Duo 270c video issues

[MultiFinder]

I have what I am told is the lobo from a Duo 270c here. It came with a bunch of stuff that I got for my 2300c. Anyway, after a bit of testing, I've determined that the board is fine but for one thing; the video is totally dead. The sound works, it boots into an OS fine, and everything else about it seems to work. Any ideas on how to get this little guy to show stuff again? It'd be really nifty to have it working.

 

[coius]

I have what I am told is the lobo from a Duo 270c here. It came with a bunch of stuff that I got for my 2300c. Anyway, after a bit of testing, I've determined that the board is fine but for one thing; the video is totally dead. The sound works, it boots into an OS fine, and everything else about it seems to work. Any ideas on how to get this little guy to show stuff again? It'd be really nifty to have it working.

Tried rigging up a new PRAM battery for it?

You can rig it up easily, but some of the macs (not sure about the laptops, but it probably applies to them too) won't display video if there is no juice to the PRAM battery

 

[beachycove]

If I understand you right, the answer may be that the 2300c screen may not run from a 270c logic board, even though the same connector is found on both boards. I haven't tried it myself, basically because I found something on the old LEM Duo list to that effect, and therefore did not go to the trouble.

 

[MultiFinder]

If I understand you right, the answer may be that the 2300c screen may not run from a 270c logic board, even though the same connector is found on both boards. I haven't tried it myself, basically because I found something on the old LEM Duo list to that effect, and therefore did not go to the trouble.

Ooooo, now there's an interesting possibility. Anybody here have a 270c, a 2300c, and some spare time? Wanna give us a hand in settling this? I'd be interested to see if there's a difference, because I've heard of and seen many frankenDuos out there made up of the remains of several different models. Anyone willing to give us a hand?

 

[tomlee59]

According to http://www.powerbook.org/duo-zone-e/museum/duosystem-e.html

your negative result is to be expected, unfortunately (scroll to the bottom of the page for a convenient table). A 2300c logic board will work with a 270c display, but the reverse combination apparently does not.

 

[MultiFinder]

Aww nuts. Oh well, I guess I'll keep it hanging around should I ever cme across an older duo display. Thanks

 

[beachycove]

I did once see a Japanese site that said it was possible, but the explanation offered by Google left a great deal to be desired, and the status quo says it isn't possible. Your experience appears to confirm the status quo.

 

[beachycove]

This more or less follows up one of these strands....

I happen to have a 540c which is falling apart so badly plastics-wise that it is basically irredeemable (it was a unit that I gave to a mentally handicapped man to use - he got three years out of it, and it really, really shows); a spare/dying 280c logic board (due to obvious capacitor leakage, which can hopefully be fixed); a selection of Duo plastics from two parts machines; and a smashed 2300c lcd screen, but with intact plastics. And now I find, courtesy of Charles Moore on LEM (bless his heart):

"The 2300c had ... the same 9.5" active matrix unit used in the PowerBook 540c ...."

I did not know that bit until this moment about the 540c and the 2300c. I hope he's right, because I now propose to give some attention to these unused parts and see if the 540c/2300c screen will run off a 280c logic board. It'll take a week or two to do, as I must take some time to solder and to wash and dry the logic board, etc., but I will report back from "the lab" when the results are in.

 

[MultiFinder]

Ooooo, nifty! Good luck man!

 

[beachycove]

A spare hour came my way tonight. The 540c screen and the 2300c screen are very different. They are indeed the same size, but the boards connected to the two screens are different in number, differently sized and are located in different places to boot, so that one screen definitively cannot be swapped for the other. So no joy, and shame on you, Mr. Moore.