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Pulled the power board out of my 1991 macintosh classic, is this fixable?
- Thread starter Astro13
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I am not an expert on this in the slightest, but it looks like a cap or two barfed all over the board. If I were you, I would remove the offending caps, scrub the board with vinegar and then IPA, and then use a volt meter to make sure the traces are still good. If the traces are OK, then the board is probably salvageable. Would I attempt to do this myself, yeah, maybe after watching a few YouTube videos, specifically Adrian’s Digital Basement. Would I succeed? Eh, probably about a 50-50 chance. Someone with more experience should be able to save it, depending on the state of the traces on the board.
Oh, and IPA means Isopropyl Alcohol. I think dunking the board in India Pale Ale would probably worsen the situation.
Sent the photos to Thomas of amiga of Rochester before I mailed the board to him, he ended the response email with “never seen that before” Decided not going to risk trying to do it myself
You are far smarter than me. I tend to try to DIY even if it’s over my head, and then deal with the consequences. Sometimes I learn a new skill, sometimes I make it all worse.
I only DIY it if a: it’s within my capabilities, or if I really don’t care whether it breaks or not, and b: how much does it cost to take it to someone who know what they are doing. Replacing a MacBook battery? I’m gonna do that myself, I’m not letting Apple charge me 500 dollars plus tax to melt some glue and install a 50 dollar part. Fixing a rare and expensive vintage computer? I’m not going to risk it.
And Thomas does great work at sensible prices.
My Classic and Classic II are both working nicely thanks to his attention.