haplain's never-ending quest

[TheMacGuy]

Open Firmware is PCC! This is good news! Intel's used EFI in place of OF.

I'll check and see if there is a command. The only time I used OF was to make the system think the processor was faster so I could install Leopard.

 

[techfury90]

Try this:

dev /

ls

 

[techfury90]

Also notice how everything denoting it as a Q51 machine has been crossed out. I might (and there is a slim The engineer you bought it from did say it was never released, so I'm still in the G5 group.

I have full Q51 schematics. They're NOT hard to find. Q51 was definitely a G5-based design.

 

[haplain]

Appears it's just a myth right?

 

[techfury90]

Two CPUs? Now there's something interesting. What's the rest of the output?

 

[redrouteone]

Looks like dual cups. Would be nice if it had the model number.

 

[TheMacGuy]

Darn. Its not a G5. The Powerbook 5,8 returns as the last 15" PowerBook Apple made. Interesting. It is a 17" model correct?

Now the G4 never came in a dual core model did it? Interesting. Maybe Apple was playing around with G5s and Dual G4s before switching to Intel. IBM was just having a heck of a time advancing the PowerPC as Apple would have needed. This just really proves how much the change to Intel was needed. I don't think Apple would have been able to create the Ultrabooks (MBPr and MBA) without them judging by the G5's design.

Well... what now?

 

[Anonymous Freak]

After the spinoff from Motorola, Freescale did release a dual-core e600 chip (basically the PowerPC 74xx line renamed,) but as far as I can tell, that didn't come out until 2006-2007, so way too late for this model.

My guess is that it was a dual-"socket" model with two very-low-power G4 CPUs, and that it was the "contingency" to the PowerBook G5. (From the Q51 stuff that is there, then crossed out, I'm guessing that this test chassis was originally meant to house a G5, then it got repurposed for a G4.

 

[TheMacGuy]

I wonder what Apple would have called this machine if it to market.

"Introducing the new PowerBook G4 Dual Processor. The closest thing we could get to a G5 without make a brick."

Since we had the PowerMac G4 DP, so why not the PowerBook G4 DP. hap?

 

[CC_333]

[neat idea]

Do you think a clone of this logic board design could eventually be produced that would be a drop in replacement for a normal PowerBook LB?

It would be made in the same form factor and have a similar component arrangement as a production G4 logic board to minimize mechanical problems (such as not fitting in the case, connectors being in the wrong place, etc.) It's a monumental undertaking, but since it exists, then the possibility of reverse engineering it also exists.

Hypothetically, if it were built, it could be built with faster G4 CPUs (perhaps something in the 1.67-2.0 GHz range), and then it could also have a more modern video chip and SATA drive interfaces. Perhaps some software features (such as improved power management) could be backported from newer machines to allow it to be more efficient.

I could go on, but I think you all get the point.

It would then be the fastest (and quite possibly the only) complete PPC PowerBook upgrade known to exist!

That would be really neat!

[/neat idea]

Anyway, from the looks of it, G5 or no, that prototype's one of a kind!

It would be interesting if there ever was a prototype with a G5 in it. This one looks like it was probably a part of some sort of feasibility study, and possibly was developed in parallel with or immediately after any sort of G5 prototype would've been built. The results of this study are probably what determined the need for the Intel switch.

That being said, a similar prototype with G5 CPU(s) most likely exists, it's just that nobody's found it, yet.

c

 

[techfury90]

It would be interesting if there ever was a prototype with a G5 in it. This one looks like it was probably a part of some sort of feasibility study, and possibly was developed in parallel with or immediately after any sort of G5 prototype would've been built. The results of this study are probably what determined the need for the Intel switch.

That being said, a similar prototype with G5 CPU(s) most likely exists, it's just that nobody's found it, yet.

c

Schematics for the logic board for a G5-based PowerBook prototype exist, dated Feb 23, 2004. I'm just going to say they're out there if you look under Q51. Power consumption numbers can be found on the third page, and they are absurd at 113W. My guess was that they went through the trouble of designing the logic board so they'd have a design ready to go as soon as lower-power G5 chips materalized. Except, they didn't. The design is roughly similar to an iMac G5, just with laptop-specific things like CardBus, battery charging, etc.

 

[haplain]

It is a 17" model correct? Well... what now?

It is indeed a 17 inch. What's next I keep looking for more crazy stuff. I'm going to see if I can figure out what's up with the Q51 sticker and where that board went }

Since we had the PowerMac G4 DP, so why not the PowerBook G4 DP. hap?

Well I'd assume because the power adapters fairly large as well as the engineer saying that it had stability problems. The charger is about the size of the first MagSafe charger. That was the largest they were "allowed" to build it and getting enough power to those chips with that size limitation proved very difficult. The engineers would use beefed up power bricks with adjustable voltage so they would run stable. When they were just running off the bricks it was iffy. I'd assume that was a major factor why this never made it to the market.

 

[mcdermd]

This is pretty rad - I had no idea Apple ever toyed with putting dual G4s into a portable. I don't think I've ever even heard rumor of it before.

 

[uniserver]

the stability problems is probably the NVIDIA graphics… i bet it needs to be re-flowed…!!!!!!!!

 

[uniserver]

makes sense… why they were so excited when the Dual core… Core DUO was available!!!!

they were like yeah … its INTEL bOOO… but its FAST!!! woooO!

and its dual core Wooooo!

and its fairly energy efficient Woooo!

But sir… we will probably piss off most of the MACHEADS going to INTEL you know…

yea… you are correct… but WE HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol

 

[TheMacGuy]

I don't think Apple was ever dead set againt Intel itself (I haven't seen very much advertising though). I just think they were just trying to show consumers that (at least at the time) the PowerPC was faster then the Pentiums. The only thing that really surprised me was that the Developer Units had P4s in them.

What's next I keep looking for more crazy stuff.

Hopefully you'll find either the G5 board for the machine or maybe a whole another clear PowerBook Q51 with the G5 board.

I gotta ask, are you in the Silicon Valley? I ask because you find some the craziest and rarest prototypes no one ever thought would have existed.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

makes sense… why they were so excited when the Dual core… Core DUO was available!!!!
they were like yeah … its INTEL bOOO… but its FAST!!! woooO!

and its dual core Wooooo!

and its fairly energy efficient Woooo!

But sir… we will probably piss off most of the MACHEADS going to INTEL you know…

yea… you are correct… but WE HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol

Core Duo wasn't available until Apple used it - they were the launch customer with the first Intel iMac in January 2006! If this is from 2003-2004, this significantly pre-dates the Core Duo. If it actually dates from 2003, it even predates the Core Duo being on a roadmap, as Intel hadn't yet committed fully to increasing core count as a means of speeding up systems. And in the Intel world, dual-socket systems were still in the realm of higher-end servers and workstations, not consumer machines. Apple was basically the only company that was selling dual-CPU systems to "consumers" (albeit high end ones) with the dual-CPU G4s and G5s.

It wasn't until 2005 that Intel released their first dual-core CPU, and had rewritten their roadmap to be fully riding on multi-core lower-power cores as opposed to fewer higher-power cores.

 

[haplain]

Well considering I'm best buds with the engineer who built that piece I'm not stopping until I find out more. Im gonna sit with this dude and his goody box and find something. I never walk away empty handed.

I mean hey I just got a DVT Quad Core G5 from him. Got all the testing stickers on it, DVT LCS, and it's a QUAD CORE! The code name for that project was DUCK. Also picked up an original iPhone prototype running skankphone that says "SkankPhone the Newton MessagePad 3000" pretty hilarious. All for the FREE99 price tag.

I gotta ask, are you in the Silicon Valley? I ask because you find some the craziest and rarest prototypes no one ever thought would have existed.

Right in the thick of it baby. I'm always up on CL, and eBay looking for stuff. Honestly you just need to know what to look for. Both of the prototype Macintosh Portables I bought were not listed as such. I just know what to look for and knew what was up. Pick em up cheap, confirm my beliefs, add a 0 and make it a part of the mini museum.

 

[mcdermd]

DVT LCS, and it's a QUAD CORE! The code name for that project was DUCK.

Heh - because it has webbed feet, right? A real puddle jumper.

 

[haplain]

What's crazy about the DVT LCS is there is SO much less tubing running in and round it. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing haha