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Ze Cube (Classic II in a ten-inch clear cube) is making noise

Submitted by benb on January 9, 2006 - 5:35pm. Hardware Hacks

Presenting Ze Cube : a vintage computer (the Macintosh Classic II) miraculously engineered into a stunning ten-inch crystal-clear cube.

www.bernardbelanger.com/computing/cube/index.html

But, Ze Cube is making NOISE !

It starts as a low pitch noise getting slowly higher, and higher, and then so high you can't hear it anymore. Then it's slowly coming down lower, and lower, and lower until it's, well, very low. Then it's getting slowly higher, and higher...

Maybe it's a capacitor leaking. Wich one ? What to do about it ?
What else could it be ?

Any ideas ???

TIA,

Benb

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macg4's picture

no ideas but that is cool

Submitted by macg4 on January 9, 2006 - 7:01pm.

no ideas but that is cool

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eeun's picture

This is just a wild guess, an

Submitted by eeun on January 9, 2006 - 7:04pm.

This is just a wild guess, and I'm hesitant to guess, but I was asked in PM about this...hopefully all you others out there can jump in.

My guess would be the flyback transformer is going, or loose.

For testing the flyback, what I did with an old Mac 14" Colour monitor was to open the case, and press down on the flyback with a non-conductive item, like a chopstick, while it's making the noise.

If the noise stops, you know it's the flyback. The solder joints connecting the flyback to the board can crack. Re-soldering the connections fixed the problem for me, but as always, your mileage may vary.

I hope you find the culprit. That's a great looking machine.

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Dr. Webster's picture

As a side question, how are t

Submitted by Dr. Webster on January 9, 2006 - 8:39pm.

As a side question, how are the outside plexi panels attached to each other? It looks like there are screws holding them together, but did you have to do anything special? I'm planning on building my own plexi case of sorts, and have been trying to figure out how to attach the sides in a removable fashion (chemical welding the whole thing closed is not an option).

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FunnymanSE30's picture

some of the sound capacitors

Submitted by FunnymanSE30 on January 9, 2006 - 9:10pm.

some of the sound capacitors might be dead plug a pair of earphone in and if it stops it's the sound caps though he might still hear the sound comming from the earphones if you still hear the sound while not listening to the earphone it's the flyback

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Re: As a side question...

Submitted by benb on January 9, 2006 - 9:52pm.
Dr. Webster wrote:
As a side question, how are the outside plexi panels attached to each other? It looks like there are screws holding them together, but did you have to do anything special? ...

Front and rear panels are screwed. Not easy to drill the holes...

The rest : Crazy Glue...

benb

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Re: This is just a wild guess...

Submitted by benb on January 9, 2006 - 10:05pm.
eeun wrote:
(...) My guess would be the flyback transformer is going, or loose. (...)

Could be. But another project with a Classic II does the same sound. As soon as a Classic II is taken apart and reassembled in another fashion, it "sounds". Maybe some element interact with some other when they're not in the same position relatively to each other as before. The SE/30 does not make any sound whatever you do with it ouside of his case.

I hope there is a way to shield the culprit part without shielding the whole computer.
I want it to remain transparent, of course. But the sound is really annoying.

Maybe I should bring the box to an engeneering school or something.

**********
Meanwhile, if somebody has an idea...

**********

ciao,

benb

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