SE/30 Power Supply: Recap or ATX?

[JDW]

Use the SONY CR-44 PSU as a frame of reference for the voltages and minimum Current output you will need:

+5V: 6.0A

+12V Sweep: 1.25A

+12V Disk: 2.1A

-12V: 0.5A

Sweep and Disk are not isolated, so you could drive both with a single +12V power line rated at 3.35A or higher. And no, a -12V line rated at 0.3A is not acceptable, in my opinion, since the -12V line of the SONY is 0.5A.  Even if a power supply has +5V, +12V and -12V outputs, if the current for any of them is lower than described above, it would be unwise to choose such a replacement power supply.

Another benefit to the SONY CR-44 PSU is that it's complete fanless, unlike any replacement PSU you may be considering (including the SEASONIC).

 

[thxkbye]

Gotcha, thanks this helps a lot. The search continues.

 

[thxkbye]

This could be the ticket right here.

https://www.amazon.com/Replace-Power®-Replacement-5188-7520-5188-7521/dp/B00F0ZPXU2/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp?cv_ct_cx=micro+atx+psu&keywords=micro+atx+psu&pd_rd_i=B00F0ZPXU2&pd_rd_r=12a1c75b-0a9b-4db1-a125-16d1a17bd29e&pd_rd_w=2UKpb&pd_rd_wg=k9e0r&pf_rd_p=a6d018ad-f20b-46c9-8920-433972c7d9b7&pf_rd_r=XNYBZ9YHX9AVXMFMGN96&psc=1&qid=1585010031&s=electronics&sr=1-1-dd5817a1-1ba7-46c2-8996-f96e7b0f409c

 

[JDW]

This could be the ticket right here.

https://www.amazon.com/Replace-Power®-Replacement-5188-7520-5188-7521/dp/B00F0ZPXU2/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp?cv_ct_cx=micro+atx+psu&keywords=micro+atx+psu&pd_rd_i=B00F0ZPXU2&pd_rd_r=12a1c75b-0a9b-4db1-a125-16d1a17bd29e&pd_rd_w=2UKpb&pd_rd_wg=k9e0r&pf_rd_p=a6d018ad-f20b-46c9-8920-433972c7d9b7&pf_rd_r=XNYBZ9YHX9AVXMFMGN96&psc=1&qid=1585010031&s=electronics&sr=1-1-dd5817a1-1ba7-46c2-8996-f96e7b0f409c

View attachment 32036

One of the comments below that product listing says this:

...this thing sounds like a harrier jet about to vertically take off

Physical size is another issue to consider:

• RP-FLEX-350W = 193mm x 152.4mm x 58.4mm
  
• SEASONIC SSP-250SUB = 150 mm (L) x 81.5 mm (W) x 40.5 mm (H)
  

We know the SEASONIC fits nicely inside the metal PSU enclosure of the SE & SE/30, and using that enclosure is nice because it has the power switch built-in along with the power plug.

 

[thxkbye]

Size could be a factor, i think i would replace any fan with a noctua fan, which are usually extremely silent.

 

[JDW]

... i would replace any fan with a noctua fan, which are usually extremely silent.

Yes indeed.  You can see and hear a 60x25mm Noctua in my SE FAN VIDEO here.

 

[thxkbye]

Going to see about an SE dual floppy tomorrow. I hope it has a Sony PSU inside, i'll use the cap kit on it and hope i can get a ATX solution for it sometime down the road. It's only 30 bucks, id buy it even if it didn't so its worth a shot.

 

[IlikeTech]

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't get near cheap PC PSUs like that with a long stick.  Super generic, and not UL listed.  So if it burns your house down that might be a problem.  I would recommend getting a FLEXATX PSU from a reputable brand.  I would get an SE/30 PSU from eBay.  You can get a sony one for about 40 USD, and recapped, it shouldn't be a fire hazard.

 

[LaPorta]

Yeah, why not just get the Sony? I’ve got extra.

 

[thxkbye]

I picked up this SE today for $30.   Owner said he had not tested it had no plans for it.  But it had a black power switch, it powers up and attempts to boot so at least i can use it to work on my SE/30 while I work on getting an additional PSU.  I have the Sony cap kit so I will do that immediately. Look forward on finding a quality ATX solution with you all.

 

[JDW]

Ah, the memories!  I worked as a repair tech for MicroAge in Fresno, CA during my senior year in high school in 1989.  The SE was still being sold then, but the hot item in the store I gawked over was the lovely IIci!  Totally unaffordable for me at the time ($6k+ retail), but boy I wanted one.  Ultimately, I ended up buying a IIvx in '93 with a college student discount -- a machine Apple notoriously killed off only months later.  A year after that, I recall spending $1,000 of my hard earned pennies on a Quadra 650 logic board upgrade for it, which made it a very usable machine.

 

[Michael_b]

I have the same PSU as iamroot.  I ordered my cap kit from console5 as well (sony) and I am weighing my option on wether or not to recap it or install a modern psu.  The seasonic ive seen posted in here is really expensive... I have the desire to put in an ethernet card and grayscale card at some point also, so the modern psu might be a better choice.  Question is, I have some really nice ATX power supplies laying about, it would be nice to be able to use one of them, but I am nervous about frying this machine as I have wanted an SE/30 for a long time and finally was able to pick one up for a good price.   I just recapped the logic board and analog board, but I wasn't expecting the PSU to be different.    I am new to the community thanks for having me!

View attachment 31976

The problem I see in a potential recap of your board is that a fair amount of the bottom copper is rusted/rotted underneath the green solder mask.  A recap alone without addressing that problem would not be advisable. The condition would grow worse over time and it also could prevent even a recapped board from working properly.  You would need to try to carefully scrape off the blackened solder mask to examine the copper underneath to determine how much of it is left.

Adding a data point here: I recapped the Apple Singapore version of the SE/30 power supply earlier this spring (same PSU as what @thxkbye, @iamroot  have posted in this thread). It seems that capacitor leakage is a huge issue on these PSUs: mean looked similar to the picture above, and there was a large amount of cap goo on the metal enclosure as well.

In the areas where there are black spots, the solder mask is easy to scrape off. Fortunately, the copper appears to be 100% intact underneath. I scraped off the marginal solder mask, replaced it, and installed new caps. Now the power supply works fine with normal voltages. So, if you have one of these supplies, even if it looks *really* bad, I think it is worth recapping. It's a single layer board, so desoldering is a fairly easy task. The only difficult cap is the big one, which requires drilling a new hole.

 

[pocketscience]

Hi, resurrecting the dead here, but I'm also trying to resurrect a dead "Apple Singapore" SE/30 PSU. I recapped it recently as it was drowning in cap juice. However it's still putting out about half the voltage it should be (on both 5V and 12V lines). I've found a suspect resistor that is reading pretty much zero ohms - both in and out of circuit. The problem though is that its band marking were a victim of the cap leakage and I can't read its value anymore. I see some pics of this PSU board above, but none show a clear pic of R309 unfortunately. If anyone has a schematic, or a decent photo showing this resistor in a good state I'd dearly appreciate it.

 

[Fizzbinn]

I just got an SE/30 with one of these "Apple Singapore" PSUs. Found this thread trying to look up info on it. A bit late but here is a picture of that corner of mine. Looks like a nick on the casing on one of the strips unfortunately, looks silver to me.

 

[pocketscience]

@Fizzbinn thanks - so... grey black gold gold... (right to left)? 8 ohms?

 

[joshc]

Honestly I would not bother trying to repair any Apple Singapore PSU - those were the poorest quality of the SE and SE/30 PSUs. An ATX conversion would be the way to go for longevity/reliability (also way easier).

 

[JC8080]

@jessenator I've had no issues recapping Astec PSUs in the SE and SE/30 and I think they are good power supplies. I'm not sure there is any real evidence that their "failure rates have been historically higher." - If there is a pre-existing problem just recapping might not fix the particular issue but I do it as preventative maintenance. Voltages have been rock solid afterwards Attached is the list I compiled along with the particular mouser caps I used. I found it pretty easy to work on and there aren't that many caps so it wasn't that expensive either. You'll probably want to make sure the caps are the same in case there are different versions of the PSU (and bear in the mind the Apple PSU pictured at the top of this thread looks similar to the Astec on the outside).

View attachment 22657

I've also done the Seasonic retrofit. Recapping was definitely easier but if you're going to be running a half height 3.5" drive and more than just an Ethernet card, the Seasonic is probably a better choice. It's harder to find the Seasonics at a reasonable price now though.

I just re-capped my Astec PSU today. I am not sure if there are multiple versions of the Astec power supply, but mine had a 2200uF 16v cap that is not on the list, photo attached. I grabbed a cap I had laying around it was a bit narrower (5mm) than the original cap. The original looks like 8mm lead spacing. I have attached a photo of the label on my PSU, unfortunately you can not see the label until you remove the PSU from the analog board, so you will not be able to tell if you have the same model just by looking in the case. For anyone recapping their Astec PSU, I would recommend buying a 2200uF 16v (or higher) 8mm LS cap just to be on the safe side.

@superjer2000 and @jessenator, could you please add a line to your lists stating that some models of the Astec PSU need this additional cap?