• Hello MLAers! We've re-enabled auto-approval for accounts. If you are still waiting on account approval, please check this thread for more information.

SE video: almost perfect, but, it 'flinches'. (video = 1000 words)

I have restored an SE. After recapping the analog board, and going back today to replace CR2 and Q2 b/c the Dead Mac Scrolls described a symptom that might have been this one, I haven't resolved the final video issue.

The video is solid, but at unpredictable intervals the entire screen increases in width, just for a few frames. Sometimes this happens repeatedly over a few seconds, other times it's a one-off, and it usually doesn't repeat for a couple of minutes. Given that it's a machine from another millennium, it's still completely acceptable and usable. But I'd luuuuv to iron out this final wrinkle. Oh, I should clarify: this was happening even before I recapped the analog board. It was why I recapped the analog board.

Anyone have advice?

(The raster also appears to not be centered horizontally, but, I could let that slide.)

I have done a full recap of the logic and analog boards (including C15 on analog). The system was in pretty good shape, with no signs of leakage or battery death.

Video attached. The scrolling horizontal bar is not visible to the eye and is a camera-capture artifact. Look for the raster to just momentarily be wider at 0:05s .

View attachment IMG_5488.mov
 
I’ve never worked on an Analog board, but I thought this post I saw on another site recently might be related?

 
@finkmac - I'll have to view that; I actually do not have a YouTube account :) and now they require one.

@djc6 - I've done a lot of that. I've replaced the caps, the BU406, but not some of the remaining diodes. I've replaced the one that attaches directly to the heat sink (CR2 IIRC), so replacing the others will be a breeze :) Cool, thanks.
 
If I was to guess that looks like a vertical linearity issue. Because it's intermittent I'd be looking at solder joints/ parts around pin 1, 10, and 12 of the tda1170 (according to the datasheet).
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20250412_000541_Drive.jpg
    Screenshot_20250412_000541_Drive.jpg
    146.8 KB · Views: 7
To expand on what I suggested last night. I watched the video multiple times (so many times my wife commented the song I was listening to was very repetitive 😁) to verify the issue. The screen looks like it is getting wider on the right, but is pulling in on the left. It looks like the linearity of the image is shifting. The datasheet shows that the linearity is controlled by adjusting the the resistance in the voltage devider between pin 12 and 10 (the two 68k resistors). That signal then goes into the pre-amp. Since macs don't have a vertical linearity adjustment this is a set value on these monitors. Having never seen this issue on a mac before I'm postulating, but I have seen vertical linearity issues on other monitors that look very similar to this. I would check that area for any solder cracks (i'd reflow everything in that area), parts that seem out of spec (check when cool, and after they're hot), and check the pads/trace leading from anything you have soldered on. Sometime you can cause the pads to fracture from the trace and they can be intermittent. Worst case I'd replace the tda1170 to see if it's starting to fail. I would do that last after verifying all supporting parts were 100%
 
@finkmac - OK, I actually do have a YouTube account (I thought they GC'd it years ago). If the BU406 is the HOT, I replaced it Friday with its modern, higher-rated equivalent BU406G. I sourced mine from onsemi.

@Callan - I was reflowing joints Friday. Most appear to be quite good, still shiny, no discoloration. A few had that suspicious faint black circle near the center, and I completely removed their solder and put down fresh joints. The TDA1170 looked fine, but I'll re-solder it next.

@cheesestraws - Seems like it happens pretty quickly, even after a cold boot. So I don't have any convincing data either way. They start within a minute after a cold power-on, but even when it's warm it can go the same amount of time without happening. And once it's warm, they don't cease. I'm sorry to have no definite answer on this one.
 
@Callan - I have considered starting to replace the passives.. the small caps and the resistors. The schematics gained from the links on these replies are helping me I know what power each resistor should handle. Less confident on selecting correct replacements for the inductors. But good idea, first just resolder the rest of the analog board.
 
I had exactly the same issue before (with SE or SE/30, not sure). I ended up reflowing the solder joints on the flyback transformer AND on the neck board connector. All were cracked, and I suspect the neck board was actually the culprit but not 100% sure. The neck board solder joints were practically separated, probably from someone pushing too hard on the neck board when reconnecting.
 
Reflowing the flyback, the TDA1170, and the passives 'near' the TDA1170 may have fixed it. I need to sit with the machine for more than fifteen minutes to be 100%, but barring wild optimism, it looked solid while I ran some networking tests.

If this was the cure, then lesson learned: even shiny-ness is not the true test of an aged solder joint.
 
Back
Top