Category:Apple hardware