SE/30 with abnormal screen

nekogahora280

New Tinkerer
Oct 17, 2021
23
5
3
What is the cause of this SE/30 symptom?

After replacing some of the electrolytic capacitors, the startup sound came out.

I think it's a video problem.

It seems to be reading the SystemDisk, but I think it's just that I can't see it on the screen.
 

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nekogahora280

New Tinkerer
Oct 17, 2021
23
5
3
What was the screen displaying before the recap? Did you only replace some of the caps on the logic board?
I replaced two capacitors near the sound chip and one capacitor near UE8. The startup sound played, but the screen remained covered with bright scan lines and didn’t change. I tested the logic board in a working Mac SE, and it still showed bright scan lines, so I concluded the issue lies with the logic board. However, I have no idea what’s wrong with it.
 

Marconelly

New Tinkerer
May 2, 2025
33
22
8
If the capacitors or the battery on the logic board have leaked, make sure to check if any traces need repairing. Make sure to also thoroughly clean all IC pins from any capacitor residue using 100% isopropyl alcohol as it can mess up with their operation.

You should also most likely just replace all the electrolytic capacitors on LB, even if they haven't visibly leaked.
 
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nekogahora280

New Tinkerer
Oct 17, 2021
23
5
3
If the capacitors or the battery on the logic board have leaked, make sure to check if any traces need repairing. Make sure to also thoroughly clean all IC pins from any capacitor residue using 100% isopropyl alcohol as it can mess up with their operation.

You should also most likely just replace all the electrolytic capacitors on LB, even if they haven't visibly leaked.
It seems like replacing all the capacitors might be the best approach. However, it also feels like it could be faster to look for a barely functioning unit among the junk items for sale. How popular is the SE/30 in its home country?Even during work, my mind is filled with thoughts like "Should I replace that chip?" or "Should I replace that IC?" and it's threatening my mental well-being.
 

JeffC

Tinkerer
Sep 26, 2021
129
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28
Seattle, WA
It seems like replacing all the capacitors might be the best approach. However, it also feels like it could be faster to look for a barely functioning unit among the junk items for sale. How popular is the SE/30 in its home country?Even during work, my mind is filled with thoughts like "Should I replace that chip?" or "Should I replace that IC?" and it's threatening my mental well-being.
The SE/30 is the most popular compact Mac, in the US a working SE/30 logic board will probably cost at least $200 USD. You are better off putting a bit of time into the board you have. I would start by scrubbing the board with alcohol, then replace all the caps. When you have the caps off take a very careful look for broken traces near the capacitors. You will need a magnifier or a microscope, sometimes a break can be very small and difficult to see.

Can you post some high resolution photos of the logic board?
 

Marconelly

New Tinkerer
May 2, 2025
33
22
8
It seems like replacing all the capacitors might be the best approach. However, it also feels like it could be faster to look for a barely functioning unit among the junk items for sale. How popular is the SE/30 in its home country?Even during work, my mind is filled with thoughts like "Should I replace that chip?" or "Should I replace that IC?" and it's threatening my mental well-being.
Before you do anything else, I'd say just clean all the IC pins with alcohol, using a soft toothbrush. You can do that fairly quickly and at no cost.