Se/30 with booster, synchr030 and zzj video

[Andrewski007]

Hello. I've been lurking for a while and just registered. I have an se/30 with the booster 2.0, Synchr030 and the zig zag Joe video card and CRT for color, and my eBay seller said I might be one of the first people to have done this combination. I wanted to post some pictures. I have the ECS tap soldered to the bottom of the logic board and extended the wire since the booster is on the bottom. I played simcity 2k and wolfenstein 3d last night with very high ram limits set and it feels great!

 

[Andrewski007]

Few more pictures

 

[Andrewski007]

Speedometer 4.02 scored a 0.693 as compared to a quadra 605

 

[oldmacuser]

Love that ZZJ color screen! I don't have one yet, but one day!

 

[Andrewski007]

I found the quality really good. I turned the brightness way down, need to look into buying a 10kohm pot so I can adjust it from outside the case

 

[herd]

Welcome to the forum! That's a nice setup; thanks for sharing it with us.

 

[Andrewski007]

I just got my MacEffects case today. Definitely worth it though

 

[jasonfortheworld]

How do you like the LCD compared to a CRT? Does it still feel authentic to you, or is it a quality of life upgrade thats worth it?

I keep going back and forth on if I like the idea of an LCD in my daily driver. The idea of native color is really nice and the extra room and lighter weight would be great, but part of me feels like something intangible would get lost without a CRT.

 

[cheesestraws]

I keep going back and forth on if I like the idea of an LCD in my daily driver. The idea of native color is really nice and the extra room and lighter weight would be great, but part of me feels like something intangible would get lost without a CRT.

LCDs, at least relatively modern ones, tend to be better for eyestrain - if you're using the machine a lot for real stuff, this is also worth bearing in mind.

 

[ObeyDaleks]

How do you like the LCD compared to a CRT? Does it still feel authentic to you, or is it a quality of life upgrade thats worth it?

I keep going back and forth on if I like the idea of an LCD in my daily driver. The idea of native color is really nice and the extra room and lighter weight would be great, but part of me feels like something intangible would get lost without a CRT.

I feel the same way. I have three (and a half) SE/30s and I can’t bring myself to modify any one of them with modern components. It wouldn’t feel the same.

 

[Andrewski007]

I find it's a quality of life upgrade. Too many burned tubes, too many questionable flyback transformers. It's a little safer to service and the increased resolution is easier on my eyes.

 

[finkmac]

lcds suck. the polarizer glue dries, crystalizes, vinegar syndrome lines!!! really sucks. fixing it sucks even more !

 

[s_pupp]

Same here, regarding a quality of life upgrade. It’s like giving my VW a TCU tune - it’s no longer stock, but it is a lot more pleasant to drive.

 

[Andrewski007]

My Linux pc has the same lcd monitor for over 12 years now, it's outlived three computers. I'm not worried much about it. It's not like I leave my Mac running 24/7

 

[Juror22]

I feel the same way. I have three (and a half) SE/30s and I can’t bring myself to modify any one of them with modern components. It wouldn’t feel the same.

No modern components at all !?!?!
How did you recap the motherboards (polymer?,tantalums?), and if needed, their power supplies?
What is your plan for when the hard drives fail, or the drive gear and or caps in your floppy drive?

I don't want to devolve the conversation, and for the longest time I've tried to keep most of my items original or with original era upgrades, but we have all begun making compromises and as time marches on, we all need to decide what is best for ourselves and our charges (non-working and accurate museum piece, or a functional computer).

Even simple preservation, or restoration can be considered an upgrade of sorts, so since I've already taken that first step...
I have a few SE/30s - maybe six if/when I can get a GLUE chip and a few other remaining items for my other reloaded board.
- All have been re-capped except for the one that was battery-bombed when I bought it (the reason that I bought a couple of reload boards)
- Most have had the floppy re-geared, and all the floppy drives cleaned and lubricated
- One came with a Micron Exceed card and I later bought a (vintage) grayscale board for it as well, so my thanks to bolle, zzj et al for getting the price on those to come down by providing modern equivalents.
- One has a SCSI/sound issue that I've been working on and still requires more attention
- The others are mostly original drives, etc, but a couple of the PSU's and one of the analog boards has been re-capped.
- One I gave the zzj treatment with a working 'stock' dimmer knob (per zzj's instructions) and also a re-capped PSU, and Zuluscsi and I believe that it is true to the spirit of the SE/30, if not to the hardware. It is fully reversible if you grow jaded with a color screen.

..and it is SO choice - if you have the means, I highly recommend you pick one up!