First Compact Recap Success - Color Classic

[IIfx]

I decided to recap my Color Classic first as the logic board has tons of space to work with. The board wasn't really attacked by corrosion yet so I had caught the cap rot at just the right time. It wasn't booting prior to this procedure.

Instead of trying to tin the SMD leads manually I used solder paste. Easiest stuff in the world to use! If you have to do SMD work and your a total noob like I am go with solder paste, it will save you many hours of struggle. Caps of choice were Aluminum Polymers from Nichicon in Japan. Cleanup was performed using CRC QD contact cleaner.

The system boots right up now, as shown in the photo attached to the post.

But there was a surprise in store. At first, the volume down button was the only malfunctioning unit of the system. System 7 committed Seppuku after trying to format a floppy. The first install disk of System 7.1 could not see the HDD. > <

I pulled out the motherboard again and noticed that I had failed to replace C8! :scrambled: C8 is the small capacitor next to the CPU and FPU. I'm amazed the system ran without it for any length of time. A missing cap is better than leaking ones? Evidently so.

It's 3AM now so I am going to go crash and try to install a tantalum replacement for C8 tomorrow morning. Hopefully that brings the Color Classic back to 100% status.

 

[PB145B]

Your soldering looks great!

 

[IIfx]

Your soldering looks great!

Thank you!

So I replaced the missing C8 with a tantalum cap. The Color Classic is now 100% operational, including the formerly inop volume down button. I have to reinstall System 7 from a new set of disks though as my boxed copy of 7.1.1 Pro is having issues from floppy bit rot now. As far as I can tell from 7.6 Disk Tools the recap was a success.

 

[just.in.time]

Nicely done!

 

[IIfx]

Perhaps this wasn't a success after all. I reinstalled 7.1 from a new set of disks and everything seemed to be great. I opened up the case to do some CRT adjustments, everything was fine. I powered down the system and re-installed the bucket case enclosure. After that the system cannot see the HDD.

I tried rigging a known good HDD to it and it still wouldn't see the drive. > My luck lately has been awful. I'm hoping it's not a fried SCSI controller again. Those stupid metal feet on the bottom of the logic board seem like prime candidates to cause shorts.

I'm going to see if the Mac will pick up my external NEC SCSI CD drive or not. Hopefully yes?

 

[IIfx]

It doesn't see the SCSI CD ROM drive. I swapped out the motherboard for the one from my LC550. The LC550 board sees the stock Quantum ProDrive in the CC and tries to boot off of it.

> Don't tell me that one of those stupid metal feet on the motherboard shorted out the SCSI controller. This would be the second SCSI controller I have fried within 1 week, the other being the one on my Quadra 800 when the MacClip fell off the CPU clock generator.

 

[IIfx]

I would have edited my prior post, but it won't let me now.

It's working fine. Nothing is fried. A blast of CRC QD Electronic cleaner all over the board has brought it back. I'm guessing some solder paste residue was shorting something out.

The CC is staying assembled from now on! No more fiddling with the hardware. The CRT does need some slight adjustment but I will save that for when my luck is significantly better.

My luck with things breaking has been awful lately, so I have been assuming the worst case. Water heater failure last week, HDD's failing left and right, leaking power steering on the car, it just never ends. It's nice that the recap actually worked!

 

[just.in.time]

Bright side, nothing broke!

 

[re4mat]

Am I reading those right that your 47µF caps are 472V?

 

[IIfx]

Am I reading those right that your 47µF caps are 472V?

They aren’t 472v. They are 16v. Nichicons markings aren’t clear.

 

[jefframsey]

This is really nice. Great job! The soldering looks really good. I always liked the Color Classic line. Compact, with color... What’s not to like?

Give yourself a break and enjoy the machine for a week or two, The CRT adjustment will wait until you are ready.

 

[re4mat]

They aren’t 472v. They are 16v. Nichicons markings aren’t clear.

That makes a LOT more sense.

 

[AlpineRaven]

Well done , it is rewarding - I've just done 3 out of 4 Colour Classic boards last week - had same hard drives issues you're having too since it has been sitting there so long, along with 4 out of 5 LC475s and I have IIsi & IIci lined up next to recap.

Cheers

AP

 

[Charadis]

Looks like some professional work, doesn’t even seem like the board has been worked with (I mean..if it went through me  ). Good job, that is awesome 

 

[tanaquil]

I just saw this old thread. Congrats on a nice recap. What brand of solder paste did you use? Did you heat/flow it with a regular soldering iron, or something else (hot air, hot tweezers)? I’m about to do a whole bunch of recaps myself.