Vintage Apple 101: Getting Started

Welcome to Vintage Apple 101, you've taken your first step into a larger world!

The purpose of this page is to provide some resources for you getting started with a vintage Apple machine. For now this page will focus on Apple Macintosh computers, but we’ll try to put in some Apple II details in that section of the forum.

If you are just getting into the world of vintage Apple Macintosh computers you may want to check out this video about the basics of buying your first vintage Mac. The video also covers details about system software, cables, and other important details. This is the first video in a series, more will be released in the future.

Vintage Apple Basics Part 1: What Macintosh Should You Buy? (Video by Mac84)   

With vintage computers you need to be aware of a few common issues, leaking capacitors and exploding clock batteries. In simple terms, a capacitor is a component on the computer’s logic board (or elsehwere) which helps to smooth out and regulate the flow of electricity. When certain types of capacitors age they can dry out or leak their corrosive insides onto the logic board. This can damage or destroy traces, pads, and other vital components. A problematic capacitor can often cause the sound or video on a machine to stop working, or cause the entire machine to not work properly. 

In addition, the clock battery (often called a PRAM battery) is another ticking time bomb. In some Macintosh computers it was not designed to be replaced by your average user. So most vintage computers today still have their PRAM battery locked away inside. Some of these batteries are getting to be upwards of 30 years old. This is well beyond their expected life span and why many enthusiasts would strongly recommend that you never buy a Macintosh without opening it up and taking a look at the battery area.

This video from Ken of the Computer Clan details some of these issues:

Why Do Computers Die? (Video by Computer Clan)

About Recapping

Thankfully it’s not all bad news. If these issues are caught early enough the logic board can sometimes be repaired and have it’s capacitors replaced. This is done via a process that is often referred to as recapping. This involves the removal of old capacitors from the computer’s logic board or motherboard, careful inspection and cleaning of these areas, and the replacement of new long-lasting capacitors in their place. Unfortunately this process isn’t always straightforward and some recapping jobs require extensive repair due to the damage left behind from the aging capacitors.

The Recap-A-Mac website offers (https://recapamac.com.au/) a library of recapping guides and diagrams to help you recap your systems on your own. 

Beginner’s Guide to Soldering

The creator of the Recap-A-Mac website is also a soldering and recapping wizard. So we can easily recommend these two videos from him which act as a beginners guide to soldering. The first video goes over the basics of soldering, while the second video walks you through assembling a solder-it-yourself kit and explaining more about the techniques and methods involved for completing such a project. If you aren’t handy with a soldering iron there are others who can perform this service for you.

We'll be updating this page with more information in the future, but we hope this gives you a good jumping off point!