I didn't get around to it yesterday, but this morning I went out to the garage to poke around in the IIe and remove any unexploded filter capacitors.
The Apple II power supply is built like a tank, and I'd forgotten what a pain in the ass it is to work on. But, perseverance paid off, and I got the circuit board out of the enclosure. (Leave it wired to the plug, you can still work on it. Ideally, you'd remove the plug and it looks like it's crimped on. I think I left it connected the first time I did this several years ago.)
Sure enough, the RIFA was still there and intact. I was kind of surprised, given the age of this IIe (a Rev A, probably manufactured in 1982). But the machine came as part of a package that included a Kensington System Saver (a fan and surge suppressor that would hang off the side of the Apple II and draw air across the card bus). Maybe the ventilation offered a cooler environment and helped to increase its longevity. I wasn't going to gamble on it though.
The power supply works without the capacitor, so rather than dig through my parts drawer, I just unsoldered it. Now I should add a sticker to the power supply noting its removal. If I should die and someone gets the IIe, they'll know they don't have to worry about the "magic smoke."
I still need to hook up the two Disk ][ drives and check them out, but I'm pretty confident they'll work.
Originally posted at Nice Marmot 12:23 Wednesday, 2 October 2024