Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!hubcap!rbrink
From: rbrink@hubcap.clemson.edu (Rick Brink)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Tragic SIMMS installation
Message-ID: <1991Apr22.214630.877@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Date: 22 Apr 91 21:46:30 GMT
References: <41443@cup.portal.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Clemson University
Lines: 38

From article <41443@cup.portal.com>, by Drako@cup.portal.com (Chris Del Grande):
> 
>         A friend of mine installed two 1 meg SIMMS chips into a Mac SE a few
> days ago to achieve a 2.5 megabyte configuration, and apparently everything 
> went fine exceptuUpon startup, the monitor was filled with vertical black
> stripes and the machine never made it past the 'Happy Mac' startup icon.
>         He first suspected that he had accidentally clipped the wrong 
> resistors (R35 & R36) but upon further examination everything was in order.
> The 1 meg chips were also in the proper rows/banks, etc. All wires and cables
> were intact also. The mac still would not startup properly.
>         He took the machine to a local Mac dealer who said it was a fried
> CPU (I believe) and charged him > $400 for a replacement. Does this seem in
> order? My friend says that he didn't touch any of the other components and 
> such, so just how sensitive are these inner components to the human presence.
> Any information would be greatly appreciated...(his dad didn't appreciate the
> VISA charge and would like some answers.)  Thanks!
> 
> Chris Del Grande___________________________________Drako@cup.portal.com

Seems like I had one SE install do that to me [I've done 50 or more] and I
was the connector on the cpu board loose (I'm guessing, it may have been
another connector for the diskdrive), anyway I just readjusted the connections
and it came up normal.  You didn't mention if there were any tones on startup, 
or if there were any sadmac error codes.  The most common problem I ever had
was bad simm chips.  Dead out of the box.  As I write this, it seems the
simms in the wrong slots gives that stripe pattern.  In any event, the
problem it created, could have killed the cpu.  Loose connectors can cause
voltage surges that will zap that 68000 in a flash.  

Warning to anyone doing memory upgrades.  Pay the apple shop th $50 to
install the chips?  Or pay the Apple shop $400 for a new logic board?  They
like it either way.  If you aren't willing to take the risk (have no exper.,
etc.) don't open the box.

As to weather the Apple shope ripped you off?  I suppose it's possible, but
apple shops don't need to be dishonest to make a good buck, the design of
the Mac+ is enought to keep them rich.  I hear a lot of IIsi's are putting
smiling faces on them now...