Do you know how hard it is to find an SE programmer’s switch? Pretty hard. I’ve only seen a handful come and go on eBay, and they’re always extortionate. $30 bucks for a reset switch? You must be out of your mind! I thought I was crazy when I spent $15 on the one for my 128K.

I’d like my 128K, 512K, Plus and SE to all have switches. Those machines never shipped with one. You had to buy it separately as part of a programmer’s kit. I think it makes for a nice finishing touch. Plus, it comes in handy when things lock up. It’s rare, but it does happen from time to time.

So far I’ve only managed to find one for my 128K at a reasonable price. (Read: under $20) My 512K came with one, but it was broken.



Lucky for me, I managed to score one for my SE for only $12.50. It’s in perfect shape and it’s not yellowed at all.





I had to shine a flashlight in the side vent to locate the switches. It then just clicked in once I had it lined up. Pretty neat. It was nice to finally add that finishing touch.



Another item that’s usually grossly overpriced are battery covers. I purchased three 512Ks pretty much back to back last year. Two of them had battery covers, but I ruined those machines in a botched retr0brite session. Oops!



The third machine came out perfect, (the one in the middle) but it’s missing the battery cover. The ones I ruined are white and ashy and look ridiculous. I needed a new one.

Looking at eBay, the going rate is usually $15 and up. No deal. That’s crazy. These things should be $5 bucks, tops.

I managed to score one for $7.50. So basically, $20 for both pieces. Since it seems that’s the going rate for one, it’s like I got one for free. I can live with that.





The color is pretty good too. I though I was going to have to dip it, but I think it’s a good match.



Slowly but surely, all the machines are getting their bells and whistles. I just takes time and patience. And money.