Odd & Obsolete
**The Macintosh SE/30: Rebuilding after Battery Failure | Retro Computing Restoration**
Welcome to the second part of our restoration series on the Macintosh SE/30, one of Apple’s best compact Macs! In the previous episode, we stripped down the original logic board and transferred its components to a newly manufactured replica. Now, we continue where we left off and tackle the remaining steps to revive this battery-damaged SE/30.
If you missed Part 1, you can check it out here: [Part 1: Stripping Down and Transferring Components](https://youtu.be/K9OV4kSGGAc)
**Chapters in this video:**
– 00:00 Intro
– 00:36 Figuring out the garbled video issue
– 02:04 Completing assembly of the new logic board
– 03:41 Dealing with the RTC chip
– 04:52 Fixing up the case
– 06:42 Software setup
– 07:40 Using Snooper
– 10:07 Conclusion
**Music used in this video:**
– Blue Intermission by Congus Bongus [source](https://soundcloud.com/congus-bongus/blue-intermission)
– Other music from epidemicsound.com
Keywords/Tags: Retro computers, soldering, repair
**Video Transcript:**
In the previous episode, we discovered that this SE/30 suffered from catastrophic battery failure. After transferring components to a new logic board, we had a working machine with a broken and garbled screen. In this video, we’ll tackle that issue and complete the rebuild.
Upon examination of the schematics, it became clear that the problem was limited to the video interface. One of the f253 multiplexers had a loose leg, so I resoldered it. Despite my hopes, the screen was still garbled, although I could now make out the blinking question mark.
Unable to find any other visible issues, I suspected a faulty chip. Thanks to a suggestion from Bolly on the forums, I ordered new f253s, desoldered the old ones using chip quick desoldering alloy, and replaced them. Finally, the screen came to life with the familiar floppy icon!
With the video issue resolved, I proceeded to complete the logic board with the remaining components and connectors. The last item to address was the rusted metal support bar, which I salvaged from the old board using a combination of solder braid, hot air, and a soldering gun.
Most components from the original board were salvaged or replaced with ease, except for the RTC chip. Corrosion had eaten away at one side, rendering it inoperable. Unable to find a replacement, I temporarily borrowed one from a Macintosh SE with an in-tech logic board.
Once the logic board was completed, I turned my attention to fixing up the case. A rusty patch near the battery required treatment with a Dremel steel brush, rust converter, and a coat of silver metal paint. The floppy drive also received some much-needed attention with new grease.
After wiping off the case, it was time for reassembly. I opted for an 80 Max Cassie drive as the original hard drive was not in good shape. With system 7.1 installed from floppies, I connected the SE/30 to a PowerBook G3 over serial using AppleTalk. However, a problem arose as the SE/30 refused to show up in the chooser.
To troubleshoot, I ran diagnostics using Snooper, a utility for old Macs. However, testing the serial ports required loopback plugs, which were no longer included with Snooper. I created my own by connecting wires, enabling the testing of communication over the serial port.
Join me in the next part of this restoration series as we continue troubleshooting the serial port issue and explore the software setup further. And stay tuned for more retro computing adventures!
*[Source](https://youtu.be/VIDEO_URL)*
The Macintosh SE/30, one of the best compact Macs Apple ever made.
Let’s continue where we left off in the last video, and finish the rebuild of this battery bombed SE/30!
Part 1: https://youtu.be/K9OV4kSGGAc
Part 2: This video
—
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:36 Figuring out the garbled video
02:04 Completing assembly of the new logic board
03:41 Dealing with the RTC chip
04:52 Fixing up the case
06:42 Software
07:40 Snooper
10:07 Conclusion
—
Music used in this video:
Blue Intermission by Congus Bongus [https://soundcloud.com/congus-bongus/blue-intermission]
Other music from epidemicsound.com
#retrocomputing #Macintosh #restoration #repair #soldering
A.Brand
Must have been so satisfying to see it work! What temp do you have your soldering iron at?
Awesome work…an SE/30 has fallen into my hands only this week (and for free!!). Upon opening it up (didn't even try to power it on thankfully!) its got some pretty bad corrosion, some traces have been eaten away and my RTC chip looks unsalvageable. Have stopped the corrosion and started cleaning it up/removing destroyed components and I'm currently trying to decide if the board can be saved, which would take me months of work!
But having seen this series it may be better to just get a new board?! Like you I'm in it for the journey and I'm determined to see this Mac breathe again…
Amazing work!
If it’s about having a working computer, just go buy one. If you want that rush when the all-but-dead, ready for the e-waste pile returns from the dead then just do it. BTW, on the rust issue for the chassis parts I HIGHLY recommend buying a gallon of Evaporust and soak the parts in a shallow plastic tray. It does a stellar job of removing all of the rust and, believe it or not, seems to minimize the pitting that occurs when you grind off the loose rust. It’s non-toxic and reusable until it turns a very ugly color of dark brown. I’ve used it on computer chassis’s and old tools I like to restore. It does come in a gel if you have a small job but it isn’t cost effective for bigger jobs. I’ve experimented with it on corroded PCBs with minimal luck. It’s chemical makeup works mostly on anything with iron in it, not copper. It does, however, get rid of rust from corroded steel in close contact with pcbs. Great job BTW.
A therapeutic video!
I am really happy to see the possibility to even salvage such a mess. And I am a big fan of the se/30 😉
Q: where do you get a new PCB for an old SE/30 from?
Gräjt jobb! ..but seriously, great two-parter video and super informative, makes me want to bring home an untested SE/30 myself right away…
Wow 👏👏👏
Excellent revival. I really enjoyed seeing the process.
you saved a tresure , so YEAH it was worth it
apple is for lamers! always has been!
I was truly impressed to see what you were able to do with that old Mac.
I now own solder/de-soldering and hot-air station/bench PSU and have started doing little repairs here and there. One of these days I am going to do a proper full computer repair like this.
fantastic stuff mate love seeing vintage tech restored rather than sitting in a landfill somewhere, you deserve mre subs!!
Couldn't agree more with the conclusion. If you count time, we could get away with fully working stuff much cheaper than we do but the repair adventure is a big part of the experience! I'm very guilty of spending tons of time, effort, and money on a repair and then hardly ever using the device again.
I'm also sure I have an ATTINY85 in the stash somewhere…
I found your channel at the start of this series and I am shocked you don't have as much subscribers as your audio and video editing is up there with the 1M subscriber YouTube channels. I hope to see your channel grow!
Två helt underbara videos till, riktigt skoj att följa! Jag är inte så mycket för MAC, vet att en granne hade en sådan, tyckte den såg lite tuff ut men aldrig intresserat mig för dem. Har inget emot de, bara inte min grej bara. Hur som helst, jag håller definitivt med om att resan till att få den fungerande är det absolut skojigaste, även om jag personligen inte är super på felsökning.
This is the first video featuring the Bolle board I've ever seen. Great work!
You’re the king of soldering!
Nice work.
Great job! Congratulations on bringing your Mac back to life.
nice
It's neat that we can remanufacture things like this! Thank you for the video, nice work!
You have more heart and skill than me. Good luck in bringing these old ones back to life!
awesome work ! looking forward to seeing more videos like this.
That new logic board is a work of art IMO.
2:13 idk if it matters but you forgot to tin a leg on the Ram sockets (if you look one/two pin's up and slightly to the left from d13 you'll see it)
Beautiful work mate 👍
Great to see this ancient one saved from the landfill. Even if it results in a shorter video, I’d be interested to see any future updates to this unit. (New RTC chip, BlueSCSI, etc )
One more vintage SE/30 saved from ending in a landfill…
Keep doing the Lord's work my friend! I'll sure be here watching!!
Nice work. You have some mad skills!
Nice to see that your persistence on getting this old system working paid off! That was a cool journey — thank you for taking us along.
Back in my poor-mans amiga days (only A600 w 2MB of RAM and later A1200 with an HDD) I'd consider a 68030 a pretty powerful CPU – it's kind of weird seeing it in a machine that can only do black and white graphics 😉 Anyway, nice restoration, glad to see you doing videos again!
🤘🤘🤘
cool