Macintosh Performa 410 Troubleshooting

Macintosh Performa 400, which uses the same case as the 410. Photo: Akbkuku, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

The Macintosh Performa 410 is the Macintosh LC II sold under a Performa name, so the LC II's faults and fixes apply to it. Fault-finding follows Apple's symptom charts for the Performa 400 series in the Macintosh Performa 400 Series Service Source. Apple lists cures "in the order of most likely solution"; try the first cure first, and refit the original part before moving on if a swap does not help. The charts stop at module level. On a machine this age, leaking surface-mount capacitors and the PRAM battery are the first suspects.

First checks

• Fit a good PRAM battery. Apple's first cure for "No video" is "Check batteries", and the battery also appears in the dark-screen and intermittent no-power entries. Replace a cell that reads below 3.0 V.
• Reseat the 30-pin DRAM SIMMs (fitted in pairs), the VRAM SIMM and any processor-direct card.
• Look for leaked electrolyte around the capacitors and the battery holder, on both sides of the board.

Startup sounds

Error chords (Service Source p. 18)

Symptom	Apple's cures, in order
Eight-tone error chord at startup	Replace SIMMs; replace logic board; check the SIMMs on the replacement board
Four-tone error chord at startup	Disconnect the hard drive cables and restart, and if startup is normal test and replace the drive; disconnect the floppy cable and restart, and if startup is normal replace the floppy drive; replace logic board

A Sad Mac icon with a code identifies the failing test; decode it with Sad Mac Error Codes.

Video

Built-in video (pp. 19–21)

Symptom	Apple's cures, in order
No video	Check the batteries
Screen dark; sound and at least one drive work; fan runs; LED lit	Adjust monitor brightness; replace monitor; replace video cable; replace VRAM SIMM; replace logic board; replace power supply
Screen dark; no sound or drive activity; fan runs; LED lit	Remove any expansion card; remove peripherals; replace SIMMs; replace logic board; replace power supply
Screen bright with sound, but no picture	Replace video cable; replace monitor; replace logic board
Screen dark, fan not running, LED off	Check the batteries; check the monitor has power; remove expansion card; remove peripherals; replace power supply; replace logic board
Lines or snow, or dark screen, with a normal startup tone	Replace video cable; replace monitor; replace VRAM SIMM; replace logic board; replace power supply

Drives

Floppy and hard drive (pp. 22–25)

Symptom	Apple's cures, in order
Internal floppy drive does not work	Replace floppy cable; replace drive; replace logic board
Disk ejects; Mac icon with blinking X	Try a known-good system disk; replace cable; replace drive; replace logic board
Disk does not eject	Hold the mouse button down while switching on; push a straightened paper clip into the hole beside the slot; replace cable; replace drive
Drive tries to eject but cannot	Push the disk fully in; eject with a paper clip; remove the top cover and try again, and if it ejects refit the cover securely; replace drive
Hard drive runs continuously	Check the system is 7.0.1 or later (Performa 400) or 7.1 or later (other models); replace drive; replace logic board
Hard drive does not work	Replace data cable; replace power cable; replace drive; replace logic board
Internal and external SCSI devices do not work together	Set different SCSI IDs; terminate the external devices correctly; replace the external terminator; check the internal drive carries its terminator; replace the SCSI select cable

Peripherals and miscellaneous

Peripherals and miscellaneous (pp. 25–32)

Symptom	Apple's cures, in order
Cursor does not move	Restart; check the mouse connection; move the mouse to the rear ADB port without the keyboard; replace mouse; replace logic board
No response from keyboard	Check the system version; check the ADB connection; replace keyboard cable; replace keyboard; replace logic board
Clicking, chirping or thumping	Replace power supply; disconnect the hard drive and replace it if the noise stops; replace logic board
Shuts down at random	Clear the vents (thermal protection can shut the machine down; it recovers after 30 to 40 minutes); replace power cable; replace power supply; replace SIMMs; replace logic board
Intermittently will not power on	Check cables; check the monitor has power; try a known-good keyboard and ADB cable; replace power cord; check the batteries; replace logic board
No sound from the speaker	Check the volume setting is 1 or higher; replace speaker; replace logic board
Clock does not keep time	Replace battery; replace logic board

The Performa 400, 405, 410 and 430 accept 12 MB of RAM but recognise only 10 MB (p. 32). This is normal.

To reset PRAM, hold Command-Option-P-R during startup, before "Welcome to Macintosh" appears.

Board-level faults

Capacitor leakage

The LC II logic board, 820-0327-A, carries seventeen small electrolytics. Recap and clean the board before condemning it, and check tracks and vias near each capacitor if a fault remains. The list is on Macintosh LC II Capacitor Replacement Guide; see also Capacitor Failure Symptoms.

Power supply

The supply is Apple part 661-1733 (exploded view, PDF p. 78). Recap-a-Mac reports that the whole LC family uses it and that it is prone to some leakage and failures in its smaller capacitors. Neither the Performa 400 Series nor the LC Series Service Source gives rail tolerances for it. Measure +5 V, +12 V and −5 V at the logic board connector against their nominal values, and look for a rail that sags under load. Console5's community list gives six versions of the supply from three makers, ASTEC, Dyna Comp and TDK, with different capacitor sets.

PRAM battery

The battery is a 3.6 V lithium cell, Apple part 742-0011; Apple's test is to replace it below 3.0 V (p. 73). A leaking cell corrodes the board around its holder. Remove it from any machine going into storage, and neutralise lithium leakage with sodium bicarbonate. See Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage.

Related pages

• Macintosh Performa 410
• Macintosh LC II Troubleshooting
• Macintosh LC II General Maintenance
• Macintosh LC II Capacitor Replacement Guide
• Sad Mac Error Codes