MacCharlie

The MacCharlie is a hardware add-on for the Apple Macintosh that was made by Dayna Communications.[1] The name refers to an IBM PC advertising campaign of the time featuring Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp" character.[2]

MacCharlie

MacCharlie (right) running on a Macintosh 512K (left)
Connects to	Macintosh 128K, Macintosh 512K
Manufacturer	Dayna Communications
Introduced	April 2, 1985 (1985-04-02)
Discontinued	1986/1987
Cost	US$1,795 (equivalent to $4,500 in 2021)
Type	Hardware emulation
Memory	256–512 KB
Connection	DE-9 connector
Weight	7 lbs (3.2 kg)
Dimensions	13.8 by 14.7 by 10.8 inches (35 by 37 by 27 cm)

It allows users to run DOS software for the IBM PC by clipping a unit onto the chassis of the Macintosh 128K, as well as a keyboard extender to provide the function keys and numeric keypad that are absent from Apple's original keyboard.

The clip-on unit sits to the side of the Mac and, like the contemporary Amiga Sidecar, contains essentially a complete IBM PC compatible with an 8088 processor, 256 KB of RAM (expandable to 640 KB) and a single 5.25" floppy disk drive that stores 360 KB. A second floppy drive can be added.

While running DOS software, users can still access the Macintosh menu bar and desk accessories. However, the DOS environment, which runs in a window, is text-only and does not permit Macintosh applications to run concurrently while in use.[3] MacCharlie uses the Mac as a terminal, performing all DOS processing itself, and sends video data over a relatively slow serial link to the Mac for display.[2] This slowness, coupled with the declining prices of real IBM PC compatibles, contributed to the short market life of the MacCharlie.

Clockwise from upper left: Keyboard extender attached to the original Macintosh keyboard; underside of both keyboards; MacCharlie's terminal program booting MS-DOS version 3.10.