colleen@telesoft.com (Colleen Wirth @second) (11/29/89)
Hello,
A few weeks ago I was logging into work from home when my Macintosh
screen died on me. I have the original Macintosh 128K that has been
upgraded to 512K. The Mac is about 5 years old.
My dad took the computer to work and his technicians took a look at
it. I guess there's supposed to be some silly restriction on opening
up your Mac computer? Well, I didn't care, since I've been fixing the
Apple IIe for several years by myself, and I'm no technician. Anyway,
they said that the problem was that the "flyback transformer" that
powers the picture tube was broken. They were going to fix it for me
when, low and behold, this is a proprietary Apple Macintosh part. I
called Computer Land (or something like that) and was told that I had
to swap the whole power supply board, even though only 1 chip was
bad. This was fine until they said it was going to cost me $250.00.
That wasn't fine. First, I've been told that my Mac isn't even worth
$250.00, and, second, I'm a very poor writer and cannot afford to pay
that much to fix my computer.
So, what I want to know is, do I have any other options? Does anybody
out there have a Macintosh that is broken for another reason, and would
you be willing to sell me your flyback transformer? I know this is a
proprietary part, but does anyone know where I can buy one anyway? Other
than that one problem, the Mac works fine (though the disk drives tend
to stick and I have to eject the disks with a paper clip).
All suggestions welcome! Thanks, Colleen
p.s. Please excuse me if this is an inappropriate news group. I had no
idea which to one(s) to post to. Please don't send me hate mail, it
does makes me feel bad.fiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) (11/30/89)
In article <609@telesoft.com>, colleen@telesoft.com (Colleen Wirth @second) writes: > Hello, > > A few weeks ago I was logging into work from home when my Macintosh > screen died on me. I have the original Macintosh 128K that has been This is what comes of Apple spec'ing a marginal part. Reducing parts cost, y'know. > > My dad took the computer to work and his technicians took a look at it [...] > they said that the problem was that the "flyback transformer" that > powers the picture tube was broken. They were going to fix it for me > when, lo and behold, this is a proprietary Apple Macintosh part. So? It was derived originally from an off-the-shelf flyback transformer. An equivalent piece could be had for not much. A better part would still be less than the Apple part. > I called Computer Land (or something like that) and was told that I had > to swap the whole power supply board, even though only 1 chip was > bad. This was fine until they said it was going to cost me $250.00. > That wasn't fine. First, I've been told that my Mac isn't even worth > $250.00, and, second, I'm a very poor writer and cannot afford to pay > that much to fix my computer. Your Mac, old as it is, is still probably worth mre than $250. This is not to say, btw, that you need to pay $250 for the repair. > So, what I want to know is, do I have any other options? Any number of independent repair shops exist that could fix the board for a nominal amount. Some that work a lot on Macs routinely swap out the transformer for a more robust part even if they've opened the Mac for some other repair. Contact, for starters, your local Mac user group and see if anyone in the group knows about such a repair shop. Check for shops that reapir other makes...they might know of one that works on Macs. Your dealer (most *any* dealer) isn't going to be able to help you much here. ------------ "...Then anyone who leaves behind him a written manual, and likewise anyone who receives it, in the belief that such writing will be clear and certain, must be exceedingly simple-minded..." Plato, _Phaedrus_ 275d
denbeste@bgsuvax.UUCP (William C. DenBesten) (11/30/89)
In article <609@telesoft.com>, colleen@telesoft.com (Colleen Wirth @second) writes: > they said that the problem was that the "flyback transformer" that > powers the picture tube was broken. They were going to fix it for me > when, lo and behold, this is a proprietary Apple Macintosh part. This is a common problem with macintoshes. Replacement flybacks are available from MCM Electronics 650 Congress Park Dr. Centerville, OH 45459-4072 (800)-543-4330 The part is j-33-980. The price is $33.80. They also have submini din-8 connectors for $1.65 each. Part number j-27-647. I gathered this info from their nov 1989 catalog (#22). -- William C. DenBesten is denbeste@bgsu.edu or denbesten@bgsuopie.bitnet
stevem@hpvcfs1.HP.COM (Steve Miller) (11/30/89)
Colleen writes: >A few weeks ago I was logging into work from home when my Macintosh >screen died on me. I have the original Macintosh 128K that has been >upgraded to 512K. The Mac is about 5 years old. This may be the solution to your problem: Many of the older Macintosh's had problems with their power supplies. The problem would make the screen jitter and eventually completely fail, usually only displaying a single vertical line in the middle of the screen. The problem usually was faulty solder joints on the power supply board. This problem and it's solution is very well documented in an article of MacTutor Magazine. The exact issue escapes me but it was about 2 years ago. The solution was to open your Mac and re-solder the bad joints. Only about two or three joints needed to be re-soldered, taking only a few minitues to do. Two friends and I had this problem and we were able to fix it ourselves!!! If you need more information, email me and I'll try to find the issue of MacTutor that had the information and relay it to you. If you know of other veteran Mac users, then they may have done the fix, or know how to do it. Steven Miller ...hplabs!hpvcfs1!stevem Vancouver Division Hewlett Packard
stevel@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Steve Ligett) (12/06/89)
In article <609@telesoft.com> colleen@telesoft.com (Colleen Wirth @second) writes: ... >A few weeks ago I was logging into work from home when my Macintosh >screen died on me... Our shop buys many parts from: Soft Solutions 907 River Road, Suite #98, Eugene, OR 97404 Phone: 503 461-1136 Fax: 503 485-4529 The flyback is $18 (qty 1), $15 (qty 3). They have many other components, including L2 that someone else was looking for ($12). I've never bought from them, but I would if I needed a part. Disclaimer - Like, sure, I commute to Oregon for my night job!? -- steve.ligett@dartmouth.edu or ...!dartvax!steve.ligett
jrw@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (jack.r.wright) (12/06/89)
Check out a place called Pre-Owned Electronics at (617) 891-6851. I recall that they have flyback transformers for about $60. They do warn, however, that when the flyback goes, it often takes other components with it. Jack Wright
fjo@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (frank.j.owen) (12/06/89)
A place called "Soft Solutions" sells the transformer for $18. They also sell a "power supply upgrade" kit that replaces many of the Apple "marginal" parts with beefier ones. The kit includes the flyback and costs $48. I have purchased the upgrade kit and have been pleased with it. Their number is: (503) 461-1136. -- Frank Owen 312-982-2182 AT&T Bell Laboratories 5555 Touhy Ave., Skokie, IL 60077 PATH: ...!att!ihc!fjo
dplatt@coherent.com (Dave Platt) (12/06/89)
In article <5248@cbnewsc.ATT.COM> fjo@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (frank.j.owen) writes: > A place called "Soft Solutions" sells the transformer for $18. > They also sell a "power supply upgrade" kit that replaces many > of the Apple "marginal" parts with beefier ones. The kit > includes the flyback and costs $48. > > I have purchased the upgrade kit and have been pleased with it. > Their number is: (503) 461-1136. Last week, I mentioned Soft Solutions to a guy I met who was in dire need of a flyback transformer for a Mac Plus which was showing signs of an impending power-supply meltdown. He phoned this afternoon to say that he had ordered the upgrade kit, installed it, and that the Mac was up and running happily with none of the problems it had shown before. "Really nice folks", he said. I haven't dealt with them myself... but it sounds as if they're filling a need and doing it well. -- Dave Platt VOICE: (415) 493-8805 UUCP: ...!{ames,apple,uunet}!coherent!dplatt DOMAIN: dplatt@coherent.com INTERNET: coherent!dplatt@ames.arpa, ...@uunet.uu.net USNAIL: Coherent Thought Inc. 3350 West Bayshore #205 Palo Alto CA 94303
omh@cs.brown.edu (Owen M. Hartnett) (12/06/89)
I, too, have used the Softsolutions upgrade method for a couple of analog boards. They're really fast, send you quality stuff, and you end up with a better power supply than what Apple sold you. For people who want to get into this more, there's a book on the verge of release called "Macintosh Repair Secrets" by Larry Pina from Hayden Books. I got a chance to skim through the galleys (the author is a member of our local user group) and it looks extremely well done and documented. You might want to keep an eye out for it for the next month or so. Disclaimer: I've met the author through a local user group, and he has given me some technical advice which has helped me do some really inexpensive repairs, but, frankly, this should be all the more reason for me to recommend the book to you. Owen Hartnett omh@cs.brown.edu.CSNET Brown University Computer Science omh@cs.brown.edu uunet!brunix!omh "Don't wait up for me tonight because I won't be home for a month."
hgw@julia.math.ucla.edu (Harold Wong) (12/08/89)
In article <5215@bgsuvax.UUCP> denbeste@bgsuvax.UUCP (William C. DenBesten) writes: >In article <609@telesoft.com>, colleen@telesoft.com (Colleen Wirth @second) writes: >> they said that the problem was that the "flyback transformer" that >> powers the picture tube was broken. They were going to fix it for me >> when, lo and behold, this is a proprietary Apple Macintosh part. > Be warned, when my Mac blew its flyback, the repair company had to also replace a power transistor. My guess is, might of been a BU406. While your at it, check your capacitors, make sure it's not bulging or leaking. Check espacially the Bi-Polar one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harold Wong (213) 825-9040 UCLA-Mathnet; 3915F MSA; 405 Hilgard Ave.; Los Angeles, CA 90024-1555 ARPA: hgw@math.ucla.edu BITNET: hgw%math.ucla.edu@INTERBIT