Macintosh TV

[just.in.time]

I picked up a Macintosh TV locally. Turns on but it definitely needs a bit of work.

I reached out to Trag to see if he carries caps for the logic board and tuner card. I washed the board, but already some corrosion on a few of the chips near some caps. Seems to run okay, and sound is functional. Maybe a small bit quieter than my Frankenstein LC520/575.

What I need help with is the analog board. The display is very unstable and pops between different sizes. It definitely needs new capacitors. My questions:

1) is this analog board swapable with other LC Performa 5xx series systems?

2) Does anyone have a list of the capacitors needed for the Macintosh TV analog board?

 

[omidimo]

The analog board should be interchangeable from another 5xx model as per this guys success story.

 

[just.in.time]

Good to know. I'm hoping someone will have a complete list of caps and I can repair the one I have. If not, at least it may be swappable from his story.

 

[joethezombie]

i’m going to start my MacTV recap when i get back from vacation, so if your not in a hurry, i’ll have a list soon-ish.

 

[omidimo]

With all the smashed 5xx's, I am sure someone has a spare analog board lying around.

 

[just.in.time]

Thanks Joethezombie.

Yeah, that's a good point omidimo.

 

[centris660av]

Wow ive never heared of anybody getting a mac tv before i dont know but do they have the same insides apart form the tv tuner as the lc 575 

 

[just.in.time]

More like the same logic board (performance wise) as a color classic.... so less than an LC520. But still fun:

 

[Franklinstein]

The Mac TV is pretty much a big Color Classic: very collectible but kind of sucks to actually use since it's painfully slow and has an 8MB RAM limit. Plus you can't use the TV in a window and the Mac at the same time; it's one or the other. Not that you can actually get broadcast TV on them anymore anyway.

That said, yes the analog board is pretty much the same as other 68k boxes in that form factor, except for maybe some of the '040s; they changed some stuff for later models.

The display popping is likely caused by bad solder joints on the flyback transformer, so you may want to check/repair those assuming you're a competent technician. If not, familiarize yourself with how to discharge a CRT before working on it: this is a very high-voltage part and can contain hazardous voltages even after the machine has been powered down. If you're unsure how to do it safely, don't touch it.