Recapped Macintosh Portable Backlit Issue

[LarBob]

Hi, my Portable was recapped by uniserver. I have gotten it to start up successfully (yesterday) after a few attempts, but now it won't. Here is a video of it trying to start up:

https://youtu.be/NlU-o9kfkls

Notice how the hard disk isn't spinning up either as you can't hear it.

 

[360alaska]

Can you unplug the hard drive and see what happens?

 

[bibilit]

Yes i agree with 360alaska, the logic board chimes and you get the pointer, so this side should be ok.

 

[BadGoldEagle]

If the hard drive fails (it's a Conner, so it's just a matter of time before it will), you will get a Sad Mac. Same thing happened to my Hyperdrive 512k until I removed the HD.

The Conner CP3045 is known to fail a lot due to the sealant ageing and disintegrating onto the platters. A couple of years later, it turns into glue. 

 

[LarBob]

If the hard drive fails (it's a Conner, so it's just a matter of time before it will), you will get a Sad Mac. Same thing happened to my Hyperdrive 512k until I removed the HD.

The Conner CP3045 is known to fail a lot due to the sealant ageing and disintegrating onto the platters. A couple of years later, it turns into glue. 

Is my only option a 34-pin to 50-pin adapter so I can put another SCSI drive in? $55 seems like kind of a lot for one. (or should I just make it myself?)

 

[BadGoldEagle]

But maybe the hard drive is fine... Have you tested it without the HD?

And apart if you manage to find another WORKING conner cp3045, then yes the adapter's pretty much the only option. You can build one yourself, but if you have litterally no soldering skills like me then I think you're better off buying one from uni. Got my adapter from him.

 

[LarBob]

But maybe the hard drive is fine... Have you tested it without the HD?

And apart if you manage to find another WORKING conner cp3045, then yes the adapter's pretty much the only option. You can build one yourself, but if you have litterally no soldering skills like me then I think you're better off buying one from uni. Got my adapter from him.

Okay, here's an update: If I take out just the hard drive, it's still wonky. If I take out the hard drive AND the floppy, it boots to the blinking question mark floppy screen every time. Are both possibly bad? When I was booting before, I got an unreadable disk message and it said the (non-existent) disk was write-protected.

 

[bibilit]

Last test to be done, plug only the hard Drive, the floppy can be faulty on its own.

those drives have 3 switches, so the error messages can be related to the floppy drive (detecting a floppy when is missing or advising that the disk is write protected when is not or simply missing as well)

 

[LarBob]

Last test to be done, plug only the hard Drive, the floppy can be faulty on its own.

those drives have 3 switches, so the error messages can be related to the floppy drive (detecting a floppy when is missing or advising that the disk is write protected when is not or simply missing as well)

I think it could have been the floppy I had in it. I removed it and now it boots (though somehow that didn't fix it before). Maybe reseating helped as well. Idk. It's booting now but some keys on the keyboard don't work(?):

https://youtu.be/blcx0ReXyW0

Probably just needs to be cleaned I guess.

 

[techknight]

This is so common with the 5126. 

The problem is 1 of 2 things. you have a broken trace in the OP-AMP section of the voltage regulator circuitry, either to an Op-Amp, or even if the NMI/RESET line is broken itll do this. 

the 2nd thing is low 5.2V if that voltage is hanging too low, it'll do the very same thing. 

Also, you need a good battery. 

I am leaning towards #1 because the keyboard matrix traces run right with the OP-AMP circuit traces as well. 

Start there. You have trace repair in your near future. its common common common with the portable. 

 

[LarBob]

I think the left controller for the keyboard/trackboard must be bad because when I switched the keyboard over to the right side, it began to work perfectly. Is this a known problem? Any way to fix this? Thanks

 

[LarBob]

This is so common with the 5126. 

The problem is 1 of 2 things. you have a broken trace in the OP-AMP section of the voltage regulator circuitry, either to an Op-Amp, or even if the NMI/RESET line is broken itll do this. 

the 2nd thing is low 5.2V if that voltage is hanging too low, it'll do the very same thing. 

Also, you need a good battery. 

I am leaning towards #1 because the keyboard matrix traces run right with the OP-AMP circuit traces as well. 

Start there. You have trace repair in your near future. its common common common with the portable. 

It's working fine now, I think it's because of a malformatted floppy that was freaking it out whilst it was trying to boot. Now there's just a problem with the keyboard/trackball controller (I guess)

 

[techknight]

it wont work fine for long. I know this problem i've seen it 100 times. 

the keyboard doesnt work on the left side because AGAIN... you have to go broken trace hunting, and you will likely find the broken trace that caused the machine to freak out, and it WILL do it again. 

And there is no left/right keyboard trackpad controller. its 1 controller. both connectors are in parallel. your left side is just eaten away from cap goo. Bottom line. 

I dont want to come off sounding like an ass, but.. shit doesn't fix itself. 

 

[LarBob]

it wont work fine for long. I know this problem i've seen it 100 times. 

the keyboard doesnt work on the left side because AGAIN... you have to go broken trace hunting, and you will likely find the broken trace that caused the machine to freak out, and it WILL do it again. 

And there is no left/right keyboard trackpad controller. its 1 controller. both connectors are in parallel. your left side is just eaten away from cap goo. Bottom line. 

I dont want to come off sounding like an ass, but.. shit doesn't fix itself. 

Yeah, makes perfect sense. To be honest, I wouldn't trust myself to get the job done though, so idk.

 

[techknight]

Well if you can track down broken traces and fix them, then I think you can get it going. If not, then you may be able to find someone nearby to be able to do it. 

I would, but I am semi-retired now from repair. Trying to get out of it because my day job and with duties of a CTO and CIO is taking all of my time.