On 5/14/2021 9:13 AM, Ethan O'Toole wrote:
Does it handle Sync on Green? I found out the hard way that the IIci's built-in video is SoG ONLY, which was a big surprise to me.
Hmmm not sure. But I didn't know that the IIci internal only did that. I can ask a friend to bring over something compatible.
I *think* the machine isn't thinking because all the data pins on the PROMs are dead on power on. I just see no activity. I got schematics and found the reset circuit loops through the audio chips or something. I see that signal is high until I hit the reset button then it does go low.
Was looking for a power on reset circuit that might not be letting the CPU run? That is my "next check."
What I get from this response, is simple. "no activity from data lines on PROM" says the CPU isn't likely running - game over. (I presume he's using an oscilloscope, not a logic probe.) I'd say follow the reset line to the CPU reset pin (it's a tiny surface-mount package, hard to probe). You can check the data lines on the on-board RAM. Look at the chip enable on the ROM. Things like that. Looking at fundamental signals - reset, chip enables, general data/address line activity - is a good "cold" approach. As for monitoring the video signals: The IIci/cx will "run" without a monitor connected, that's my experience. So, without a Mac monitor, one can simply monitor the video outputs (say some sync line) for general activity. Possibly a good use for a logic probe, or one can make up a R/C circuit on an LED just as a convenient 'dongle'. While it's possible Ethan can get lucky, and find some opens or shorts; I don't know of a clear path to diagnose other Mac problems likely due to corrosion and spread of capacitor-goop. Any physical fault is likely to be unpredictable, arbitrary. There is likely several and not just one. One would have to be very methodical, to track them all down. But who knows? Maybe the ROM has a POST program that goes to HALT if there's any detected faults? I certainly lack complete knowledge on 68K processors and Apple ROMs. In that particular case, one might replace the ROMs with wired-up IC packages with pullup pulldown diodes to simulate a 68K do-nothing instruction. That forces the processor to run the address space. It's an old-school diagnostic. All that said - it may be, someone who has done a lot of Mac recapping *and* component repair, may have established common faults for that model. But that's a big set of if's. By the way: this is the difference between 1990's computing and pre-1980 computing. With 1980 computing, component level repair *is* possible because most 1980 computers were intended for chip-level repair and contain human-sized components of a simpler nature; and have circuits one can isolate and diagnose. The Macs, all post 1984, were built by robots, with surface mount, on multilayer PC boards. If they were serviced at the chip level that was done "at the factory" and not by service techs in the field. I've seen no Apple documents on chip-level repairs (but I've not looked hard). But that reminds me ... "Sam's Photofacts" were third-party field-service booklets in the era. Checking ... Nope, no Mac IIci or IIcx books, in fact no Mac repair books from Sams at all (samswebsite.com). I'm aware of them for Apple II's and for other consumer computers (C64's and such). What remains, are Mac schematics and repair activities established over time by techs; and "how to recap" activities. To be honest, I've not looked deep on the Web, to see how far those resources can take someone for chip-level repair on Macs. (shrug) if Ethan finds resources I'd like to hear about them, as I work with 68K Macs all the time (but not to repair components for reasons cited). I hope it's useful to discuss chip-level diagnostics and compare-and-contrast in this list. It may be too much detail or tech for some. regards, Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net