chiptripper
Well-known member
I've been tearing my hair out troubleshooting an otherwise healthy SE/30. Adjusting brightness, either from the adjustment wheel or directly on the analog board, results in noticeable bloom (screen increases in size). When I click a menu or open a window, display shows slight horizontal shadow lines, and the left and right sides of the screen bulge slightly. If I dim the screen, the issue becomes less severe.
It has been meticulously restored. Fully recapped. Good voltages. Analog and neck board joints reflowed. I have swapped in a new flyback, new CRT, tested transistors / resistors / diodes, swapped ICs known to fail. Swapped every cable, tried different power cables, different outlets (GFCI and regular).
Probably just a random component I'm overlooking, right? Well, on a whim, I tested a non-recapped SE. It has the same issue! Then a Plus w/ recapped logic and analog board. Same! Next, Classic II I recapped years ago, has a spinning hard drive. Same.
This problem does not seem to affect my Color Classic or M1212 display. Just every B&W compact I've tested.
At this point I have to think there's an issue with mains voltage / ground in my house that these machines do not like. It's a 1950s place with two-wire outlets and (mostly) GFCIs. Does this sound plausible? Any suggestions for how to safely test this theory?
It has been meticulously restored. Fully recapped. Good voltages. Analog and neck board joints reflowed. I have swapped in a new flyback, new CRT, tested transistors / resistors / diodes, swapped ICs known to fail. Swapped every cable, tried different power cables, different outlets (GFCI and regular).
Probably just a random component I'm overlooking, right? Well, on a whim, I tested a non-recapped SE. It has the same issue! Then a Plus w/ recapped logic and analog board. Same! Next, Classic II I recapped years ago, has a spinning hard drive. Same.
This problem does not seem to affect my Color Classic or M1212 display. Just every B&W compact I've tested.
At this point I have to think there's an issue with mains voltage / ground in my house that these machines do not like. It's a 1950s place with two-wire outlets and (mostly) GFCIs. Does this sound plausible? Any suggestions for how to safely test this theory?