Recapping a Twentieth Anniversary Mac

[cosmichobo]

G'day,

I was just watching iiiDIY on YouTube, who has several videos of him working on a TAM. He points out that the capacitors on the TAM's logic board (and maybe the CD-ROM too?) will fail with time, and so he replaced them.

Even though I've watched many YouTube vids of people re-capping old 1980's Macs, and living through the bad-cap eMac debacle, I'd never considered the idea that my TAM was at risk of failed capacitors! 🙁

I used my TAM from new til 2004, then it mostly was on display til about 2011 when it went into its box, and I don't think it's come out since.

When I was in high school I learned to solder, though that was a long long time ago. I do however have an 18yo son who spent the past 2 years doing quite a bit of soldering, also at school, and from what I've been looking at on YouTube, I don't think it looks too difficult to remove the old caps, re-prepare the pads, and add the new ones.

That said - I'd love any tips and tricks that anyone may have to offer for this particular undertaking!

I opened my TAM in 2008 to try resolve why the CD-ROM wasn't working (potential SCSI issue - unresolved), so that side of things shouldn't be an issue. I'll also spring for a new soldering station - the one I own is a Dick Smith Auto Temp, probably from the 1980's:

Image is not mine; mine is a bit cleaner. I picked it up when Apple Centre Darwin went bust circa 1999/2000.

From the video mentioned above, I gather there's caps on the TAM logic board, and in the CD-ROM? Are there any others? In the base unit?

Thanks for any assistance.

Cheers

cosmic

 

[micahgartman]

I opened my TAM in 2008 to try resolve why the CD-ROM wasn't working (unresolved), so that side of things shouldn't be an issue.

Mine had CD-ROM issues, too. I went through THREE 600i's before I got it fixed. Good luck and may The Force be with you.

 

[cosmichobo]

Can't recall the exact issue with the CD-ROM - I know I was checking the cable as I believe there was suspected SCSI termination issues... But... it was a long time ago.

Just hoping I don't open the computer up and find the caps have leaked and destroyed it...

 

[Aggedor]

G'day,

It's just come to my attention that my Twentieth Anniversary Mac, which has been sitting in its box for at least the past 10 years (after being my main ride from 1998 - 2004, then mostly a display piece til it was packed away), quite likely needs to have its capacitors replaced.

I had an eMac with bad caps, so know how bad they can be; have watched YouTubers recapping Macs from the 1980's, just had never thought of the fact that the TAM is now 28 years old, and the caps can and do fail, even when they're not the result of industrial espionage. (I saw YouTube iiiDIY's video restoring and recapping his TAM, which has inspired this new concern.)

I learned to solder in school, a long long time ago, but also have an 18yo son who spent the past 2 years doing quite a bit of soldering, also at school, and from what I've been looking at on YouTube, I don't think it looks too difficult to remove the old caps, re-prepare the pads, and add the new ones.

That said - I'd love any tips and tricks that anyone may have to offer!

I opened my TAM in 2008 to try resolve why the CD-ROM wasn't working (unresolved), so that side of things shouldn't be an issue. I'll also spring for a new soldering station - the one I own is a Dick Smith Auto Temp probably built in the 1980's:
View attachment 2642462
(Image is not mine; mine is a bit cleaner.)

From the video mentioned above, I gather there's caps on the TAM logic board, and in the CD-ROM? Are there any others? In the base unit?

Thanks for any assistance.

Cheers

cosmic

Dick Smith... are you in NZ?

 

[cosmichobo]

Dick Smith... are you in NZ?

How dare you! 😉 Australia.

Dick Smith is a famous Aussie, who created an electronics store akin to Radio Shack, as well as many other things over the decades.

 

[Nermal]

I have fond memories of some of the Dick Smith stuff. There were kits called "Fun Way to Electronics" that came with components and instructions on how to build things and I remember making LEDs light up etc 🙂

A year or so ago a shop closed, and when they pulled the sign down it revealed the previous one: the old 90s(?) Dick Smith logo with his smiling face!

 

[cosmichobo]

I have fond memories of some of the Dick Smith stuff. There were kits called "Fun Way to Electronics" that came with components and instructions on how to build things and I remember making LEDs light up etc 🙂

A year or so ago a shop closed, and when they pulled the sign down it revealed the previous one: the old 90s(?) Dick Smith logo with his smiling face!

When I was in Yr 9 or 10 I made a "listening bug" electronic kit from DSE. That's actually where most of my soldering lessons came from - or at least, from that class in general. The bug worked well, for a while, but ideally needed a 1m piece of wire dangling from it as an antenna - so, not a very stealthy bug!

I'm hoping those lessons from Mr D, back in 1993, will get me through. Well, that and YouTube.

 

[cosmichobo]

Hmm. Seems to be the most recent pic I can find of my TAM... 20 years old!

On display with my Quadra 840av (now only have the face plate), Apple IIGS Woz (sold), and iBook Clam (resting near the TAM's current location).

 

[Nermal]

When I was in Yr 9 or 10 I made a "listening bug" electronic kit from DSE. That's actually where most of my soldering lessons came from - or at least, from that class in general. The bug worked well, for a while, but ideally needed a 1m piece of wire dangling from it as an antenna - so, not a very stealthy bug!

I never made that but I remember seeing it in one of the books.

 

[Smithwick’s]

TIL the TAM is a PPC machine! I'm not sure why but in my mind I always thought it was a sort of last hurrah for 68k. That being said, I'm afraid I don't have any insight to offer but my best wishes on the project. I'm not sure where the TAM lands on the difficulty scale for recapping, but it's something I've never attempted before... well, yet.

 

[Larsenv]

My dad has a TAM. Slightly off-topic, but it'd be nice if 3D printing could fix its CDROM tray. A piece broke off of it in the mechanism for opening and closing

 

[cosmichobo]

TIL the TAM is a PPC machine! I'm not sure why but in my mind I always thought it was a sort of last hurrah for 68k. That being said, I'm afraid I don't have any insight to offer but my best wishes on the project. I'm not sure where the TAM lands on the difficulty scale for recapping, but it's something I've never attempted before... well, yet.

LOL You made me second guess myself for a second! Yes, it's a PowerPC 603ev 250Mhz processor inside - very similar to the PM5500 and PM6500 logic boards.

 

[cosmichobo]

My dad has a TAM. Slightly off-topic, but it'd be nice if 3D printing could fix its CDROM tray. A piece broke off of it in the mechanism for opening and closing

I've certainly heard of a lot of issues with the CD-ROM tray - most likely just due to the fact it moves so much and is kinda flimsy. Not sure if anyone's done any 3D print schematics though, sorry.

Reminds me of the TAM seen in Batman (used by Alfred), which seemed to be a prototype, and the CD-ROM door opens slowly, instead of the actual model, which the door just jumps out.

 

[Aggedor]

How dare you! 😉 Australia.

Dick Smith is a famous Aussie, who created an electronics store akin to Radio Shack, as well as many other things over the decades.

Oh yeah, I know Dick Smith very well, I'm a New Zealander. There was a store just down the road!

 

[eddjedi]

All electrolytic capacitors will leak eventually, it's when not if. I recently had my Amiga 1200 recapped which had just started to show signs of leakage (dull solder around the SMD caps) that's 5 years older than your TAM so you've still got time, but it's a necessity.