Free Pismo

[didius]

Got a FREE pismo today!

An old man gave it to me, i was thinking spare parts but then i got this:

PowerBook G3 Pismo 400 MHz

256MB ram with a broken hard drive

with a working! DVD-rom module

So far nothing special but he gave all of these extra's with it (I don't know why though but happy to get it)

- YoYo adapter (working and in mint condition)

- Original Pismo box with all manuals included

- Original software, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X (Panther), Mac OS X (Tiger), old classic software

And this non-apple stuff to

- DLink Wireless Router + cables

- DLink Bluetooth adapter

I LOVE free stuff

 

[Unknown_K]

It is nice to have the original box/docs/software. The dead HD should be easy enough to replace.

 

[niccyb]

Very nice score! That thing sounds like quite the beast. Especially with the DVD-ROM . Replace the HDD and add another 256mb of RAM and you're flying. The pismos are great performers - I once stuck Panther on one of them for a friend and it ran wonderfully (he used it for light web stuff and word processing). Good luck with it!

-Nick

 

[Bunsen]

Free? :O :O 8-o Pismo?

 

[Mars478]

Lucky...........

 

[jkoci]

Very nice. Its been a while since I scored a freebie of that caliber.

 

[olePigeon]

Awesome. I have a boxed 400MHz Pismo at work, but I can't get it to power on. It was a donation from a parent. I'm going to use it as a portable OS 9 machine because of some of the IEP software we use that only works on Windows 95 or Mac OS 9. Stupid company never updates their software. Ever.

Gotta find out if it's the adapter or the laptop, but I don't have a spare adapter.

 

[geeko]

Did you take the pram battery out? That solved most of my Pismo problems.

 

[Strimkind]

I second this suggestion. Worked for every pismo I had that did not turn on.

 

[olePigeon]

I didn't take the PRAM battery out. Will a dead PRAM battery keep it from booting?

 

[coius]

:'( :'( :'(

*whimper* I wish I hadn't sold mine back in the day...

 

[Strimkind]

I didn't take the PRAM battery out. Will a dead PRAM battery keep it from booting?

Yes it will. Unplug it and it should boot up when you press the power button.

 

[olePigeon]

My campus is on spring break right now, but I may be going in during the week to set up our Mac mini server. I'll try out the battery idea.

Any idea for a Titanium PowerBook G4? I have an 800MHz one in pristine condition (even the hinges are still white!) but it was put away because it'll only run off the power cable. I can't get a battery to charge on it, and the little light on the power brick is orange-red.

 

[olePigeon]

Disconnecting the PRAM battery let it boot.

400MHz G3 with 384MBs of RAM. It even has an AirPort card and DVD-ROM. b:

 

[Bunsen]

That is all

 

[Temetka]

God I miss my Pismo.

I traded it to Cory in a fit stupidity. Probably brought on by a large amount of alcohol and weed, but that is a discussion for..well...not here anyway.

Seriously though, out of all the Macs I have owned throughout my life I loved the Pismo the most.

 

[wthww]

I actually have that pismo now. After serving its purpose for Cory for a few years he graciously gave it to me. I've restored it to a very nice condition, with one puzzling issue: No sound. My first thought was replace the dc/sound board. No dice after two transplants. :/

I'll have to dig it out and get it working correctly soon. I too sold my original pismo and regretted it afterward.

//wthww

 

[beachycove]

Once it is running, it will likely charge the backup battery again, so you can try lifting the keyboard and plugging the backup cells in once more when you have the thing working. That certainly did the trick for my Pismo.

I suspect that many of them were put away working on purchase of a new machine, shelved for a couple of years, and then discovered to be "dead" when tested, whereas all they really need is to be used a bit so as to keep the electrons flowing.