Outbound laptop help needed

[geeko]

i don't know if this is the right forum, but i have an Outbound Notebook, a 68k mac laptop clone, that i got at a thrift shop. it does not appear to have a power button, and i have no clue how to turn it on. when i plug it in 2 of the 3 status lights turn on, but i have been unable to power it up. any help will be appreciated.

pictures of the notebook are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43519791@N ... 451600017/

 

[trag]

Probably way too late...

And the link above doesn't work.

But if it's a Laptop Model 125, you hold down the four arrow keys simultaneously. However, the keyboard has its own battery which must not be flat. The wacky battery can be replaced by two 'N' sized batteries in series.

If it is a later notebook and not the Laptop Model 125, then none of the above probably applies.

 

[geeko]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43519791@N02/sets/72157622451600017/

thats the correct link to the pictures. It is the notebook (model 2000 i think), and I still have not been able to turn it on, so not really too late.

 

[Paralel]

Anyone know for sure what that glyph over the red light means as a status indicator?

I had a laptop from the early 90's that had a status light with a similar glyph, if it was red it meant the AC adapter was supplying insufficient or erratic voltage. This triggered the system protection circuitry which prevented the system from being turned on in order to protect it from harm.

 

[trag]

Is there a power switch? If not, you might try the all four arrow keys thing that works on the Model 125. Hmmm. I think I have a 2000 at home, but I have never made time to look at it closely or even try to power it on. One of these days...

Paralel's line of inquiry also sounds useful.

The new link works. There's something wacky about how the first instance of the link is posted.

The plastics on that notebook look really nice and clean in the pics. Is it really in that great of condition?

 

[techknight]

that red LED might be normal. I never seen one of these laptops, so i dont know for sure though. but i doubt you feel like tearing it all the way apart to find out if its a 2 legged single LED. if it is, then its fine.

 

[Franklinstein]

I have a 3000 series with a 68EC030 on an SE ROM, but I think I shorted out the logic board when I tried replacing the failing hard drive years ago (it won't go past the initial kangaroo logo power-up screen). It's still in pieces in a box in my shed. Yours looks a lot like the one I have, except in one piece.

The little wavy icon is the AC symbol. I don't remember if it's a multi-color LED or not. You may want to try a new power adapter. Many power adapters are exactly the same across manufacturers: I've had Digital, IBM, Gateway, HP, Toshiba and Fujitsu notebooks run from the same OEM adapter before. Of course, I checked the ratings and polarity before I tried anything, but I was surprised how many of them took the same thing.

Anyway, mine would turn on just by mashing one of the keys on the keyboard. I don't remember any switches or anything, and it worked regardless of the battery.

The processor, ROM SIMM, and RAM were mounted on a card in mine, accessible by removing a cover on the rear. If yours is the same, you might want to check to make sure you've got a card properly seated with its ROMs and everything.

 

[trag]

I have a 3000 series with a 68EC030 on an SE ROM, but I think I shorted out the logic board when I tried replacing the failing hard drive years ago (it won't go past the initial kangaroo logo power-up screen).

On the Laptop Model 125 that symptom usually indicates that the on-board EEPROMs are corrupted. Does the 3000 series have a "system installer" which modifies the OS but also spends a moment with a message similar to "Writing boot code to EEPROMs" or some such?

I don't even know if the 3000 series has on-board EEPROMs...

 

[Franklinstein]

All I know is that often, old clones like that relied on ROMs pulled from donor Macs (ROMs couldn't be purchased individually or legally cloned) in an interesting arrangement: they'd sell you the Mac and the notebook, pull the ROMs and put them in the notebook, then repurchase the Mac as a parts machine and give you the functional notebook.

I had the original manual for mine and it didn't really mention anything about EEPROMs. The software that came with it really just controlled the display and that trackbar thing. It may have included a battery monitor program as well, or maybe a patch to use Apple's program. I've got it stashed away somewhere...

If I get bored in the future I'd like to dig it out and try to get it to work again. Maybe I'd try to put in a real 68030 and an FPU or see if an SE/30's ROM would work in it so that I can use more software on it.

 

[geeko]

Do you know the voltage/can you post a picture of your power cord? I think it would work, but I really don't know if the power cord I have will work with it.

also, is there a pram battery that would need to be removed to get it to boot?

 

[Franklinstein]

I wish I could help with a picture or something, but most of my stuff is in storage in central Illinois, and I'm in England.

However, if memory serves, it required 19vDC, 2A. There should be a sticker or imprint on the back/bottom of the computer or near the power port with the correct ratings, though. If you have the original adapter, you can use that as a starting point and find one that's the same in voltage, and the same or higher in amperage; just make sure that polarity is the same.

Incidentally, if you're not using the original adapter, you might want to check to make sure that the one you do have is correct: that red light may indicate that it's providing insufficient voltage/amperage or is the wrong polarity.

I know nothing about a battery other than the camcorder-style main battery that mine used. It would boot with or without a battery present, and lasted about an hour with the brand-new battery that I managed to find at Radio Shack in 2001.

 

[Scott Baret]

The best thing to purchase is a universal power adapter. These have a few different plugs and allow for the voltage to be set to many different settings. I've used one of these to power everything from CD players to Tiger 2XLs (haven't used it on a laptop only because I've never had a reason to, but I'm sure it would work fine given the correct settings). Be careful to set the correct voltage. MacTracker doesn't have the power specs for these (or any) clones, so you'll have to rely on the electronics themselves or search the web further.

Also, most Outbounds seemed to use discarded Plus or SE parts (at least the early ones did; I remember reading about them back in the day). Multi-colored power lights were actually used on a few laptops in the 1980s--I have an old Toshiba that has one. It turns green if the battery is fully-charged, red if the battery is not, and blinks red if there's a problem. (If the red and green indicators sound familiar, you probably have a MagSafe in front of you--the colors are nothing new). However, I am led to believe the red light indicates there is insufficient power coming into the computer based on the symbol used. Try a new battery (since you have the Maxell replacement, try looking for one online using its model number) and then look for the correct AC adapter or a universal plug like the one I talked about in the previous paragraph. If that doesn't work, perhaps there's a problem with the actual power supply.