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EU/UK source for SE/30 ROM SIMM socket?
Posted by: fergycool on 2025-05-06 09:46:05
So despite my poor soldering technique I managed to desolder and remove the ROM socket on my battery bombed SE/30. It was quite corroded underneath and a few legs are just knackered. So I need to source a new one. I've seen a few links to US based suppliers, but none in the UK or even the EU. Are there any? …or are there alternatives?

The two US based suppliers seem to be PE Connectors and Connector People. PE Connectors will not ship outside the US (I even tried to purchase a bunch to ship to a friend in the US but they would not accept a non-US billing address for the credit card). Connector People appear to do but there's no price for shipping.

So it would be great if there's a EU based source. Otherwise I may be getting a few spare sockets..

On the other hand if the socket is corroded enough that I need a new one is this a sign that the board is beyond salvage and I need to go to a Reloaded board?
🙂

Many thanks!
Posted by: obsolete on 2025-05-06 10:12:20
I'm in the US, but I've found Connector People to be quite reasonable and easy to work with. I recommend just contacting them for a shipping quote.
Posted by: fergycool on 2025-05-06 10:17:33
I'm in the US, but I've found Connector People to be quite reasonable and easy to work with. I recommend just contacting them for a shipping quote.
Thanks. I've just done that.
Posted by: robin-fo on 2025-05-06 10:20:42
It was quite corroded underneath and a few legs are just knackered
If the plastic is still ok, you might be able to swap pins from other SIMM sockets
Posted by: fergycool on 2025-05-06 10:32:53
If the plastic is still ok, you might be able to swap pins from other SIMM sockets
The plastic looks fine it's just the pins. Are these contacts fairly standard? I'll have a look at my pile of stuff to see if I can find some.
Posted by: zigzagjoe on 2025-05-06 10:40:42
It's not worth the effort to try to repair a SIMM socket... if you have any avenue to replace it, I'd strongly encourage you to do so. A dodgy socket will be a continuous source of drama and it is the only thing I've unconditionally replaced on my SE/30 boards (aside from capacitors).
Posted by: croissantking on 2025-05-06 10:42:00
Let me check but I think I have a good socket available, carefully pulled from a IIcx motherboard. You can have it for postage
Posted by: fergycool on 2025-05-06 10:44:32
Let me check but I think I have a good socket available, carefully pulled from a IIcx motherboard. You can have it for postage
That's a very kind offer! If you do have one then I'd very happily accept! ...and include the price of a pint as well as postage!
Posted by: croissantking on 2025-05-06 10:52:27
That's a very kind offer! If you do have one then I'd very happily accept! ...and include the price of a pint as well as postage!
Well I won’t say no 🙂
Let me grab a couple of pics and DM you tonight.
Posted by: croissantking on 2025-05-06 10:55:05
Also feel free to share some pics of your board, maybe we can advise you if it’s better to go to a reloaded
Posted by: fergycool on 2025-05-06 14:12:18
So I bought this SE/30 showing the horizontal lines on the screen from ebay as the price was good enough to take a risk and I was able to collect locally. Unfortunately when I got it home it had been battery bombed. At this point I thought it was way beyond my skills to restore. However, after I'd posted a few photos on Mastodon a few people suggested that I should give it a go.

So I extensively cleaned the board with white vinegar and isopropanol. After cleaning it looked far better (I know the damage is still there!). I recapped the board. The three chips at UJ2,UJ3 and UJ4 had all had their legs corroded, but I purchased these and have replaced them. I suspect I'll need a few bodge wires though! The next step was the ROM slot. But I've never removed a socket before and I was quite slow in removing it. Possible after seeing the state of the legs after removal I should have been less careful!

Here's a few photos pre and post cleaning!

Your frank opinion would be very welcome!

Cheers Ferg

51A29DD1-2A77-41DB-8CA3-CA3C0CF86C60_1_105_c.jpegCB53BA22-F24A-419D-AA1E-1A28113394FC_1_105_c.jpeg589F6FAF-4CF8-48D4-8020-9ED6A6648DEC_1_105_c.jpeg
Posted by: croissantking on 2025-05-06 14:23:32
Ehh, I wouldn’t bother. It’s too far gone. Others have tried to restore boards that looked like this and usually ran into issues with internal traces being damaged.

Far better to use the components to build a Reloaded board, or get someone to help you.

Sorry 🙁
Posted by: croissantking on 2025-05-06 14:31:33
Don’t let me stop you having a go though, if you fancy trying.
Posted by: robin-fo on 2025-05-06 22:49:18
This is clearly a candidate for a Reloaded board
Posted by: fergycool on 2025-05-07 00:58:56
Don’t let me stop you having a go though, if you fancy trying.
Thanks, but I'm a pragmatist and if people more experienced than me tell me it's got a low chance of success then I'd prefer to listen to their expert advice rather than go head long into a project that will probably just frustrate me! I'll chalk up my work so far to "good preparation!".

As a matter of interest how often do SE/30 Reloaded boards come up for sale in the EU/UK? From what I have read on here the minimum order is generally quite a few so considerate individuals sell the spare ones at cost or people do a group buy.
Posted by: croissantking on 2025-05-07 01:15:42
Thanks, but I'm a pragmatist and if people more experienced than me tell me it's got a low chance of success then I'd prefer to listen to their expert advice rather than go head long into a project that will probably just frustrate me! I'll chalk up my work so far to "good preparation!".

IMG_4048.jpeg

As a matter of interest how often do SE/30 Reloaded boards come up for sale in the EU/UK? From what I have read on here the minimum order is generally quite a few so considerate individuals sell the spare ones at cost or people do a group buy.

They do fairly frequently.
Posted by: fergycool on 2025-05-07 01:23:07
They do fairly frequently.
Thanks. I'll keep a close eye on the Trading Post subgroup from now on!
Posted by: Durosity on 2025-10-10 12:00:31
I’m curious as to if there’s a particularly good guide for removing one that anyone can recommend? It’s not something I’ve been terribly good at.. I’ve just tried removing one from a knackered board as a test run and.. I’ve not improved 😅
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