Powerbook 190 video out and LCD questions

[cb88]

So, I am now the owner of a mildly crusty little PB190 (NIMH battery leaked a bit but runs great still w/o the battery though needs cleaning) It has a copy of Word 5.1, Claris Works, Pagemaker 4.2 and 6.5 among a few other things.... including multiple versions of Netscape apparently it was used via a serial modem. Its running Mac OS 8.0

I purchased an Orinoco Gold card to go in it as well.. and it recognizes it when I put it in (need to get the drivers on there next week)

Now! .... I noticed that it has a video out port! So what does one need hardware wise to be able to connect a monitor besides the easily found on ebay adapter cable? I thought the external card would show up in the Display configuration control panel but apparently not?

Also I have read that the passive greyscale can be swapped out for a color screen does anyone know any specifics? Was that perhaps limited to the 190cs model?

Also the screen says PowerPC just below the lock slider... though obviously it is not does anyone else find that odd?

 

[Elfen]

Read: http://support.apple.com/kb/TA34543?viewlocale=en_US

Since you have the card in the machine, all you need is the cable. At least the part number is there so you can chase it.

For a LCD Upgrade... the 5300cs is the same screen as the 190cs.  Searching ebay, there are no 190cs screens but there are a couple of 5300cs screens- starting at $200! Damn!

 

[Macdrone]

I do not find it odd the parts from 5300 were just as easy to find as the 190's so parts swapping was just easy and quick.

 

[cb88]

Well... it seems it has a 5300 bezel however the screen is passive black and white (sometimes hard to find the mouse on there )

So.. wouldn't the 9in passive grayscale screen be the wrong size for the 5300 bezel? It certainly appears to be the correct screen for the bezel however.

 

[Elfen]

Except for the 5300ce, all the 190s and matching 5300s screens were the same size. From Apple's 190/5300 guide:

PowerBook 5300 Series Configurations 

The PowerBook 5300 Series computers come in the 

following configurations: 

PowerBook 5300 

•Processor: 100 MHz PowerPC 603e 

•RAM/Hard drive: 8 MB/500 MB 

•Display: 9.5-inch greyscale 

•Battery: 2.5–4-hour NiMH 

•Weight: 5.9 pounds 

PowerBook 5300cs 

•Processor: 100 MHz PowerPC 603e 

•RAM/Hard drive: 8 MB/500 MB or 16 MB/750 MB 

•Display: 10.4-inch dual-scan color 

•Battery: 2.5–4-hour NiMH 

•Weight: 6.2 pounds

PowerBook 5300c 

•Processor: 100/117 MHz PowerPC 603e 

•RAM/Hard drive: 8 MB/500 MB or 16 MB/750 MB 

•Display: 10.4-inch active-matrix color 

•Battery: 2.5–4-hour NiMH 

•Weight: 6.2 pounds 

PowerBook 5300ce 

•Processor: 100/117 MHz PowerPC 603e 

•RAM/Hard drive: 32 MB/1 GB 

•Display: 10.4-inch SVGA active-matrix color 

•Battery: 2.5–4-hour NiMH 

•Weight: 6.2 pounds

PowerBook 190 Series Configurations 

The PowerBook 190 Series computers come in the following 

configurations: 

PowerBook 190 

•Processor: 66/33 MHz 68LC040 

•RAM/Hard drive: 4 MB/500 MB or 8 MB/500 MB 

•Display: 9.5-inch greyscale 

•Battery: 2.5–4-hour NiMH 

•Weight: 6 pounds 

PowerBook 190cs 

•Processor: 66/33 MHz 68LC040 

•RAM/Hard drive: 4 MB/500 MB or 8 MB/500 MB 

•Display: 10.4-inch dual-scan color 

•Battery: 2.5–4-hour NiMH 

•Weight: 6.3 pounds

 

[cb88]

Ah thanks... So its a plain old 5300 screen. I might consider getting a 5300cs to upgrade it with and for parts (keyboard etc...) I have no interest in PPC Macs but I imaigne someone could use the spares I don't need.

 

[Elfen]

I'm always in need for 5300 spare parts, to try to figure out that 5300ce video cable problem. If I can fix that, I'd be a rich man! That problem effects over 80% of all 5300ce's and Apple wont release the secret to get it fixed other than "You need to replace he cable" which they no longer sell and some places that do have it for over $200! But I'm also willing to build another 5300-non ce. It just funds are limited on this end.

 

[techknight]

Video cable problem? I am unaware of it. I used to have a ce, but it had a blank white screen. It was in the display and not the cable for me. I fixed the screen itself and never had an issue with it as long as I had it.

 

[Elfen]

The majority CEs were cursed with a faulty video cable where when it goes, a 1/4 to 1/2 your screen would going out as a solid white horizontal bar from the top. They have been recalled for that by Apple and my 5300ce went to "The Apple Repair Shop" 4 times for that exact same repair. On the 5th time the recall was over and cost me $150 to get it fixed and it died one more time so I left it at that, leaving me to use the bottom 3/4 of the screen.

Mind, it could be anything, but the main symptom is that when you press the left side of the bezel where it goes white, it momentarily restores the video until you let go. But this is only good for a few tries and this trick eventually wears out. If you see a 5300ce on Ebay with "a video problem", this is the problem. This guy barely mentioned it at the bottom of his page: http://www.kevinomura.com/powerbooks/powerbook5300/

Due to the micro soldering on the LCD, I would not try to solder in the cable my self as I believe would fix this issue. Or stuffing the area with some thick fluff to make the connector press against the LCD might also work. But my LCD Bezel is full of micro cracks and epoxied scars holding it together, so I limit the number of times I can take it apart and put together.

 

[Elfen]

(Damn that Edit button!)

Mind you, my 5300ce has external video out, so before the cable "Mysteriously Disappeared" I used my 5300 with an external monitor even though the LCD was faulty. And I've used it or a lot of things for many years! I think my desktops were getting jealous of that little 5300ce so they made its cable disappear... LOL!