Can I fix this broken Apple IIc Monitor?

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Adrian is the kind of guy who really knows where his towel is.

[@Crsdawg]

He's a really hoopy frood.

[@flaturiah]

I stuck out my thumb and found my way here. What's up?

[@fragglet]

If he ever does merch I hope he includes reproductions of that towel

[@TheRetroChannel]

Wow, that thing looked like a big old mess. I wonder if it was the x-ray protection kicking in when the screen was getting way too bright. Shame there's no schematics to be found, but at least the CRT is still good and it certainly makes for a nice little green phosphor display

[@DatBlueHusky]

i have one that works but its having horizontal problem so that leaky cap most likley is same problem in mines. Also did not expect it to be that hard to take apart, its going to be fun

[@a4000bear]

If those open circuit diodes you replaced were in the horizontal deflection circuit, they would most likely be 'fast recovery' types. Replacing them with standard power diodes will not work.

[@Stoney3K]

Couldn't you mount a Mac CRT into the Apple IIc housing by transferring over the implosion band or reversing it? Or the other way round? The mounting tabs are welded to the implosion band.

[@moshly64]

NEC Multisync monitors have the same insane have to completely dissemble everything design philosophy.

[@briangoldberg4439]

Not sure if this is first time you have left out the "right" in the "right to it."

[@DumahBrazorf]

"The least serviceable monitor ever". Apple already leader in the '80s.

[@MD4564]

Apple is still the leader in the 2021s. :D

[@KenKeenan1973]

I had an old Mac Quadra once (700 model IIRC) that required you to remove the floppy drive, hard drive *and* power supply to get at the RAM slots! Apple have always been notorious for this kind of thing

[@artstrutzenberg7197]

Sounds like they took a lesson out of the playbook for most vehicle manufacturers....

[@SpearM3064]

@@KenKeenan1973 It wasn't just limited to Apple, though. I'm a computer tech; back in 2001, I remember working on a desktop computer (if I remember correctly, it was an HP model) where in order to get to the RAM slots, I had to remove the hard drive, floppy drive, the entire drive cage, and _then_ the power supply.

[@mojoblues66]

Bullshit comment, because you can't have both, an extremely compact device, and lots of space to make the device easy to service.

[@JamesPotts]

"Let's get to it?" What have you done with the real Adrian!?

[@maxtornogood]

All is not quite "right" in Adrian's world!

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

Clint's possessed Adrian!

[@timmoen1083]

Furreal, it hurt me.

[@paveloleynikov4715]

With demagnetized screwdriwer you drop screws reliably, while with normal magnetized screwdriver you drop only that screws that will cause most harm and/or end up in most unreachable place. Murphy's law is pain.

[@kaylaandjimbryant8258]

Just like the thousand dollar chip will always protect the ten cent fuse by blowing first?

[@DJBTerroR]

Send the PSU to Bigclive, He'll reverse engineer it in the blink of an eye. (Or he just cuts to it XD)

[@megaglowz8540]

Needed a FUUULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER!! And a lot of other work lol. Great diagnosing Adrian. Love the way you go about troubleshooting.

[@basvanharen2904]

booom

[@macdaniel6029]

Fun fact: This monitor is exactly 37 years old today.

[@HoboVibingToMusic]

Don't make people feel old. ;)

[@pe25]

Happy Cake Day for this Mother of Monitors! 🌹🥳

[@fluffycritter]

Now I feel less bad about how much yellowing I've experienced personally

[@CanuckGod]

@@fluffycritter I'm almost 6 years older than it, but I've gotten greying as opposed to yellowing 😂

[@HeffeJeffe78]

In the early 90s I had a IIc monitor on my computer desk in my bedroom hooked up to an old VCR tv tuner to act as a TV... parents didn't allow TV in our bedrooms but thought this was just another computer.

[@rawr51919]

Smart workaround, they never noticed

[@brentboswell1294]

Peter Jennings must have looked goofy in green 🤣 I tried hooking up old monochrome composite computer monitors to video equipment a few times, but the only phosphor color that was watchable for me was white.

[@smeezekitty]

@@brentboswell1294 Better than nothing

[@sierraboney1394]

Whenever I work on an arcade monitor or a computer monitor, if I have to test the psu section I always power it up with a dummy load connected to the B+ output or you can get weird things happen. On the arcade monitors I use a 60w 240v (i'm in the UK) incandescent/filament light bulb (you can't use a power saving one) as the B+ on Hantarex monitors for example can be anywhere between 105v and 145v depending on the chassis. On that Apple monitor you'd probably get away with using a 24v commercial light bulb or 2 12v ones in series of some wattage (maybe a headlight bulb or two). The monitor's OCP (over-current protection)/x-ray protection circuit was almost certainly kicking in when the screen got too bright. CRT image looks nice and sharp though if nothing else!

[@0xTJ]

At 15:45, I'm sad you didn't say that you're going to "rectify" the situation.

[@Flashy7]

"this is the least user serviceable monitor" - monitors are rarely designed to be user serviceable other than glass cleaner on the front, also you are way out of the "user" category :D I hate to disassemble complicated devices. There is a point when you already took apart many components and you are knee deep in screws (different sizes), but you realize that your goal is still very far. And you are kind of hesitating between putting back together while you still remember how, or taking apart totally because you are over the point of no return and you may not be able to assemble it correctly anyway so let's see what is inside and if it is not repairable, it can go to the recycling center peacefully :)

[@natethefighter]

I'm glad you showed us what can happen when something is just beyond repair. It never means that it's a total loss, there's always something to salvage and take away!

[@scharkalvin]

If the CRT mounting holes are in the right place, you might be able to mount it in the Mac with spacers and longer screws.

[@starsundsternchen802]

9:12 "Schmutz". I like you using german word!

[@larryk731]

More likely Yiddish

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@larryk731 common ancestry and etymology. “Smut” is also related to schmutz, via Middle English “smutten” (I did have to look up the intermediate word, but knew the rest).

[@colinstu]

it's a pretty common loanword into english.

[@Unchained_Alice]

@@larryk731 Yiddish is a Germanic language so will have some words similar/the same. Schmutz is German for dirt and I think in Yiddish it is very similar. English is also a Germanic language which is why German is probably the easiest language to learn once you master the Grammar and is why so many words are similar. Though Yiddish is much closer to standard German than English is. I speak some German but not Yiddish. I just know it is a similar language.

[@alerey4363]

11:53 well, that's a constant in apple products, zero repairability, upgrade and recycling

[@TheSCSIBug]

A green phosphorus Mac Classic would be INCREDIBLE.

[@colinstu]

this reminds me when I took apart a projector. that thing had 10000 screws, and they were ALL different. Basically everything had to be unscrewed and split apart at the same time. Needless to say, it did not go back together.

[@enzofitzhume7320]

"This is the least user serviceable monitor I have ever worked on". Well this is an Apple product right?

[@anthonysantiago1999]

Adrian, You Sir are a Mad Scientist! Thought I was looking at an Old Spaghetti western with all those wires. Great Video.

[@ryuzan1995]

You have so nice camera now :). I just tried watching your videos with my PC and it's so clear and nice. I love your show and you really got me into fixing things again. I've been fixing phones and PC:s but seeings you fix stuff makes me appreciate older generation tech more.

[@rogerw9840]

Shouldn't be too hard to put that CRT in the other case. Some stand-offs and longer screws should do the trick. :)

[@CDP-1802]

Wow, I had no idea the //c tube could work in a Mac! I wonder if you could make or 3d print spacer/adapters to be able to mount the monitor in a classic case. I've been working on a 1981 Macintosh prototype replica using acrylic and an SE/30 logic/analog board, I might have to try and use one of my broken //c parts monitors.

[@draggonhedd]

Please install this in a compact mac. They look FANTASTIC with the green CRTs. like your fancy classic II or an SE/30 Ive seen a few folks do it and i love love LOVE how it looks.

[@theretrogeek789]

you can probably make or get someone to make adapter mounts so you could be able to put that green display in a Macintosh

[@UpLateGeek]

As others have mentioned, the CRT from the IIc should fit into the Macintosh with some spacers and longer screws. It looks like it's actually in fairly good condition all things considered. At least in the brief glimpse we saw. I'd definitely like to see a Mac Classic or Classic II with a green screen!

[@LadislavAlexa]

31:50 - It's cute how the high voltage cable disconnected itself... :D

[@hernancoronel]

38 minutes of Adrian’s goodness! Awesome, thank you Adrian!

[@truezulu]

Hmm, that writing on Adrians microphone... In danish, the color "red" is spelled "Rød", where the plural of that is "Røde"...

[@Electronics-Rocks]

Lol I remember repairing CRT I used to have plastic sheets to slip between boards while repairing them in the eighties.. Look for the Zener diode which will give your voltage reference In the psu

[@RetroTheory]

With the right length screws and some spacers I bet you could get that green CRT into a compact Mac.

[@StuBonham]

Perfect timing, just after GadgetUK's premier!

[@cyphi474]

Watching you messing up with dismantled and powered up CRT makes me really nervous. I wouldnt bet on those gloves.

[@warpedmetalhead]

What a nightmare. Good job Adrian!

[@GummyGruffi]

Apple: Nightmare for repair circa 1980. Nice to see some things are constant in our tumultuous world.

[@Colaholiker]

Its serviceavility isn't that bad compared to more recent Apple products... ;-)

[@valentine_puppy]

This entire episode all I was thinking about was "The Brave Little Toaster." I just kept thinking that poor monitor, gone to the electronic store in the sky and it's body used as parts so it can save the life of another.

[@Walczyk]

id love to see this fixed lol, its nearly there!!

[@domramsey]

Obviously you need to put the Mac motherboard inside an old Iic case and really confuse people... I always loved the look of the Iic and that little monitor, but I think I'd love it even more if it was actually a Mac. 🙂

[@gd2329j]

Can you green screen a mac ? Do you have the room for longer hardware & a set of 3D printed spacers .

[@threepotMR2]

"I might as well just tug at everything else" = typical saturday night in my life

[@frankowalker4662]

If you had of managed to fix the monitor, you would have had to reassemble it. LOL.

[@SergiuszRoszczyk]

Put there generic CRT driver, Raspberry Pi using composite out and install Apple 2c emulator 😏

[@TheLemminkainen]

Everything what Apple builds they are horrible to fix ! Thumbs up for u Mr Black :)

[@CrazyTechReviews]

On putting that green CRT in a compact mac, it may actually be possible, you might be able to slide some kind of washer or spacer through the screws in between the case and the mounting ears on the monitor so that it will fit in the mac classic case, you might have to use longer screws though than what came originally with the compact macs.

[@TheSimTetuChannel]

Gloves matching the t-shirt logo color, now that's what I call repairing CRTs with style!

[@chadhartsees]

That's great that it's a strong CRT! That might save another monitor or system someday.

[@douro20]

MacIntosh systems from the 68040- early RISC era also are quite prone to cracking plastic.

[@lauram5905]

The actual process of the yellowing of the plastic tends to make it quite brittle as well, much like C64 breadbin cases

[@hjalfi]

Ah, spontaneous diode existence failure, the curse of old electronics everywhere.

[@masterhand03]

At 12:30, it doesn't look like a monitor anymore, it just looks like a blob of parts.

[@organiccold]

Adrian you can always creat some spacers and mount the crt in macintosh

[@saifal-badri]

Adrian I have the same exact CRT I fixed it following your video, thanks a lot

[@stefanobaron]

I've just find the same Hitachi model of the //c monochrome monitor. Ir have the exactly same problem with those pesky diodes. The 4 diodes on the retifying bridge on the power supply almost evaporated the body leaving only the leads😂 another evaporating diode D510 on the power supply. Will change those 5 diodes with 1N4007. Analized the circuit and followed the PCB traces. Drawed the schematic diagram. If somebody could help me identify the Q502 transistor I would be grateful. Mine had the label almost vanished. The glass diodes and the zenner diode are almost impossible to identify as well. The capacitors I've managed to identify all of them. As well as the resistors. I was wandering if the whole power supply circuit could be swaped for a fixed 12V with a 7812 (1A) regulator or a powerful equivalent one for 2A current.

[@jaycee1980]

The failed diodes on the main board probably need to be high speed diodes rather than standard recovery diodes. However as you say, with no schematic and the possibility of further damage due to overvoltage, you are really stabbing in the dark.

[@herbertsusmann986]

I would agree. The horiz frequency is arount 15 kHz and standard 60 Hz diodes are going to be way too slow. Some fast recovery diodes are needed. Something like one from the Motorola MUR line will probably work

[@erichkohl9317]

Dang I didn't think I would like the look of a green Mac, but man that looked awesome IMO.

[@RossTheGenMan]

if the mounting ears are too far back you could probably rig it into a mac with some kinda spacers or shims

[@kaitlyn__L]

He was talking about putting the Macintosh CRT into the IIc monitor casing, not the other way around, which would indeed just need extra spacing. Edit; I should have waited until the end!

[@michaeldavies717]

What brand is your watch?

[@winstonsmith478]

What a servicing nightmare.

[@CDE.Hacker]

You said it, you need to "pop-a-cap" in that monitor.

[@vbphil]

That's right, the O.G. A.B. poppin' caps like you wouldn't believe.

[@SidneyCritic]

Because I don't know how to fault find - lol -, I just removed one part at a time from my A/C PS and tested them off-PCB with a ebay transistor checker. After you remove 50 parts the other 50 can be tested on PCB, because most of the connections are cut by the removed parts. All you need is good photos so you can put the jumble of parts back on - lol -. I was thinking you could flip the mounting band that has the feet, but it looks spot welded.

[@evensgrey]

Could the Apple ][c CRT monitor be powered from a third-party battery pack, or was that only the alternate LCD monitor? (Pop-culture reference: As one point int the movie 2010, Heywood Floyd is on a beach writing something on a portable computer, which is an Apple ][c with the LCD screen. It's aged relatively well, probably mostly because we're never shown anything on the screen, although what he's doing is obvious, while the styling of the new Apple ][ equipment from 1984 to 1988 looks quite reasonable even decades later. Whether it's an Apple ][c or an Apple ][c+ is unclear as we cannot see the disk drive or the ports on the back.)

[@desiv1170]

Looking forward to this one. While I like my //e with it's color monitor, the //c with it's little green monitor is the Apple I use the most. It's just so compact and nostalgic. Great vid. Funny, when you said the Mac monitor wouldn't work in the //c monitor case because the brackets were on the outside, my first thought was that I wondered if it might work the other way then, just by adding some type of spacers in the Mac to get the brackets to reach the case. ;-) Great vid!

[@solarbirdyz]

I had a treadmill power supply lose diodes that way from a really bad power surge. Seriously, just vaporised. Also exploded a couple of other components, but not as completely. The difference was that it was more obvious - I replaced everything obviously damaged, and it worked. This looks even worse - I mean, it made it past the PSU - which ... is not high on the list of things I thought I would see on your channel! xD

[@drright71]

OMG you HAVE to find a way to swap that mounting bracket. It's not a Macintosh... It's a Granny Smith!

[@MajorCadence]

Same, Adrian, same. I always dread trying to fix a dead monitor (or any power circuit without schematics). Digital stuff is one thing, but old analog monitors are another. My rule: If it's not working when I power it on, and it's nothing obvious (like power supply, fuse, etc) but something weird like it blows its HOT, or the vertical deflection is messed up, I normally just toss it into my pile of non-working junk. Sometimes they're just more trouble than they're worth. (I often wonder just how Shango066 does it)

[@Zahgurym]

I have one of these with a white CRT. The annoying bit is the pictures on Ebay were of a green monochrome. Paid over $300 for a complete IIc setup and got the wrong CRT and the IIc arrived dead.(bad ram)...

[@TheFurriestOne]

Oh hey, I have one of those! The matching computer too. Not gotten either to work yet, but haven't tried very hard since I don't have a power-supply for the IIc itself. Man, now I hope my monitor isn't the Hitachi version! XD But I thank you for the video, as I can now test the power-supply for proper voltage first, whenever I get to it.

[@rastislavzima]

I had the IIc with monitor with stand, 2nd floppy, printer and mouse. Fortunately monitor was working fine so I have dissassembled it just to retrobright it. Opening the case is quite easy but disassembling it fully is realy a mess. I let it go after refurbishing because it didn't have any retro-emotional value for me since in Europe they were not common as I was I child. I am mainly into Z80 devices. But I have photos that I had it once. :-)

[@vojtasTS29]

wait, wait, wait... Would a white CRT mac tube fit into the IIc case? the mounting could be modified with an extra bezel probably.

[@Craig1967]

I just recently replaced some of those early "ball diodes" in a controller for a 1974 Snorkelift articulating 40 something boom lift. Same thing happened with the diodes. They were just open with some of them missing one of the leads, or gaps. Wierd.

[@petesapwell]

I imagine that PSU over voltage may have fried things, it was nearly twice the voltage. First suspect for me would be the LOTR, but they go short and would have surely blown a fuse on the power supply?

[@awilliams1701]

wow that monitor really was poorly designed. Everything about it just felt like junk. The crappy bridge rectifier is something I've never seen before for sure. I've only ever seen fully integrated components before. The design of how it's all put together. But hey at least you have a decent CRT.

[@GeekmanCA]

You gotta find a way to mount that green-phosphor CRT in a mac case. Maybe consider getting a green case from MacEffects and building a really wild green compact Mac!

[@MariaEngstrom]

24:09 Not hearing the high voltage.. Getting old does that to you. 😊

[@irdmoose]

11:51 "This is the least user serviceable monitor I've ever worked on." Ummm, yeah, it's an Apple, what do you expect?

[@ibmmac]

In the 90's My dad worked at a computer shop and built a green Mac! With a broken IIC monitor and a Mac that someone and dropped and cracked the CRT. I will have to ask him about the mounting it looked original until powered on. Someone happily bought it and enjoyed the green look as a daily driver.

[@hugoegon8148]

15:00 You should ever check if fuses with the right value are installed, before powering on. Some people put bigger fuses into devices after the right fuse blowed up. The device could be damaged then easily. 😕

[@jeffreypomeroy6173]

I am thinking one/both of the diodes you replaced on the bottom were installed backwards. Hence why you were getting a reverse voltage on the cap. Not sure if it was acting as a negative charge pump, positive charge pump, or voltage doubler.

[@electronicsworkbench]

Quite interesting stuff Adrian. I like the videos of monitor work a lot but noticed there may have been times a tube could have been mounted in another case. You actually can flip the implosion band around if the attachment points are the same as the case it is intended to be installed in to get the correct mounting depth. This is especially true for bands that have a tension bolt. For anyone reading this that might not know, the band is nothing more than a director on older CRTs whereas newer generation CRTs (mid '70s I think) contain integral protection making the band nothing but a mounting system. The band on older CRTs without integral protection designs was to prevent the glass from blowing out the circumference of the tube between the thick face and the thinner glass of the body and gun channel. This directs the glass to blowout the rear once the atmosphere outside and the vacuum inside equalizes. The band has nothing to do with keeping the tube together beyond providing mounting points and implosion safety. If anyone has any updated info about this, please share for the benefit and safety of all. I'm going from memories of my own and experience through my dad.

[@ultrametric9317]

Good effort. Defeated by Apple's world-class parts sourcing and board design :) Man was a jumbled mess!

[@TeionM83]

I think Big Clive (bigclivedotcom) could easily reverse engineer this analog power supply.

[@EmperorKonstantine01]

Apple never expected these monitors to last the decades they were always significant with newer, better devices and hardware. They squished everything and all the electronics together hoping have an impact on the compact computer market back in the 80’s but it came with a hefty price. Smaller moulds meant cheaper or lesser materials used but money went into the design, I am myself an experienced technician but even repairing one of these was seemingly a challenge for the first time, manufacturing materials have drastically changed over the years and sourcing parts have become a time wait other then locating them.

[@fetus2280]

My 2c is Still Creamy White .. guess whomever had it before me loved it and kept it in the Boxes it came in .. I still have all of it and its Mint, even the Stand .. albeit the RF jack needs a new soldiering as its loose but thats normal for those things . I keep mine out of sunlight so it doesnt go yellow and gross .

[@R_T_Ralph]

Thats a great result, better than my attempt on a CUB monitor and nearly killing myself. Who knew there were so many volts in there? well, everyone except me.

[@johnhupperts]

what word is Adrian using when he's describing the sticky white putty holding the wire in place? Sounded something like "solastic"

[@herbertsusmann986]

I bet if you sent that monitor to Shango066 he would fix it. He is a wizard on stuff like this, schematic or no schematic.

[@EU_Red_Fox]

Please recycle those gloves if possible or find some good reusable ones! No idea if you already do but I think it’s important to reduce waste especially in tech where now crypto miners are causing not only increased energy use and taking cards from potential computer builders.

[@3vi1J]

"This is the least user serviceable..." Good to know Apple's remained consistent.

[@jvernet93fr]

These monitors are absolutly weird let say shitty.... I have 4 of them, all are dead, the last one made a big smoke today....

[@WiztotheIzzard]

Green Mac Classic - Love it!

[@RCM442]

*elctroBOOM voice* FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER!!! 😂

[@ford1546]

Adrian do you have any idea why plastic turns yellow so quickly? Is there anyone who has invented plastic that does not turn yellow? plastic frame around window on garage doors also turns yellow

[@Lachlant1984]

Completely off topic, but what watch is that you're wearing? Thinking about it, I think I may have seen one of these monitors back in 1997 at the school I was at, I'd previously used Apple IIGS computers at my previous school so I was familiar with the colour monitors for those computers. If I'm correct, the power switch on the Apple IIC monitor is in the same place as the power switch on the Apple IIGS monitor, is that right? I was told the monitor in question was black and white, but I didn't turn it on or connect it to an Apple IIE as that's what we had at that school. Yes, the school I was attending had Apple IIEs in the junior school classrooms.

[@ROBINHOOD2098]

you're quitting my electronics instructor frank Butera would be ashamed of you

[@cjshields2007]

So many things wrong - the drop damage was probably caused by it hitting the bottom of the skip!

[@Dukefazon]

Keep the monitor parts, you might get another working one that helps figuring out what's wrong with this one on the PSU and the control board. I'm sad you couldn't fix it but it was still entertaining and educational to watch!