USPS Maimed the G3 Minitower I Ordered on eBay; Questions about Testing/Repair

[sinisterpisces]

Warning: Depressing photos attached.

tl;dr USPS did their best to destroy the excellent condition G3 Minitower I bought on eBay, including, I think, actually dropping it at least once (the box clearly exploded open, and the power cord it was shipped with did not arrive. I've already gotten a refund via the shipper's insurance (they were just as upset as I was). I was crushed to see this. Aside from yellowing plastic, it was in amazing condition; it even has the Whisper A/V card.

I don't have a wait to prove it, but I'm 90 percent certain based on the tracking/package movement that it was maimed once it got to my local distribution center.

Almost all the damage appears external, except that the little metal retaining band that goes over the CPU heatsink popped off and somehow got bent at an almost 45 degree angle. I'm concerned that it rattled around and may have damaged the board somehow.

I don't have any experience with repair, or any of the necessary equipment. I've never even touched a soldering iron or a 3D printer.

So, in order to figure out what to do next, I had a few questions. Thanks in advance for any help y'all can give me.

1. Can I use a standard IEC power cable to plug it into the wall? I'm guessing I can, but I'm paranoid after the delivery experience. I have one that came with a 900 watt Supermicro power supply, so I'm confident it's reliable.
2. I'm afraid to turn it on without the retention band over the heatsink.
   1. Maybe I'm wrong about how it all fits together, but I'm wary of the CPU warming up and causing the heatsink to fall off via warming/melting ancient thermal paste. Is that actually how it works?
   2. Is there a way to get replacements for these? Either original or 3D printed or something?
3. Assuming I can get it to turn on, what's the best way to test the hardware? In particular, I'm concerned about the logic board. Aside from the Whisper card, there aren't any other expansion cards. It also doesn't include an HDD. I have a BlueSCSI.
4. The metal plate thing on the front of the floppy drive is trashed. Are there replacements for these?
5. Any other advice? I'm sure there's something I'm overlooking, but I've never had to triage a vintage Mac before.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

[Volvo242GT]

Might be best to keep your eyes peeled for another case. With respect to the retaining clip, you might be able to rebend it and get it attached to the ZIF socket again. If not, leave the computer on its side, so the board is at the bottom, then try to boot it that way. Use the correct version of MacTest Pro to test the computer out. The RFI shield for the floppy should be pretty easy to find, since it's also used on the 8600 and 9600 machines.

Almost seems like the Dallas, TX post office loaned the box out to UPS and let them do their work on it.

-J

 

[eric]

The metal on the floppy drive looks like it could be bent back easily enough - and I think it's just shielding - could be left off if you cant get it bent back. Unfortunately no replacements unless you find NOS covers for it, which is unlikely.

Almost all the damage appears external, except that the little metal retaining band that goes over the CPU heatsink popped off and somehow got bent at an almost 45 degree angle. I'm concerned that it rattled around and may have damaged the board somehow.

Unfortunately the only way to really know is to visually inspect as much as you can, and then, power it up (IMO).

Yes a standard IEC power should be fine.

Also remember there are OTHER things that can be bad - eg bad ram/etc - so if it doesnt boot the first time, don't fret and try all the normal debugging stuff as well.

If you can glue the floppy drive plastics back together and the back case plastics and display it in a way that minimizes seeing those - I still think it can be quite a good looking machine!

Good luck, many times these machines are more resilient than you think! (unless you get a color classic, then if you look at it funny it'll break!)

 

[davidg5678]

I don't think that this computer is beyond repair yet. I would take a really good look at the logic board and inspect it for gouges and cracks, but it looks fine in the pictures. The shattered plastic pieces of the computer case can probably be glued back together with some effort. I also think that if you are careful, it should be possible to bend the metal heatsink clip and CD shield back into their original forms (maybe using some pliers wrapped in a towel?)

For just testing the computer to see if it still boots, as long as the heatsink is touching the CPU and held down by gravity somehow, I wouldn't worry. You might also be able to secure the heatsink using zip ties if the bracket cannot be recovered.

 

[sinisterpisces]

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate all the advice. I'll need some help to move it out of the closet again, but I'm definitely going to try powering it up. It was working when sold, so unless the flying retention clip did some damage, I'm optimistic.

I'm definitely not ruling out a case swap. The photos don't show it as badly, but it's pretty yellow. On the other hand, it's also going to live under a desk, with only the front visible, so it doesn't have to be beautiful all the way around. I just need to make sure it doesn't look like it was beaten with a hammer from the front.

Unfortunately, I think the broken plastic got thrown away. That's okay. The only thing I'd really want to get replaced--assuming everything else works--is the floppy cover.

What's the purpose of the RFI shielding on the floppy drive? Or, put another way, what's the risk of leaving it off?
So far, all I've found is someone selling a replacement for the 9500, which looks considerably different.

Apple Power Mac 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive Mitsubishi MF355-3592MA w Sled/Shield | eBay

It should also work in many similar Apple Power Macintoshes.

www.ebay.com

 

[Volvo242GT]

It's probably fine electronically. Just looks like it went to war.

It might be worth checking with Herb at Retrotechnology.com and see if he has the replacement plastics. Show him the pics of the damage, that way, he'll be able to find the pieces you need from his stash of parts.

He has some of the stuff you're in need of, listed here: https://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/m_imac.html

-J

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

I agree this looks repairable to me. In addition to supergluing the bits together, a couple layers of epoxy on the interior seam of the glued crack will help to keep them secure. This has always worked well for me on repairs where the plastic will not see any flexing ie: side panels, face plates etc. Best of luck on your repair.