SE - Crackling noise and blank screen.

(now i don't know much about what goes on inside and a daren't/don't have the tools to open it up) but could it bee that the little glass vaccum tube on the CRT has broken during transportation?

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THis happened to me and an SE. However, it could also be much more minor and the video socket board simply fell off, or less likely the flyback cable has become disconnected.

If you are going to get into the vintage Mac business, you should either get over your fear of cracking the case and getting your hands dirty inside, or find someone who can do it for you ... otherwise this little hobby could get quite frustrating (more so than it already is anyway) and expensive. The tools are easily found at Sears and other hardware stores and a lot of support can be found here.

And to add something else, with regards to the crackling screen...my Macintosh Plus works great, except that it crackled once as well. Turns out it's relatively normal and shouldn't cause any problems--not for now, anyway.

Here's that thread.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11450

And Mac 128's right about that circuit board that may have fallen off. Macintosh SEs have a small circuit board attached to the very end of the CRT, and the connection isn't too secure. I almost pulled it off once; all I had to do was gently push it back into place and it was fine.

And listen--don't be afraid to open Macintosh SEs. I have four Compact Macs and I have opened each twice at the very least; most of them I've opened four times or more. And most of those times I've removed, reinstalled, switched, or replaced several different vital components. All you need is a Torx-15 screwdriver and a bit of strength to pry the case open. There's really no need for concern, as long as you're mindful of delicate components and electrostatic discharge that may damage disk drives and other circuits. You'll be fine.

Hope that helped,

-Apostrophe

Hey,

Thanks for the quick replies.

I shall try and get a Screwdriver at the weekend (college in the week - too busy). And open her up.

I suppose its all this discharge things i worry about haha, i have opened up an iMac G3 and thats about it so i'll have a go :-/ - hopefully.

Ditty93

Hey again,

I managed to over come my fear and find a suitable screwdriver and open her up - YAY :beige:

Thats the good news -- the bad news is i found out the problem and its EXACTLY what i had guessed in the first place, the little glass vaccum tube has broken (probably during transportation). :scrambled:

Now can that be repaired or am i required to get a new screen, i think its the later, am i right?

Ditty 93

I dont know even if you had the correct equipment to re vacuum and seal the crt that it would work, i guess it would but ive never heard of someone trying

Now can that be repaired or am i required to get a new screen, i think its the later, am i right?

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You are right. The good news is a new CRT will make it like new. And they are easy to replace.

Don't forget that you can talk to whoever sold it to you and tell them it was damaged in shipping.

Are replacement SE CRTs even attainable? Where on earth would you get one?

If anyone needs a replacement SE CRT let me know; I have several SEs I'm parting out right now.

So do you have to get them from a broken SE or is there some other viable source?

Don't forget that you can talk to whoever sold it to you and tell them it was damaged in shipping.

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I have, he has been very helpful and even brought me to this place

We can't claim compensation from parcel force though - because it was an item containing glass grr.

Yess ive seen them floating around eBay etc, so looks like a replacement is the way to go .

Ditty93

So do you have to get them from a broken SE or is there some other viable source?

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The best source is another compact. Luckily CRTs of all compacts are electrically compatible, so you can use any compact's CRT in any other compact.

The deflection yokes are not all compatible, however, so they're best left with the unit; swap only the CRT, and you won't have to worry about figuring out whether this yoke goes with that Mac... [if you want to keep the CRT and yoke together, see Scott's sticky on CRTs, above.]

Back in the day, there were also many small monitors (esp. from POS terminals) with electrically compatible CRTs, but many of those were green or amber.

...but many of those were green or amber.

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THAT would be cool to have a green CRT in a compact Mac. Does anyone have pictures to show of this being done?

Here:

http://myoldmac.net/cgi-data/gal/thumbnails.php?album=70

I continue to be amazed at how quickly people can find this stuff!

Nah someone else found it a while ago and I remebered the site which was myoldmac.net, I remebered because it made quite an impact on me as a such an awesome mod as well. :approve:

COOOOOOOOOOL

Just out of curiosity, regarding all this thread, didn't Apple have more than one manufacturer for the CRTs? I'm thinking something like that wouldn't be any different of a situation as the iMac G3 did. On some iMac G3s, Apple had LG and I think Samsung making the tubes, but both had to match with the PAV Board inside those machines.

Again, just curious as to whether it applies. I'd hate to see someone putting in a generic tube that was claimed matching to a specific model of compact Mac and suddenly things start going wrong after installation.

73s de Phreakout. :rambo:

Check Scott's stickied thread on CRTs - the compacts used CRTs made by both Clinton Electronics and Samsung.

If you've got an SE there's about a 50/50 chance of having one or the other from my observations. The Samsungs are rare in Classics and Pluses/pre-Pluses. As I mentioned in my stickied CRT thread there is no functional difference between the two manufacturers although the Samsungs do have a different hue of white to them than their Clinton counterparts. You can only tell this difference if you place it next to a Clinton. If you compare geometry problems between the two there is no advantage to either side--most of these CRTs are actually pretty good in terms of geometry and don't distort themselves over time like Trinitrons tend to do (I've seen a lot of Hi-Res Apple monitors and Color Classics that need geometric adjustments, far more than I've seen the shadow mask 12" display or the compacts).

I recommend only swapping the CRT with a fully compatible "Type A" or "Type B" counterpart (my taxonomy is explained in the stickied thread). All SEs use "Type A" and the best bet is to pull one from an SE or other "Type A" CRT machine that is being parted out.

If you're diagnosing SEs and want to see if a CRT is good or not, make sure you are using a problem-free analog board. Screen jitters, noise, and low brightness are almost always caused by a bad analog board and not the CRT itself.

Also, the SE self-discharges its CRT when the power switch is turned off and the machine is unplugged from the wall. To be safe, though, I always use an insulated pair of pliers to remove the anode cap (the red suction cup-type connector on the left side of the CRT when looking at it from behind). This is the part that can electrocute you when the machine is turned on/plugged in. Some play it safe and discharge the CRT; I find that the self-discharging mechanism in the SE and Classic do not necessitate this procedure. Replacing the CRT is fairly straightforward; once you get a replacement let me know and I can walk you through it (let me know if you want me to send a video tutorial on how to do it, as I can record one during my SE parting-out sessions).

Just out of curiosity, regarding all this thread, didn't Apple have more than one manufacturer for the CRTs? I'm thinking something like that wouldn't be any different of a situation as the iMac G3 did. On some iMac G3s, Apple had LG and I think Samsung making the tubes, but both had to match with the PAV Board inside those machines.
Again, just curious as to whether it applies. I'd hate to see someone putting in a generic tube that was claimed matching to a specific model of compact Mac and suddenly things start going wrong after installation.

73s de Phreakout. :rambo:

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Scott's already answered, but I'll just add some repetition: All CRTs are fully interchangeable electrically among the compact Macs. There are electrical differences among the deflection yokes, however. So, to be safe, swap only the CRTs, and leave the yokes with the analog board.

Back in the day when Gamba was with us (RIP, Gamba), he noted that the pins on some CRTs were rotated 180 or so degrees. In some cases, the connector rotation occasioned by this arrangement ate up enough slack to force the lengthening of one or more wires.

Finally, as Scott has noted, different manufacturers used slightly different phosphor recipes, so there is a difference in the color of the raster among the different types.

Back in the day when Gamba was with us (RIP, Gamba.)

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Wait what happened to him?

Tragically, Gamba took his own life. Wally learned this sad news from Gamba's sister. She has been keeping his site going, as I understand it, although it is unclear for how much longer.

I have finally removed the screen - ready for when i find a new one

It looks so hollow

Ditty93