PowerBook 2400c :(cracked screen)

[mrpippy]

I took a flyer last week on a PowerBook 2400c on Craigslist, no adapter and untested.

Good news: it boots!

Bad news: screen is totally cracked and wrecked  :'(   only the lower left corner displays anything correctly.

I hooked it up to an external monitor and booted it, the hard disk has the built-in Password Security enabled. But I was able to boot from a PC Card/CF card, it's the standard 180 MHz and has 48 MB RAM.

Trackpad button doesn't seem to work but keyboard and trackpad are good.

It's highly likely I'll just be selling this machine for parts, but first, does anyone know of any displays for sale? Or if the 2400c shares its display with any other machines? (I see the 5300c is at least the same size but there's a big age difference there)

Also has anyone successfully bypassed password security? I've seen some notes about how to do it but nothing in-depth. I wasn't able to mount the disk from another startup disk, and Disk Setup knew it was password-protected.

 

[Byrd]

With the 2400c being made in conjunction with IBM, I'd bet you could find a replacement 10.4" part from an equivalent subnotebook IBM Thinkpad of the same era.  I'd strip down the 2400c display bezel and find a part number next.

 

[Elfen]

Depending on the OS on the machine, the Password is in either a Preference files (which you can delete to erase it) or in the PRAM.

I forget the name but there was a little control panel program that erases the password. It's icon was the password control panel with a red circle with a line through it. One of its many names was "Password Killer".

 

[mrpippy]

Good call on the IBM connection, I thought of that earlier but forgot about it.

ThinkWiki lists only one 10.4" 800x600 display, the Hitachi TX26D31VC1CAA. 

However, I found a Japanese page showing a 2400c panel replacement from an IBM part, unfortunately I believe that ThinkPad (the 535) was Asia only. Also like half of the pictures are missing from the archive of that page which doesn't help.

The IBM part numbers listed (FRU 46H6709, p/n 39H7160 on the actual panel) don't turn up much either. But maybe that's just the IBM part number for the Hitachi panel? I think I'll need to take the display apart and confirm, hopefully there will be more markings on the back of the panel.

 

[techknight]

Those pinout connectors are fairly standard, most if not all laptops of the same time period had very similar, if not the same connectors. The positions vertically up and down the panel my vary slightly. 

I used to have a ton of LCD panels from back then, all good pulls. But tossed them when no one expressed interest. 

 

[mrpippy]

I was able to disable Password Security using Norton Disk Editor (as described at securemac: https://www.securemac.com/powerbooksecurity.php).I took some pictures, I'll write it up when I have a chance.

I didn't open the display up yet, but I'm pretty sure it'll be this unobtainium IBM panel. It's never been my experience that panels will use the same connectors or be compatible at all--physical dimensions, backlight location, connectors, pin outs all vary drastically.

Such a bummer that the display is bad, almost everything else is good (just the trackpad button is bad). I think the battery even works.

 

[MrMacintosh]

Sorry to hear of the screen troubles... I have a 2400c that I love. If you decide to part this machine out, please let me know.

My 2400c's HD died, and before that, it had a somewhat narcoleptic condition which would cause it to sleep immediately after the OS desktop loaded 9 out of 10 times.

 

[aplmak]

This is a photo of a 2400c cracked screen I have.... if it helps any... Can't find a replacement either...

 

[Byrd]

... hit up a random 10.6" Thinkpad of the era, say a Pentium 100 - 200 might net you the LCD you need?

 

[Bunsen]

You'd be surprised what can show up in surplus.  I wouldn't give up all hope just yet.

Alternatively, does the 2400 have a connection for an external monitor?  You might be able to jury rig an LCD of some kind off of that.

 

[mrpippy]

The 2400c does have a VGA port, but finding some kind of 10.4" LCD to run off it seems like an equally long shot.

I've looked at Yahoo Auctions JP where there are a lot more 2400s (some for pretty cheap), but the costs seem to add up quickly for international shipping, the handling service, etc.