The Hayes InterBridge is “an inter-connecting ‘bridge’ that allows users of an AppleTalk network to tie into other AppleTalk networks.” This niche product was sold by Hayes in 1987 for $799 retail. There’s not a lot of information about this device left around so this page is an attempt to collect what I can find.
The Hardware
The InterBridge itself comes in the usual double height extruded aluminum case, like that of the Hayes Chronograph. The front and rear “caps” can be removed to remove the motherboard. It features two female DE-9 AppleTalk connectors and two male DB-25 connectors, typically for a connecting to a modem. The power supply is a Hayes wall wart model “52-00013” providing 14VAC @ 1.14AMP (16VA). The CPU is a Motorola 68008 (7.73Mhz) processor running AMX 68000 RTOS by Kadak Products, Ltd. It has 256K of RAM, 64K of ROM, and 256 bytes of EEPROM memory for storing settings.
The 64K EPROM is labeled as “V1.12, 04-00002, 1986”. You can download it below.
The Software (is missing)
The configuration software for the InterBridge is currently missing. Without a way to configure the unit, it’s of little use. If you have access to the InterBridge configuration software, please consider archiving it and uploading to Archive.org or leave a comment below.
The InterBridge is configured on a Macintosh computer via an AppleTalk network using the included InterBridge manager and the Zone Chooser DA (Desk Accessory). The software was delivered on at least a 800k Macintosh 3.5″ floppy.
Since the InterBridge is configured over AppleTalk, I decided to connect it to a Mac and use NetMinder to see if it could discover devices on the network. It was able to return a name of “ADMIN Basement” (presumably left in EEPROM by previous owner) and a service type of “InterBridge.” This was successful to confirm that the unit appears to be somewhat functional.
I also used Apple’s InterPoll v1.0.1 (available in the Administrator Tools folder of the CD-ROM image) software to perform a network search. It also revealed the InterBridge was functioning with the “ADMIN Basement” name but also showed a Zone name of “CENTRAL SUPPORT” (also presumably left in EEPROM by the previous owner).
In the June 1988 issue of MacWorld pg. 136, we get our first glimpse of what the InterBridge Manager software looks like.
In the June 1987 issue of MacWorld pg. 160, we see a screenshot of the InterBridge Manager software showing diagnostics and network statistics.
The Manual
Good news, the manual exists and should be available soon!
AppleTalk Ports Pin Out
The following pinout is unconfirmed and is based this document on how to create your own LocalTalk adapters. I didn’t have an LocalTalk adapter with a DE-9 plug. I used this to create an adapter for a standard PhoneNet adapter with a mini DIN 8 plug to a DE-9 plug.
| DE-9 Pin | Mini DIN 8 | Signal |
| 3 | 4 | GND |
| 4 | 6 | TX+ |
| 5 | 3 | TX- |
| 8 | 8 | RCV+ |
| 9 | 5 | RCV- |
News
The following are contemporary articles and reviews of the Hayes InterBridge.
- Info World, Feb 16, 1987: Customers Report Hayes’ InterBridge Causes Problems on Appletalk Nets, by Lisa L. Spiegelman, pg 8.
- Info World, Mar 23, 1987: Interbridge: Hardware/Software Bridge Services Appletalk Network by Don Crabb, pg 50.
- MacWorld, June 1987: Bridging Network Boundaries, pg 157.
- Info World, Aug 24, 1987: Network Customers Hit By Hayes InterBridge Shortage, by Robert Snowdon Jones, pg 30.
- MacWorld, June 1988: Networking from a Distance, by Brita Meng, pg 130.