liamur
Active member
Hi all,
This isn't a buy-sell post, it's more like a question post. I'm interested in getting a 68k PowerBook, because I want a Classic 68K Mac without having to store a Compact Mac or a pizza box+monitor. Also, the performance in the 68k PBs seems pretty good (better than a Mac Plus at least!) I was wondering if anybody could tell me about their functionality and repair:
- How much like a normal laptop are they? I have zero desire to make a 68k PB a daily driver, but can they (for example) switch from wall power to battery seamlessly? I can't lie, I think it would be fun to un-ironically go around with a 5-inch-thick laptop once in a while...
- How bad is the ghosting on the passive-matrix screens?
- Are the floppy drives in PowerBooks SuperDrives? I have seen literally no information about this, though the fact that these systems are from the 1990s suggests to me that the drives are in fact SuperDrives.
- How difficult is a screen recap? I've recapped a Sega Game Gear, which is almost all surface-mount caps, and I'm confident in my soldering skills. I get the sense, from posts I've seen here, that a recap is basically required.
- If I get a PB, I intend to replace the hard drive with a BlueSCSI. Does the BlueSCSI reduce power consumption?
- Do the screens become damaged over time? This listing's screen has streaks and white blobs, what is that?
- The kicker: what are reasonable prices? Looking at eBay, I see listings under $90 or so, is that reasonable?
I am aware that to have a useful battery, you probably have to build it yourself. Finally, if there's a source that explains this stuff, just link to that and save yourself the effort .
This isn't a buy-sell post, it's more like a question post. I'm interested in getting a 68k PowerBook, because I want a Classic 68K Mac without having to store a Compact Mac or a pizza box+monitor. Also, the performance in the 68k PBs seems pretty good (better than a Mac Plus at least!) I was wondering if anybody could tell me about their functionality and repair:
- How much like a normal laptop are they? I have zero desire to make a 68k PB a daily driver, but can they (for example) switch from wall power to battery seamlessly? I can't lie, I think it would be fun to un-ironically go around with a 5-inch-thick laptop once in a while...
- How bad is the ghosting on the passive-matrix screens?
- Are the floppy drives in PowerBooks SuperDrives? I have seen literally no information about this, though the fact that these systems are from the 1990s suggests to me that the drives are in fact SuperDrives.
- How difficult is a screen recap? I've recapped a Sega Game Gear, which is almost all surface-mount caps, and I'm confident in my soldering skills. I get the sense, from posts I've seen here, that a recap is basically required.
- If I get a PB, I intend to replace the hard drive with a BlueSCSI. Does the BlueSCSI reduce power consumption?
- Do the screens become damaged over time? This listing's screen has streaks and white blobs, what is that?
- The kicker: what are reasonable prices? Looking at eBay, I see listings under $90 or so, is that reasonable?
I am aware that to have a useful battery, you probably have to build it yourself. Finally, if there's a source that explains this stuff, just link to that and save yourself the effort .