Rusty Macintosh SE/30

[Jinnai]

I got a large lot of Macs for $225, but I don't have time right now to post about the whole lot. But I got this SE/30 - it's really gross and rusty inside, and if I fix it, I'm going to post it here.

It came with an odd hard drive sled, I don't know why. It's bright pink, and you screw the HDD to one sled, then slide it into the other sled, and tighten it with the screw on the side. It's very weird, but high quality!

So here's a pic of the outside. It's not stellar, but I think it might be good enough to restore, what do you guys think?

Picture of the inside:

Motherboard is in bad condition, caps leaked though not the battery. The metal part is very rusty. I'm going to try to get it back to working by replacing the caps, though.

Analog board actually is visually fine, though I haven't tested it yet. The PSU had a rusted out switch so I'm waiting to get a new one of those.

HDD was horribly rusted inside:

FDD looked similar. Corroded together, a couple bug nests in it, and the top head had broken off.

CRT emitted a purple glow from the end and killed the CRT board within a couple seconds, so I have to try to fix that. I think it blew a cap. How a CRT can do that I have no idea, but my CRT board worked fine with a different monitor, so I guess it's a deadly CRT.

So overall, I think I can bring it back if I can get the motherboard to work.

 

[TechEdison]

Woah that machine has seen some sh$!

Good luck! Those HDD platters would make nice coasters

 

[Daniël]

Any SE/30 is worth fixing in my opinion, but then I am biased as they are my favorite Compact Macs

Probably would be best to strip the entire machine, then you'd be able to use anti-rust products on the metal frame without getting it into delicate electronics. If you're going to attempt it, good luck!

 

[Franklinstein]

I have one of those hard drive brackets. They're aftermarket (obviously) and seem to have been built specifically for the double-floppy SE: the bracket replaces the top floppy drive with a hard disk. They could slot onto the SE/30's lower drive bracket, as well, but there would really be no point in it unless you bought it on clearance as a set; otherwise you could have just reused the original hard drive bracket.

That SE/30 was probably kept in a very damp and/or caustic environment for years. There's no telling how bad it is in hidden areas but props if you get it working again.

 

[Franklinstein]

Is that hard drive Apple original or was it in that bracket? It doesn't look like a standard Miniscribe, Quantum, or IBM mechanism that Apple used in compacts in that era. Maybe Micropolis or CDC/Seagate?

 

[Johnnya101]

Ive got a spare compact CRT if ya ever need one if that one turns out to be dead 

 

[bibilit]

Is that hard drive Apple original 

 yes, probably aftermarket, not the usual setup, never seen so many platters on any SE/30

 

[Jinnai]

Thanks for the offer Johnny! I actually had one laying around from a Plus that I think will work, if I can fix the CRT tube board. I will probably always be lacking the Superdrive, though I might have an 800k I could put in, if it's compatible. 

Thanks for the info on the bracket! I think it's a pretty cool bracket. Unfortunately I threw away the drive pretty quick, but I remember it was Seagate. 

It really was stored in a bad environment. I can't wait to test the motherboard and know whether or not it survived at all. I will definitely remove the metal frame and hit it with a wire brush. What's your favorite rust prevention coating? Does WD-40 work? 

 

[LaPorta]

No need for wire brush. Look at an auto parts store or Amazon for Evaporust. That stuff is awesome (not that cheap, though). It can be reused as well. You either wrap parts in soaked towels, or if you buy enough, immerse the entire frame in a bucket of it. Give it 24 hr and all rust will disappear. If there are still unsightly areas, you could use some fine steel wool.

why will you be unable to get the SuperDrive in there again?

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I have one of those hard drive brackets. They're aftermarket (obviously) and seem to have been built specifically for the double-floppy SE: the bracket replaces the top floppy drive with a hard disk. They could slot onto the SE/30's lower drive bracket, as well, but there would really be no point in it unless you bought it on clearance as a set; otherwise you could have just reused the original hard drive bracket.

That's a very neat bit of kit. Being able to easily swap the HDD out via that bracket/sled can come in very handy. I did something similar using scavenged plastics & drive sleds in my SE/30 experimental testbed.

Good luck with the logic board.

 

[Franklinstein]

That's a very neat bit of kit. Being able to easily swap the HDD out via that bracket/sled can come in very handy. I did something similar using scavenged plastics & drive sleds in my SE/30 experimental testbed.

Oh, good point. I didn't think about swapability; that definitely expands the usefulness of this particular bit of hardware. 

 

[Jinnai]

I got a new PSU switch in today (https://www.ebay.com/itm/323539000187), as the original was incredibly rusty inside - unfortunately the PSU is still dead, my multimeter reads between 0.7 and 2 volts, though that is without a load. It didn't power up the Mac anyway. But the switch works and is a lovely fit.

 

[Jinnai]

The CRT was dead and killed the CRT board - specifically I believe the retrace blanking circuit - so I replaced a transistor as suggested in this thread, and now it works fine in that regard!

Picture of the issue; it had a blown cap as well that prevented booting, but after replacing the cap I got this until I replaced the transistor:

Pic of the solder area as I replaced the transistors, conveniently they were very easy to replace:

Next I'll try getting the rust off the frame. I replaced the caps on the motherboard and so far it's working...

 

[LaPorta]

Saw the post about the evaporust?

Nice job getting this thing going again. This is a really cool project.

 

[Daniël]

Nice work! Glad to see this SE/30 getting a second chance

Rusty, neglected vintage computers getting restored is always a satisfying process to watch and follow.

 

[Franklinstein]

[...] I will probably always be lacking the Superdrive, though I might have an 800k I could put in, if it's compatible. 

Thanks for the info on the bracket! I think it's a pretty cool bracket. Unfortunately I threw away the drive pretty quick, but I remember it was Seagate.

An 800k would work in a pinch. If you need a SuperDrive I have a few spares, though you'll have to get a replica ejector gear from eBay or something; I have stacks of them that work fine except for ejecting and I just haven't gotten around to ordering a bunch of gears to fix them.

Since you mentioned it (and judging by the power plug orientation), that drive was probably a Seagate ST-1096N, a lackluster ~80MB affair. They were decent as far as capacity and reliability were concerned but are kinda slow and loud; you're not missing much. I have one in a IIcx here and it still works (for now).

If you noticed, the drive has vent/pressure equalization holes on top, as do many other makes and models. The problem with storing these drives in damp environments is that moisture penetrates the dust seals and corrodes the internals. If you're going to store hard drives for long periods, you may want to keep them in individual plastic bags (thick, like freezer bags) with some dessicant if you have any.

 

[Jinnai]

Franklin, I didn't think of that, good point. That would certainly kill the HDD judging from the rest of the case.

I might take you up on that, I'll see what I have. I have two or three spare drives, though I think most are 800k, but the issue is, while I can swap parts, I cannot align them, I don't have the tools or knowledge, so their usability for parts is a bit limited.

LaPorta I did see the post, thanks! Right now I'll try vinegar though, as it's cheaper and not terribly important right now... I really don't know what result I'll get.

I was staying apprehensive about the motherboard, and right now I can't figure out how to get past this:

Unfortunately I don't have an oscilloscope to test anything. It does the same thing with or without the ROM module, so I don't know if it's an issue with the ROM, or the motherboard not getting to the point where it can use the ROM. It was working last night but apparently stopped; perhaps the motherboard should be washed again.

 

[Daniël]

Really bad caps can leak enough to stop the Mac from working again within 24 hours. YouTuber AkBKukU had a Macintosh Classic II that worked for less than 24 hours after cleaning the board from cap leak residue, it worked fine after another clean and a recap job.

 

[Jinnai]

Well, I already recapped the board, and cleaned it, so I don't know...