Free B&W G3

[markyb86]

Finally found one of these and the tower is in mint condition. A little dusty and hasn't been used since 2005. Came with its matching keyboard (Which by the way now that I have both, whoever told me "Yeah, they're all bondi thats why there called blue and whites" Wrong. Bondi is almost green, this is aqua blue.)

Anyway keyboard cord is pulled out a bit and stripped so I'll have to fix that but its all good. I have a ADB capable mac again.

Had 9.2.2 installed on its 12GB HD. Has the 400Mhz proc and 128MB ram. if this takes the same memory as my sawtooth, im moving the memory over here as that is only the 350mhz g4.

Installing 8.6 at the moment.

Has a little sync issue on the video I cant seem to figure out though I will post a pic later.

Also, today was a bad choice of day for a trip an hour away at 4pm.....

 

[Macdrone]

Ooh ooh ooh. My first Mac I ever purchased new was a G3 B&W 350 which I immediately overclocked with jumpers. I had the same video issue. Couple of possibilities. The video card does it have a DVD decoder? If it does or is the card that has a spot for one 8.6 installs a software decoder. I had to reinstall from original cd to keep the sync correct. I think it stayed software decoder from then on. Don't quote me they may have fixed it in 9.0. Great solid machine, I have a few. They are tanks. My only issue is the rubber feet fall off the bottom.

 

[volvo242gt]

Yep, RAM is the same.

Rubber feet? All of my G3/G4 NWM's have just used the bottom two handles as their feet. (NWM = New World Mac)

-J

 

[Macdrone]

There were rubber moon shape sticker rubber on the bottom of the feet, for like traction and stop sliding. They are clear. Just feel the bottom, if they are gone you will feel the recess where it would fit into. Looks a lot like the one on the bottom of the hockey puck mouse but soft rubber.

 

[mcdermd]

I think he's talking about the rubber strip lining the bottom of the lower handles.

 

[Macdrone]

Yep that would be those.

 

[markyb86]

Here's the video issue

Unfortunately that was in 9.2.2.

I will have to check on the card. It didn't have a seperate DVD card like this old dell I have, would it be like that or something I would have spotted on a quick eyeing before I hooked it up?

 

[Macdrone]

It's an ATI card with muilti pin layout like a old laptop hard drive looks. The card slides onto the pins. That sync is different what you have going on to what I had. That looks more like a monitor or cable issue tho. Try a full reset, pull battery, Cuda switch and zap pram. All that sitting who knows.

 

[markyb86]

Tomorrow night I'm going to test it with a CRT and a 4:3 LCD. The monitor I have it on right now is an acer 1910W and its running through VGA. PC is hooked to DVI without issue. I have seen the video like that before with the Sawtooth on an old 15 inch gateway lcd but once I reset it, no issue. This monitor does it automatically but it looks like that on any resolution. 9.2.2 had 1440x900 but 8.6 doesn't. Not really an issue, however as I don't really plan on using this monitor with it.

As for the video card, nothing extra on it.

From what I can tell it is an 'ATI Rage Theater' card. There is a stamp on it 'ATI Radeon Graphics' and the card is Copyrighted 2000.

Looks just like this fella:

 

[Macdrone]

Yep that's no stock card. Probably like you said issue with resolution and such. Also check/clean/free up the fan on the video card. I take the fan off and use transmission fluid to break up the years of dust. Stock card does not have a fan. Was an ati rage pro with add on hardware decoder. VGA output, I actually took one and put it in a beige G3 and works awesome.

 

[markyb86]

ATI rage pro without a fan sounds like what's in the Sawtooth (I think I have a rage pro 128). If this one doesn't play nice I will see if that one works better in here. The sawtooth is my prized mac but this one is in so much better condition cosmetically and a little faster. Plus, it'll give me a use for a IIgs compact keyboard I've had my eyes on )

 

[Macdrone]

Ill look I may have a stock card if you want it. I'm just here to have fun and enjoy macs so if I can help someone else I will. Ill let you know maybe tomorrow.

 

[markyb86]

was either monitor or the cable, switched both at the same, time so I'm really not sure.

However,

Do you have a card laying around that will go in a sawtooth and drive a 21" Apple Cinema Display with ADC connection? I see them advertised with the G4's so I figure some of them had enough power to do so? If you have a card like that I would buy it from you. )

 

[Macdrone]

ADC is not available until later G4's. there is no 28 volts port for it (and no 28 volts to motherboard from the power supply). The 16 meg card should drive a 21 inch monitor, mine does, just can't use an ADC without a DVI to ADC adaptor which still go for around 100 dollars.

 

[markyb86]

Sad panda time.. I sold that adapter on ebay so I could actually downgrade monitors on the PC! hehe. The 21 has a few dead pixels too.

Also: I couldnt swap the G4 card over as its the AGP version. but there really is no point to it now that I solved the problem.

I did get 512mb of ram into the G3 now though and installed all my goodies. Hung a 15" gateway LCD on the wall for it next to my main PC monitor, so now my little desk has 4 computers set up on it... (5 if you consider the fiance's desk part of it haha (the right side of her prefabbed desk is the left side of my homemade one ))

I still can't believe how clean this machine is, hasn't been touched since 05 is a great thing. Now if only there were a cheaper solution to half size 3.6volt AA's! need one in all my ppc's

 

[Macdrone]

Leave it plugged in and put to sleep and you won't need a battery. Also set date and time panel to set time automatically.

 

[markyb86]

Yeah, that was really the only problem, whenever I was moving them around :beige:

With the Pismo, (and this is the only time I've experienced this) The system couldn't find the time server.. Had to go out and get a new one from the Apple site. However, all the other machines 8.6, 9.2.2 and 10.4.11 haven't had this yet. Now that the G3 is in its permanent spot, it will be good. The G4 might be migrating soon, as the imac. The problem with leaving the G4 and imac plugged in, is that they are in the basement with knob and tube wiring and it scares me a little to leave anything drawing current down there unattended. (besides a lowly clock radio)

I think I seen someone solder a 3xAAA battery compartment into the original battery slot, however this is a little more than I'm willing to do and 4.5v =/= 3.6v so that scares me a little too. But if the time and date is really all that battery controls, not even worth it. So what if the computer thinks its 1956 for a few minutes? hehe! }

 

[theos911]

Yah, time servers have been wonky in Mac OS for me too. I had to set my WS to the Europe time server for it to work.

 

[uniserver]

i've only ever seen that with poor quality/non shielded vga cables.