Born in a Barn

I found three classic 1980s Macintosh computers on Facebook Marketplace and can't wait to restore them to full 1980s beauty.

Three classic compact Macintosh computers sitting on the floor (left to right) Macintosh SE/30, Macintosh SE, Macintosh Plus

I've been gearing up to restore some classic Macs for a while. I've been watching SO MANY YouTube videos about them. And every few days, I scower the web (usually Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Mercari) for some Apple goodness. Well, the other day I came across this on Facebook Marketplace:

Facebook Marketplace listing showing three disgusting looking classic Macintosh computers, two keyboards, and two mice along with the description, "Saved from demolition haven't powered on yet"

I pondered this listing for a few days but finally decided to bite the bullet. Half the fun would be the restoration! So I reached out and soon enough I found myself in my car, driving 2.5 hours from Atlanta, GA to a casino outside of Montgomery, AL to meetup with a stranger to buy three gross looking Macs. (I truly love my life!!)

I got to the casino at sunset, took a few film photos while I waited, including this one:

and ran inside to use the restroom. The security guard asked, "So you gonna try your luck today?" and in my head I though, "Yes, but I'm going to bet on three 1980's Macintoshes instead of the slots."

The guy was so nice! He works in construction and found these three in a freakin' barn that was set to be demolished, right along side shovels and hoes and whatnot. He figured (correctly) that someone would give these three some TLC.

Fast forward to today. I've cleaned their cases, disarmed their bombs (PRAM batteries), and have started on the SE/30. They're in surprisingly good shape inside with only some electrolyte corrosion and no exploded batteries. I've ordered all the caps I'll need to restore the SE/30 and am warming up my soldering skills in the meantime.

Here are some resources I've been using as I prepare (and begin) to restore:
- Console5 recapping kits (so reasonably priced!)
- This amazing follow-along thread about a Macintosh SE FDHD restoration, Macintosh Classic II restoration, and a Macintosh SE restoration that had water damage.
- This CRT discharge tutorial and the creator's website where he recaps Macs and has some great info on doing so
- Side note, I used these for my discharge tool: 8 gauge wire and alligator clips
- Mouser for a resistor I needed for the SE/30's analog board
- Pretty much every video by This Does Not Compute on YouTube
- This recapping video

If I think of anymore links I used, I'll add them!

Stay tuned!

With love, until next time,
Hannah A. Patellis