2400c questions: Sound + PCMCIA Ethernet

[sambapati87]

I just received a really nice 2400c from an eBay purchase. It's 180mhz, running 9.1 on 80mb of RAM (I plan to put it on 8.6). It's in practically mint condition—I'm really amazed.

First question: sound. The startup chime works (though sort of sounds like it fades out a little at the end?)—but no system audio after boot will work. I've checked as many sound control panels as I can find, and can't get so much as a peep out of it.

Second question: PCMCIA ethernet. I have an Orinoco Gold card that I'll be using for WiFi, by enabling a security-less guest network on my router. (This router is WPA or nothing, so unfortunately it's going to be nothing for my 2400c as the Orinoco will only do WEP). However—I'd like to get an ethernet card as well. Will any old PCMCIA Ethernet card work, as long as it's not CardBus? I'm new to PC cards in general. There seem to be hundreds on eBay for less than $10: http://www.ebay.com/itm/XIRCOM-CEM33-PCMCIA-Credit-Card-Ethernet-10-100-PCMCIA-Lan-Adapter-33-6K-Modem-/131846868899?hash=item1eb2af8fa3:g:AhAAAOxy4fBTk17F. As I understand they are all basically clones of each other. What should I be looking for?

 

[sambapati87]

The sound issue resolved itself with a clean install of 8.6, so mark that one off!

 

[butterburger]

As I understand they are all basically clones of each other.

How do you understand that? There are, like, a dozen different (at programming interface level) 16-bit PC Card networking chipsets! Well, at least four, for sure. Seemingly most common network chip-heritage in 16-bit PC Cards is NE2000, and a Mac driver for that is not common.

I have a question for you: does 2400 floppy connector match any of these (ones IBM used in ThinkPad)? I mean match a physical shape, not electrically.

 

[MikeatOSX]

I have a question for you: does 2400 floppy connector match any of these (ones IBM used in ThinkPad)? I mean match a physical shape, not electrically.

I had the same idea, as I own a PowerBook 2400c floppy drive without cable and so I bought an IBM ThinkPad 570 floppy drive with cable (MPF72E-1).

The Thinkpad cable - FRU 05K2844 - is longer than the PB 2400c cable and does fit physically on both ends (PB2400c and PB2400c floppy drive) BUT does't work electrically.

 

[MikeatOSX]

Second question: PCMCIA ethernet. I have an Orinoco Gold card that I'll be using for WiFi, by enabling a security-less guest network on my router. (This router is WPA or nothing, so unfortunately it's going to be nothing for my 2400c as the Orinoco will only do WEP). However—I'd like to get an ethernet card as well. Will any old PCMCIA Ethernet card work, as long as it's not CardBus? I'm new to PC cards in general. There seem to be hundreds on eBay for less than $10: http://www.ebay.com/itm/XIRCOM-CEM33-PCMCIA-Credit-Card-Ethernet-10-100-PCMCIA-Lan-Adapter-33-6K-Modem-/131846868899?hash=item1eb2af8fa3:g:AhAAAOxy4fBTk17F. As I understand they are all basically clones of each other. What should I be looking for?

For PowerBook 2400c hardware peripherals look here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20081120183033/http://sarofax.com/mac2400/hardware_periph.html#Ethernet
and
https://web.archive.org/web/20070126124716/http://webobjects.uwaterloo.ca/mac2400/hardware_upgrades.html

 

[MikeatOSX]

BTW: I have two PowerBooks 2400c, one with 180MHz and one with a Nupowr G3 / 240MHz processor card.

I'm booting both with fast Compact Flash cards in the PCMCIA Slots. The faster one doesn't have a HDD and on the slower one I formatted the HDD and didn't store any files on it, so they both boot very fast and silent.

 

[sambapati87]

How do you understand that? There are, like, a dozen different (at programming interface level) 16-bit PC Card networking chipsets! Well, at least four, for sure. Seemingly most common network chip-heritage in 16-bit PC Cards is NE2000, and a Mac driver for that is not common.

What I meant is basically what you said—there are more card brands than chipsets. I'm just not clear on which chipsets I should be looking for. Googling for info on the 2400c seems to turn up little these days. I'll post a close-up of the floppy connector(s) and cables today.

Thanks Mikeat for the webarchive links. Just what I needed.

I'm definitely planning to replace the hard drive eventually. I'm hoping to only have to open this thing once—upgrade RAM, replace HD (probably with a CF->IDE adapter), and CardBus mod.

 

[sambapati87]

Some photos of the floppy ports/cable, for reference, though it seems Mikeat may have already answered the physical compatibility question:

Floppy port on the PowerBook

Mac end of cable

Drive end of cable

Drive port

 

[butterburger]

Thank you both, sambapati87 and MikeatOSX. One of these days, I will update ThinkWiki article. It is some amount incredible, how many totally incompatible wirings through same connectors there were in Vintage Computer floppies.