Macintosh II - Do you remember what it was like?

[uniserver]

the II and the IIx have SMT caps… and they leak. and cause issues too.

The IIfx…. Some IIfx machines got all tantalum caps… Some got SMT Electrolytic caps…

there is makings/PADS for both kinds of caps… its a little odd.

just like on the Macintosh II/IIx there are Pads for SMT LYTICS and Through Holes for Axial caps too…

Funny Funny…

 

[volvo242gt]

Guess my II board must've been an earlier one. Had axial caps all over the place, like on a Mac Plus or SE. Machine was from the 33rd week of 1987...

-J

 

[uniserver]

seems to me like the axel caps hold up pretty good

 

[volvo242gt]

Yep. Board was clean. I probably would've had the later battery holders retrofitted to the board, if I kept the machine stock. Now, it's a IIfx, which I don't mind one bit.

-J

 

[Scott Baret]

My first experience with a big-box II came in 1995. One of my friends had a IIx and invited me over to play Prince of Persia.

The IIci was the one the computer store around me seemed to push, so I didn't really see much of the IIfx at the store. At the time, I was more interested in software than hardware anyway, and would gravitate toward whatever computer had the best titles on it. Once I got into hardware, the first Quadras had already come out.

Like most everyone here, I can't say I ran into them at schools much, but I know there was a middle school near me with a II or IIx (can't remember which model) in a music classroom.

 

[pathw]

Do any of you remember your first experience with the Macintosh II?Were you blown away, by it?

With all that 68020 Speed / Color / Expandability and the mathematical power of that Motorola 68881 FPU installed!

I don't remember - I was using a SUN Workstation with a 68020 in graduate school, and that was my rationale for taking out a loan and paying the big bucks when I went to my first job (still had some work to do to finish my dissertation, and needed something to use at home, that had LaTex, etc.):

Mac II + HD (3144) + RGB Monitor (599) + Video Card (299) + Video Card Expansion Kit (89) + S&H = 4350 (a student discount, so less than list)

I'm guessing that I was not blown away, having worked with the SUN Workstation, but it did work for me. (I did have to get it serviced immediately - bad keyboard).

It was also our main system until 1996, though I was getting pretty desperate by this point. We couldn't afford a new Apple system, going instead with a refurbished Power Computing system.

How do these Macintosh II series monsters hold up over time from Caps and Batteries?

My Mac II was just recently resurrected after many years of not being used. I did have to replace the batteries, but have not recapped anything (living dangerously I guess).