Logic Board - Macintosh SE Reloaded

retr01

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So, do we need this souvenir warning label in future Macintosh SE reloaded board shipments? :)

(Yes, @JDW, scanning that QR bar code will bring up your famous video at time index 14:53!)

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JDW

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So, do we need this souvenir warning label in future Macintosh SE reloaded board shipments? :)

(Yes, @JDW, scanning that QR bar code will bring up your famous video at time index 14:53!)

View attachment 12205

Absolutely fantastic creation!

Too bad I looked at part 1 so long ago....

It's a lot of information to process. That's why I had to break it up in so many videos. For those of you who don't already know, the full collection of SE Reloaded videos is found here...


But hopefully with my modified INDEX and warning emoji, more people doing the project may remember it. I think @MacEffects should probably work with @retr01 to sell that sticker with every SE Reloaded board! 😀
 
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iPhil64

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So, do we need this souvenir warning label in future Macintosh SE reloaded board shipments? :)

(Yes, @JDW, scanning that QR bar code will bring up your famous video at time index 14:53!)

View attachment 12211
Just gorgeous !!!

Oh by the way, if you want a fun fact, you know I built two boards, one red and one blue. I did NOT populate C67 on the blue one... so if I had tested the blue one first I may have not noticed anything... Now blue test will be for later.
 
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iPhil64

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Hi all ! I'm looking for failed Mcintosh SE so I can repair them and populate with my shiny new boards. I'm looking on eBay, but prices are currently ridiculous (some will try to sell you a failed SE for 500 €.... come on !, or 900€ for an SE/30 !!).

If you hear or see any opportunity that is reasonable, I'm open ! Even an enclosure with CRT would do, I see @Kay K.M.Mods has some wonderful and colourful analog boards ready to be populated. :)
 

iPhil64

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I just give you an example of my findings of the day. I hope you are well seated on your chair.....

For the TAM, it's questionable. For the Mac classic.;. what a shame !


Capture d’écran 2023-05-16 à 18.58.30.png
 
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theassailant

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Aug 18, 2023
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Hi guys, I'm doing the SE Reloaded build for my Mac SE and, well, I've soldered everything up and cleaned out the rust and finally got it all put together today, only to be met with this error/corruption:

1692335256396.png


Absolutely have no idea where to go from here. Things I've tried:
- reseating the ROMs
- swapping the High and Low ROMs in case I mixed them up (get the standard checkerboard error when I do, so they're definitely right)
- swapped RAM for the original 1MB kit (and swapped the jumper)

Some other things to know: Floppy drive and HDD are disconnected as I expected to see a question mark mac icon if everything else was right. Floppy Emu connected and still got the error. I am also using the replacement GLU and ADB chips from JDW's document, programmed with an XGecu Pro T48.
 

JDW

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Hmmm... Seems like you've got both a Sad Mac and garbled video.

@Kai Robinson , would this be caused by two separate problems on the motherboard? Also, did you see anything like this when you tested your own SE Reloaded boards?
 

Kai Robinson

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That fact that you have alternating stripes would indicate that it's a RAM issue. The ADB isn't needed to get to a grey screen, AFAIK - GLU, for this early in the process, will simply be inverting the clock signal - it's a schmitt trigger inverter gate. Also the clock isn't an issue as you're getting at least half a sad mac! You could also try re-seating the ROM's in the socket, in case you have a poor connection to one half.

Look at UE2 and UF2 - check the connections on the 74F257's there and their respective resistor packs - remember they're keyed, so the wrong way round won't help! Also check UF11 and UF12 for the 74LS245's - check all connections on those.
 

theassailant

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Aug 18, 2023
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That fact that you have alternating stripes would indicate that it's a RAM issue.
I've tried various configurations of RAM and still get garbled video. I've even gone and continuity tested from ram pad to solder joint. One thing I do notice is with only slots 1 and 2 populated, the error code shows an extra F, so it becomes _0_0_0_0 _0_0_F_F (or 0_0_0_0_ 0_0_F_F_, I'm not actually sure).

Look at UE2 and UF2 - check the connections on the 74F257's there and their respective resistor packs - remember they're keyed, so the wrong way round won't help! Also check UF11 and UF12 for the 74LS245's - check all connections on those.
Resistor packs are right way around. All the solder joints check out.

I've taken steel wool to the pins of the ROM chips but no dice there either. I've even reseated every chip just to be sure. Is it possible the ROMs themselves are bad? The original board was powered on just once when I first got it a few years ago (checkerboard). The PRAM area was clobbered and a Bourns filter had an entire side of pins eaten away. Only things original to the Mac are SND, RTC, crystals, SWIM, and the ROMs.
 

JDW

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Unfortunately, the first time I switched on power after building my board, it worked like a charm. The likelihood of that happening is very low, so I can only say I must’ve been richly blessed. The reason I say it’s unfortunate is because a lot of learning happens whenever there’s a problem. That’s because you’re desperate to do anything to solve it.

Kai had a variety of issues in the past which is why I thought he might have some ideas, and he did give you a lot of good advice. Sadly, it seems that something else must be wrong on your board.

Did you take a magnifying glass to the top and bottom and sure there are no solder bridges or any tiny pieces of metal that could be shorting something?
 

fred1212

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Jul 27, 2022
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Here is what I get on SE reloaded? RAM related ?
 

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JDW

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@fred1212
8pcs of TMS4C1024DJ per SIMM indicates each SIMM is 1MB. You have 4pcs of 1MB SIMM yielding 4MB of RAM in total.

You need to remove the jumper wire you soldered in at J16...

1706949572484.png


Yes, I know it indicates "2/4M" but in reality you must have no jumper at all there when using four 1MB SIMMs (4MB total RAM).

More detail about this is given here:

Hopefully that will resolve the checkerboard, but I must say that your checkerboard is unlike any I've seen, so it could have another separate problem. Even so, you need to remove the jumper and then switch on power again to see what happens.
 

JDW

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  1. So you removed the jumper and tested and saw EXACTLY the same pattern on your CRT?
  2. You then changed RAM to another set of four 1MB SIMMs?
  3. You know that the previous four SIMMs and the newly swapped-in four SIMMs are all known-good and have zero issues as per your testing in other machines?
  4. If you attach a speaker or headphones, do you hear a bong when power is switched on?
  5. While probably not the root problem, please check with a meter set to Continuity (beeper) mode to ensure that both the Reset and Programmer's switches are working fine (neither of which should be in a pressed state normally).
  6. Probably not the root problem, especially with the sockets being new, but please take a magnifying glass and look at the pins of your RAM sockets to ensure they are all straight and okay.
  7. Ultimately, you may need to remove the socketed chips to check that their legs are straight and truly going down into the sockets -- basically restocked them, especially the ROM and IWM chips. Page 174 of the Dead Mac Scrolls mentions a checkerboard pattern can result with the ROMs and/or IWM has connectivity issues. Although in your case, the checkerboard pattern you show is something I've not quite seen before. Even so, there could be an issue with the socketed chips. And I say that because everything else in your two photos looks great.
 
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