Silent IIci

[firebottle]

So after messing around with my IIfx, I decided to look at the two IIci's I have.

One acts completely normal. The board does have the metal-can caps, but looks like an older revision.

The other... a newer revision "brigther green"-colored board. No startup chime. Boots fine, but no sound at all.

Tried to turn off the computer using the power button on the motherboard and it was "jumpy". I'd push the button in and it would turn off, release the button and it would turn on! Had to time it right to get it to turn off.

Then I started checking all my spare boards. No sound on all of them. 3 of 4 don't even show video!!!

Visual inspection reveals the dreaded electrolytic "gunk" near the metal-can caps on all boards. Especially the caps near the sound chips.

I guess I'll have to get out the toothbrush.

[CC_333]

Hi,

I think replacing those capacitors would be the only way to keep your IIci boards working properly.

Even if you clean the gunk off, the sound will still be out until the failing capacitors are fixed.

At any rate, good luck resurrecting those IIci boards!

c

[uniserver]

please don't hate me... but i found a trick with those metal can caps, i use a phillips and tap on the top and kinda press on the top of the can making like a Philips looking dent, i don't go to much just so it makes a little dent, 50 to 60% of the time it will make the cap work again.

[mcdermd]

But the only lasting fix is replacement.

[CC_333]

please don't hate me... but i found a trick with those metal can caps, i use a phillips and tap on the top and kinda press on the top of the can making like a Philips looking dent, i don't go to much just so it makes a little dent, 50 to 60% of the time it will make the cap work again.

Really?! Interesting trick.

I do agree with mcdermd, though: the only lasting fix is to replace the capacitors.

And, I don't know about anyone else, but I don't "hate" you at all (I don't even know you, so how could I?)

c

[uniserver]

sometimes when you suggest something on this site that isn't exactly kosher others comment in the thread and say mean things when ever i suggest a trick or hack to get something working, its for my personal benifit, shame on someone that would do some trick or hack "temporarily" just to sell on ebay and get more money... that i'd never do to anyone!@

one other trick i found out to get older 400k 800k 2m sony floppy drives working, when you take the 2 black screws out and pull the bottom head and top head out as an assm, on the bottom is a spring, it seems to loose tension, because when there is no disk in the drive it puts maximum tension on that spring, that is why if you are going to store your vintage mac for a while , pop a disk in there, maybe one that you don't care about,

i will move that spring to the next higher setting on the perch and if that doesn't work i will cut like 3 rings off the spring and re bend it around the perch, that way the head tension is now restored.

i would just do the cap trick to the caps that you think control the sound... etc i'm sure you know that

[mcdermd]

I just keep a stock of those 47uf, 16v capacitors around.

[uniserver]

where is a good place to buy those from?

[mcdermd]

For online shopping, I use Digikey, Mouser and Jameco for most everything.

[firebottle]

I ended up cleaning the IIci boards. With a toothbrush, cold water and a pinch of baking soda in each area where the leaks were.

One board actually started to output sound again, although not very loud. The rest all output video thru the motherboard video connector.

All powered off without problems.

By the way, is there some rule where all the RAM slots need to be filled before the motherboard video works properly? I can't remember...

Anyway, I'll try the "bathe-it-in-alcohol" technique next. Hooray for Safeway (only place I've ever seen with 99% concentration).

I guess if nothing changes, I'll set the boards aside until I get access to a surface-mount solder workstation.

Some of those caps are just too close together to replace with absolute confidence.

[James1095]

I know this is an old thread, but replacing the caps is easy, no special tools required. I use an ordinary temperature controlled soldering iron. Snip or gently tear off the dead caps cold, don't even use the iron for that. Then use the iron to remove any wire stubs remaining and clean off the corroded solder. Give it a scrub with a toothbrush or magic eraser pad, and solder the new caps on, again with an ordinary soldering iron. Tantalum chip capacitors are lower profile so you have more room to work with them. Hold it with tweezers, tack solder one end, then flow some solder into the other end and repeat with the first. Takes 15-30 mins to re-cap a IIci depending on how much cleanup is needed.

[pondosinatra]

Well I've had a member on here recap two SE/30 boards for me. And while I appreciate their efforts the first board ended up with traces run all over the place but at least it worked. And the second board ended up with a number of issues when they were done.

So their success rate so far is 50%.

[uniserver]

did they do it for free?

[olePigeon]

I don't know about the video working properly, but it does need the 4 memory banks filled to work.

[pondosinatra]

did they do it for free?

No. But it wasn't super expensive either.

My dilemma is I have a very rare socketed SE/30 board with the corresponding 50Mhz 030 adapter. It's working now, but I'll need to get it recapped - but I'm paranoid it's going to get messed up.

[mcdermd]

If its still working, now is the time to have it done. Once it stops working, there may be enough leaked electrolyte to have done some damage.

[Brooklyn]

I agree, do the cap now before the board is damaged by leaking.

The socketed SE/30 board isn't that rare, but your 50mhz accelerator is

[uniserver]

@ pondosinatra

I have no idea who did your mainboards, obviously it wasn't me.
but i kinda feel for the poor sap that got stuck doing them, then to hear your belly aching,

money aside, ( gosh i don't want to appear mean or anything, but it might come out that way )

Basically be happy your se/30 boards work at all.
you have no idea how much of a pain in the ass it can be dealing with rotted traces, and rotted pads, it sucks!
+ solder really does not want to stick to anything with corrosion on it.

With the SE/30 you have to be extra careful with your soldering, there are traces going all over the place, some of the time the PCB epoxy is peeling off, and ya need to be extra careful not to solder bridge any of those little traces, under the cap, right next to the cap. etc.

You need a steady hand, some of those caps are a real MF-ER to get to.

Next time you can just save a couple bucks, and just do it your self, then you will see

Start with the cpu card, then if you mess it up, you only have your self to blame,
not some poor sap that was kind enough to help you out.

Caps! -- (Supplies For Beginners) What do you need?
http://68kmla.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=19844&start=0

[pondosinatra]

@ pondosinatra

I have no idea who did your mainboards, obviously it wasn't me.
but i kinda feel for the poor sap that got stuck doing them, then to hear your belly aching,
...

I don't believe I slagged them at all. Just pointed out that their success rate was 50% (from someone who stated they've done dozens of repairs) - and one of the boards was NOS which was pristine, not some old crappy garage sale SE/30...

They also did some newer model boards without issues, so maybe there's something more inherently difficult with the SE/30.

[CC_333]

...maybe there's something more inherently difficult with the SE/30.

Perhaps the traces are somewhat more fragile, either due to construction techniques or old age (ore a combination thereof). Also, with the way the capacitors leak on the poor things, the electrolyte seems to get right underneath the traces in no time at all. I don't know if it's the way they're built or what.

c

[mcdermd]

FWIW, other than one IIsi board, the only losses I've had are SE/30 boards. In addition to the capacitors, you have to worry about failed Bournes filters also.