6100/AV no video

[adrift02]

I am trying to get this old mac going for my dad (he wants old files off it), but I cannot get any video. He says he had the battery replaced and I just recently tried throwing in a new AV card. I get no signal at all (monitor turns itself off), but the computer dings once and sounds like it's starting up fine. Other then trying to replace the AV adapter (AV card goes into an adapter which goes into the motherboard) I have no idea what is wrong. Anyone have some ideas?

As a side note I have tried multiple monitors and basically all the switch settings from the 10 switch adapter (used for the mac out to pc input). And, I assume that I would be getting at least some signal even with the wrong switch settings....Thanks for the help!

 

[Bolle]

and you´re sure that the battery is ok?

just try the on-off-on-6100© trick that should get around the no video problem.

 

[adrift02]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I will give that a try today.

The battery was replaced by a "mac professional" who thought the battery was the problem (no video). But, I wasn't around when this was done so I suppose I cannot be 100% sure.

Is there a way to self-check a battery with no spare mac around?

Also, assuming battery is fine and knowing the AV card is new, what would you suspect next? Thanks again!

 

[tomlee59]

Measure the voltage with a voltmeter. You can (and should) do this with the battery in the motherboard, but with the ac power plug pulled out. If it reads more than, say 10% low, it may not be healthy enough (and would tell you that it's not a new battery).

 

[adrift02]

I tried the "jump start" method (power button 3 times), same as always. Sounds like the computer is booting just fine (HDD sounds like it loads as normal until computer is done booting), just no video.

I will grab a voltmeter and give you're (tomlee) suggestion a shot, thanks for the help.

 

[Bunsen]

If the on-wait-off-quickly-back-on sequence works, then the battery is no good.

Then I'd check to make sure the AV card and the adapter are both seated firmly.

Also, I forget if the 6100 has a motherboard reset button, but if so, you should press that for 60 seconds after adding new hardware.

Any way you could try the motherboard video? ie do you have an Applevision monitor or adapter? Is it possible to confirm the AV card in another x100 machine, or substitute a different AV/HPV card? Ditto on the adapter. Are you completely sure it's not a DOS card adapter?

Don't give up. Sometimes it just takes a while to get these old beasts going again.

 

[LCGuy]

It couldn't be a DOS card adaptor, Bunsen - the DOS card adaptor converts the 6100's 601 PDS to a '040 PDS, which is a physically different slot.

 

[adrift02]

I am unsure of how to measure the voltage. Are you talking about measuring the PSU (maybe called a battery in this case?) or the actual little battery? Thanks for the help.

 

[adrift02]

I don't ever use a voltmeter so I might be doing this completely wrong but this is what I did. I set the dial to 10AC and took a measurement, was getting less than 1v (barely moves) on the 10AC reading. I should be getting 3.6v right? On OHMS setting I get 20-10k if that means anything (that just measures if there is any electrical current at all correct?). Again, this is reading the small 3.6v battery.

 

[adrift02]

So I checked my voltmeter on some normal alkaline 1.5v batteries at 10AC setting and was getting over 2v on both of them. Regardless of the accuracy of the readings I should be getting over twice the reading from the 3.6v over the 1.5v batteries correct?

I priced some battery replacements and found some for ~$7. The one in the mobo is a Tadiran 3.6v TL-5151 and the ones I am finding are:

Tadiran 1/2 "AA" Size - 3.6 Volt Lithium:

TL-2150, TL5101, and TL5902

http://www.batterycentralmall.com/Batteries/Tadiran/Tadiran.html

will any of these work? Thanks again!

 

[tomlee59]

A battery is a source of DC voltage, so your voltmeter should be set to measure DC volts. Never have your voltmeter set to measure resistance when hooked up to a battery. You can fry your voltmeter. Luckily, the battery under test was dead, and so your voltmeter was saved.

And never, EVER, connect a power source -- battery or otherwise -- to a voltmeter set to measure current. That would be Ghostbusters bad.

 

[LCGuy]

Really? Then how come Apple's service documentation suggests you test batteries by connecting them to a multimeter?