You might remember from a previous post that the hard drive in this machine blew a Tantalum capacitor. Additionally, my SE/30 needed a hard drive bracket, so I decided to build install a BlueSCSI.
I absolutely love these little things, because for about $25 and a MicroSD card, you can have solid-state storage in your retro Mac. There are so many things about this hobby that have become expensive. For storage replacement, that is no longer the case. Buying one is easy - just head over to
scsi.blue!
Before we can install it, we need to assemble it.
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the MicroSD card slot is already installed! Awhile back, I used this board to record a quick soldering tutorial:
Part 1:
Tack down the part.
Part 2:
Solder the pins.
Part 3:
Solder the remaining mechanical strength pads.
Next,
following the BlueSCSI assembly instructions, I solder in the diodes, which go on the bottom. They hold themselves to the board very securely.
Next, I solder the pin headers to the BluePill. My favorite way to do these is with a breadboard, which holes everything nice and straight for soldering.
All soldered, and perfectly straight!
Next, I installed the BluePill onto the BlueSCSI board. Making sure the board is oriented correctly is SUPER important here - if you get it backwards, it's a huge pain to desolder and flip around. Don't ask me how I know!
Also note that I don't cut the header pins off after soldering. You'll see why in awhile.
Next, it's time to install the resistor packs. I always use tweezers to bend the end legs outward slightly to hold it in place for soldering.
Here are the resistor packs, all soldered in!
Next, the Molex header for power. I don't need it on this machine, but I like to solder it in for completeness. Getting this one in alone takes a bit of a trick:
1. Bend your solder up in such a way that you can "scoop up some solder" with your iron with only one hand. Fortunately, solder can be formed how you want it.
2. With your non-dominant hand, use your index finger to hold the header in place. Note that I'm holding it in by the plastic so I don't get burned.
3. With your dominant hand, grab your iron, clean it, "scoop up" a generous amount of solder, and touch it to the pad and part for awhile. It will leave a nasty, poorly-flowed joint in place. Before you remove the iron, use your finger to get that header nice and straight. Remove the heat, hold the header still until the solder cools, and the part will now be tacked into place (which you can see in the photo).
4. You can now use two hands to solder the opposite pin.
5. Solder the two middle pins, and then reflow the first pin that you did.
I employ the same technique on the termination headers. Hold the part with one hand, use the other to tack it in...
...and then go back and "do it right".
Finally, we can solder in the SCSI connector. I have a trick for these too:
1. Pick a pin in a corner, and solder it into place.
2. Push the header towards the board, and reheat the joint. The header will settle against the board.
3. Do the same thing on the opposite corner.
Your header is now perfectly flush with the board, and you can solder the rest of the pins.
Next, I scrubbed the bottom of the board with Dawn and water, and hit it with the air compressor. It looks so nice and clean!
I wish I could say the same about the top, which I only used alcohol to clean.
Finally, I installed the BlueSCSI into one of my printed brackets. If you'd like, you can
get the files to print your own, or you can
buy them on my Etsy store. The BlueSCSI hooks under the tabs on the front, and snaps down flush with the bracket.
There was one last thing to do, which was set up the MicroSD card. First, I formatted my 8 GB card as ExFat using Disk Utility on macOS 11.6 Big Sur.
Next, I grabbed a
RaSCSI System 6.0.8 Boot image from Macintosh Garden. These are intended for use with the RaSCSI, but they work on the BlueSCSI and are so, SO convenient. I unzipped the image, and renamed it to "HD10_512 System 6.hda". If everything works right, this system will boot to a working copy of System 6.0.8, which is super convenient! From a software perspective, the BlueSCSI is insanely easy to use - I love it.