Color Classic not booting

[tommijazz91]

I have this CC that came without keyboard/mouse: the logic board has clearly been recapped by a previous owner, but I don’t know if it works for sure.

If I remore the logic board I can hear the fan going and a clicking sound (failing HDD?), but if I try to jumpstart by inserting the logic board everything will shut off. Is there anything I can do while I wait for it to be shipped? (It will be in the same house with a SE/30 and peripherals so I can do more troubleshooting some weeks/months from now).

 

[mraroid]

Buy a mouse and keyboard from ebay? 

The Color Classic has a on/off switch in the back which I am sure you have found.  After a mouse and keyboard are hooked up, and after making sure the on/off key is on, you press down on a key on the keyboard to boot the Color Classic.  It is the key at the very top of the keyboard, to the right of the apple logo.  I *think* I have the original keyboard for my CC, but perhaps other keyboards work, and the boot key on other keyboards may be located in different places.

Between now and the time your keyboard and mouse arrive, I suggest this:

Put the CC back together.  Plug it into the power.  Make sure the power switch is in the "ON" position in the rear of the computer, and then do not touch it until a keyboard and mouse arrive.  Leave it in this condition for a week or more if you have to.  Also, if you are powering it from a grounded electrical outlet, it is a good idea to plug in a surge protector between the electrical outlet and your CC. 

Surge protectors are rated in "joules". The higher the joules, the better the protection. This one on Amazon is rated for 4,156 joules:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HPX46U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you go to your local big box stores to buy a surge protector, you will find that they are rated for maybe 200 joules, or maybe you might find a high priced one ($79.95) rated at 900 joules.  Belkin is a name brand product.  The price is right.

Do you have a battery in your board?  It is not a old battery that is corroded, right?  If you can, take a volt/ohm meter and measure the battery. It it is not slightly over the voltage listed on the battery, go on line and buy a new one so it can arrive soon.

Keep us updated.

mraroid

 

[tommijazz91]

Thanks for the reply!

This is is the board btw:



The battery is missing so that makes things easier and I’ll buy another one right away (what are the specs btw?). The board seems pretty clean but that’s all I can say as I’m no expert. I don’t need the extra RAM and VRAM to boot the machine right?

I’m looking for a keyboard now on eBay, but they go for 40-50€ plus shipping and more depending on the country they are shipped from, and I’m not so sure about buying another one: I have three working ones where my other computers are (and where this CC will be, when I find the courage to ship it), so I’m still thinking about it.

As for the surge protector, now I’m thinking I should have bought one long ago as it seems fantastic!

I also bought a FPU for it, but this is obviously a secondary matter at this point. Besides, now that I read the other topic about fake FPUs I’m beginning to question the authenticity of the one I have...

 

[bibilit]

You don’t need a battery, the board will  work and boot without. 

You don’t need extra ram or vram, at least for the first tests. 

Yes new caps around, I don’t use those, but job seems to have been done properly. 

 

[tommijazz91]

Put the CC back together.  Plug it into the power.  Make sure the power switch is in the "ON" position in the rear of the computer, and then do not touch it until a keyboard and mouse arrive.  Leave it in this condition for a week or more if you have to.  Also, if you are powering it from a grounded electrical outlet, it is a good idea to plug in a surge protector between the electrical outlet and your CC. 

I managed to find a keyboard (IIgs keyboard, works with my SE/30, even the boot key at the top, but just for turning it off).

I tried as you suggested, but it didn’t work.

Since the logic board has been previously recapped and (maybe) works, I made some pictures of the analog board, maybe you guys could tell me if it is in need of a recap?

 

[ttb]

Based on how jumbled those analog board capacitors are and the fact that they all appear to have a black marker dot on them I'd guess the analog board has already been recapped as well, but I usually mark them before removing them for recap so maybe someone was going to start the process and was interrupted. Are there any without the dot?

If you turn the computer on without the logic board in does the fan run and power light come on? If it does, you can then insert the logic board to "jump start" it by bypassing the EGRET chip that initiates the power on cycle. This isn't recommended and I'm sure someone will say it can cause damage, but if you don't have another board around it will help narrow down the problem. If the machine boots, then the problem is probably related to the EGRET chip and/or power on signal coming from that chip. Look at the chip to the left of the battery holder and see if there is any sign of corrosion on its legs.

 

[tommijazz91]

Are there any without the dot?

I will check this more thoroughly the next few days so I can answer this precisely.

If you turn the computer on without the logic board in does the fan run and power light come on? If it does, you can then insert the logic board to "jump start" it by bypassing the EGRET chip that initiates the power on cycle.

I tried that but it didn’t work: if I start the CC without the logic board, the fan starts (also a clicking sound, I thought it was the HDD not working properly), but no power light. As soon as I insert the logic board everything stops running.

 

[mraroid]

Can you boot to a OS floppy disk?

A battery will not cost you very much money.  You will need one at some point.  Here is one for $3.50, but not sure of the postage cost.

https://batteryguy.com/lithium-battery-3.6v-1200mah-ls14250-saft.html?msclkid=330cbffc927f11c49101e00f0314e812&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing%20Shopping%20Core%20Business%20Hours&utm_term=4584894771052069&utm_content=Core%20Products

You can google "Er-14250 3.6V Lithium PRAM Battery" and see what you come up with.  Not sure of your country.

Keep us updated.

mraroid

 

[tommijazz91]

Can you boot to a OS floppy disk?

The problem is I can't get to boot the machine, neither from the keyboard nor by jump-starting it  :-/ . Only the fan starts (without the logic board), but no chime and no power light. What’s strange is that the logic board is very clean and recapped, and probably also the analog board. But I’m no expert and have no way of testing it.

 

[mraroid]

Hummm.  If you only had a buddy in Italy who could let you try a working logic board from a working color classic that would be helpful....

mraroid