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SCSI2SSD for Macintosh Portable?
- Thread starter Dude
- Start date
Someone sells a Mac Portable SCSI to normal SCSI+Power adapter board+cable on eBay. Be careful though, the one I got had the Molex power connector incorrectly wired, with the +12V and +5V wires reversed, which killed two hard disks and an SCSI2SD card before I realised what was happening.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Macintosh-Portable-34-to-50-pin-SCSI-Hard-drive-Adapter/312973273392?hash=item48dea92930:g
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/Macintosh-Portable-34-to-50-pin-SCSI-Hard-drive-Adapter/312973273392?hash=item48dea92930:g
p8AAOSwMsVXjEow
Someone sells a Mac Portable SCSI to normal SCSI+Power adapter board+cable on eBay. Be careful though, the one I got had the Molex power connector incorrectly wired, with the +12V and +5V wires reversed, which killed two hard disks and an SCSI2SD card before I realised what was happening.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Macintosh-Portable-34-to-50-pin-SCSI-Hard-drive-Adapter/312973273392?hash=item48dea92930:g
I used the one linked (from member alaska360) and it works like a charm with a SCSI2SD.
Ok thanks. I will give that one a try. I just bought a Macintosh Portable battery from that seller.
On a side note, I picked up this Macintosh Portable as not working, for cheap. When I got it, it looked brand new. The space bar is the same color as the other keys. No dirt at all inside or on the feet. I thought I would just try the new battery not expecting much and to my surprise it booted up just fine.
I'm pretty sure the board has not been recapped, but is likely pretty clean as I don't think this machine was used. My intention was to use this for writing because I love the keyboard, but it is in such good shape I feel like maybe I should not.
My question: Should I just preserve it like it is, maybe find one more beat up to use? If I use it maybe the board will go out or something or I will in some way damage it. This is my first vintage Mac aside from a G4 Cube.
On a side note, I picked up this Macintosh Portable as not working, for cheap. When I got it, it looked brand new. The space bar is the same color as the other keys. No dirt at all inside or on the feet. I thought I would just try the new battery not expecting much and to my surprise it booted up just fine.
I'm pretty sure the board has not been recapped, but is likely pretty clean as I don't think this machine was used. My intention was to use this for writing because I love the keyboard, but it is in such good shape I feel like maybe I should not.
My question: Should I just preserve it like it is, maybe find one more beat up to use? If I use it maybe the board will go out or something or I will in some way damage it. This is my first vintage Mac aside from a G4 Cube.
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You need to recap it before you do ANYTHING with it period.
These logic boards are known for failing catastrophically with bad caps. Sometimes to the point where you end up the waiting queue for a replacement logic board as a few others are in.
These logic boards are known for failing catastrophically with bad caps. Sometimes to the point where you end up the waiting queue for a replacement logic board as a few others are in.
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Ok. I don't think I trust myself to do it. Is there a place I can send it and pay to have it done?
Or maybe it will be worth more as a museum piece with the original capacitors and hard drive in place? Will the caps leak if I don't turn it on?
Sorry to go off topic, but which old Macintosh laptop is the most reliable for work? I wanted to use one to write a book, but maybe that is not feasible. I use modern Macs to do everything else, but I find them uninspiring. I like that old typewriter feel you get with the old ones.
Or maybe it will be worth more as a museum piece with the original capacitors and hard drive in place? Will the caps leak if I don't turn it on?
Sorry to go off topic, but which old Macintosh laptop is the most reliable for work? I wanted to use one to write a book, but maybe that is not feasible. I use modern Macs to do everything else, but I find them uninspiring. I like that old typewriter feel you get with the old ones.
No, it having the original caps only hurts it. For the hard drive, yes, it would be cooler (to me at least) with the original hard drive if you could get that working. But, if you are going to be writing in it, a solid-state solution may be a good idea so you don’t loose data to a hard drive failure. Or, what I’d do is keep the hard drive in-place and make periodic backups to floppies.
Not turning it on won’t preserve the caps. They will continue degrading regardless.
I say get it fixed-up and enjoy it. Using it is not going to hurt it. Just take good care of it and it’ll be fine.
As techknight said YOU MUST recap! Even keeping the old ones on perhaps still ooozing electrolytic fluid is bad!! I feel like here on 68k we get the same questions on Mac Portables about recapping..
Techknight is the portable EXPERT! He knows every chip, every trace!! He’s worked on enough of my damaged boards over the years!! As well as countless others.
Your museum quality machine will have eroded and destroyed areas on it. Best first if you can’t find someone to recap is place it in the bathtub (the logic board) and with a toothbrush scrub it lightly down with denatured alcohol or 91% rubbbing alcohol. This will remove electrolytic residue and shortly stop the rotting process. DO NOT power up that machine until recapped!
Techknight is the portable EXPERT! He knows every chip, every trace!! He’s worked on enough of my damaged boards over the years!! As well as countless others.
Your museum quality machine will have eroded and destroyed areas on it. Best first if you can’t find someone to recap is place it in the bathtub (the logic board) and with a toothbrush scrub it lightly down with denatured alcohol or 91% rubbbing alcohol. This will remove electrolytic residue and shortly stop the rotting process. DO NOT power up that machine until recapped!
Ok! What do you think of these guys?
http://www.maccaps.com/MacCaps/Repair_Service.html
Or tell me where to send the board. Thanks!
http://www.maccaps.com/MacCaps/Repair_Service.html
Or tell me where to send the board. Thanks!
I don't know the current status of this vendor, but, they have had difficult periods in the not too distant past:
If anybody who sees this knows of any updates, I'd be happy to add them to this linked thread. Please tag, quote, or PM me.
Unfortunately, I'm not personally aware of anybody else offering recap services at the moment, but I'd be willing to sticky any threads if somebody is doing it on any kind of scale.
If anybody who sees this knows of any updates, I'd be happy to add them to this linked thread. Please tag, quote, or PM me.
Unfortunately, I'm not personally aware of anybody else offering recap services at the moment, but I'd be willing to sticky any threads if somebody is doing it on any kind of scale.
Wasn't AllMacs doing it at one point? I dont remember its been awhile. I used to but my busy life and serious burn-out/lack of motivation/depression just prevents me from getting to it.
Yea, the Portable does support the HD20 protocol. I forgot about that.
Yep, I remember booting from an HD20 image on a Floppy Emulator. thats when I was running RAM tests and things. Sadly, I lost that image and forget where it went.
Using the Floppy Emu the Portable can boot from any image 6.0.4 and up to 7.5.5. But not an HD20 boot image.
