🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <609@telesoft.com>, colleen@telesoft.com (Colleen Wirth @second) writes:
> Hello,
> 
> A few weeks ago I was logging into work from home when my Macintosh
> screen died on me.  I have the original Macintosh 128K that has been

This is what comes of Apple spec'ing a marginal part.  Reducing parts
cost, y'know.
> 
> My dad took the computer to work and his technicians took a look at it
	[...]
> they said that the problem was that the "flyback transformer" that
> powers the picture tube was broken.  They were going to fix it for me
> when, lo and behold, this is a proprietary Apple Macintosh part.  

So?  It was derived originally from an off-the-shelf flyback transformer.
An equivalent piece could be had for not much.  A better part would
still be less than the Apple part.

> I called Computer Land (or something like that) and was told that I had
> to swap the whole power supply board, even though only 1 chip was
> bad.  This was fine until they said it was going to cost me $250.00.
> That wasn't fine.  First, I've been told that my Mac isn't even worth
> $250.00, and, second, I'm a very poor writer and cannot afford to pay 
> that much to fix my computer.  

Your Mac, old as it is, is still probably worth mre than $250. This is
not to say, btw, that you need to pay $250 for the repair. 

> So, what I want to know is, do I have any other options? 

Any number of independent repair shops exist that could fix the board
for a nominal amount.  Some that work a lot on Macs routinely swap out
the transformer for a more robust part even if they've opened the Mac
for some other repair. 

Contact, for starters, your local Mac user group and see if anyone in
the group knows about such a repair shop.  Check for shops that
reapir other makes...they might know of one that works on Macs.

Your dealer (most *any* dealer) isn't going to be able to help you much
here.

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"...Then anyone who leaves behind him a written manual, and likewise
anyone who receives it, in the belief that such writing will be clear
and certain, must be exceedingly simple-minded..."

		Plato, _Phaedrus_ 275d