A leaking Macintosh Classic II logic board turned what Michael Kamprath expected to be a straightforward recap into a lesson in repairing damaged PCB pads. In his new repair video, published 21 October 2026, he cleans electrolyte damage, compares capacitor-removal methods and rebuilds lifted connections with copper foil and epoxy.
The revealing moment comes during reassembly: one replacement pad lifts again under soldering heat. Kamprath switches to a wire connection at that capacitor rather than presenting the first repair as a success. He says one of the two epoxy-backed pad repairs held; the other did not. That makes this a useful, unusually candid look at how fragile an old, contaminated board can be—and why the recap itself may be only part of the job.
This is part one of Kamprath’s Classic II project, not a finished-machine restoration. The machine’s eventual working state remains to be shown in later installments.
Watch Michael Kamprath’s full Macintosh Classic II repair video (57 minutes).
