Out with the Old, In with the New Old Stock

For those that are interested in vintage computers, being handy with a soldering iron and logic analyzer is a very valuable set of skills. Computers from the early personal computing revolution (and before!) are not exactly getting any newer. And that, unfortunately, means that components are starting to fail. Leaking electrolytic capacitors and corroded circuit board traces go with the territory, and the only way to keep these machines in service is to laboriously track down the problems and apply appropriate fixes.

YouTuber This Does Not Compute was recently fixing up a Macintosh SE/30 and came face-to-face with these issues and more. These charming all-in-one computers were very popular in their day and were notable both for their style and their relative speed compared to their competitors of the time. So to see one in such a state of disrepair really tugs at the heart strings of any retro computing enthusiast. However, there would be a huge amount of time and effort that would have to go into this machine — and even after all of that work there was still no guarantee that it would work.

This Does Not Compute was not sure that all of this work was justified, but still did not want the machine to be lost, so another plan was needed. Instead of fixing the original ailing motherboard, a modern reproduction PCB was produced from an existing design. Typically one might just transfer all of the components from the original board to the new one, but many of the chips were showing signs of corrosion, so wherever possible brand new chips, or new old stock parts, were ordered to populate it.

Surprisingly few chips could not be acquired in new condition. The floppy controller, for example, could not be had (at least for a reasonable price), so that was transferred over. Nearly all of the sockets and other connectors could also be purchased new.

The newly populated reproduction motherboard was initially hooked up to a real SE/30 for testing, and hardly unexpectedly, it did not work. Nothing this complex ever seems to work on the first go, after all. But after doing a whole lot of troubleshooting and getting nowhere even after replacing a few chips, it was finally noticed that some of the "diodes" on the board were actually transistors. Oops! After correcting that, the Mac was up and running.

But after doing all of this work and installing shiny new components, would you really want to hide it all in an original SE/30 case? This Does Not Compute certainly did not, so a different direction was taken. A clear plastic reproduction SE/30 case was located, then the motherboard was installed in it. An original CRT was transplanted to the machine, but a reproduction analog board was installed to drive it, along with almost entirely new parts.

Rather than using a mechanical hard drive, a modern solid state replacement disk was installed. But just for fun, a relay was also included in the build to make clicky sounds when the drive is accessed. And with a clear case, you have got to have some RGB LEDs, so they were also built into the design.

Some hardcore retro computing enthusiasts would no doubt rather have an original case, even if it does hide all of the hard work inside. But there is also something very appealing about this modern take on the classic computer. And as an added bonus, using largely modern components should keep it chugging along for many years to come.