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Quick question about AC Adaptor

Solvalou

Well-known member
As title just a quick question... Will the AC adapter designed for the PowerBook 100 work/fit on the 145b?

 

krye

Well-known member
According to Apple's Support documentation, I would say no.

Adapter M5140: 15 W, came with PowerBook 100, 140, and 170 computers.

Adapter M5651: 19 W, came with the PowerBook 145b, 160, 165, and 180. This adapter works with PowerBook 140, 145, 145b, 160, 165, 170, and 180 computers.

Adapter APS-17adp: 17 W, came with PowerBook 150 computers, and works with PowerBook 100 or 150 computers.

Looks like the 15W isn't powerful enough for the 145. It is strange how the 15W and 19W work on the 170, but not the 145b. Perhaps the 170 had better power management.

I don't think you'll fry the logic board by trying it. It's either going to power on or not. One thing to consider though is that it might not have enough power to spin the drives under load, etc. So you might damage them that way. I wouldn't try it. I'd hold out until you get the right adapter.

 

nvdeynde

Well-known member
Any powerbook 100 adapter rated at 2 Amps will work fine.

Basically you have the 2 Amp adapter for the B&W models and the 3 Amp for the 165c and 180c.

 

Solvalou

Well-known member
Good news, thought for the price i'd risk the PowerBook 100 AC adapter and it works a charm. :)

Very interesting using one of the earlyer PowerBooks for the first time. The LCDs contrast seems to wash out sometimes but a tiny adjustment fixes it and seems to get more stable the longer it's used. I wonder how easy it would be to open up the old Ni-Cd battery pack and replace it with Li-On cells as its just a simple positive and negative connector. Either way the main thing for now is she works great. :D

 

nvdeynde

Well-known member
Definately NOT replace the old NiCad batteries with Li-Ion one's. The charging circuitry is not designed for this.

You can recell the battery pack with AA Nimh cells youself or one can easily buy a replacement battery pack on Ebay as well.

 

register

Well-known member
For cell replacement please do some research in advance to get cells with appropriate (read: high) discharge current rating, or else your investment will be worn out soon. Also it might be useful to find a supplier that will provide cells with soldering tags. By the way: did anyone test a recent make of Sanyo Eneloop NiMH cells for recelling a PowerBook? The low self-discharge rate of those cells would make them an ideal choice for occasionally used PowerBooks. Even the Eneloop (or similar cells with extra low self-discharge rate), which have a lower nominal capacity than recent standard NiMH cells, have a higher capacity than any original cells in PowerBook 1xx series batteries.

 

Solvalou

Well-known member
Ah that would make alot of sense. I dread to think what the Ni-Cd's are like inside that but first I will have to find a way inside then thing! I am not planning on doing the project anytime soon but it is on my list of to-do's. Is there any documentation of such things done to old PowerBooks now that you mentioned it?

 

James1095

Well-known member
NiCd cells are usually pretty well behaved, they have to get *really* old before they start to leak. In most cases NiMH cell characteristics match closely enough that they can be used without major consequences. Li-based cells are definitely out, they have drastically different characteristics, roughly 3x the cell voltage and require far more intelligence in the charger. Not to mention they don't take kindly to misuse, in other words they like to explode into flames.

There are many shops that rebuild battery packs for power tools and such that should be able to rebuild a Powerbook pack easily enough. If I ever have time, I've got a 520c with dead batteries that I plan to tackle. A few years ago I built a capacitive discharge spot welder for welding the nickle strip to the cells. Without that you will need cells with tabs on them, *don't* try soldering directly to the cells.

 
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