Color Classic Restore

[erichelgeson]

Hello!

My next project is a Color Classic restore and likely 640x480 mod. Thread to document the restore and share anything I find on the way!

This is my first color classic (first color 68k too!)  - having to do a lot of reading/learning about it. Overall it's in good condition for it's age:

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The motherboard looks in good shape, though the caps near the ADB port have leaked, likely causing the soft power not to work. I tested continuity from Y1 as that seems to be a common problem, tested OK.

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(Dont worry, that battery is new, and just to test if that was the issue with no soft power)

Second thing I noticed was a lot of white "crud" near the ROM chips:

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Once my new bottle of 99% IPA comes I'll remove, clean and re-seat the ROM chips.

Ordered a set of caps from Console5 that should be here soon (along with a few other sets for my SE analog boards)

Next steps:

• Clean, recap, see if it boots!
  

I picked it up from the Trading Post

 

[Scott Baret]

Glad to see this happening to my old CC!! 

 

[erichelgeson]

Quick update, got impatient and decided to just take some 70% ipa and clean the leak by the adb ports as it seems that is a common issue for soft power and it booted right up!

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Will start removing the old caps this weekend, but always good to know its in a working state before you start.

 

[Huxley]

WOOHOO! Congrats, that's a fantastic update! Love seeing a Color Classic coming back to life 

Huxley

 

[BadGoldEagle]

Quick update, got impatient and decided to just take some 70% ipa and clean the leak by the adb ports as it seems that is a common issue for soft power and it booted right up!

Good to know. So that’s probably why mine won’t start anymore. I know I should have recapped it by now but that’s just one of the many issues it currently has. 

 

[erichelgeson]

Well, today I booted it up and the hard drive spins up, then down, then up again, get a "power fluctuation" the screen wobbles - and then a blinking question mark. Hope it's just the HDD failed!

Also reading up more on the 640x480 I'm going to pass on it. The non-mystic way has quite a few steps and not great results. Unless I find an app that really requires it or find a cheap board for a mystic upgrade, I'm going to table that for now.

 

[erichelgeson]

Well Cap removal could have gone better (but not terrible) - For some reason I thought I'd use my iron to remove them instead of my new hot air gun, and with all the crud on the board I didnt get as hot as I needed and pulled more than I should - live and learn I guess. The rest of the caps with the hot air gun all cleaned up great.

C2 just goes to L1, a short jumper wire will do. I do have the pad, but no epoxy, and I read super glue wont hold up to the temps.

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C9 has some corrosion under it and one trace is exposed - will clean and put some UV solder mask on, though will have to be light touch.

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I received the caps from console 5- It's a bit odd as they have own codes for the ratings instead of just the ratings:

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So some trace work tomorrow, then caps.

 

[PotatoFi]

Congrats on the Color Classic! I think this is a moot point since you have a hot air station... but I now exclusively use the "twist and push" method to remove caps. On the ~6 boards I've done like this, I've only broken one pad off. But like I said, moot point for you...

Looking forward to seeing how this one comes together. Would love to see lots of photos (with surrounding context) as I haven't actually seen a Color Classic in person since I was in kindergarten! I've been watching for one... it's the "unicorn" that I've been trying to track down to finish up my compact Mac collection!

 

[ScutBoy]

@erichelgeson - Nice work on the CC. I'm a fellow Minnesotan (Northfield) who just got done doing two CC motherboards myself

 

[erichelgeson]

Thanks @PotatoFi, I had been using the rock back and forth very gently till the legs break, worked well but had a stubborn through hole I needed the heating power of the air gun, so that's why I have it

There's a few of us around MN @ScutBoy - I'm south of St. Cloud in the middle of no where.

 

[Scott Baret]

Any updates on this project?

 

[erichelgeson]

I thought I received UV Solder mask a month ago, tore up the house looking for it, ordered a new tube, then realized the original tube I ordered is still in transit from china..... ETA 7/25. So a bit stuck till I can safely cover that exposed trace.

If I get time tonight/this week I'll solder on all but that one cap.

 

[erichelgeson]

All caps but the one with the exposed trace on. I always go back touch up and I shouldn't! Oh well they turned out ok. The jumper wire isn't pretty but hopefully will get the job done. (note flux needs to be cleaned up too)

I'm wondering for the exposed trace if i should re-tin it. I'm a bit concerned the solder mask under it will raise the capacitor quite a bit. I'm not sure if tinning + temp resistant tape over just that trace would be an acceptable fix or not.

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[erichelgeson]

It lives! I did go with the a very small strip of heat resistant tape that just covers that trace, I think the UV solder mask would have been difficult and would have had to sand it down. I'm ok with it.

Cleaned up the board a bit more (wish I had access to an ultra sonic cleaner) and it boots!

HDD is still dead, but have a 250mb scsi drive I'll replace it with. But my problem is I cant find any disk images I can write. Most I find are .dsk (raw for emulators) and wont open in anything on a real mac (eg disk copy 4.2, 6, 8, shrink wrap, diskdup, etc) If you have a link to a System 7 install set that will work for me, let me know! (I do have a floppyemu, but i'd have to take the CC completely apart it seems to access the floppy port!)

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[PotatoFi]

Do you need a hand making a set of System 7 floppies from a modern machine?

 

[erichelgeson]

I have a 7600 on the network running os 9 with a floppy drive, but I just cant find a set of 7.1 images that work with the color classic - eg i boot a vanilla 7.1 and it says (cant remember the exact verbiage) This system is not compatible with this OS.

Every copy of 7.1 i've found is either raw disk images (I could put them in vmacmini, convert them to disk copy images, then transfer) but was hoping I could just find a copy.

 

[cheesestraws]

set of 7.1 images that work with the color classic

You need System Enabler 401.  I have a set of 7.1 DiskCopy images for the Colour Classic, but they are 1. British English and 2. I think missing a disc? (I think the printing one, perhaps).

I can dig those out for you if you don't find a better option.

 

[LaPorta]

Or I can just send you 401 and you can put it in your startup disk system folder.

 

[erichelgeson]

Found 401 - never used these enablers before so I think I'm on the right track. Got Disk Tools to boot now, formatting HDD. I assume I'll have to manually install 401 after the install completes?