Takky Upgrade

PowerPC 603e 275MHz CPU
The name Takky Upgrade goes back on the both inventors Mr. Tak and Mr. Akky - so the word Takky is just a merger of their names. These both Japanese guys are the founders of the CCSCC - Club for creating the strongest color classic. The Takky Upgrade is not simply a logic board exchange as a Mystic Upgrade is. You can see in the picture that a possible new logic board(here a 6500) is longer than the standard logic board of the color classic and the connector is on the other side(thank you Apple, that its only longer and not wider). That's why it describes a complete change of the of the inner case that a Power Macintosh board could be held into it.

What you need to do is:
  • Calm Hands ;-)
  • Dremel(or similar)
  • Dremel saw blade
  • Ruler
  • Marking Pen
  • Smal Files
  • Pipe Wrench
  • Carpet Knife
  • Scissors
  • A complete wiring harness from one of the possible models below(the following description is based on the 630 harness)
  • A donor logic board from one of the possible models below
color classic and 6500 size compare
size comparison(left new board, right original board)
For the donor logic board or wiring harness you got the following possibilities(harness and logic board don't have to be from the same model):

640 Series
58x Series
63x Series

68040 CPU 33MHz Color Classic
  • Requires no 3,3V regulator
  • 68040 based like a Mystic(No PowerPC)
  • Useful for testing
  • For this board its not worth to build a Takky

5200/5300 Series
6200/6300 Series
(Exclude 6360)

603e CPU 166MHz Color Classic
  • Requires no 3,3V regulator
  • Poor Board Design
  • Gives you PowerPC performance up to 160MHz
  • Its possible that an additional PSU is required if energy hungry components are installed

5400 Series
6400 Series
(and 6360)

603ev CPU 200MHz Color Classic
  • Requires 3,3V regulator
  • Better board design
  • not the best choice; some people got problems to get takky work
  • Gives you good PowerPC Performance up to 200MHz
  • Its possible that an additional PSU is required if energy hungry components are installed

5500 Series
6500 Series

603ev CPU 300MHz Color Classic
  • May require use of 3.3V regulator if using much more than an L2 cache card and/or a PCI Ethernet card
  • Good and stable board design
  • Gives you PowerPC performance up to 300MHz
  • Fastest logic boards wich are Takky compatible
  • Its possible that an additional PSU is required if energy hungry components are installed

Plastic Works

Color Classic Takky inner cut out
Because the new logic boards have higher constructions(Ram, PCI, Cache Card and so on), you have to cut out the inner plastic constructions with a Dremel.
Color Classic Takky Slot until Clip
Extend the slot for the logic board using a Dremel on both sides.
Color Classic Takky 4cm Slot
Because the new logic boards are much longer you have to extend the slot 4cm from the shown clip.
Color Classic Takky Dremel Slot
Cut with the Dremel a straight line until the first measured point.
Color Classic Takky Slot Test
You can always try with your new logic board your new created slot.
Color Classic Takky Harness Fit
The last thing that you have to do on the plastics is to cut out a slot for the new harness. The Slot has to be cut out at the 4cm line. Just cut out until it fixes with the connector of the new logicboard and the new harness.
Color Classic Takky Logicboard Fit
If your cutting is done your new logic board should slide in smoothly into the connector of the new harness.

Wiring Works


Your Color Classic Analog Board only accepts the new Logic Board by rewiring the harness. These images show you wich wires you have to reconnect. The Pictures are once created from the CCSCC - the ones you see below are a vectorized remake for a better understanding and they are better scalable.
Color Classic Takky Pinout - New Vector
630 ConnectorAnalog Board ConnectorHDD Power Supply Connector
-12 V inputS11
GNDS22
ADB Power SupplyS35
GNDS46
Power off commandS57
S6
+5 VS723
S8
Brightness control outputS917
GNDS1018
Contrast control outputS1119
-GNDS1210
Video Signal Output(Blue)S1311
GNDS1412
Video Signal Output(Green)S1513
GNDS1614
Video Signal Output(Red)S1715
S18
Monitor ID input 2S19
Connect to S20
Monitor ID input 1S20
Connect to S19
Monitor ID input 0S21
GNDS228
Composite signal outputS239
GNDS24
S25
GNDS26
S27
GNDS2829
Sound output(R)S2928
GNDS3031
Sound output(L)S3130
S32
Sound amplifier control outputS3337
S34
Microphone inputS3521
GNDS3622
S37
S38
S39
S40
+12 VP1-P2(Yellow)P9(Yellow)1(Yellow)
GNDP3-P4(Black)P7(Brown)2(Brown or Black)
GNDP5-P6(Black)P5(Black)3(Black)
P7-P8
+5 VP9-P10(Red)P3(Red)4(Red)
+5 VP11-P12(Red)P1(Red)

Wiring Diagram

Color Classic Takky Wiring Diagram - New Vector
  1. In the diagram and the table at the top the monitor ID is set to VGA (640 x 480 (S19 and S20 connected, S21 unconnected)). In case of HiRes Mod you need to connect S21 to S24(Senseline 0 connected with ground) and leave S19 and S20 unconnected - please see also my page: "640x480".
  2. A circuit inside the dotted line is for an additional power supply which is only needed for power hungry components like a G3 upgrade card or additional PCI cards. Here you also install the 3,3V regulator if its needed by your logic board. For wiring these have a look at the PSU Upgrade page.
  3. Please Note that the original wiring diagram from the ccscc has an error in the IDE cabling. This error is corrected in this wiring diagram. Please take in mind that Apple has a different wiring for IDE cables than the industry standard. So if you want to install a longer IDE cable, take a industry standard idea cable and make sure that pin 1 is on pin C50 of the 630 connector. If the length of the IDE cable matches for you, you can leave it as it is(the red cable is in that case on pin 40 of the 630 connector).
Color Classic Takky Floppy Cable
Don't forget to cut out "Pin 9" of the Floppy Cable
630 ConnectorFDD Connector
F11
F22
F33
F44
F55
F66
F77
F88
F9
F1010
F1111
F1212
F1313
F1414
F1515
F1616
F1717
F1818
F1919
F2020
color classic open harness saver
For opening the connectors carefully go into the connector side with a small flat screw driver and open the holder out by pushing slightly to the side.
Color Classic Takky Harness Rewire
I do the rewiring on the side of the new harness so I can leave the side of the old logic board connector. That's because the old analog board connector looks a bit fragile.

In other tutorials often a new IDC Cable is used but when you use a new cable you have to reconnect both sides.
color classic new takky harness
After rewiring the harness looks complete again.
Color Classic Takky Power Bridge
It is necessary to give -10 V instead of -5 V onto one Pin of the analog board. You easily have to connect the shown pins. Without this mod your Takky won't work.
Color Classic 3,3V regulator Traco Power
As I mentioned before some logic boards and especially the ones from the 5400 or 6400 series need a 3,3V regulator. In the past, this regulator is built by several electronic components. As time goes by there are now some compact regulators on the market which are very small and integrated. I´ve chosen the TSR 1-2433 from Traco Power. This one works fine in the color classic and gives enough power.

As you see in the left picture the regulator is so small that it can fix on the plastics of the new harness very easy.

To wire it please look at the diagram of the harness wiring. You can install it with the same connectors as the additional PSU.
Color Classic Mac OS 9.1 - About this Computer
Color Classic Mac OS 9.1 - System Profiler
As you see here that it is now possible to install Mac OS 9.1 on the new Takky Color Classic. It has brilliant performance compared to the original color classic.

You see in the Pictures too that a 5400 logic board works pretty well - I don't know why some people got problems with this logic board.
Color Classic Takky Benchmark
You see here a benchmark of Norton Utilities. The benchmark was done on my Takky with a 6500 logic board 275MHz. The untouched Color Classic is similar to the Mac LC II in the result list.

Have a look on the G3 Upgrade page if you want to see how much the G3 Upgrade increases the speed.