ScutBoy's Outbound 125

[ScutBoy]

A place to show some progress and ask some questions as I bring back this Outbound...

First, I'm hoping I can get some questions answered from folks like Unity that have manuals for this guy.

What are the different status modes of the amber light above the green power light on the left front? With my hacked 19v power supply connected, the light doesn't light, but the Battery DA shows "charging battery". When I had a 16v power supply that I tried since it had the correct plug, the machine would run, but the amber light would stay lit. I'd like to know for sure what this light is or should be telling me. It doesn't seem to be an HD activity light...

The metal box that surrounds the PS gets fairly warm when the PS is plugged in. Is this "normal"?

Last power question. I assume the original PS doesn't have any smarts. Does the power circuitry in the Outbound know how to handle a fully charged battery with the PS connected, or do I need to be concerned about applying a steady 19v from my hacked PS?

Can someone confirm the amount of RAM for the actual system vs. the amount of RAM available to the RAM disk? I assume that the 4mb limit applies to the system itself, but I've seen reference that the RAM disk can be as large as 16MB using 4x4MB SIMMs.

My LCD panel has a flaw in it. Still usable, but I did research the part # trag provided in the original Outbound thread (Sharp LM64135Z). The only retail price I've found published is $400.00, though many Chinese vendors show it as "available" for quote. It seems it was a panel used in industrial control machinery. Anyone have any other sources I might check for this - or know of an organ donor Outbound 125?

Thanks for any info!

 

[ScutBoy]

Hmm - no "Outbounders" with a manual that can answer these questions?

 

[techknight]

The only 2 people I know that might have information would be aplmak, or haplain. 

 

[tjjq44]

A long time ago I was given from one of my brother's friends an outbound notebook (with plus roms and 4mb of ram) but it threwed it away in the late nineties... sadly!! First  the screen hinge got loose and I had to fix it with a string... one year later the power adapter gived up, followed by the floppy drive and finally the hard drive too (I was stuck to use it with a homemade power adapter and external syquest drive)... The last time I did turn it on, it showed only the kangaroo boot screen but nothing more... and it finished its life in the garbage... :'(

 

[trag]

IIRC, the amber vs. green corner light is just "not fully charged" vs. "fully charged". I'll try to remember to check the manual some time. I don't remember if the PS box got warm. I have a really faint memory that it did.

The battery is lead-acid and likes a trickle charge even after it's topped off. I'm pretty sure the PS module handles that properly as Outbound recommended keeping the Laptop plugged in all the time you were near an outlet.

The SIMM sockets are dedicated purpose. There are eight for RAM. Four of them are for system RAM, and nothing more than 1 MB SIIMs will be recognized in those slots. Also, memory must be installed in pairs as per the Plus or SE.

The other four are just for the Silicon Disk. SIMMs of any capacity can be installed in these in any combination. Documentation only mentions up to 4 X 4MB but I think it would be worth trying a 16MB SIMM in one or more of those slots. That said, with 16MB (4 X 4Mb) installed and the machine off, but maintaing the Silicon Disk contents, the battery drains in a day. Power drain with a larger SD would be terrible.

There was a panel on Ebay for $50 or $100 for more than a year, IIRC. Unfortunately, I can't remember who the seller was. If it comes to me I'll post it. The flex cable the display uses is extremely prone to flaws. I think it might be worth ordering a replacement on Digi-key. You want one end with a proper FFC end, and the other terminated in stripped, tinned pins/wires, for attachment to the panel. I ordered one once. I think it was about $13.

 

[ScutBoy]

Thanks Trag! Your comment re: the amber light seems to track with my experience. Lit amber seems to indicate the battery is fully charged.

Further experimentation seems to show that the PS box is only warm when the machine is running and the battery is less than full charge. It is merely "warm" and not "hot", so I'm not going to worry about it for now. I will eventually pull it apart to check/replace caps.

I'll keep looking for the panel. $50-$100 seems much more reasonable than the $400 I see for the one panel on eBay now. Who knows if it would be worth trying to negotiate with the seller.

 

[bibilit]

Hope you will get this little Outbound going.

 

[james_w]

I've still not come across a manual for the Laptop 125 - closest I've got is that MJ313 has scanned the Notebook manual - perhaps that would help? He sent me a copy, sure he'd be happy to send you one too.

 

[ScutBoy]

james_w - he sent me a copy of that manual. Cleared up a few things, but I'll keep my eyes out for anything 125 related and share it as I can.

 

[james_w]

Yeah if you find anything, that'd be awesome. I'm keeping an eye out too and will do the same if I have any luck.