Identifying SE vs SE/30 chassis

[teemaw]

I recently picked up my first vintage Macintosh, an SE/30 sold as-is and received it today. To my dismay, the board was swapped at some point with an SE board. I want to try and pick up a loose SE/30 board soon, but now that I know the board has been swapped I'm not sure how much the rest of the system has been swapped as well.

Is there an easy way to tell the rest of the chassis between the two apart? If the boards are fully interchangeable will it even matter?

Also welcoming any advice on what to do with the spare SE board.

 

[unity]

The SE/30 introduced a metal chassis with a the ability to take a vertical card. So the chases will have a hole above the slot. This change was brought to the SE as well. The SE originally lacked this which is why most SE cards mount flat against the logic board.

Besides that little bit, the really are not any major differences and all the components are interchangeable.

 

[jlindsay26]

In the case of the SE I have the opening in the metal chassis for the power connector is smaller. The open on the SE/30 is a square shape the one on my SE is a narrower rectangle.

 

[rollmastr]

Early style:


Late style:

 

[Phipli]

The vertical card opening only tells you that you have an early SE as people mentioned.

Why are you looking at the chassis specifically? If the case is open, it might be worth learning the visible differences of the logic boards. They're very different.

Externally, the product name is on the oposite side of the front between the SE and SE/30, and the SE/30 lacks the second floppy slot. Its not got a blanking plate, it is completely filled in. Single floppy drive SEs have a removable plastic blanking plate.

Only looking at the actual logic board will tell you which board is fitted though, if someone has switched boards.

 

[CC_333]

Externally, the product name is on the oposite side of the front between the SE and SE/30, and the SE/30 lacks the second floppy slot. Its not got a blanking plate, it is completely filled in. Single floppy drive SEs have a removable plastic blanking plate.

Plus the SE has two large grooves (one per drive slot) and three small grooves. They are inset from the edges of the bezel by maybe ± an inch or so:


Whereas on the SE/30, there is only one large groove (because there's only one drive slot), but five small grooves, and the single large groove extends all the way to the side edges of the bezel (the five small grooves are still inset, as on the SE):


c