Inside the Macintosh Plus

Inside the Macintosh Plus

To avoid regular users from opening the Macintosh Plus, Apple used Torx TT15 screws, a very unusual type of screw to be used on computers (especially at the time), which require a special TT15 screwdriver at least 9 inches (230 mm) long. The same applies to the original Macintosh, the Macintosh 512K, and to the successor to the Macintosh Plus, namely the Macintosh SE.

Inside of the computer, you would find the most commented on (and hidden) feature of the computer: the signatures of all members of the team that designed the Macintosh, including, of course, Steve Jobs. See Figure 9. These signatures were also present on the original Macintosh, the Macintosh 512K, and the Macintosh SE. Interestingly enough, the Macintosh Plus and the Macintosh SE were released after Steve Jobs left Apple, but for some reason, Steve Jobs’s signature was kept inside the computer, even though he was not related to the development of these computers (in particular, the Macintosh SE).

You will see several people selling old Macs on eBay saying “this Mac is so special that it has Steve Jobs’s signature” or “rare – signed by Steve Jobs.” Let’s make something clear. All early Macintoshes were signed by the whole team, and that is not a “special feature.” Since millions of these computers were sold, they are not rare.

Figure 9: The signatures of the Macintosh team

In Figure 10, you can see how the Macintosh Plus looked inside. It was comprised of two printed circuit boards: one containing the power supply and the electronics for the monitor; the other was the motherboard.

Figure 10: Inside the Macintosh Plus

In Figure 11, you can better see the power supply board, which was officially called “Sweep / Power Supply,” part number 630-0102. This is exactly the same board used on the Macintosh 128K and on the Macintosh 512K.

Figure 11: Power supply/video monitor board