So I was recently given a Macintosh Classic (not a Classic II), and as one might expect, it will only give a checkerboard screen when powered. All and all, it's a pretty common issue. However, what's strange, is that the image isn't stable. Upon powering, the screen flickers, and the checkerboard is contracted horizontally with a thin squiggle that runs al the way down the screen. The image does eventually stabilize but remains contracted, also there is a strange pulsing that bulges the checker-pattern out at the sides, and slowly runs down the screen. If the checkerboard was stable, I'd assume that this was a simple motherboard issue, but the distortion, pulsing and flickering would seem to indicate something else.
I've tried cleaning the motherboard with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab, but it didn't help. The board looks pretty clean, but there is one chip with corroded pins (labeled O, or Q-1) near the power. From the looks of it, the chip seems to have been corroded by leakage from one of the four nearby capacitors (likely C-8).
I'm considering running it through a dishwasher, but I'm not convinced that that will solve any of my problems.
I already know that I have to recap the board (there's no getting around it), but I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations as to what replacement parts to use. I really don't want to use electrolytic capacitors again, since that's what failed in the first place, but I can't tell if the solid-state tantalum alternatives I've seen online will fit.
So does anyone have any recommendations? Will the dishwasher help? What would be the best capacitors to use so I don't have to do this again? And what's causing my screen to pulse and flicker?
Likely you have a power supply problem and a logic board problem. Clean and recap and resolder may help.
Recap the analog board