68k Accelerators, FPUs and other CPUs

Over the years I have been lucky enough to pick up some 68k systems that that had accelerators installed: two MacPlus machines with 68030 accelerators (unlabeled), a SE FDHD with a Mobius 030 SE accelerator, and a collection of NewLife Accelerators. As I dug around the internet looking for information I have found a lot of of advertisements, reviews, and some manuals and drivers for various accelerators, I also found some contact names that I used to track down old employees through LinkedIn (with some success), so I decided to create this post to track what companies I’ve found information about.

The first mention I found for memory upgrades were in June 1985 (for the 128K and 512K), and the first mention I found of an accelerator was an advertisement in MacWorld January 1986 for the Human Touch Computer Products Corp’s Three to One Touch Board that adds a new 68000 CPU running at 12MHz and up to 3.5MB of RAM., the next was an advertisement in MacWorld March 1986 for General Computer Company’s (GCC) HyperDrive 2000, that adds 1.5MB of RAM, a 20MB hard drive, a new 68000 CPU running at 12MHz, and a 68881 FPU, after that additional accelerators for 68k systems appeared in MacWorld August 1986 with reviews of products by Novy, Quesse and LevCO, if you are aware of any earlier products please let me know.

So far I have found information on Accelerators from the following companies: Apple, Aox, Beck-Tech, Brainstorm, Computer Sales Associates (CSA), DayStar, Dove Computer Corporation, Extreme Systems, Fusion Data, General Computer Company (GCC), Harris Laboratories, Irwin, Levco, Mac Advance, MacMemory, MacPeak, MacProducts, MassTech, MicroConversion, MicroMac, Mobius, Network Spacialties, NewLife/New Bridge, Novy Systems, Radius, Ryad, Siclone Sales and Engineering Corp., Spectra, Sonnet, SuperMac, Techworks, Total Systems Integration (TSI), Quesse, Warp Nine.

One difficulty I’ve had with creating an exhaustive list is how many accelerators from the time period do not have any identifying information and how many are the same accelerator with a different name, with the name change due to licensing (e.g. from Novy and Quesse to Total System Inegrations) or due to the sale of one company to another (e.g. MicroMac’s purchase of the rights to several DiiMO, Dove, Harris, and Mobius accelerators in the 90s).

Accelerators

The following table lists the accelerators I have found listed in scans of Byte, ComputerWorld (CW), InfoWorld (IW), MacWorld (MW), MacUser (MU), or on the internet in general. In addition to the table, I have started recording information about each of the companies that produced the accelerators, specifically information about bankruptcies, sales, mergers and licensing agreements that led to the same accelerator being listed under multiple different names.

Name	Supports	CPU	MHz	FPU	Memory	Comments (CW = ComputerWorld, IW = InfoWorld, MW = MacWorld, MU = MacUser)
Apple Classic II Upgrade	Classic	68030	16	No		New logic board and case
Apple LC II Upgrade	LC	68030	16	no		New logic board
Apple IIci Upgrade	IIcx	68030	25	Inc	–	New logic board
Apple IIfx Upgrade	II	68030	40	Inc	–	New logic board
Apple Quadra 700	IIcx, IIci	68040	25	No	–	New logic board/ports
Applied Engineering TransWarp	SE	68030	25, 40	Opt	16MB	Driver Clip on, Optional Extended Video Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo), MW 1991.12 (photo) Photos: Revision I, Revision II
Applied Engineering TransWarp	Classic
Applied Engineering TransWarp Cache-In	IIci	N/A	N/A	N/A	64K cache	Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo),
Applied Engineering TransWarp Cache-In 50	IIci	68030	50	Inc	64K cache	Review: Byte 1993.02 Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo),(advertisement)
Applied Engineering TransWarp LC	LC, LC II	68030	50	Opt	–	PDS slot
Applied Engineering TransWarp 030	II, IIcx, IIsi, IIci, IIfx	68040	33	Inc	–	Driver NuBus slot
Applied Engineering TransWarp 040	II, IIcx, IIsi, IIci, IIfx	68040	25, 33	Inc	–	NuBus slot Ad: MW 1992-06 (photo)
Applied Engineering QuickSilver	IIsi	N/A	N/A	Opt	cache	IIsi slot extender allows you to use cards created for the SE/30 in your IIsi Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo),
Aox DoubleTime-16	SE	68000	16		4k cache	Review: MW 1988.09, BYTE 1988.12, MU 1989.02 (photo), MW 1990.02
Beck-Tech MacMegabytes	512k				1MB	Hyperdrive Compatible, requires modification to case/board Review: MW 1986.02 Ad: MW 1985.10 (photo), MW 1986.02 (photo) List: MW 1987.11
Centa Systems, Inc	128K, 512K				2MB	Ad: MW 1985.12
Brainstorm Accelerator Plus	Plus, SE	68000	16	–	–	Driver Two chip motherboard modification, 16MHz 68000 and a ASIC chip to replace the Apple timing chip. Review: MU 1993.04, Low End Mac, Byte 1993-02 Books: MacWeek upgrading and repairing your Mac p.211, Upgrading and Fixing MACs for dummites p.72, News: 1991 Press Release, Photos: Chips, Manuals
Computer Care MacRescue	128k, 512k					Manual
Computer Systems Associates (CSA) FasTrack	Plus, SE	68020	8			Review: MW 1990.02
Computer Systems Associates (CSA) FX882-25	II, IIx	–		25		Review: MW 1990.02
Computer Systems Associates (CSA) FX882-33	II, IIx	–		33		Review: MW 1990.02
Computer Systems Associates (CSA) Over 030	II	68030	25			Review: MW 1989-03, MW 1990.02
Dayna MacCharlie	Plus	8088	8			Review: MW 1986.02
DayStar Digital Max20MX	512e, Plus, SE	68020	16, 25			Licensed from Novy, see: Novy Max20MX Review: MU 1989.02 (photo), MW 1989-03 (photo) Ad: MU 1988-10, 12
DayStar Digital FastCache IIci	IIci					Manual Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo),
DayStar Digital Turbo 40	II, IIx, IIcx*, IIsi, IIci, IIvi, IIvx, SE/30, Performa 600	68040	33,40			Daystar.com, manual
DayStar Digital Universal PowerCache	SE/30, LC, LC II, II, IIcx, IIsi, IIci	68030	33, 40, 50	Opt	32K	Daystar.com, Driver, manual PDS slot Adapter required for SE/30, II, IIx, IIcx*, IIsi, Performa 400, 405, 410, 430, 450, LC, LC II, LC III, LC 520 and Color Classic None needed for IIci, IIvx, IIvi and Performa 600 Review: Byte 1993.02 Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo)
DayStar Digital PowerCard		68030	25, 33, 40, 50			News Release, Daystartechnology.com
DayStar Digital Accelerator II	II	68030	33			Review: MW 1989.03 Ad: MU 1989.02,
DiiMO Technologies						Driver
Dove FastNet LAN 020	SE	68020	16			MW 1990.02
Dove Mac Snap	Plus				4MB	Ad: MW 1986.12 (photo)
Dove Mac Snap 020	Plus, 512E	68020	16	Opt		Review: CW 1987.12 List: MW 1987.11
Dove Mac Snap 020 SE	SE	68020	16	Opt		Review: CW 1987.12 List: MW 1987.11
Dove Mach II/SE	SE	68020				Ad: MW 1988.10 (photo)
Dove Marathon Racer 030 Plus	Plus, SE, Classic	68030	16	Opt	–	Driver Clip on, Optional Extended Video Reviews: MW 1990.08, MW 1991.07, Byte 1993-02, MU 1993.04
Dove Marathon 020	SE	68020	16			Review: BYTE 1988.12, MU 1989.02, MW 1989-03
Dove Marathon 030 Enhancement	II	68030	32	No	–	Rebranded the MicroMac Marathon when Dove stopped making accelerators. CPU Socket Review MW 1989-03 (photo) Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo)
Extreme Systems Extender						Driver
Extreme Systems Vandal	SE	68030	33, 50	Yes		Driver, manual Clip on, Extended Video Review: Byte 1993.02
Extreme Systems Impact	LC, LC II	68030	33	Opt		Driver PDS slot Review: Byte 1993-02
TokaMac Acceler 88	II	88100 RISC				Brochure
Formac Pro33 LC	LC, LC II	68030	33	Opt		Website, drivers (photos) Review: Icônes 1993.12 (french, photo), MacWelt 1993.10 (german) Ad: Icônes 1993.12, MacWelt 1993.10 (photo) Discussion: 68kmla (photo)
Formac Pro50 LCIII	LC III	68030	50	Inc	32K cache	Website, drivers Review: Icônes 1993.12 (french) Ad: Icônes 1993.12, MacWelt 1993.10 (photo)
Formac ProQuadra (PL145-41)	Centris 610, 660av, 650, Quadra 800, 900, 950	68040	40/50	Inc	8K cache	Website, drivers Ad: Icônes 1993.12, MacWelt 1993.10 (photo) Discussion: 68kmla (photos)
Formac 475 (PL150-21)	LC 475	68040				Discussion: 68kmla (photos), tinkerdifferent (photos), google groups (german)
Fusion Data TokaMac SX		68040	25	Yes		PDS slot
Fusion Data TokaMac LC	LC	68040	25	Yes		PDS slot Review: Byte 1993.02
General Computer Company (GCC) Hyperdrive 2000	128k, 512k, 512KE, Plus	68000	12	Opt	1.5MB	No MMU, Optional 68881 FPU, adds internal 20MB hard drive Manual for the Hyperdrive hard drive News: MW 1986.03, MW 1986.09, Review: MW 1986.08, BYTE 1986.11 Ad: MW 1986.08, MW 1987.04
General Computer Company (GCC) HyperCharger 020	SE	68020	12, 16	Opt	4MB	Driver No MMU, Connector for the Big Picture monitor from E-machines Review: MW 1987.09, CW 1987.12, MU 1988.03, MU 1989.02 (photo), MW 1989.03 Ad: MU 1987.08, MU 1987.11 (photo)
Harris Performer	Classic	68000	16	Opt	64k cache	Other: MW 1992.09 News: CW 1991.10.14 Review: Build your own Macintosh and save a bundle (photo) Ad: MW 1991-11 (photo), MU 1992.01 (photo, photo), MU 1992.07 (photo),
Harris Performer2	SE	68000	16	Yes		PDS slot, Extended Video Review: Byte 1993-02 Ad: MW 1993.10 (photo)
Harris Performer3
Harris PerformerPro	SE, Classic	68030	25	Opt		News: MW 1993.11
Harris PerformerPro LC	LC, LC II	68030	32	Opt		News: MW 1994.02
Harris Performer040
Human Touch Computer Products Corp. Three to One Touch Board	128K, 512K	68000	12		1.5MB to 3.5MB	Ad: MW 1986.01, MW 1986.09 512KB programable ROM
Irwin Excelerator XL	SE	68000	16		32k	Review: MW 1990.02
Irwin Magnetics Excelerator XL20/XL25	SE	68020	20, 25	Inc		Review: MW 1989-03 Ad: MU 1989.02 (photo)
Impulse Technology, Inc Performance/040	II, IIx, IIcx, IIci, IIfx, IIsi	68040	25, 33		128MB	Review: Byte 1993-02
Levco One PLUS One	Plus				1MB	Ad: MW 1986.12 (photo) Review: MW 1988.05
Levco MonsterMac	512k				2MB	Includes Fan, requires modification to case/board. Review: MW 1985.09, MW 1986.02 Ad: 1986.07 (photo) News: MW 1987.11
Levco Prodigy 4	128k, 512k, 512KE, Plus	68020	16	Opt	4MB	No MMU, Optional 68881 FPU, SCSI port can be used internally to attach to Levco’s OverDriver internal hard disk or to an external SCSI hard disk through a 25-pin connector that mounts in the Mac’s battery compartment, connector for MegaScreen Plus from Micrographics Images, RAM disk. Includes fan and power supply. Review: MW 1986.08, MW 1986.09, MW 1987.11, CW 1987.12, MW 1988.02, MW 1988.08, MU 1989.02 Ad: MW 1986.08 (photo), 1987.10 MU (photo) News: MW 1987.11
Levco Prodigy Prime	Plus	68020	16	68881	1MB to 32MB	68851 MMU, Clip-on Review: MU 1987.09, Ad: MU 1987.10, Lists: MW 1987.11, CW 1987.12.
Levco Prodigy SE	SE	68020	16	Opt	4MB, 32MB	Optional MMU, Connector for MegaScreen II from Micrographics Images According to the review the accelerator may support up to 32MB if the 68851 Paged Memory Management Unit (PMMU) is installed. Review: MW 1987.09, MU 1987.09, MU 1987.11 (photo), MU 1988-03 (photo), MU 1989-02 (photo), 1989-03 benchmark Ad: MU 1987.10, MU 1987.11 (photo) List: MW 1987.11, CW 1987-12,
Logica LogiCache	IIsi, IIci	68030	50	Opt		Ad: MW 1991-11 (photo) Cache-card slot (April 1993)
Mac Advance MacGusto II	512KE	none		Opt	2.5MB	No MMU, Adds SCSI
Mac Doctor Electronics Brainstorm	128K, 512K				1MB to 4MB	Ad: MW 1986.02, MW 1986.04, MW 1986.07, MW 1986.12 List: MW 1987.11
MacDoctor Electronics MacDoctor 512	128K				384K	Upgrades 128K to 512K Ad: MW 1986 Winter List: MW 1987.11
MacMemory, Inc. MaxPlus Mega	Plus				2MB	List: MW 1987.11 Ad: MU 1987.12 Review: MW 1988.05
MaxMemory, Inc. MaxSAVE	Plus					Battery backed up RAM disk. Ad: MW 1986.12 (photo) Review: MW 1986.12 (photo)
MacMemory, Inc. TheMax	128k, 512k				1.5MB	Requires modification to case/board Review: MW 1986.02 Ad: MW 1985.10, MW 1985.11 (photo), MW 1986 Winter
MacMemory, Inc. TheMax2	128k, 512k				2MB	Ad: MW 1986.02 (photo), MW 1986.03, MW 1986.04, MW 1986.06 (drawing), MW 1986.08 (photo)
MacMemory, Inc. TheMaxPlus	Plus, II				2MB	Ad: MW 1986.04, MW 1986.06 (drawing), MW 1986.07 (photo), MW 1986.12 (photo), List: MW 1987.11
MacMemory TurboMax	512KE, Plus	68000	16	Opt	4MB	No MMU, Connector for the Big Picture monitor from E-machines, SCSI port, RAM disk. Includes fan and power supply Review: Byte 1987.12 (photo) MW 1987.02, CW 1987.12,  MW 1988.02, MU 1988.03 (photo) Ad: MU 1987.08
MacMemory Turbo SE	SE	68000	16	Opt	4MB	No MMU, Connector for the Big Picture monitor from E-machines Reviews: CW 1987.12, MU 1988.03 Ad: MU 1987.11 (photo)
MACohm Projects 512K upgrade	128K, 512K				384K, 1.5MB	Ad: MW 1985.06, MW 1985.09, MW 1985.10, MW 1986.02
MacPeak Systems Plus-RAM	Plus				2MB	List: MW 1987.11
MacPeak Systems Orion 25	SE	68020	25	Opt	8MB	Optional MMU, Galaxy Adapter option, Reviews: CW 1987.12, MW 1989.03 benchmark
MacPeak Systems Orion SE	SE	68020	16	Opt	8MB, 32MB	Optional MMU, Galaxy Adapter option According to the review the accelerator may support up to 32MB if the 68851 Paged Memory Management Unit (PMMU) is installed. Manual Reviews: MU 1987.08 (photo), MW 1987.09, MW 1987.11, CW 1987.12, : MU 1988.03 (photo), MU 1989.02 (photo), MW 1989-03 benchmark Ad: MW 1988.10 (photo)
MacPeak The Orion One						Ad: MW 1988.10 (photo)
MacPeak The Orion II						Ad: MW 1988.10 (photo)
MacProducts USA 2MB	Plus				2MB	List: MW 1987.11
MacProducts USA Magic	Plus, II, 512K, 128K				1MB	List: MW 1987.11
MacProducts USA Railgun 020 Plus/SE	128k, 512K/KE, Plus, SE	68020	16, 25			Licensed from Novy, see: Novy Max20MX Review: MW 1990.02
MacProducts USA Railgun 030 Plus/SE	128k, 512K/KE, Plus, SE	68030	16, 25, 33	Opt		Licensed from Novy, see: Novy Systems Quik30 Clip on, Reviews: MW 1990.02 (16,25), Byte 1993.02 MW 1990.08 (16, 25, 33), MW 1991.07, MW 1992.06, MU 1993.04
MacProducts USA Railgun Pro 030	Plus, SE, Classic	68030	15, 25, 33	Opt	16MB	Review: Byte 1993.02
MacProducts USA Railgun Pro II	SE 30, LC LC II, Color Classic, SI, SI	68030	50	Inc	64MB	Licenced from Novy, see: Novy Systems ImagePro II / Image Pro LC Ads: MW 1993.12, MU 1994.01, MW 1994.12 (picture).
MacProducts USA Magic 020	Plus	68020	12.5	Inc	none	No MMU, Cpu can be upgraded to a 68030 Reviews: MW 1988.02, MW 1988.08
MASS MICRO	SE, II				2MB	List: MW 1987.11
MASS MICRO PLUS	Plus				2MB	List: MW 1987.11
Mass Tech FastMac	512k				1MB, 1.5MB, 2MB	2MB requires a separate power supply, includes fan Review: MW 1986.02 Ad: MW 1985.06, MW 1985.11, MW 1985.12
Mercury Computer Systems, Inc		Weitek XL-8032				Review: BYTE 1988.12
Micah Memory Card					2MB, 4MB	Ad: MW 1986.03
Micro Conversions, Inc. 1 Meg Upgrade	128k, 512k				512K to 4MB	Includes Fan, requires modification to case/board Review: MW 1986.02 Ad: MW 1985.08, MW 1985.10, MU 1985.11, MW 1986.02 (picture)
MicroMac Carrera 040	IIci, IIsi, IIcx or IIx	68040	33, 40,45		128kb	micromac.com: 33,40, and 45, manual v1.1
MicroMac DiiMO 030	II, IIci, IIvx, IIvi, IIsi, IIcx, IIx, LCIII, Performa 600, SE/30	68030	50	Opt	64kb	micromac.com, drivers
MicroMac Marathon	II	68030	32	Opt		micromac.com, drivers, manual v1.0
MicroMac MultiSpeed	Plus, SE	68030	25	Opt		micromac.com, drivers Clip on, Optional Extended Video Reviews:  MU 1993.04
MicroMac Performer	Plus, SE, Classic	68030	16	Opt		micromac.com, drivers
MicroMac PerformerPro	Plus, SE, Classic	68030	32	Opt	64kb	micromac.com, drivers
MicroMac Power WorkStation	LC, LCII	68030	32	Opt	32kb	micromac.com, drivers, adds ThurderCache and Network card.
MicroMac SE	SE, SE/30	N/A		Inc		A case (for the SE, SE/30 logic board) and external monitor adapter, converts the SE, SE/30 in to a LC type computer with an external monitor. Review: upgrade your mac (photo), MW 1991.01 Ad: MW 1991.06 (photo)
MicroMac Speedster	LC, LCII	68040	25	Inc		micromac.com, drivers
MicroMac SpeedDoubler	Quadra 700, 900	68040	50	Inc	128K	micromac.com, drivers
MicroMac Thunder	LC, LCII	68030	32	Opt		micromac.com, drivers
MicroMac ThunderCache	LC, LCII	68030	32	Opt	32kb	micromac.com, drivers
MicroMac ThunderCachePro	LC, LCII or Color Classic	68030	32, 50	Opt	26MB	micromac.com, drivers
MicroMac ThunderPro	LC, LCII or Color Classic	68030	32	Opt	26MB	micromac.com, drivers
Mobius 030	SE, Classic	68030	25	Opt	16MB	Driver Clip on, Extended Video Reviews: MW 1991.07, Byte 1993.02, MW 1993.06 News: CW 1991.04, CW 1991.08 Ads: MW 1991.11 (photo), MU 1992.05 (photo), MU 1992.10 (photo), MU 1993.06 (photo) MW 1993.07 (photo)
Mobius SpeedScreen	SE	68000
Mobius 040 Speedster	IIx, IIci, IIsi, IIcx, LC	68040	25, 33, 40		128kb	Driver Reviews: MW 1995.02 Ads: MU 1994.01 (photo), MW 1995.01 (photo), MW 1995.03 (photo)
National Semiconductor Corp. NS8/16-48	II				4MB, 8MB, 16MB	List: MW 1987.11
Network Specialties Jump 020	512KE, Plus	68020	12	Opt	4MB	No MMU, StretchScreen and StretchProjector, Can also run at 16 and 24 MHz Review: CW 1987.12,  MW 1988.02, MW 1988.08 Ad: MW 1987.10 (photo)
NewBridge UltraMax NM MX-25	512KE, Plus, SE	68020	25			Rebranded to Newlife 25 and Newlife 25SE Ad: MW 1990.02
NewBridge UltraMax NM MXC-33	512KE, Plus, SE	68020	33			Rebranded to Newlife 33SE Ad: MW 1990.02
NewLife 1	128k, 512K, 512Ke	68HC000			4MB	Clip on, SCSI Port Manual(s), drivers, advertisements and reviews
NewLife 2	128k, 512K, 512Ke	68HC000			4MB	Clip on, SCSI Port, Video Port Manual(s), drivers, advertisements and reviews
NewLife 16	128k, 512K, 512Ke, Plus	68030	16	Opt	16MB	Clip on, optional SCSI and Video, seems to be a cost reduced version of the NewLife 25 Manual(s), drivers, advertisements and reviews
NewLife 16SE	SE	68030	16	Opt	16MB	PDS, optional Video, seems to be a cost reduced version of the NewLife 25SE Manual(s), drivers, advertisements and reviews
NewLife 25	128k, 512K, 512Ke, Plus	68030	25	Opt	4MB	Clip on, Manual(s), drivers, advertisements and reviews
NewLive 25CL	Classic	68030	16, 20, 25	Opt	16MB	Manual(s), drivers, advertisements and reviews
NewLife 25SE	SE	68030	25	Opt	4MB, 16MB	PDS Slot, Optional Extended Video Manual(s), drivers, advertisements and reviews
NewLife 33SE	SE	68030	33	Opt	16MB	Manual(s), drivers, advertisements and reviews
Novy Floating Point Accelerator	128k, 512k, 512KE, Plus	N/A		Yes		Clip on, requires special software. Review: MW 1986.08, MW 1986.09
Novy Systems ImagePro	Plus, SE	68030	16, 25, 33, 40, 50	Yes	16MB	Clip on, Extended Video The same as the Quick30 with the addition of support for an external video display. Reviews: MU 1993.04,  MW 1993.12 Book: Macintosh Do It Yourself Upgrade Book 1992,
Novy Systems ImagePro II / Image Pro LC	SE 30, LC LC II, Color Classic, SI, SI	68030	50	Inc	64MB	PDS slot. I have a prototype of this board for the LC, LC II, CC, that I bought from a Novy Technology Inc employee in 2022. This board may have been sold by MacProducts after Novy Systems went bankrupt. Ads as Image Pro II: MW 1993.12, MU 1994.01, MW 1994.12, (picture), as Image Pro LC: Macwelt 1993
Novy Systems Mac20		68020	8			Reviews: MW 1987.01, MU 1988.03 (photo), MW 1990.02 Ad: MU 1987.08
Novy Systems Mac20Mx	512KE, Plus, SE	68020	12, 16, 20, 24	Opt	4MB	No MMU, Includes fan and power supply, SCSI port is optional Review: MW 1988.02, MU 1988.03 (photo), BYTE 1988.12 Ads: MU 1987.08, MW 1990.02
Novy Systems Quik 30	Plus, SE	68030	16, 25, 33		4MB, 16MB (SE only)	Driver, may also be able to use NewLife drivers Clip on (Plus), PDS slot (SE) Reviews: MW 1990.08, MW 1991.07, MW 1992.06, MW 1993.06, MW 1993.12, MW 1995.02 Books: Macintosh Do It Yourself Upgrade Book 1992 (photo), Build your own Macintosh and save a bundle 1992 (photo) Ad: MU 1990.05,
OpenMac Enterprises Ram Series	Plus, SE, II				2MB, 4MB	List: MW 1987.11
OpenMac Enterprises RamPlus	Plus				2MB, 4MB	List: MW 1987.11
Quesse Maccelerator	128k, 512k, 512KE, Plus			Yes		Clips on, includes QuickSANE that redirects SANE requests to the FPU. MW 1986.08, MW 1986.09
Radius Accelerator	512KE, Plus, SE	68020	16	Opt	32K cache	Radius.com: Q&A and drivers No MMU, Full Page Display (SE only) Reviews: MW 1987.09, Byte 1987.12 (photo), CW 1987.12,  MW 1988.02, MU 1988.03 (photo), MW 1988.08, BYTE 1988.12, MU 1989.02 (photo), MW 1989.03 (benchmark, photo), MW 1990.02, MW 1990.08 Other: Drivers
Radius Accelerator 25	SE	68020	25			Radius.com: Q&A and drivers, brochure Review: MW 1988.10, BYTE 1988.12
Radius Rocket	II, IIcx, IIci	68040	25	Yes	–	Radius.com: photos, Q&A, manual, SCSI2Booster, brochure NuBus slot
Radius Rocket	II, IIcx, IIci	68040	33	Yes		Radius.com: photos, Q&A, manual, SCSI2Booster, brochure NuBus slot
Radius Stage II Rocket						Radius.com: photos, Q&A, SCSI2Booster,
Ryad Mac Engine GT	128K, 512K, 512KE, Plus	68000	16	No	4MB	No MMU, Includes fan and power supply, and SCSI port Reviews: MW 1987.01, MW 1988.02, MW 1988.08
Ryad MacEngine Turbo	128K, 512K, 512KE, Plus	68020	16	Opt	4MB	No MMU, Includes fan and power supply, and SCSI port Reviews: MW 1987.01, MW 1988.02, MW 1988.08
Siclone si30	II, IIx	68030	33, 40, 50	Inc		Company purchased by Applied Engineering in 1991 (MW 1991.08) brochure, MW 1988-01, IW 1988-11, MW 1988-01,
Siclone Intensifier ci	ci	68030	50	Opt		Company purchased by Applied Engineering in 1991 (MW 1991.08) brochure
Siclone Turbo SE	SE	68000	16			Reviews: MU 1989.02 (photo), MW 1989.02 (photo), MW 1989.03 Ads: MW 1988.10,
Siclone MacAdapt	512KE, Plus	68000	16			Adapter for the TurboSE Ads: MU 1988.09, MW 1988.10
Spectra Micro Development MacAccelerator	512KE, Plus, SE	68020	12	Inc	None	No MMU, Connector for the Big Picture monitor from E-machines Reviews: MW 1988.02, MW 1988.08
Spectra Micro Development ProBoard		68020	16			Review: MW 1990.02
Sonnet Alegro II	II, IIx	68030	33			Sonnettech.com, drivers MacAddict 006
Sonnet Alegro LC	LC, LC II, Color Classic	68030	33	Inc	16k cache	Sonnettech.com, drivers
Sonnet Alegro SE	SE	68030	33	Inc	16MB	Sonnettech.com, drivers
Sonnet Alegro SE/30	SE/30	68030	33			Sonnettech.com, drivers
Sonnet Presto 040	IIvi, IIcx, IIsi	68040	80/40	Inc	128k cache	Sonnettech.com, software v3.1 Adapter required for Mac IIcx and IIsi.
Sonnet Presto Plus	Mac LC, LC II, LC III, LC III+, LC 520, LC 550; Performa 250, 275, 400, 405, 410, 430, 450, 460, 466, 467, 520, 550, 560; and Color Classic, Color Classic II.	68040	66/33	Opt	32MB	Sonnettech.com, software v3.1 Includes built-in 10-base-T internet Supports up to System 8.1 for some systems (LC up to 7.6.1, IIc up to 7.5.5)
Sonnet Speedster						driver v1.5
Sonnet Quad Doubler	Centris 610, 650, 660AV; Quadra 610, 660AV, 700, 900; WS 60/20 & 60/25	68040	100/50, 80/40	Inc	0MB	Sonnettech.com
SuperMac Technology Ehance	512E, 512KE				2MB	List: MW 1987.11
SuperMac Technology SuperRam 2	Plus				4MB	List: MW 1987.11
SuperMac Technology SpeedCard	SE	68000	15.67	Opt	1MB	Review: MU 1989.02 (photo), video. News: IW 1988.02, MU 1988.08, MU 1988.12, MU 1989.02,
SuperMac Technology Prodigy SE	SE	68020	16	Inc	8MB	No MMU, Connector for the Big Picture monitor from E-machines, uses ZIPs for memory
TechWorks LC	LC	68040	25	Inc	–	PDS slot
TechWorks NuBus 040	II, IIcx, IIsi, IIci	68040	33	Yes	–	NuBus slot
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Enterprise 030	LC, LC II	68030	16	Inc	–	PDS slot Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo),
Total Systems Integration (TSI) 020	512KE, Plus, SE	68020	12, 16, 20, 24	Opt	4MB	Drivers See also: Novy Max20MX No MMU, Includes fan and power supply, and SCSI port Ad: MU 1987.12 Reviews: IW 1987.09, CW 1987.12, MW 1988.02, MW 1988.08 (photo), Byte 1987.12 (photo), MW 1990.02, MW 1990.08  News: MW 1987.12
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Gemini 030	Plus	68030	16, 20, 25			Drivers, may also be able to use NewLife drivers, or Novy Drivers Reviews: MW 1990.02, MW 1990.08  brochure
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Gemini II	Plus					Reviews MW 1991.07  Drivers brochure
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Gemini Classic	Classic		20,25,33, 40	Opt	16MB	Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo), Drivers brochure
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Gemini			50			Drivers
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Gemini Ultra	128k, 512K, Plus, SE	68030	20,25,33, 40	Opt	16MB	Reviews: MW 1992.06, Byte 1993-02 Books: Macintosh Do It Yourself Upgrade Book 1992 p.131, Build your own Macintosh and save a bundle 1992 p.98.  Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo), Drivers
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Gemini Ultra Classic	Classic	68030	20, 33, 50	Opt		Drivers Clip-on, optional extended graphics
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Magellan	SE/30, IIsi, IIci, IIFX	68040	25	Yes	–	PDS slot Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo), brochure
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Mercury 030	SE	68030	16	Opt		PDS slot, Optional Extended Video brochure Reviews: MW 1990.08, MW 1992.06 Books: Macintosh Do It Yourself Upgrade Book 1992 p.131 Ad: MW 1991.11 (photo),
Total Systems Integration (TSI) Voyager	II	68030	50	Opt	–	CPU socket brochure Review: Byte 1993.02
VOAD Systems The MacBoard	128K				384K	Ad: MW 1985.08, MW 1986.02
Warp Nine Engineering, Inc DataRam	Plus				2MB	Ad: MW 1986.12 List: MW 1987.11
Warp Nine Engineering, Inc MonsterRam	Plus				2.5MB	Ad: MW 1986.12 List: MW 1987.11 For use with an internal hard disk
Warp Nine Engineering, Inc WarpRam	512K, 512KE				1MB	List: MW 1987.11

Manufacturers

Some additional details I found about the following manufactures: Apple, Aox, Beck-Tech, Brainstorm, Computer Sales Associates (CSA), DayStar, Dove Computer Corporation, Extreme Systems, Fusion Data, General Computer Company (GCC), Harris Laboratories, Irwin, Levco, Mac Advance, MacMemory, MacPeak, MacProducts, MassTech, MicroConversion, MicroMac, Mobius, Network Spacialties, NewLife/New Bridge, Novy Systems, Radius, Ryad, Siclone Sales and Engineering Corp., Spectra, Sonnet, SuperMac, Techworks, Total Systems Integration (TSI), Quesse, Warp Nine.

Aox, Inc. (1978 to 2004)

• address: 486 Totten Pond Rd. Waltham. MA 02154 (source Byte 1992.02);4 Preston Court, Bedford, MA 01730 (source www.aox.com, cached on 1999.01.25)
• contacts: vice president of administration: Mr. Michael T. Kane (source MIT Information Technology Directory 1990.07), vice president for marketing: Chris Adams (source IW 1991.09.08)

They did have a website, but the first cached copy is from 1999.01.25 and there is no information about their earlier products or mention of them on their company history page.

Apple

30636 Mariani Ave. Cupertino, CA 95014 (source Byte 1992.02)

Apple mainly offered upgrades in the form of new logic boards for their systems, e.g. when the 512 was released you could swap out the 128’s logic board with the 512’s, etc. For now I’ve limited the list to an upgrade in the CPU.

Applied Engineering

P.O. Box 5100 Carrolton, TX 75011 (source Byte 1992.02), Founder Dan Pote, fan site

Applied Engineering initially made a name for itself building Apple II accelerators, but also created several Macintosh accelerators with the same TransWarp branding before they went out of business in 1994. Additional information is available on wikipedia.

In fall of 1991 Siclone Sales and Engineering went bankrupt and Applied Engineering took over their product line (MacWorld 1991.08).

Beck-Tech

PO. Box 5027, Berkeley, CA 94705-0027

Brainstorm

1145 Terra Bella Ave. Mountain View, CA 94043, 415-964-2131 (from MU 1993.04 page 130)

Computer Systems Associates (CSA)

Computer System Associates (CSA), 7562 Trade Street, San Diego, CA

DayStar Digital

55560 Atlanta Hwy. Flowery Branch, GA 30542 (source Byte 1992.02)

DayStar Digital appears to have had a licensing agreement with Novy Systems Inc with their Max20MX being identical to the Novy Max20Mx accelerator.

Daystar is one of the few companies making accelerators for 68k Macintosh systems that was still around when the internet archive started backing up websites, so I was able to find the actual product page for the Daystar PowerCache from November 2nd 1996, and learn that it was last manufactured in Fall 1996, with support ending September 1, 1997:

We’re sorry, but DayStar discontinued manufacturing 030/040/601 upgrades effective Fall of 1996. Effective September 1, 1997 DayStar is no longer able to offer any warranty or tech support for the 030/040/601 upgrades due to limited availability of parts and qualified 030/040/601 support staff.

DayStar 030/040/601 upgrades are only certified through System 7.5.1. While you may have limited success running with later System Software, we cannot support your upgrade. The later Systems have introduced problems which disable upgrade compatibility in many cases. Apple has also changed its policy of 100% downgradable compatibility. This decision and the resulting incompatibilities are the primary reasons DayStar discontinued the 030/040/601 upgrade product lines.

From the DayStar Website, January 1998, Internet Archive

Daystar Technologies appears to have closed down sometime around January 2002, with the Daystar.com domain being taken over by the DayStar television network by March 2002

Dove Computer Corporation

1200 North 23rd St. Wilmington, NC 28405 (source Byte 1992.02)

When Dove ceased production of accelerators it’s Dove Marathon 030 CPU upgrade design was purchased by MicroMac and rebranded as the MicroMac Marathon.

Extreme Systems

Fusion Data Systems

8920 Business Park Dr. Suite 35D (source Byte 1992.02)

General Computer Company (GCC) / General Computer Corp.

• Address: 215 First St. Cambridge, MA 02142 (source The Amiga 1985.08), 580 Winter Str. Waltham, MA 02154 (source MW 1990.02)
• Website: gcctech.com first catch is 1998.01, no information on the accelerators.

GCC was founded in 1981 during the onset of the video game craze. C.E.O. Kevin Curran and MIT classmates Doug Macrae and John Tylko began by developing an enhancement for Atari’s “Missile Command” and went on to create “Ms. Pac Man”, still one of the top-selling coin-operated video games in history. Between 1982 and 1984, GCC developed a total of 58 consumer electronics products that generated over $800 million in revenue for Atari and Bally Manufacturing. In 1984, anticipating dramatic changes in the electronics market, GCC began designing products for the newly-introduced Apple Macintosh computer. GCC’s most critical success was the HyperDrive, the first internal hard disk drive for the Macintosh. (source GCC website)

Appears as General Computer Corp. under some advertisements and reviews. Later became GCC printers

Harris Laboratories, Inc (1988 to 1993) / Harris International (1993 to …)

Harris Laboratories, Inc (Inactive) Business Corporation (domestic), Business Corporation (domestic), 1143 Riverwood Dr, Burnsville, MN 55337

• 7379 Washington Ave S, Edina, MN 55439 (source Byte 1992.02)
• Date Established: Nov 16, 1988
• Chief Executive Officer: Michael D Harris
• Sold to an investment bank in 1992 and re-branded as Harris International in 1993 (source Michael Harris)

Created memory expansion cards for the GS before creating accelerators for Macintosh Systems.

Irwin Products Group

• Address: 2010 Commonwealth Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (source MW 1990.02)

Levco

6160 Lusk Blvd. Suite C-203 San Diego, CA 92121 (619) 457-2011 (from MW 1986.07)

Bought by SuperMac’s parent SMS in 87, Levco and supermac merge october 87

Mac Advance

P.G Box 186 Chanhassen, MN 55317 (815) 229-5023 (MU 1987.06)

MacMemory

MacPeak

MacProducts USA, Inc

608 West 22nd St. Austin, TX 78705 (source Byte 1992.02), 8303 MoPac Expwy., #218, Austin, TX (source MW 1990.02)

MacProducts appears to have had a licensing agreement with Novy Systems Inc with the Railgun accelerators being identical to the Novy Quik30 accelerators.

Became DGR Technologies Inc. in 1994, there are two domains cached by the internet archive, both point to the same site, or sites with similar info, one for Bottom Line Distribution called Bottom Line Online (blol.com), and one for DGR (drg.com) that links to pages on blol.com.

Microtech International Inc. / MassTech International, Inc.

158 Commerce St, East Haven, CT 06512 (source MW 1990.02, Byte 1992.02)

MicroConversion

MicroMac

In the mid-late 90s as other accelertor vendors closed down, MicroMac bought some of their boards and designs, rebranding and selling boards by DiiMO, Dove, Harris, and Mobius (source MacUser 1997.07)

Mobius

Network Spacialties

NewLife / Newbridge Microsystems

603 March Rd. Kanata, Ontario, Canada, K2K 2M5 (source MW 1990.02, Byte 1992.02)

I was able to meet with Lincoln Henthorn the general manager and later the company president, and he provided me with boxes of advertisements, manuals, and diskettes to use as source material that I have added to my site.

Novy Systems

1862 Fern Palm Dr. Edgewater, FL 32141 (source MW 1990.02)

Radius, Inc

1710 Fortune Dr. San Jose, CA 95131 (source MW 1990.02)

Ryad

Siclone Sales and Engineering Corp. (1988 to 1991)

Located at 1169 Borregas Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94089 (source MW 1989.03).

In fall of 1991 Siclone Sales and Engineering went bankrupt and Applied Engineering took over their product line (MacWorld 1991.08)

Spectra Micro Development

Address: P.O. Box 41795, Tucson, AZ (source MW 1990.02)

Sonnet

SuperMac Technology

Address: 485 Potrero Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (source MW 1990.02)

Bought by SuperMac’s parent SMS in 87, Levco and supermac merge october 87

Technology Works / TechWorks

4030 Braker Lane W, Suite 350, Austin, TX 78759 (source Byte 1992.02)

Total Systems Integration (TSI) (… to 1993)

• 99W. Tenth Ave, Eugene, Or 97401 (source MW 1990.02)
• 1720 Willow Creek Cir. Eugene, OR 97402. (source Byte 1992.02)

Total Systems Integration appears to have had a licensing agreement with Novy Systems Inc for the TSI-020, and possibly for their Gemini 020 and Gemini 030 cards.

MacWeek June 28th 1993, page 64. Announcement Total Systems Integration (TSI) has filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

Quesse

References and Timeline

• MacWorld April 1984, A new world, reviews the 128k Macintosh, and Polishing the Mac, and interview with Bill Gates.
• MacWorld May/June 1984, Fat Mac, the wait for 256k chips to upgrade 128k macs to 512k macs
• MacWorld July/August 1984, The Mac Lines Up with Mainframes, and the Mac Connects, Macintosh terminal server
• MacWorld November 1984, The Macintosh Deluxe, reviews the 512k Macintosh and
• MacWorld December 1984, Shifting in to Overdrive, reviews the very first hard drives for the Macintosh. Non-SCSI, they connect to the printer or modem port instead.
• Book 1985 by Arthur Naiman: MacBook : the indispensable guide to Macintosh hardware and software
• MacWorld August 1985, In search of a better mouse
• MacUser October 1985, File Servers: The Macintosh office’s missing link
• MacUser November 1985, Between a Rock and a Hard Disk. and Delivering a Fat Mac (how to modify a 128k mac into a 512k mac)
• Book 1986 by Gene William: Chilton’s guide to Macintosh repair and maintenance
• MacWorld February 1986, Megabytes and Beyond, reviews the Beck-Teck MacMegabytes, Levco MonsterMac, MacMemory TheMax, MassTech FastMac, MicroCoversion 1 Meg Upgrade
• MacWorld August 1986, New Ways to a Faster Mac, reviews the General Computer Company Hyperdrive 2000, Levco Prodigy 4, Novy Floating Point Accelerator, Quesse Maccelerator
• MacWorld September 1986, Enter the SCSI drives, reviews of some of the very first SCSI drives for the Mac
• Book 1987 by Arthur Naiman: The Macintosh Bible
• BYTE August 1987, The Macintosh SE, mentions the accelerators and questions why the SE doesn’t have 68020 CPU
• MacWorld September 1987, Beefing up the SE, reviews the General Computer Company HyperCharger 020, Leveco Prodigy SE, MacPeak Systems Orion, Radius Accelerator
• ComputerWorld December 1987, list of IBM compatible and Macintosh Accelerators
• Book 1988 by Arthur Naiman: The Macintosh Bible (second edition)
• MacWorld Feb 1988, New Life for an Old Mac
• MacWorld March 1988, Pedal to the Metal, reviews the Mac Plus control, Mac SE control, Mac 20, Turbo Max, Turbo Se, Accelerator Plus, Mac II control, Hypercharger 020, Orion SE, Accelerator SE, Mac20MX Prodigy SE
• MacWorld August 1988: Staying Alive, an optical mouse for the Plus?
• BYTE December 1988, Mac Expansion, reviews of Aox inc DoubleTime, Dove’s MaraThon 020, E-Machines DoubleColor, Mecury Computer System’s MC3200NU, Network Specialties Inc Jump 020, Novy Systems MAC20MX, Radius Inc Accelerator 16 for the Mac Plus, and for the SE, and the Accelerator 25.
• MacWorld September 1988, Short Takes, review of the TSI-020MX (licensed from Novy Systems) and Radius Accelerator 25
• Book 1989 Sharon Zardetto Aker: The Macintosh Bible (second edition, first update)
• MacUser February 1989, Maximum G-Force, review of numerous accelerators for the SE and Plus
• BYTE November 1989, Upward Mobility
• Book 1989 Bob Vitus’s: Doctor Macintosh (and 1992), and other reference books for system software and applications.
• MacWorld February 1990, Is your mac obsolete?
• Book 1990 by Larry Pina: Macintosh Repair and Upgrade Secrets
• MacWorld August 1990, Full Speed Ahead
• MacUser August 1990, Chasing the IIfx Accelerators
• Book 1991 by Arthur Naiman and Sharon Zardetto Aker: The Macintosh Bible (third edition)
• Book 1991 by Larry Pina: Macintosh II Repair and Secrets
• Book 1991 by Bob Brant: Upgrade Your Macintosh and Save a Bundle
• MacUser June 1991, IIci Cache Cards
• MacWorld July 1991, the Accelerated Course, accelerator cards
• MacWorld November 1991, new life for old roms, info about the creation of Mode32 for system 7.
• Book 1991, MacWorld’s Complete Mac Handbook, list of accelerator manufacturers and their products
• Book 1992 by Arthur Naiman: The Macintosh Bible (forth edition)
• Book 1992 by Larry Pina: Dead Mac Scrolls
• BYTE February 1992, Accelerator, Coprocessor and Multiprocessor Boards
• MacWorld June 1992, The need for speed
• MacUser June 1992, Blasting Off: CPU Accelerators
• MacUser August 1992, MiniFinders, mentions limited SCSI throughput for Novy Accelerators.
• MacUser September 1992, New Life for Old Macs
• MacUser October 1992, Repairs and Upgrades for the Mac IIfx
• MacUser November 1992, Fast 68040 Accelerators, Upgrading the Mac SE
• MacUser December 1992, Upgrading the Mac IIci
• Book 1992 by Garry Howard: the Macintosh Do It Yourself Upgrade Book basic information on several accelerators, memory and other upgrades
• Book 1992 by Bob Brant: Build your own Macintosh and Save a Bundle, basic information on several accelerators, memory and other upgrades
• Book 1992 by John Dvorak: Dovorak’s inside track to the Macintosh
• Book 1993 by Larry Pina: Mac classic & SE : repair and upgrade secrets
• MacUser January 1993, Maximum RAM, Upgrading the Mac SE/30 (253)
• MacUser March 1993, Upgrading the Mac LC
• MacUser April 1993, 100 Accelerated Systems
• MacWorld June 1993, Upgrading Your Mac, and Buyers Guide
• Book 1995 by Todd Stauffer: Using your Mac
• MacWorld February 1995, Making the move to PowerMac, includes a comment that the 68k accelerator market has “dried up”
• MacWorld UK February 1995, Movin’ on up
• Book 1996 by Clifford Colby and Sharon Zardetto Aker: The Macintosh Bible (sixth edition, I intentionally skipped the fifth edition since it doesn’t seem to have info on accelerators)
• MacAddict 006 February 1997, This Old Mac: Mac Plus, Tates Dove, Mobius, NewLife, and Novy Systems are out of business, and provides the urls for MicroMac, Mobius (no mention of their accelerators), and Sonnet Technologies.
• MacAddict 007 March 1997, This Old Mac: SE/30
• MacAddict 008 April 1997, This Old Mac: Mac II
• MacAddict 009 May 1997, This Old Mac: Mac IIci, IIcx, and IIsi
• MacAddict 011 July 1997, This Old Mac: Mac LC, LC II, and LC III
• MacUser July 1997, Never Say Die
• MacAddict 012 August 1997, This Old Mac: LC 475, 500 Series, and 630
• MacAddict 014 October 1997, This Old Mac: Centris and Quadra 610 and 650
• Book 1998 Sharon Zardetto Aker: The Macintosh Bible (seventh edition), other than a mention of compatibility issues, no info on specific cards, this fits with the .
• MacAddict 019 March 1998, Nitro Burning Funny Macs, and This Old Mac: Power Mac 6100
• Book 1998 by Todd Stauffer: Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible
• MacAddict 021 May 1998, This Old Mac: Pumping Up a Powerbook 100
• MacAddict 024 August 1998, Pumping Up a PowerBook 520/540
• MacAddict 027 November 1998, This Old Mac: The All in Ones
• MacAddict 029 January 1999, Anti-Aging Upgrades,
• MacAddict May 1999, This Old Mac online articles (last entry for the page in the wayback machine)