I'm considering buying a Macintosh SE/30, the seller said it has some defects. Is it worth it?

[ArmorAlley]

I asked the seller for some pics and he sent me some:

View attachment 39055

I was once warned about laying electrostatic-sensitive equipment on non-natural fabrics on the grounds that any static on the fabric could wreak havoc on the equipment. Was the warning correct? Has the potential seller been careless here with the motherboard?

 

[Crutch]

I don’t know what the experts would say, but I wouldn’t personally do that with a natural fabric either .... few things seem to build up static electricity worse than natural wool.  (That said, we’ve all been careless and the chance of motherboard damage is probably extremely low.)

 

[JDW]

I was once warned about laying electrostatic-sensitive equipment on non-natural fabrics on the grounds...

Well, if it's grounded then...     (I know what you mean, but I thought the wording was especially amusing!)

I don’t know what the experts would say...

Here's what they have to say...

 

[davidg5678]

Here's what they have to say...

Thanks for sharing the video! I enjoyed watching it. Maybe it's time for me to get an ESD Mat instead of only using a wrist band. I suppose my dollar store toothbrushes are not very ESD friendly either.

 

[ArmorAlley]

Thanks for sharing the video! I enjoyed watching it. Maybe it's time for me to get an ESD Mat instead of only using a wrist band. I suppose my dollar store toothbrushes are not very ESD friendly either.

I know. I was found wanting in a lot of those examples. I found it very instructive too. I need more shielded bags.

 

[davidg5678]

I know. I was found wanting in a lot of those examples. I found it very instructive too. I need more shielded bags.

It only makes me wonder how many of my dead boards and chips are actually victims of poor ESD precautions instead of age. Whoops...

 

[Crutch]

What a great video!  It’s almost even slightly entertaining.  Which is quite good for a best-practices corporate instructional video. 

 

[Oberlehrer]

Check the completed listings on ebay for SE/30s that were actually sold. 300 € might be reasonable for a unit in good condition. Computers that boot but show problems seem to sell for under 200 € in general. But admittedly the prices can also be on the high side.

To give you an idea: During the lockdown I bought one SE/30 "non working" (which turned out to be a Maxell bomb) for 80 € and another one "working but without sound, no peripherals included" (which needed recapping) for 50 €. Both from "ebay Kleinanzeigen" which is separate from ebay (basically classified ads).

At the moment there's a working Classic II locally for 99 € while other sellers try to unload original Classic models for more...