Got my SE/30 - next steps ?

[smrieck511]

it just arrived this morning. Took forever to get the case open. I don't think it has ever been opened. since 1989! Looks all original inside quantum 40Setc

The good -
Boots to Cursor and ?
Screen looks pretty bright / no burn in
Start up chime!
Battery did not explode! I removed it.
The caps do not appear to be leaky as far as I can see at the moment.

The bad -
Super dusty dirty, and the case is very yellowed.
Corrosion on certain points on the underside of the board?

What is the best way to clean at this point. I was thinking I would remove the ram and ROM chips and soak in 91% alcohol. I know some use soap and water.

Thanks for your help.

 

[LaPorta]

1. Get the battery out of there.

2. Caps are likely leaky, and you can see browning of the through hole vias surrounding the surface mount ones. They should be replaced regardless.

3. Take the RAM out for sure, no reason why not.

4. As for cleaning....opinions will vary here. Getting dust like that off is tough with IPA, it will just soak it and make it stick. I'd use compressed air first to get all of that off. Then, go in with the IPA.

5. Nice find! Looking forward to seeing how this goes.

 

[smrieck511]

yeah, I took a shot for $275 on eBay which is still expensive but the seller did show that it booted to the? and had a startup chime. he also open the expansion door somehow externally I think which revealed the quantum 40 S, which made me think… Nobody's actually ever been in there I bet.

So yeah, I feel good about this. I'm gonna be very careful.

 

[joshc]

3. Take the RAM out for sure, no reason why not.

The reason not to is that those SIMM sockets will be weak and the tabs will likely snap off the moment you try to pull the RAM. The RAM can be left in there for cleaning as long as the board is given time to dry after any soaking.

Use a brush first on the dust and then IPA.

 

[smrieck511]

yes, that is my main concern at the moment. I do not want to break those ram sockets, which I know are very brittle. I took the ROM out no problem.

I think I'm just gonna leave the ram in there since it boots.

 

[LaPorta]

The reason not to is that those SIMM sockets will be weak and the tabs will likely snap off the moment you try to pull the RAM. The RAM can be left in there for cleaning as long as the board is given time to dry after any soaking.

Josh, my eyes must have been deceiving me. I thought it looked like they were the metal tab sorts. I was wrong.

 

[joshc]

Josh, my eyes must have been deceiving me. I thought it looked like they were the metal tab sorts. I was wrong.

Ah yeah. Never seen an SE/30 board with metal ones yet. They cheaped out on them.

 

[smrieck511]

looks really good after some initial cleaning. I am psyched.

 

[smrieck511]

looks like to each of the ram sticks are only 256K so I'm gonna be upgrading that at some point and will have to remove them

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

Looks great! Very little corrosion left on the video muxes, get those caps changed and it should be good to go!

 

[smrieck511]

first thing that looks potentially odd to me… 1986 SE analog board.

Is this correct even for an SE 30?

 

[LaPorta]

Could be an older part that was used, or a replacement. All SE and SE/30 boards are interchangeable.

 

[joshc]

first thing that looks potentially odd to me… 1986 SE analog board.

Is this correct even for an SE 30?

That's normal and looks fine to me.

 

[smrieck511]

oh good

 

[smrieck511]

also, I don't think I can live with 2 MB of RAM… So at some point I am going to be removing the SIMMs... any advice on the best method to not break the brittle plastic tabs?

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

Hair dryer can help soften plastic temporarily. Just be sure you don’t hold it on long enough to melt anything.

 

[alexdyjes]

IMHO, if you're recapping you might want to swap in new simm sockets and a ram socket with metal retainers. You can find new sockets still.

 

[joshc]

IMHO, if you're recapping you might want to swap in new simm sockets and a ram socket with metal retainers. You can find new sockets still.

The sockets are not easy to replace without the correct tools / knowledge to remove them without damaging surrounding traces.

 

[smrieck511]

The sockets are not easy to replace without the correct tools / knowledge to remove them without damaging surrounding traces.

yeah, that is outside my comfort zone.

 

[smrieck511]

IMHO, if you're recapping you might want to swap in new simm sockets and a ram socket with metal retainers. You can find new sockets still.

good to know those parts exist. I would probably seek someone with experience to do this for me if it comes down to it.