Need Help Identifying PowerBook 150/Duo RAM upgrade Card

[EmNem543]

So I bought a Powerbook 150 (Non-Working) and discovered it had a RAM upgrade card in it. I can't seem to find any information on it aside from the actual RAM chips themselves. there are 16 2MB RAM chips on the board, 8 on each side. the company name is Viking Components INC and other numbers from the silkscreen (separated by spaces) are 9413128 1896 KS-17. I don't know anything about the card or even if it works. all I know is that it's hyper rare and has 16 2MB RAM chips. is it safe to assume 32MB of RAM or would some of those chips be used for parity? any info or insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[Juror22]

Could you provide some pictures of it and the adapter that it was installed with?

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

The Duo Memory expansion card is rare, but not all that rare if it's 32MB, but the memory kit for the PowerBook 150 is fairly rare IIRC.

 

[EmNem543]

Above are pictures of the RAM expansion with the adapter for the PowerBook 150 (The machine it was pulled from). I have checked the chips online and they are each 2MB totaling 32MB, but I don't know if some of them are used for parity or not.

 

[beachycove]

The adapter is rather rare, and will allow a 100-series powerbook (PB 150 only, ALAS) to recognize 36mb of RAM, which is something special. I bought one of these a few years ago, after having waited something like a couple of years for it to come up on eBay.

As for the Duo RAM and parity chips, I have had quite a few Duo RAM modules (and Duos) in my hands over the years, and while some small RAM chips (say, 8mb) can look like impressive pieces of kit, i.e., they can be big and look loaded, I have never seen or at least recognized any parity chips on those RAM modules. 32mb also is one of the standard sizes. Next up was, I believe, 48.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

The adapter is rather rare, and will allow a 100-series powerbook (PB 150 only, ALAS) to recognize 36mb of RAM, which is something special.

Make that very special and unprecedented in the 100 series as was its 640x480 resolution, but for the 180c's panel. If you could live with its passive matrix LCD, by breaking the 14MB barrier it was easily the most powerful of the 100s, if a bit stripped down swan song to its forbears.

Then again it was a pound lighter than the 145b. It was basically the same package/weight as the (Passive Matrix) PowerBook 100 with its Floppy drive in the bag with it. No FPU, but as a low end, just grab it and hit the road general purpose adjunct to a desktop Mac it was killer. Released midway between 145b and 190, I view it as Apple's warmup for producing the latter.

Interesting that it can address 40 MB, same as the Duo 280 released a bit earlier. 36MB cards must have been a thing in in the 150/Duo 280 "family."

@EmNem543 fabulous pics have you got the expansion card brace? A pic of that, the assembled unit to match the set and a pic of the MoBo with and without the assembly installed would really round out the set!

 

[EmNem543]

Make that very special and unprecedented in the 100 series as was its 640x480 resolution, but for the 180c's panel. If you could live with its passive matrix LCD, by breaking the 14MB barrier it was easily the most powerful of the 100s, if a bit stripped down swan song to its forbears.

Then again it was a pound lighter than the 145b. It was basically the same package/weight as the (Passive Matrix) PowerBook 100 with its Floppy drive in the bag with it. As a low end, just grab it and hit the road adjunct to a desktop Mac it was killer. Released midway between 145b and 190, I view it as Apple's warmup for producing the latter.

Interesting that it can address 40 MB. same as the Duo 280 released a bit earlier. 36MB cards must have been a thing in in the 150/Duo 280 "family."

@EmNem543 fabulous pics have you got the expansion card brace? A pic of that, the assembled unit to match the set and a pic of the MoBo with and without the assembly installed would really round out the set!

The brace broke and I don't remember what I did with it, but the card is light enough and the connectors are firm enough so I don't think that will be a problem. (Someone probably desgined a 3D-printable bracket) Here are some more pictures, but my PowerBook 150 Logic Board is not working. (Blown Power Diode) The case is nearly flawless aside from one small crack on the back, and the display looks great (although I haven't seen it on). both the feet are sturdy and flip out, the trackball is nice, the hinges are secure, and the keyboard is great, but it won't power on without board repair. Out of all the 68k PowerBooks, the PowerBook 150's Design is my favorite. If anyone has a spare PowerBook 150 Logic board PM me!

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Hadn't noticed that centerline passthru connector. Looks like a second card can be stacked as in the 1400 expansion modules? I'll have to look for such headroom in my Duos? If you can find such a thing, you'd need to print a two slot support anyway.