Anyone thought to make a 3D printed tool for this?
Curious about this. Has anyone thought to make a 3D printed tool for making taking the front faceplate off a Macintosh Performa/LC 520/550/575 chassis a little easier? I noticed something about how the clip works that would make this viable I think:
(photo taken from random YouTube video. I did not want to remove my faceplate just for a photo op. :P )
There's little ridges on the face plate half of the retention clip. I suspect a a 3D printed jig precisely sized to fit into the notch and push the clip by simply being inserted (no prying required) would be enough to hold it in the released position. This would make pulling the faceplate off easier and less likely to break off brittle plastic.
I feel like having a dedicated tool for this would make me feel more at ease pulling this faceplate off. So far the face plate hasn't lost any plastic with me removing it just yet. Though a bit of the side rail it engages with on the main front of the chasis broke off, it super glued on nicely and hasn't acted up since. I really want a properly sized tool for this job. :P
Here's a photo of my LC 520. A recapped 550 board now lives in it. A recap kit for the analog board arrives Monday/Tuesday next week. Once my new tips and desolder pump arrives around that time as well I will give that a go myself. I do want to eventually recap the caddy drive to (it's currently working fine but it's inevitable the caps will cause an issue)
Interesting story on this LC 520. I bought it off eBay half expecting to need to get a second unit because this one was likely to arrived damaged...But it arrived in virtually the same condition as shown in the listing (those small cracks in 2 of the corners of the screen bazel were already present in the listing photos FYI). It was an as is untested unit listed for only $240 or so and the shipping was free so I decided this would be my "parts" unit.
Just packing peanuts and a token layer of bubble wrap put around the sides (That basically did nothing here. :P ).
Not only that, this seller shipped it in the standing position and not face down. I guess he didn't want to get a larger box (or one that is just not the specific box he used here. :P )
This was shipped via FedEx. Was not a short trip either. Seller was based in Illinois and I live in Texas. :P
I think the plastics are in better condition for my unit. It's the least yellowed Mac in my collection. It still has some yellowing but it's pretty minor. The back plate also still has it's clips (and is almost not yellowed at all!)
This unit must have lived a lot of it's life in a climate controlled room away from windows. Though I did hear certain types of lighting can still contribute to yellowing. Forget which though. Is florescent lighting (common in education/institution environments) better on them then incandescent?
Anyways my room is now using LED based lighting so I don't expect it to get any worse. :P