So I posted on here awhile back trying to find a floppy drive and other parts for a 520c I acquired. I also have no working hard drive for it either. Well, I found a listing on Mercari for a "Powerbook Pro 520c", and I got it for $33 after a coupon. The seller said it still has the hard drive, hopefully it still works or is fixable. At the very least the floppy drive is there. It was worth it for that alone. It should be coming in a few days. The current unit I have works but is just missing those parts so hopefully I can make something working out of the two.
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"Powerbook Pro 520c" off Mercari
- Thread starter tpw2033
- Start date
ArmorAlley
Well-known member
Congratulations!
You have one of the finest laptops made by Apple and at a good price.
You are surely already aware of this, it can be easily upgraded but be warned that the plastics in the PB500 series are becoming brittle now.
You have one of the finest laptops made by Apple and at a good price.
You are surely already aware of this, it can be easily upgraded but be warned that the plastics in the PB500 series are becoming brittle now.
3lectr1cPPC
Well-known member
Becoming brittle? Yeah, it’s a bit worse than that. You are going to need to 3D print some new hinge standoffs, possibly also some clips for the clutch cover. Good luck fixing yours! The 500 series are some of the finest systems design and functionality wise, but the worst when it comes down to plastics.
The 520C I have right now already has broken standoffs so that is definitely to be fixed soon. Other than that it is in excellent condition, unlike this one I bought here (it's missing one cover for the bezel). I'll have to find some way to get that 3D Printed bracket without spending $50 to shapeways or similar. For that price I should just buy the whole printer.
Well, the good news is that it arrived today. The bad news is that it was shipped in a box with absolutely no padding whatsoever. The bottom plastic of the laptop broke apart and so did the left hinge plastic.
Fortunately, this was intended to be a parts unit for my excellent-condition 520c. And, I'm thrilled to report that the 240MB IBM SCSI drive and the floppy drive work flawlessly. Hard drive sounds pretty healthy from my ears. No weird sounds. It booted right into an install of System 7. I'm disappointed that the seller did not take any time to package it but for the working drives, $33 is an absolute steal. Not to mention that there is a working spare keyboard, logic board, and display as well. The top cover on it seems to have intact standoffs as well. I can't say the same for my own 520c so hopefully I can get the hinges in working order.
The battery is also free of any outside corrosion which is great to see. It should be a good one to rebuild. If anyone has any tips please let me know. I'm very excited to restore my 520c and get it working untethered once again.
Fortunately, this was intended to be a parts unit for my excellent-condition 520c. And, I'm thrilled to report that the 240MB IBM SCSI drive and the floppy drive work flawlessly. Hard drive sounds pretty healthy from my ears. No weird sounds. It booted right into an install of System 7. I'm disappointed that the seller did not take any time to package it but for the working drives, $33 is an absolute steal. Not to mention that there is a working spare keyboard, logic board, and display as well. The top cover on it seems to have intact standoffs as well. I can't say the same for my own 520c so hopefully I can get the hinges in working order.
The battery is also free of any outside corrosion which is great to see. It should be a good one to rebuild. If anyone has any tips please let me know. I'm very excited to restore my 520c and get it working untethered once again.
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3lectr1cPPC
Well-known member
Ugh, this is why I always send sellers a note to pack with care when buying something with brittle plastic like this. It's a shame so many can't take the time to package properly.
IBM was definitely the most reliable brand of SCSI drive that Apple used, although my grayscale 540's still working drive is a Conner.
Here's an article on battery rebuilds: http://pragmaticpizza.blogspot.com/2021/04/powerbook-520c-restoration-battery.html
I still need to get around to busting my 2 intact packs open and re-celling them before they leak.
IBM was definitely the most reliable brand of SCSI drive that Apple used, although my grayscale 540's still working drive is a Conner.
Here's an article on battery rebuilds: http://pragmaticpizza.blogspot.com/2021/04/powerbook-520c-restoration-battery.html
I still need to get around to busting my 2 intact packs open and re-celling them before they leak.
Thanks, that article should come in handy. The pack from my own 520c has some corrosion but maybe it can still be savable. Two rebuilt batteries would be really cool since there are 2 bays for them.
