MacEffects Clear Case REVIEW [SE & SE/30]

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Күн бұрын

Comprehensive review and installation of the MacEffects Rev.B Clear Case with Accessories for the Macintosh SE & SE/30.
🔎 INDEX
0:00 - Intro
1:02 - Unboxing
1:23 - Polycarbonate vs. ABS
3:17 - MacEffects at WWDC 2020
3:39 - No Bromine = No Yellowing
6:38 - Accessories
14:06 - Back Case Swap
27:33 - Circular Marks on Back
29:00 - Rev.B vs. Rev.A Cases
29:25 - Floppy Ejection Hole
31:00 - Speaker Install
32:29 - Disassembly
35:38 - Speaker Wire Soldering
37:39 - Chassis & Nickel Plating
37:57 - Drilling the Ejection Hole
39:40 - Fan Replacement
46:00 - Mouse Case
47:24 - HDD LED
51:04 - Assembly
55:05 - Fully Assembled Case!
55:24 - Price
57:02 - Care Required
58:19 - Not Perfect
59:33 - Fan Noise
1:01:04 - Clear Mouse (button pressure)
1:02:32 - Keyboard
1:03:31 - Speaker
1:04:38 - Final Words & THANKS
🛒 MacEffects website: maceffects.com
📖 Mac 128K ad in Personal Computing Magazine, April 1984: bit.ly/2OmyfS5
🎥 SE, SE/30 60mm FAN video: • FANS for Compact Macs ...
(The MacEffects clear fan is like the San Ace 60 in terms of noise and air flow.)
🍎Apple WWDC 2020: developer.apple.com/wwdc20/
🛠️ TOOLS & STUFF TO BUY:
• Torx T15 with LONG neck (to tear down the Mac): amzn.to/3qLyJYb
• Bulldog Clip (helpful to pry off back case): amzn.to/2H7lIhF
• 12x16" Anti-Static Bags (for motherboard, etc.): amzn.to/3f7MBRZ
• Anti-static pad with Wrist Strap (16x24" / 41x61cm): amzn.to/3bfAE9Z
• Wall socket Ground adapter for banana-jack Wrist Strap: amzn.to/2Yvq5ge
• Cloth electrical tape: amzn.to/38vZfrq
• Needle Nose Pliers: amzn.to/2U9Kc0M
• Wire Nippers 4.5": amzn.to/2J4Wkdk
NOTE: You will also need a Phillips Screwdriver (+), a Flat-head (-) Screwdriver & wire with alligator clips at both ends for CRT discharging.
💵 NOTE: Your price on Amazon (US only) is the same even if you don't click the "amzn.to" Affiliate links above, but if you do kindly click and purchase within 24 hours, Amazon may pay me a small commission on all qualifying items in your Cart (even items not linked above).
🗣 Helpful Groups I belong to:
• 68kMLA: 68kmla.org
• Vintage Apple Macintosh Enthusiasts: bit.ly/2YgpDRb
• Vintage Macintosh Restoration & Preservation: bit.ly/2XKFzfK
🙏 My humble thanks to Mark Jozaitis for his generous donation of all the clear items shown in my video. Please note, however, that this video is not sponsored by MacEffects but rather is my own undertaking.
🙏 SINCERE THANKS to the following Paypal supporter in June 2020:
• Eric Helgeson, vintagemac1984.com
🙏 A big shout out to all my subscribers. Thank you for helping us cross the 2000 subscriber mark at the end of June 2020. Onward toward 10,000 and beyond!
📺 PLEASE SUBSCRIBE:
kzfaq.info?sub_c...
💰SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL
www.paypal.me/supportJDW
🎬 MY VIDEOS
/ jdw26
#MacEffects #Apple #Macintosh #JDW

Пікірлер: 79

@deffjaytron 3 жыл бұрын

Mark did a really great job with this case

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

He certainly did!

@janquieldapper 4 жыл бұрын

Mannn... Great video!!! I really like it! Good job in edition!

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! By the way, did you catch all the little subtitles, such as the green fan LEDs turning off temporarily in the closing segment when I spoke about the Noctua and how it doesn't have LEDs? :-) I was trying to hint at how the machine would look without the green lighting in back.

@ilisagadgets6994 3 жыл бұрын

You saved my life! My case it’s now installed

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

That's wonderful to hear! Feel free to post a link to a photo of your clear case setup if you like. I don't block URLs in the comments.

@indianboi3 4 жыл бұрын

Lovely review. Won’t be buying the case but will be dreaming about it!

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for you kind words. Remember, there are more clear products than just the case. For example, you may not have a programmer’s switch, and MacEffects sells one for a very reasonable price.

@BollingHolt 3 жыл бұрын

I know there are some purists that don't like this, but dang, what a good-looking case and machine! I think this was done remarkably well! Also, once again, great video! :)

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

• Good photo of the Glow-in-the-dark case: bit.ly/300TQon • Photos of a very unusual clear case: bit.ly/2Wu2YRn

@Finuppdx 3 жыл бұрын

Great video

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@MightyJabbasCollection 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent summary that answered all of my questions about this case. I've been following MacEffects for a while and am very tempted by these cases, but given the cost and the fact that I still only have a stock Mac SE and not an SE30, I probably won't be getting one. It's a bit of a shame that the mouse is functionally worse than the stock one, since that would be a low barrier to entry for people who might not want to go all-in on the full case for whatever reason. I would also love a clear keyboard case for similar reasons, but I understand that may be prohibitively expensive to make.

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and for your kind words. I would suggest that you consider the clear programmer’s switch, as that is the cheapest option of all. Not everyone has one of those, so maybe that might be a consideration for you. Admittedly, it’s not nearly as exciting as the clear case or a clear keyboard would be.

@santospoland 4 жыл бұрын

There is no doubt Eric made a very interesting product. Personally I really like the smoked case that you showcased amongst a number of colored variant cases. At the end of the day, I wouldn't buy one because I don't have this kind of money laying around but if I had second SE or /30 with a really ugly beat up case it would be something to consider. I only have a single SE/30 and the case is in good enough condition that it doesn't warrant an upgrade but again, if I had two machines this would be a consideration. Great video!

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comments, Alex. I think you mean to say "Mark" instead of Eric, since Mark J. is the founder of MacEffects. He also has some pretty interesting Apple II cases as well, although that doesn't help me because I don't own any Apple II machines. There are a lot of ugly and beat of Mac SE & SE/30 enclosures out there, so I'm sure some of those owners could possibly benefit. And while clear isn't for everyone, I still think that leaving the front opaque (assuming that part isn't beat up) might still be a nifty looking combination with the clear back side. The only real downside is that it takes more care when putting on the case and taking it off, since you will want to avoid scratching it. Thanks for watching!

@TorutheRedFox 4 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see reproduction original cases to bring Macs with cases damaged beyond repair while still keeping the original look

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

That would require a completely new mold, seeing the clear case mold is diamond polished while the stock mold had a texture to it. MacEffects also left off the drill hole and the locking hole in back, which are additional differences. I suppose if there was enough money pooled together by the vintage Mac community it would be possible, but we are talking tens of thousands of dollars to make that mold. Even so, I do agree it would be nice to have.

@TorutheRedFox 4 жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure that the mold didn't have any of that texturing and the cases were outsourced to be chemically textured and get the signatures engraved by a company specializing in it

@willypumphandle3131 9 ай бұрын

Great video, thanks JDW. I just bought a MacEffects Clear Case, for my fully restored and upgraded SE/30, on eBay, albeit for twice the original price, but worth it as they have sold out, and according to MacEffects are not making anymore. Your video will be tremendously helpful to me as I’m a real newbie to tall his. I hope you do similar videos for the MacEffects Clear Case for Apple IIe>IIgs 'Stealth' Conversion Kit and the Case for MacEffects Apple IIc - Black & Clear, currently on Kickstarter and due out next year. I wonder if you could convince Mark to make an Apple 1 replica case out of Koa wood with a Datanetics Rev B Replica keyboard; well, I can dream :)

@JDW- 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing. I actually passed your comments along to Mark Jozaitis just now. And while I can't make promises about future videos, it could be that a rather special IIc is in my future. Stay tuned! 🙂

@MightyJabbasCollection 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks again for this video. I recently bought a Macintosh SE/30 and it arrived with some pretty significant case damage. I got a reasonable amount back as a partial refund from the seller and decided to put it toward one of the MacEffects cases. I got the Rev. A case since it was cheaper and I thought the slight imperfections and cloudiness might actually make it look more like one of Apple's prototypes. And honestly it looks great. I used your video extensively to help with the installation process. I did have a couple of minor issues, including accidentally pulling a molex connector off of the analog board during disassembly, but thankfully it was a simple job to solder it back. Anyway, I'm very happy with how it looks, and I even made a transparent mechanical keyboard to use with it (using the Wombat ADB-USB convertor).

@MightyJabbasCollection 3 жыл бұрын

I posted a photo to Reddit by the way: www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/j97snl/i_built_a_transparent_keyboard_to_go_with_my/

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

That's great to hear. When you have time, I'd love to see a photo of your Rev. A case!

@MightyJabbasCollection 3 жыл бұрын

@@JDW- I did post a link in a separate comment to my Reddit post on it, but I know that KZfaq will often flag these. I will also post a link to my Instagram which has more photos in another comment under this one.

@MightyJabbasCollection 3 жыл бұрын

instagram.com/p/CGN6OzUnuj7/

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

@@MightyJabbasCollection It looks fantastic, especially with that transparent USB keyboard and mouse (made possible thanks to the WOMBAT interface). Yowza! Did you add the Apple logo on front/left or did it come that way? That's the main thing missing on my Rev.B version.

@rpdee7344 4 жыл бұрын

7/11/2020 Another great How-To video. What use does this Mac have in today's world for daily use compared to later Macs. Any way to connect to the Internet? See a Mac even back in the 80's were not as easy to take apart just like the Late 2009 iMac 27" many connectors ( still need to do the replacement motherboard on mine). Is there a sites to get hold of Apple's many software for the older computers? Always reviewing your videos.

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment, Robin. I think the interview Cult of Mac did with me back in 2008 should answer some of your questions. :-) bit.ly/3gONGyl

@desiv1170 4 жыл бұрын

Great video and great case. Not for me, as I like the original case look. But I can see someone really liking this as it would make a beautiful display. Definitely worth the money if you want clear. Would mean you really should be cleaning your SE more often tho. ;-)

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

It's a case that makes you take better care of your SE or SE/30. It really does. You try to avoid banging the machine around or removing the case back like there was no tomorrow. It's also a good choice for the many folks out there who have purchased an SE or SE/30, only to find the seller totally inept having shipped the machine with virtually no packing material, resulting in set of broken plastics on an otherwise fully functional Mac. Since Apple doesn't make these plastics anymore, having a source for new cases becomes more important over time. But you are correct in pointing out that clear or even semi-transparent isn't for everyone. That's why I tried to show what the back clear case would look like if you leave the front opaque. For it could be that someone has a broken back case while the front is fine. I doubt that Mark J. will create an opaque case in light of the fact his mold is designed for clear -- meaning, it is diamond polished to have a perfectly smooth texture on the outside. As you know, the stock case has a little bit of texture to it, and that's because the texture is part of the mold. Anyway, thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

@TorutheRedFox 4 жыл бұрын

@@JDW- or if the plastics were already cracked, as was the case with the front of a 512k I've seen on eBay a few months back

@BestSpatula 3 жыл бұрын

Could you wind a matching transformer to make the 8 ohm speaker more compatible with the audio circuits designed to drive a 63 ohm speaker?

@BestSpatula 3 жыл бұрын

Or maybe a little amplifier would have a very high input impedance.

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

In theory, yes. In practice, well, I've personally not tried it. By the way, I discuss voltages across the MacEffects 8Ω speaker in this 68kMLA thread (scope measurements are on page 2): bit.ly/2YvhU2x

@bujin5455 2 жыл бұрын

14:23. Seems like you could just reach in through the screen cavity (since there is no screen there), and just carefully pull the face off.

@JDW- 2 жыл бұрын

No, the front and back were stuck together almost like they were glued. I didn't want to risk cracking it by pulling to hard from the inside of the front face. Prying it open the traditional way is the safest way.

@FrightBites 2 жыл бұрын

Do you think they will ever produce one for the Macintosh Plus of Classic II?

@JDW- 2 жыл бұрын

Austin, thanks for your question today. I personally take the "Ask and ye shall receive" philosophy to matters like that, and here's a great place to ask owner Mark Jozaitis just that very question! tinkerdifferent.com/forums/maceffects.129/ Obviously, he won't create a new case for only you or only a handful of people, but if there is sufficient demand, I suspect he might. The molds cost an enormous amount of money, so I doubt even the SE cases have been profitable for him. He does this in part out of a love for all things vintage Mac; but of course, he does sell them because he needs to at least try to get a return on his investment. Anyway, I helped to establish the TinkerDifferent forum this year along side some other great vintage computer fans, so please feel free to check out the other sub-forums there too!

@blaarg2657 3 жыл бұрын

great video - I really don't know why smoke or black aren't offered though - esp considering the SE30 in the watchmen

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

I'm guessing that nobody ever asked for those colors before. If there was sufficient demand, I'm sure Mark could add those colors.

@blaarg2657 3 жыл бұрын

@@JDW- It just seems strange black isn't there considering those other colour options. btw could you put a pic of the se/30 with cards installed in it?

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

@@blaarg2657 You are asking for a photo of the same PDS cards I show in 25:27, except with the front case clear?

@blaarg2657 3 жыл бұрын

@@JDW- yes - I just assumed that would be its final form.. you're not using it for your primary, tricked out SE/30?

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

@@blaarg2657 I will need to schedule time to shoot such a photo for you as I am in the midst of shooting a new video on the HP 12C Platinum calculator right now. The clear case SE/30 is indeed used by me, but I swap out cards quite a bit for testing various things. I swap out the analog board quite often for the same reason. So when I have it assembled with the cards you want, I will take a photo and post a link to that photo here.

@concorde2003 3 жыл бұрын

Hi There, I have an SE/30 that I'd like to have re-capped, lubed and generally blessed. Can you suggest someone in the US that offers these services? Thanks for the great video.

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your question. JJ Dasher is based in Salt Lake City and does all manner of recapping and refurbishing work. His email is: jj@dasherdeals.com

@concorde2003 2 жыл бұрын

@@JDW- Thank you.

@JDW- 2 жыл бұрын

@@concorde2003 If you used or plan to use his Mr. Dasher's services, I would love to hear back from you about your experience. Until now, I've only heard great things, but I wish to keep on top of the recappers I recommend to ensure everyone is continuing to have a great experience. Your feedback would be very helpful in that regard. Best wishes!

@alexinnewwest1860 4 жыл бұрын

That’s pretty cool. Would you happen to know (probably a long shot) but would the guts from a Mac classic fit into a SE case ? I have a classic ii with a broken and cracked case

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, no. The internals of a Classic are very different from older compact Macs. I must say though that in terms of external appearance, the Mac Classic has always been my favorite. It can't touch an SE/30 regarding speed and expandability, but the case is nice. I can see what you would want to get yours replaced. I see one on EBAY for $45 (case only) but its really beat up on the right side. Be patient though, more will likely pop up. Another thing you can do is post your request on a forum like the 68kMLA or in a vintage Mac FB group. I've put links to those places in the text description below my video above.

@chrisnotbad 4 жыл бұрын

@@JDW- Great channel. As a Mac hobbyist myself, I have learned a lot from watching your videos and have used many of your recommendations. I have two Se/30's and one Color Classic II that I am in the process of recapping and would love to know what web browser(s) that you would personally use on these old Mac's for surfing the Web today. I know it would be horribly outdated and lack support for most modern websites, but that is something I really want to try for purposes of nostalgia using the Ethernet cards I have for both Systems. Thank you very much in advance for any answers.

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

@@chrisnotbad Netscape 2.0. I have advocated that browser for years, even back when Cult of Mac interviewed me here: bit.ly/2ZUynxk But you need to keep in mind though that even the fastest SE/30 isn't fast enough to decode huge graphics or sites filled with lots of graphics. Many sites break on Netscape 2 as well. It's hard to browse modern and responsive websites on the SE/30 these days, and downright impossible (from a practicality standpoint) on less powerful vintage Macs.

@alexinnewwest1860 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the quick response. Ah that’s a shame, I was hoping mac would of kept the subframe and inner-bits the same to save cost (like how GM did with its cars in the 60s and 70s) . But I agree the classic series are good looking computers. It is a classic ii so it’s not to slow. But do you really need all that speed of a SE30 on a BW mac anyways. But thanks for the heads up, I’ll keep looking 🙂

@JDW- 4 жыл бұрын

@@alexinnewwest1860 The SE/30 is the holy grail of compact Macs because of its PDS slot. And yes, there are some amazing things you can do with that slot, such as making the internal CRT grayscale. I'll have to do a video on my grayscale setup at some point so you can see what I mean. Some other details are presented in the following Tidbits article: tidbits.com/1991/09/16/classic-ii-vs-se30/

@bujin5455 2 жыл бұрын

Pretty neat. It would have been something if they had managed to preserve the original signatures. ...though I imagine that would be tempting fate.

@JDW- 2 жыл бұрын

Most likely, Mark J. of MacEffects decided not to do that because doing so would have obscured the transparency of the back case, making it more difficult to peer inside from the back. Even so, one could just as easily peer in from the left or right sides. For all I know it could have been a cost and complexity issue at the mold factory.

@BestSpatula 3 жыл бұрын

So, I dont see that clear speaker on Maceffects website. Here y'all go: www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/cui-devices/GA0576M/483566

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Not sure why MacEffects isn't advertising it. Here's the Mouser web page for it: bit.ly/3cdeWHI

@cadenyang3058 3 жыл бұрын

@@JDW- Is this the same clear speaker that he sells for 3 times the amount? Or is it just a regular non clear speaker that all compact macs use?

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

@@cadenyang3058 What you see in my video is indeed the MacEffects clear speaker, yes. It is an 8Ω The stock speaker is black and 63Ω.

@cadenyang3058 3 жыл бұрын

@@JDW- Sorry for not being more clear. I meant is the speaker in the Mouser link the same clear one? Or is it not see through? Thanks

@JDW- 3 жыл бұрын

@@cadenyang3058 I apologize for my having misunderstood you. You are asking about this clear speaker: @t The answer is, yes, it is the same speaker MacEffects uses. Keep in mind that means it is only 8-ohm. And what that means is the sound isn't quite as loud as the stock speaker. You'd think it should be louder, but I think it taxes the output amplifier a bit too much, such that the end result is a tad quieter sound. (And no, I've not tried an impedance matching circuit to see what happens in that case, although in theory that's all that would be needed to regain the same volume level as the stock 63-ohm speaker.)

@ErikBruchez Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately sold out as of this comment.

@JDW- Жыл бұрын

The biggest cost to creating the cases was making the tooling (metal molds into which the plastic is injected), and as far as I know Mark Jozaitis still owns them. It's therefore just a matter of MacEffects placing another order at the factory in China. I suspect that it's a matter of low demand for the cases though. If enough people wanted them, and if MacEffects was OK with the logistics of placing another order, it probably could happen. But again, a group of more than just 2-3 people would really need to get together and approach MacEffects to discuss bringing them back. Some people loved the 100% clear cases while others didn't. I suspect it could be how the machine looks from the front. With it 100% clear, you see all the guts inside. That thrills some people, while others feel it to be rather gaudy. And since Apple Macs are known for the clean and simple designs, that causes some division among people in the vintage Mac community. Nobody complained about the MacEffects clear cases, but people who didn't like them simply didn't buy them. That's why I think there's a good compromise, which really was started by the CRT iMacs back in the day -- a clear back side only! I show this off in my Tilt/Swivel review video here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hJh8druK1MjJmKc.html Not sure if MacEffects could ONLY make the back side case, and if they did, that wouldn't please people who wanted front and back parts. Cost is another factor because the cases are large and need to be well protected during shipping. Not sure if the Trump taxes on Chinese imports made them impossibly expensive either. But since MacEffects still sells the clear cases for other vintage computers like the Apple IIe, it would seem that it's just a matter of demand.