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Got an old IIcx here. Would like to see if it's still workable.
- Thread starter keithiepoo
- Start date
I had the IIcx & it made the IIci look good. Over the years I had 4 of them, three in one sitting and 1 to make sure the IIci was the choice (the Quadra 700 so rudely disappointed in System 6 compatibility, 100+ MB max RAM, 3+1 expansion slots (I need more than 1 and 2 halves for the Quadra or 3 for the IIcx) so I bought the IIci in 2014, got it recapped in 2015, and it's running System 6.0.8 with After Dark 3.0 doing Flying Toasters Pro right now-need to shut it down I say because it's so hot in the room!
Hey guys, it's been over four years and a lot has happened since this thread was last active. I suffered a prolonged un- / under-employment drought, and a bout with homelessness. Fortunately, things are currently looking up again (hopefully).
I'm wondering: IF I decided to pursue this in the near future, would it still be possible to resurrect my ancient IIcx? I'm asking more out of curiosity right now since my "power" machines are the ones that need more immediate attention.
Thanks guys for being a cool group and for entertaining my questions.
I'm wondering: IF I decided to pursue this in the near future, would it still be possible to resurrect my ancient IIcx? I'm asking more out of curiosity right now since my "power" machines are the ones that need more immediate attention.
Thanks guys for being a cool group and for entertaining my questions.
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As long as there's no batteries that've gone bang, should be plenty doable. Caps will need replace on the logic board for sure and probably the power supply. Thankfully it's not too hard, we're talking ~3 hours work for a first time repairer, providing you're familiar with a soldering iron.
I am not. Never did such work in my life.
If you have the time to spend on it, I think it's worth a go, what do you really have to lose?
You dont need a big budget to do this kind of repair work, and you can practice your soldering skills/learn soldering on a spare PCB - there are a lot of cheap PCBs with components for trying out soldering available from amazon/ebay.
The last time I tried to fix some Macs, my soldering wasn't up to the job and I had soldered before, I just found the tiny components very hard to deal with. I'm trying the challenge again and this time I will spend more time practicing and keep my patience so that I can finish the job.
You dont need a big budget to do this kind of repair work, and you can practice your soldering skills/learn soldering on a spare PCB - there are a lot of cheap PCBs with components for trying out soldering available from amazon/ebay.
The last time I tried to fix some Macs, my soldering wasn't up to the job and I had soldered before, I just found the tiny components very hard to deal with. I'm trying the challenge again and this time I will spend more time practicing and keep my patience so that I can finish the job.
It's not terribly difficult, but if you have never used a soldering iron before then I don't know if this would be where you would want to start learning. Look online for recapping tutorials but if you have to go out and get a soldering iron, it wouldn't be worth it for you and easier to have someone do it or look for an already refurbished board and swap it out.
Yeah, I appreciate your comments and feedback guys, but this isn't happening LOL
I'll seek out someone who knows how to do this when I have the opportunity to pursue it.
Thanks!
I'll seek out someone who knows how to do this when I have the opportunity to pursue it.
Thanks!
I would recommend that you remove the logic board and gently scrub it with isopropyl alcohol. The leakage from the capacitors is corrosive and over long periods can destroy things. Even if you don't have time to replace the caps, wash the goo off. 91% alcohol is usually available at grocery stores, though higher percentage stuff is better.
I never did either, my brother was the one in our family that did electronics work (built circuits, soldered things up, etc.) Rather late in life, I started my soldering experience with a cheap soldering iron. I began joining wires together and with practice got used to how it heated up, how the solder reacted and how the different types and thicknesses of wires would react. Later on I needed to do more and started practicing desoldering and soldering on old circuit boards (they are literally everywhere). When I felt ready, I recapped an SE/30 that was dead, but revived by washing the motherboard. I brought it back to life and after that I was hooked. Not that all my attempts worked, which is why I will never be one of those folks that works on other peoples boards. There were a few boards where I totally failed and fortunately I was able to send one off to be fixed (I had both someone to send it to and the funds to have it done at that time) and another one, a classic, I pulled too many pads during desoldering and had to buy another board.
But you have to try, its SO rewarding when you hear that startup bong on one that you brought back to life. Its not going to happen overnight, but you can make it happen, even if you don't have the talent that some of these folks do.
But you have to try, its SO rewarding when you hear that startup bong on one that you brought back to life. Its not going to happen overnight, but you can make it happen, even if you don't have the talent that some of these folks do.
Hi guys. Sorry I've been so negligent of late. I've been in the middle of trying to get the dust to settle after an out-of-state move, and wouldn't you know it, Murphy's law strikes. As I'm going through the stress of trying to reestablish my life in a new state and city, my MacBook Pro's main HD decides it wants to rest. Forever. I recently bought a refurbished 2017 iMac, and have been slowly getting my digital life back to some semblance of normal.
Aaaaaaaaanyway... I appreciate everyone's input. Rubbing some alcohol on the mobo I don't have a problem with. Soldering I do. I don't know if either would work though at this point anyway. Reading these posts has shown me that so much can disintegrate over time. I'm sure the HD is wasted by now. Part of my reason for doing this was to see if I had any old files on there, to see my old desktop again, etc. I'm a very nostalgic person. Of course, geeking out has something to do with it too. But, at this point, I'm not sure resurrecting a 29yo machine is realistic.
Also, what does one do about a monitor?!? There are no more CRTs around, at least I'd doubt any that could work at this point. Are there adaptors available for connecting an LCD? Of course, the resolution wouldn't be more than ... what ... 640 x 480?
Tried uploading some pics of the old boy, but my attempts failed.
Anyway, thanks. Enjoying the thread, even if I'm a bit pessimistic about success.
Aaaaaaaaanyway... I appreciate everyone's input. Rubbing some alcohol on the mobo I don't have a problem with. Soldering I do. I don't know if either would work though at this point anyway. Reading these posts has shown me that so much can disintegrate over time. I'm sure the HD is wasted by now. Part of my reason for doing this was to see if I had any old files on there, to see my old desktop again, etc. I'm a very nostalgic person. Of course, geeking out has something to do with it too. But, at this point, I'm not sure resurrecting a 29yo machine is realistic.
Also, what does one do about a monitor?!? There are no more CRTs around, at least I'd doubt any that could work at this point. Are there adaptors available for connecting an LCD? Of course, the resolution wouldn't be more than ... what ... 640 x 480?
Tried uploading some pics of the old boy, but my attempts failed.
Anyway, thanks. Enjoying the thread, even if I'm a bit pessimistic about success.
Revisiting this thread. I find this fascinating. Been watching a lot of YouTube videos about techies reviving ancient machines, even the SE models. Holy smoke.
As I re-read the posts here, I understand much better what everyone's talking about, as I've watched these guys actually soak mobos (something I never thought could / should be done), wash out the cases, cannibalize hard drives and other parts from other machines, re-solder things, and go through a variety of hoops to get things done. I even saw more than one shot of an exploded half-AA battery. I am planning to open the IIcx up soon though and remove it.
Now, I see no corrosion on my machine, but that doesn't mean that I necessarily would know what to look for.
I hate to keep revisiting this, but it seems money is always the issue. I had a great job -- from late-2021 to mid-2023 -- and could have had some $$ put away for this discretionary expense. But, the writers' strike hit, followed by the actors' strike, and boom, my job was torpedoed. I'm employed now, but making less than I was in 2023. And, right now, I need to invest money in my little mobile home and pay off an obscene bill for a new central air unit. Joy.
But, when I had a few $$, I bought a WORKING 1998, Rev iMac (2022). I didn't think anything worked past 20 years. But, this thing is still cooking. I'm even doing a little recreational Illustrator work on it. Internet is not great, but one of those aforementioned YouTubers apparently developed a way for these older machines with older protocols to interpret and load web pages. It's not great, but you can get at the info. I will look into adding that to my little turquoise-green beastie.
Anyway, with all of the great and helpful comments everyone's offered, I wish I didn't have to keep buzzing around the goal with no advance towards the finish line. Unfortunately, I do. But, I do love to talk about it and still have it as a to-do as soon as money loosens up.
(If that money ever loosens up, I want to create something of a 90s computer work area, with Quadras running 7.5 and even early PPCs. I actually like those case designs. I have working floppies, and I could set up a local network. My 2020 MacBook Pro is running SheepShaver, which might fit into the mix somehow... I hope. I ultimately have a retirement goal of making 3D animations with Infini-D, EIAS, and Form-Z. Why? Because. But, right now this is fantasy.)
Anyway... thanks for everything guys.
As I re-read the posts here, I understand much better what everyone's talking about, as I've watched these guys actually soak mobos (something I never thought could / should be done), wash out the cases, cannibalize hard drives and other parts from other machines, re-solder things, and go through a variety of hoops to get things done. I even saw more than one shot of an exploded half-AA battery. I am planning to open the IIcx up soon though and remove it.
Now, I see no corrosion on my machine, but that doesn't mean that I necessarily would know what to look for.
I hate to keep revisiting this, but it seems money is always the issue. I had a great job -- from late-2021 to mid-2023 -- and could have had some $$ put away for this discretionary expense. But, the writers' strike hit, followed by the actors' strike, and boom, my job was torpedoed. I'm employed now, but making less than I was in 2023. And, right now, I need to invest money in my little mobile home and pay off an obscene bill for a new central air unit. Joy.
But, when I had a few $$, I bought a WORKING 1998, Rev iMac (2022). I didn't think anything worked past 20 years. But, this thing is still cooking. I'm even doing a little recreational Illustrator work on it. Internet is not great, but one of those aforementioned YouTubers apparently developed a way for these older machines with older protocols to interpret and load web pages. It's not great, but you can get at the info. I will look into adding that to my little turquoise-green beastie.
Anyway, with all of the great and helpful comments everyone's offered, I wish I didn't have to keep buzzing around the goal with no advance towards the finish line. Unfortunately, I do. But, I do love to talk about it and still have it as a to-do as soon as money loosens up.
(If that money ever loosens up, I want to create something of a 90s computer work area, with Quadras running 7.5 and even early PPCs. I actually like those case designs. I have working floppies, and I could set up a local network. My 2020 MacBook Pro is running SheepShaver, which might fit into the mix somehow... I hope. I ultimately have a retirement goal of making 3D animations with Infini-D, EIAS, and Form-Z. Why? Because. But, right now this is fantasy.)
Anyway... thanks for everything guys.
I'm glad you checked back in and that its not all been downhill. If you follow closely enough, you'll notice that there are more than a few of us that have seen tough times and eventually come out the other side. Its taken me years to get around to some of my projects (for some items the better part of 10-15 years) since sometimes life is more important than a hobby, or sometimes its just better to do no harm. Which reminds me that there is always a third ultra-low, budget low-tech option for preserving a board that I have used in the past.
You will need the following tools to do this on a IIcx:
a) phillips head screwdriver [since there is a screw that holds in the logic board] and b) either a pair of needle-nose pliers, cross-cutters or something similar (you will find tool recommendations under links/videos for twist-method for capacitor removal)
1) remove the board from the case.
2) take out the battery (always do that!)
3) mark down the locations, polarity and values of the old caps (they are also available all over the internet for a IIcx, so this step is optional)
4) take out the old caps with the 'twist' method (you can find videos on the internet)
5) wash and dry the board
put the board away safely until you can get back to it.
The advantage to this is that you can also experiment with this method on old boards to get good at it and you can find discarded electronics all over (friends?, neighbors?), or worst case, buy cheaply at a goodwill/thrift store.
Also, since your original post, there has been a generational leap in how hard drives can be imaged. It would take very little effort to image your original drive today (if the drive was still working) onto either a blueSCSI or ZuluSCSI solution that would make it available as an image on an SD card, so that it would not be lost. Since that appeared to be an original priority of yours, I wanted to let you know of options there as well.
You will need the following tools to do this on a IIcx:
a) phillips head screwdriver [since there is a screw that holds in the logic board] and b) either a pair of needle-nose pliers, cross-cutters or something similar (you will find tool recommendations under links/videos for twist-method for capacitor removal)
1) remove the board from the case.
2) take out the battery (always do that!)
3) mark down the locations, polarity and values of the old caps (they are also available all over the internet for a IIcx, so this step is optional)
4) take out the old caps with the 'twist' method (you can find videos on the internet)
5) wash and dry the board
put the board away safely until you can get back to it.
The advantage to this is that you can also experiment with this method on old boards to get good at it and you can find discarded electronics all over (friends?, neighbors?), or worst case, buy cheaply at a goodwill/thrift store.
Also, since your original post, there has been a generational leap in how hard drives can be imaged. It would take very little effort to image your original drive today (if the drive was still working) onto either a blueSCSI or ZuluSCSI solution that would make it available as an image on an SD card, so that it would not be lost. Since that appeared to be an original priority of yours, I wanted to let you know of options there as well.
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