Getting started

[madsox]

Long time mac *user* here, now wanting to get into restoring/modding an old one for use in this modern world. I think the first Mac I used was a Plus, the first one I actually bought was a Classic II, but I never was very serious about maintaining them or tinkering. Now I want to - I'm thinking SE/30 as a platform, learn how to recap the boards and any other electrical work, get one working and add more modern stuff like BlueSCSI and ... I'm not sure what all. Where's a good starting discussion? (There must be one around this place). And then I get to search for a good machine that's not priced insanely, I'll be looking for advice on that too.

Let's see what the collective has to say!

 

[Phipli]

Welcome to the community

Now I want to - I'm thinking SE/30 as a platform, learn how to recap the boards and any other electrical work, get one working and add more modern stuff like BlueSCSI and ... I'm not sure what all.

I'd actually recommend starting with something like an LC 475 if you want to do start learning maintenance etc, or an SE (i.e. not /30) or Mac Plus if you want to get into just using a bit more with that retro compact feeling.

The reason for this is that SE/30s are very popular with people getting into the hobby, but they're a lot higher risk. This means if you buy one, it's more likely to be in horrific condition than most macs (IIsi and Classic aside), and you'll likely pay an arm and a leg for the privilege.

The 475 is much easier to work on and repair (recapping is often not just a case of replacing the capacitors, but also troubleshooting and repairing damage, which can be particularly tricky with the SE/30), while the SE and Plus are absolute tanks and they seem to mostly just work, with the SE being a little bit more expandable and compatible.

The risk with the SE/30 is that you'll have all the frustration up front before you get to decide if you enjoy the fun part of the hobby

 

[Snial]

<snip> Where's a good starting discussion? (There must be one around this place). And then I get to search for a good machine that's not priced insanely, I'll be looking for advice on that too.

OK, so your thread led me to have a look at what Vintage Macs were available on eBay. It's instructive, because as a whole working ones have definitely been getting quite a lot more expensive over the past few years.

Picking an SE/30 as a starting point is understandable. It's legendary! But that's also the problem, it's very sought after. So, you may get quite a few "I wouldn't start from there" replies. Also, you might end up regretting it, because you could easily start with that dream SE/30 and being new to the modding/fixing scene, wreck it before you have enough expertise.

It might be better therefore to start with a retro Mac, perhaps a more affordable compact Mac; that's working or working well enough for your immediate objectives (e.g. has a faulty floppy drive). Then you see what you can do with that and if you wreck it, you won't be that gutted. But you'll probably find that you'll get a lot more out of it than you expected.

Also, I'd set a budget before you do anything else, because otherwise you might get drawn into that dream vintage Mac; spend way more than you intended and that Mac doesn't turn out to be as awesome as it cost. It's a bit like with eBay, never bid so high you'd be unhappy even if you won.

Well, that's my 2p's worth of ladvice !