error type 11 issues on Color Classic

[posixcompliant]

Until recently, this machine has been booting from either the internal HD or images from a BlueSCSI just fine (albeit with some of the applications that I was testing crashing the system with the same "error type 11"). I've been getting this message once the machine tries to run Finder, regardless of whether I'm booting from the internal HD or SD (and regardless of whether I skip loading extensions). The same images on the SD are known to boot into the Finder just fine on an SE, so I'm not overly-suspicious that this is a software issue, and when testing with fresh install images, I've been sure to add System Enabler 401 for the CC. Zapping PRAM hasn't changed anything (either by hotkey combo or removing the battery), and this is a recently-recapped logic board which has been working fine so far. I've maxed out the RAM on this machine, but double-checked to confirm that the error persists with the original stick (and even with only the onboard memory) to no avail.

I've been doing as much research into error type 11 as I can, but almost everything on the subject seems to be catered specifically toward the error as it pertains to PPC machines and emulators. Could this be SCSI-termination related? When I'm not using the internal HD, I've just been leaving the power molex disconnected, but the SCSI cable inserted. Testing without that internal SCSI cable connected to the HD has yielded no difference in behavior.

It's likely that these issues are unrelated, but there are also some problems I've been having with the CRT (whine, flickering, scaling somewhat-strangely in the corners of the screen) that I hope are unrelated. I may try recapping the analog board at some point for those issues, but I don't really know whether that could also help with this problem. It's worth mentioning that I also recently replaced the fan, but the issue remains regardless of whether the fan is installed in the rear casing or not, so I doubt this would be related to any sort of power-draw anomaly of the new fan.

I'm pretty new to working on vintage Macs, and would appreciate any troubleshooting advice that folks have. So far my general computer knowledge has gotten me a good amount of the way through this project, but I suspect there are still plenty of idiosyncrasies of these systems that I don't have much intuition for.

 

[posixcompliant]

Resolved! In case comes across this in a search with similar symptoms, here's what I did:

1. Since I meant to recap the analog board anyway, I went ahead and did that
2. After recapping the board, there were no real changes to screen flicker, but I was able to boot all the way to Finder and open some test applications!
3. After a few hours, I came back to the setup and tried to boot, once again encountering an error 11.
4. I took everything apart again and puzzled over it for a bit. After checking out a couple threads related to screen flicker, I saw that improper grounding can be a contributor - I figured since I mechanically removed and reinserted the analog board, maybe this was related to things working again on a temporary basis.
5. I realized that the replacement/recapped logic board was missing the springs that slot through the board and connect the ground pads to the semi-sprung tabs from the case shielding, so I swapped in the springs from my old board.
6. I pulled the analog board again - part of what motivated my decision to recap was that the central 3300 uF cap had gone, and evidence of warping/smoke discharge from when it blew was on the plastic sheet that separates the metal shielding from the analog board itself- this had apparently slightly blocked one of the grounding tabs from making contact, so I popped it over the plastic sheet to ensure that it wasn't blocked. If the error comes up again, I may go as far as making a small cut in the plastic to really make sure there's no chance of bad contact.

Only slightly-traumatized by that regression - keeping an eye on the situation to see how the system fares, but I think we can chalk this one up to Wacky Grounding Issues.