What is this power adapter for?

[liamur]

Title says it all...but I'm thinking it's for a Powerbook.

 

[AndyO]

7.5v 2amp - if nothing else, that looks a lot like a PowerBook 100-series adapter. Or at least the black and white and greyscale models - I think the color ones were 3amp.

 

[TimHD]

It can even be used with some QuickTake cameras eg 100 and 150 https://lowendmac.com/ed/lebron/09ll/quicktake-150.html

 

[liamur]

Thanks. I got it for free, and I figure I'll keep it, as I want to own a 68k PowerBook at some point. If only I had the money for that 180c over on Trading Post...

 

[bibilit]

PowerBook 140, 160, and 170 series laptops (probably some others)

 

[k24a1]

I think almost all PBs take 24V, but I could be dead wrong. Sure isn't a yo-yo, and you wouldn't easily find one for free. /hj

 

[AndyO]

I think almost all PBs take 24V, but I could be dead wrong. Sure isn't a yo-yo, and you wouldn't easily find one for free. /hj

With the exception of the PB 100 (which I don't know about) and the 190 (which wasn't really a 100-series model anyway), I think the 100s all run on 7.5v. And even though these old Apple power adapters aren't all that rare, new replacements can be had on Amazon (and elsewhere) for under $10. I use one each on my 145B and 180.

 

[Johnnya101]

If you want to use it, keep in mind that you should really recap it. I think almost all of them are starting to fail by now.

 

[liamur]

If you want to use it, keep in mind that you should really recap it. I think almost all of them are starting to fail by now.

Never thought of recapping a wall wart before. Makes sense.

How do you open it? Crack the seal and hope it goes back together?

 

[Johnnya101]

Pretty much, yeah. I forget what I did with mine a few years ago. Think I had to cut the seal with a saw/blade? It's going to be a bit of a hack job unless you really go slow and take your time. Someone else may have better tips.

I think the caps in these really affect the output voltage. If you search this forum, I'm sure there is more info.

 

[bibilit]

Crack the seal and hope it goes back together?

Yes, using a vice and two rods (screwdrivers for instance) does the trick pretty well.

 

[desertrout]

Never thought of recapping a wall wart before. Makes sense.

How do you open it? Crack the seal and hope it goes back together?

Yep. Comes apart cleanly. I hot glue mine back together, can't tell they were even opened. There was a thread here about opening these... can't find it. This shows a vice: https://www.reddit.com/r/VintageApple/comments/hbzidj