PB145B’s finds

[PB145B]

I’ve decided to start a single thread for all of my conquests, so stay tuned! You never know what I might dig up  

Today I scored a sad looking iMac 17” late 2006 CD (AKA the 5,2 or the “educational model”) for $4. This is the one with a CD/RW/DVD-ROM drive, no Bluetooth (the logic board has no previsions for it either), a 1.83GHz core 2 duo and intel GMA 950 integrated graphics! I was very excited when I found out that this machine used integrated graphics! Why are integrated graphics better than the dedicated ones? Because they are reliable! The ATi X1600 GPU in the other 2006 models are very failure prone. 

As I said above though, this machine is in pretty bad shape. It has many scuffs, scratches and dings on the case and a cracked screen (see pics below). I think it’ll look a lot better after a good cleaning, though. The machine seems fully functional. It has 10.7.3 on it, which I’ll be updating to 10.7.5 soon. 10.7 is one of my personal favorites BTW. I’ve just always loved that version.

I’m going to be replacing the screen eventually (which isn’t terribly fun on these IMO, but it’s doable). Might upgrade the optical drive too. 

 

[CC_333]

That looks a lot like some sort of insect with a very long tail.

It's actually kinda neat!

c

 

[PB145B]

That looks a lot like some sort of insect with a very long tail.

It's actually kinda neat!

c

Are you talking about the crack in the screen?

 

[CC_333]

Are you talking about the crack in the screen?

Yes, I am.

c

 

[PB145B]

Yes, I am.

c

Oh, okay. Yeah, it kinda does. Lol

 

[CC_333]

Oh, okay. Yeah, it kinda does. Lol

Haha!

c

 

[rsolberg]

In case you're not already aware, you can get an adapter board from realmacmods that allows use of a non-Apple replacement panel in your 17" iMac, including a higher resolution 1680x1050 or 1920x1200 panel.  I bought a kit that included plastic mounting rails/adapters from them.  I sourced a used a 17" 1920x1200 matte panel from an Alienware laptop on eBay.  I like the extra real estate, and it was way less expensive than finding a working Apple replacement part at the time.  My late-2006 Core 2 Duo 17" machine dual boots 10.7.5 and Debian nicely.  I'm fortunate not to have too many X1600-related problems after reapplying thermal compound.  I expect the GMA 950 would be even easier to configure in Linux than the X1600.

 

[PB145B]

In case you're not already aware, you can get an adapter board from realmacmods that allows use of a non-Apple replacement panel in your 17" iMac

I’ve heard about these. About how much do they cost?

 

[rsolberg]

Looks like the kits are discounted to $24.99 US now, LCD not included.  See realmacmods.com

 

[PB145B]

Looks like the kits are discounted to $24.99 US now, LCD not included.  See realmacmods.com

Sweet! That’s a pretty good price.

 

[PB145B]

Found something I have been after for a long time today! A 486 Packard Bell! This particular one is a PB660CD with a 75MHz 486 DX4. I know some people hate Packard Bells, but all of mine have been very good to me and I love them. 

This machine is in decent condition, but it’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. It’s also missing the grey, cosmetic plastic piece on the left side, but that’s not a big deal to me. It also had the original keyboard and monitor with it and while I did get the keyboard, the monitor was completely destroyed, so I had to leave it.  It had many cracks on it and the picture tube had broken off of it’s mounts inside. It was also so yellowed it was almost brown! I believe that had something to do with why it was so brittle.

The keyboard is also very badly yellowed. I’m tempted to try some retrobrite but I’m afraid it might ruin the Packard Bell sticker on it. And I don’t think there would be any way to remove the sticker without destroying it either. 

The computer itself actually isn’t too badly yellowed, so I’m just going to let it be. It also POSTs too, so that’s a great start. It had a 3.2GB hard drive in it, but I have already removed it as it’s not the original drive. I’m going to put a more proper drive (in the 1GB range or less) in it and build it up with Dos and Windows 3.11, which is what it shipped with originally. I may even be able to find a Windows 3.1 era Packard Bell master CD image that will work on it.

This machine needs a hell of a cleaning too. I’ll post some more pics after that’s done.

I also found it quite amusing that the keyboard didn’t get any yellowing behind the keys. Never seen that on a keyboard before.

BTW I’ve only got $4 in this entire machine!

 

[CC_333]

You know, that's rather similar to my Pavilion 5040! I wonder if Packard Bell used the same/similar chassis?

c

 

[PB145B]

I wonder if Packard Bell used the same/similar chassis?

I'm not sure. Could you post some pics?

 

[PB145B]

I found this a few days ago.

This is a copy of Windows 3.1 on high density 5.25” disks. You don’t see this too often. The box is not in very good shape, but all 7 disks are present. 

 

[EvieSigma]

Man, that's one filthy Packard Bell! I've been looking for a desktop PB of that era though (especially a late 486 like yours) to go with my PMMX Packard Bell tower. People on eBay want way too damn much though!

 

[PB145B]

Man, that's one filthy Packard Bell! I've been looking for a desktop PB of that era though (especially a late 486 like yours) to go with my PMMX Packard Bell tower. People on eBay want way too damn much though!

Yeah it was pretty dirty. But it’s looking a lot better now! I’ll get some more pics of it later. 

And yeah, I agree with you about those eBay prices!

Edit: BTW this is actually my 4th Packard Bell. My other three are a Legend 3550, Legend 2440 and a Multimedia C110 (all Pentium 1 machines).

 

[EvieSigma]

I can guess that at least one of those is a Pentium 75 or a Pentium 90!

 

[PB145B]

I can guess that at least one of those is a Pentium 75 or a Pentium 90!

The Legend 2440 is a Pentium 75  

 

[PB145B]

The Packard Bell is looking much nicer now!