PB180 preventative maintenance?

[rplacd]

Hey all – I just scored this very well-preserved PowerBook 180 in working condition, no cosmetic damage, and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm not familiar with 68k PowerBooks, so is there some preventative maintenance I can do right now (i.e. replacing the PRAM, recapping, reinforcing brittle plastics?)

 

[sutekh]

I believe you've covered the major bullet points. I'd also consider a SCSI2SD, as even a working original is a likely failure point. The vast amount a storage is nice too!

A suitable PRAM replacement can be fashioned from a pair of VL-2330s and a bit of heat-shrink.



In addition to the much maligned plastic behind the hinges, check the mount points on the base into which the drive and logic board brass inserts are molded. All 3 of my PowerBooks had cracking & crumbling there as well.

As for the hinge plastic, there are a number of good solutions presented here on the forum, including a 3D printed reinforcement, but any of them should be coupled with a thorough cleaning and re-lubrication of the metal portion. For my part, I've had good luck with a) first roughing up the adjacent plastic, then b) JB welding the inserts back in place, and c) drilling through the other side and pinning the whole assembly together with qty-4 2.5x7mm flat-head screws countersunk into the lid.



Good luck with your 180! Mine has the dreaded LCD vignetting unfortunately. Someday I may try the oven technique...

 

[sutekh]

Whoops, that PRAM batt is the one I built for my Duo. PB just solders in

 

[stormy]

@sutekh Cheers for the photo of your pram battery build. I attempted exactly the same thing but I think I applied too much heat dwell time on the batteries and they're not holding charge. I've re-ordered some new ones and was thinking of using conductive electrical glue this time, what do you think?

Cheers

 

[sutekh]

@sutekh Cheers for the photo of your pram battery build. I attempted exactly the same thing but I think I applied too much heat dwell time on the batteries and they're not holding charge. I've re-ordered some new ones and was thinking of using conductive electrical glue this time, what do you think?

Cheers

Purchase the "VCN" variety with vertical mount tabs that will allow you to solder the wires on further away from the cell.

 

[rplacd]

In addition to the much maligned plastic behind the hinges, check the mount points on the base into which the drive and logic board brass inserts are molded. All 3 of my PowerBooks had cracking & crumbling there as well.

As for the hinge plastic, there are a number of good solutions presented here on the forum, including a 3D printed reinforcement, but any of them should be coupled with a thorough cleaning and re-lubrication of the metal portion. For my part, I've had good luck with a) first roughing up the adjacent plastic, then b) JB welding the inserts back in place, and c) drilling through the other side and pinning the whole assembly together with qty-4 2.5x7mm flat-head screws countersunk into the lid.

Hey, thanks a dozen for showing a newbie the ropes! Yeah, now wonder if there's enough clearance to put a blob of epoxy near the base of the logic board brass inserts? (Or maybe ABS cement, etc.)

Also, tell me more about your hinge repair, do the screws in your lid also lock into the existing inserts?

I'm trying to imagine what it would look like. Hopefully that would avoid going through whatever display ribbon cable is there? I haven't seen the inner workings yet since I don't want to disassemble the PowerBook unnecessarily – until I'm ready to do repairs, that is.

Anyway, thanks for your patience! Knowing myself, this won't be my last early PowerBook. Their chunkiness just makes them such a joy to use.

Sorry to hear about your vignetting – early PowerBooks seem like they collapse if you just cough at them!

 

[sutekh]

Anyway, thanks for your patience! Knowing myself, this won't be my last early PowerBook. Their chunkiness just makes them such a joy to use.

I hear ya! I went from zero, to 1, to 3 PowerBooks in a hurry myself. The 180, even with it's screen issue, is usable and is currently my wifi modem hack test mule. Much as I'd like to keep both 180cs in working order though, I'll likely part one and combine them into a single, very nice example + spares to keep it running.

As for the inserts, clearances are tight around the drives, but the logic board standoffs are less cramped. The plastics are ABS, so cement could work, but I don't know how well it'll grab the metal inserts. In addition to JB Weld, my adhesive of choice if a thick slurry of ABS scraps (mostly just 3D printing filament and castoffs) + Acetone I keep in a paint can.

Correct, the counter-sunk screws shown on the back of the lid grab unused thread at the base of the existing inserts. The inserts don't have a closed end, so you can send a drill-bit all the way through and out the other side for a pilot hole.