Just picked up a Macintosh Classic! Got some questions

[Whatevers]

Hey everyone. I was busy with other stuff in real life but now is the time to finally fix my Classic!

I attempted to open it with my Torx-15 screwdriver but it was too short to reach the screws, so I ordered a long one from Amazon. I then also ordered a UNiROSS 3.6v 1/2 AA Lithium Thionyl Chloride battery to replace the old PRAM. Both should arrive in a week.

But I don't know which capacitors I need to buy. I tried searching but there's only info about other models. I even found a very good wiki page (https://wiki.68kmla.org/Capacitor_Replacement) but it doesn't have the Classic in it even though it has all other older and newer ones! Can anyone guide me?

 

[bibilit]

You need 47µf 16v (7 units) and only one 1µf 50v 

 

[Whatevers]

You need 47µf 16v (7 units) and only one 1µf 50v 

Thank you. They're both pretty cheap on ebay. Just bought them, a Panasonic 'M Series Ultra Low ESR'

 

[aplmak]

I've gotten into the habbit of not replacing the clock batteries... There really is no reason to as these machines are really no longer used for every day work.. The settings they keep are trivial.. And if you then decide to store it somewhere for a while were back at square one... I remove batteries from ALL my machines.. from all powerbooks.. both PRAM and regular batteries.. I try to do tantalum capacitors as much as possible. It's best to have less liquid based components in an old system as possible for the long run.

Just my way of doing things... take it or leave it..

 

[bibilit]

I've gotten into the habbit of not replacing the clock batteries... There really is no reason to as these machines are really no longer used for every day work.. The settings they keep are trivial.. And if you then decide to store it somewhere for a while were back at square one... I remove batteries from ALL my machines.. from all powerbooks.. both PRAM and regular batteries.. I try to do tantalum capacitors as much as possible. It's best to have less liquid based components in an old system as possible for the long run.

i can only agree a 100 %... i do the same.

 

[Whatevers]

BTW is it easy to replace capacitors? I've never done that before, but I have done some soldering on other stuff before. Is it as easy as taking out a cap, put the new one in and simply solder?

 

[LazarusNine]

BTW is it easy to replace capacitors? I've never done that before, but I have done some soldering on other stuff before. Is it as easy as taking out a cap, put the new one in and simply solder?

It depends on your experience. I was totally inexperienced in soldering when I started with this hobby/obsession. I watched a lot of videos and spoke to people here about different techniques.
The important thing to remember is that you mostly encounter SMD caps on these old boards. Different people have different methods of getting old caps off the board. A popular one is to use a fine pair of pliers to gently spin (not pull or rock) the capacitor in place until its connections weaken and it comes off. The danger with this is that you can pull up a pad on the logic board and then you're looking at having to run a trace. I eventually invested in a hot air gun (reflowing station) to take off some of the more tricky caps. Getting caps back on is pretty easy, but I generally use ceramic or tants. A flux pen can be useful and a small amount of solder applied to the pad before making adjustments once the cap is initially down.

Good luck with things! Restoring a Colour Classic takes time, but it's rewarding once it's finally up and running properly.

 

[bibilit]

cut the head off the old capacitor, then gently pull the rest of the can up.

split the platic base and removed it, unsolder the two remaining legs, clean old solder and solder back new capacitors.

Never had any big issue using this technique.

 

[just.in.time]

Bibilit, can you make a video showing how you do that?

 

[just.in.time]

I always replace the batteries. It drives me crazy when the battery is dead, you start up the machine (especially machines that don't support soft power off), go to write a file/install something and then realize the created date or modified date has been set to 1904. That and resetting mouse tracking speed at every reboot on non-soft power systems gets old.

Just replace the batteries every 5 years or so and it will be very ridiculously unlikely that you will ever encounter a problem.

Laptops don't have this problem if they have a healthy main battery, so on those I typically do remove the PRAM battery.

 

[Whatevers]

Thanks for the answers.

I'm planning on selling the Macintosh on ebay after restoration (I'm quite broke and need some profit quick) but how will I post it? The thing is huge and I don't know what kind of box I'll have to put it in. And will postage cost a lot as a result?

 

[just.in.time]

Package the computer prior to listing on eBay. That way, you already know the box dimensions and weight. eBay can then give you a good idea of what shipping will be, and even handle the label and everything for you. The most expensive part about shipping that usually gets over looked is proper padding. Getting bubble wrap is surprisingly expensive. Add $10 to $15 to your auction's starting price to compensate for that cost.

Shipping box should be at least 3 inches bigger in every dimension than the computer, plus an extra 2 or three inches on top for the keyboard, mouse, and power cable.

The computer should be wrapped with bubble wrap from all sides (roughly 6 or 7 layers) so that the fit is snug on all sides and bottom. Make sure when you wrap it to pull the bubble wrap tight around the corners of the machine. And tape them tightly into place against the other sides' bubble wrap. This should nearly turn the compact into a big ball of bubble wrap. If it is still a cube shape your corners may not be protected properly. A seller failed at the corners and hence how I ended up with a damaged Color Classic last year

Finally, wrap the keyboard and mouse separately to give them each a layer or two of bubbles as well, and rest them at the top of the package.

Tape the box up nice and tight and it should be good to go

 

[Johnnya101]

Can confirm as well. Fill the rest with those big bubble sheet thing and newspaper. MAKE SURE YOU CANNOT FEEL IT RATTLE!

 

[just.in.time]

I would avoid news paper all together. It gives people a false sense of cushioning when in reality the news paper will definitely compact down under the weight of a Mac, losing the majority of its cushioning ability.

Bubble wrap all the way.