====== Apple Mac IIci - Refurb & Capacitor Replacement ======

This little Mac IIci has been in my collection for a while now; it's a pretty powerful little system:

   * Daystar 68040 Accelerator (compared to the stock 68030)
   * 64MB RAM
   * Radius Powercolour 24X Video
   * Farallon Ethernet

The audio has always been a bit quiet, and I thought I should get around to replacing the capacitors in the audio section, but I recently (**July 2020**) turned it on, and besides needing to install a new SCSI drive (used for parts a while ago!), I couldn't get any audio out of it at all, and getting a disk recognised was a pain.

I checked the battery, and it is still okay - I replaced it around 2015, so it should last a while long. But looking at several of the caps on the board, they show signs of failing, with 'wet' around their bases:

{{:blog:img_1558.jpg?400|}} {{:blog:img_1559.jpg?400|}} {{:blog:img_1560.jpg?400|}}

Urgh. That job has suddenly moved up the priority list.

===== Motherboard =====

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===== Daystar 68040 Accelerator =====

Model: Daystar Digital Turbo 040 (rev 3) @ 33MHz (I believe!)

{{:blog:img_1563.jpg?400|}} {{:blog:img_1564.jpg?400|}}

   * {{:blog:daystar.zip|Daystar cache control software, control panel extensions etc}}
===== Radius PowerColour Video =====

Model: PowerColor Pro 24X

{{:blog:img_1565.jpg?400|}}

   * {{ :blog:radius.zip |RadiusWare driver install for PowerColor series cards}}
===== Farallon Ethernet =====

Model 590a-TP:

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   * {{ :blog:farallon.zip |Driver install for Farallon 59x series of ethernet cards}}
===== Atto SCSI =====

Model: SiliconExpress IV (Fast/Wide SCSI-2)

{{:blog:img_1567.jpg?400|}}

   * {{ :blog:atto.zip |Drivers, firmware and control panel extensions}}
   * {{ :blog:se-iv_manual_new.pdf|ATTO SiliconExpress IV Manual}}

===== Capacitor List =====

A list of capacitors and ratings is available on the [[https://wiki.68kmla.org/Capacitor_Replacement#Macintosh_IIci_.28another_revision.29|68k Mac Liberation Army wiki]], but I'll list them here anyway:

Tantalum:

  * **11x** 47uF, 16v
  * **2x** 10uF, 16v

Electrolytic:

  * **3x** 470uF, 16v
  * **1x** 220uF, 16v

Some IIci boards vary, so there may be one or two less/more of the quantities listed. But those are the main ratings needed.

====== Next Steps ======

**[Update July 26th 2020]** - Ordered a set of replacement capacitors and waiting for their delivery.

===== Removing Failed Capacitors =====

Original capacitors still in place; some of them are showing clearly visible leakage:

{{:blog:img_1657.jpg?400|}} {{:blog:img_1658.jpg?400|}} 

{{:blog:img_1659.jpg?400|}} {{:blog:img_1660.jpg?400|}} 

Original caps removed:

{{:blog:img_1661.jpg?400|}} {{:blog:img_1662.jpg?400|}} 

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Of the dozen or so capacitors removed, I lost a single solder pad on one of them, and I've had to scrape away some of the solder mask and bridge it to one leg of the capacitor - it's the right audio channel, near the 3.5mm stereo output jack.
===== New Capacitors Fitted =====

{{:blog:img_1665.jpg?400|}} {{:blog:img_1668.jpg?400|}}

Not my neatest work, but I found I was out of desolder braid when I came to start the work, so it's as good as it can be, based on the circumstances.
===== Testing =====

And to prove it works, here's a recording of the actual system powering up (albeit in 'death mode'):

{{jPlayerPlaylist>mac_iici_-_audio_cap_repair.mp3}}

I don't think I've //ever// heard it as clear as that! :-D

A weird thing happened however on reassembly of everything...  (at least) one of the SIMM modules failed, resulting in the 'chimes of death' as heard above. I swapped them out with some spares and everything was happy again. Not sure what caused that, but the audio output remains clear as expected.