Recent content by RetroViator

What's next... I tested each of the five functional boards with my snazzy TechStep built by @max1zzz. It confirmed that Delta and Echo are working perfectly. Charlie tested fine, but it would not shut down with the new Power-Up-IIusi PSU (it works properly with the Magnetek PSU) . It was the...

The Dreaded Power Supplies Knowing how bad the IIsi power supplies are (due to leaky SMD caps on the soft power daughter board and leaky axial caps on the low voltage side of the main board), I decided to try the Power-Up-iiusi (Lucy) board that Caymac Vintage posted on Github. I realize he is...

Back in the day, I ran my college's computer store, and I dialed into AppleLink regularly to place orders, download product sheets, access software, etc. This was back when it was just an internal/dealer network. I have good memories of staying up late into the night to download system software...

I've worked with ex-military guys over the years, and while it seems a bit gimmicky at first, it really does clarify and simplify things. Sort of like using a 24 hour clock instead of AM/PM.

I've seen it eat one of those resistors, but it's impressive to see all three obliterated. 😬

What a mess. 😩 I’d be interested in a poll of what Mac or Mac peripheral has the worst corrosion or leakage problems. I’d have to think the IIsi PSU would be among the top contenders.

Hard Drive Archeology Tonight, I plugged in seven hard drives from the Mac IIsi to see if anything was salvageable. There were three Quantum LPS drives (two of which were 80MB and one was 230MB), a Quantum ELS of unknown size, a 40MB Conner drive, a 120MB Maxtor, and finally a 200MB Maxtor...

Tonight was floppy night I worked on all seven floppy drives, following @Branchus excellent restoration tutorial. It was like spending an evening with the Bob Ross of vintage Mac repairs. 🙂 I nearly stumbled on the eject gears. While disassembling the eject mechanisms, I noticed that two...

Logic Board Summary: I started with one working IIsi, and I now have five functional IIsi logic boards! Here is a run down: Alpha - Recapped and working in 2021, now has an audio issue * Bravo - Recapped and failed repair in 2021, now working except for an audio issue Charlie - Recapped and...

Echo: This IIsi was sending me mixed messages. It was the dirtiest of the non-battery bombed systems, so I tackled it last, assuming it would likely have issues. However, when I started recapping, the old caps came off pretty easily, and even more surprising, I was able to get the pads to take...

Delta: Another straightforward recap and clean for this one. I will say I make less dumb mistakes as I go when I recap several machines in a row. This logic board is working well. Delta had corrosion from leakage, but it was not terrible. No traces were eaten away and the IC pins were okay...

Yes, I did clean them, and even added fresh solder to see of thickening them up a bit would help. Unfortunately, something more troublesome is going on. Also, unfortunately, I damaged the speaker amplification circuit on my working Alpha unit while trying to diagnose what was going on with...

Charlie: The Charlie system needed a recap, a good clean, and it worked perfectly. It's nice to have one easy one! Though, some of my problems with Alpha and Bravo were due by my poor recapping skills when I tackled them in 2021. Now, I'll sometimes use the snip and remove the legs method...

With my Mac2VGA, connected to a IIsi, I have pin 1,4, and 5 on and the rest off. This works with my VGA displays. This corresponds with 640x480 at 66Hz. I’ve attached the cheat sheet for my adapter. It seems doubtful the BMOW ROM gives the IIsi more video output options, but it’s worth...

Well, they sort of grew over time. I got my first from a retired couple who sold me all their old Macs when they downsized. Unfortunately, this is one of the battery bombed units. I then went on the hunt for a replacement, and I ended up getting two because the seller was slow to ship the one I...