Thread
PowerBook 520 and 520C
I just thought I might let everyone know about my recent actual liberation, from NAU's surplus store, two members of the 500 series of PowerBooks.
These are immense machines, they're bigger, thicker, more rounded, and have in general what feels like more horsepower than the PowerBook 180. ALthough I think much of this is just overcomplication, because they both have hinge problems of varying difficulties, and while the PowerBook 180 has some battery life, neither of these machines, despite having two nice-looking batteries each, has any life in the batteries.
Anyway, configs!
The 520: 20 megs of ram, 120-ish meg hdd.
The 520c: 36 megs of ram, 1000-ish meg hdd. Modem.
Both are running system 7.5, and both are (other than the hinges and batteries) fully working. Which really surprised me, for $10-for-both from a university surplus sales store.
Once I get home for the summer I'm probably going to reformat them a bit and put clean installs of some older software on them. I might try to find the 520/520c original install discs and drop 7.1 on them, not completely sure yet.
My other project with these machines will be to fix the hinge a bit on the 520c, and to see if I can't get any life at all out of the batteries. I may also try to source a second power adapter, because right now both 520s are sharing the same adapter.
Another interesting tidbit: These machines still had user data on them, research from the French department on this campus, I believe.
I'm pretty excited about these machines and the 180, it's nice to be able to have some 68k power with me.
These are immense machines, they're bigger, thicker, more rounded, and have in general what feels like more horsepower than the PowerBook 180. ALthough I think much of this is just overcomplication, because they both have hinge problems of varying difficulties, and while the PowerBook 180 has some battery life, neither of these machines, despite having two nice-looking batteries each, has any life in the batteries.
Anyway, configs!
The 520: 20 megs of ram, 120-ish meg hdd.
The 520c: 36 megs of ram, 1000-ish meg hdd. Modem.
Both are running system 7.5, and both are (other than the hinges and batteries) fully working. Which really surprised me, for $10-for-both from a university surplus sales store.
Once I get home for the summer I'm probably going to reformat them a bit and put clean installs of some older software on them. I might try to find the 520/520c original install discs and drop 7.1 on them, not completely sure yet.
My other project with these machines will be to fix the hinge a bit on the 520c, and to see if I can't get any life at all out of the batteries. I may also try to source a second power adapter, because right now both 520s are sharing the same adapter.
Another interesting tidbit: These machines still had user data on them, research from the French department on this campus, I believe.
I'm pretty excited about these machines and the 180, it's nice to be able to have some 68k power with me.
[generic "I Hate you!" statement]
Also, you majorly lucked out. Open that 520c asap.
I'd be willing to bet anything that attached to that 1000MB HDD is an IDE to SCSI adapter, and the HDD is IDE.
Also, you majorly lucked out. Open that 520c asap.
I'd be willing to bet anything that attached to that 1000MB HDD is an IDE to SCSI adapter, and the HDD is IDE.
That's awesome that you found one with the 32mb card in it!
The hinges on both of my PBs have issues too. Not necessarily the hinges, but the bezel that covers the microphone. It catches the base of the laptop sometimes when I close it and threatens to pop off.
Both of my batteries were dead on arrival as well... I simply left the machine plugged in and ran intelligent battery recondition over and over again for a few days, and now my battery meter reports almost 5 hours with both batteries inserted, or over 7 hours with the HDD spun down. It makes me wish I had a CF adapter.
The hinges on both of my PBs have issues too. Not necessarily the hinges, but the bezel that covers the microphone. It catches the base of the laptop sometimes when I close it and threatens to pop off.
Both of my batteries were dead on arrival as well... I simply left the machine plugged in and ran intelligent battery recondition over and over again for a few days, and now my battery meter reports almost 5 hours with both batteries inserted, or over 7 hours with the HDD spun down. It makes me wish I had a CF adapter.
Ooo yeah, those are always awesome to have
My 540c has one, and it opens up so many more possibilities.
Congrats on the great machines!
Nice score you got there cory, and the price was right!
I am sure you can find new batteries (expensive), but how hard is it to find new hinges?
not too very hard, and I only need some pieces, the stuff on the left side mainly.
Here's the 520c:
it's usable as-is, but it wouldn't be something I'd ever take to class.
Here's the 520c:
it's usable as-is, but it wouldn't be something I'd ever take to class.
A bit of an update: The batteries are coming along nicely. The 520c got 70 minutes of battery life off of Batteries 1 and 2, and the 520 is claiming it's got about 2 hours and 45 minutes on batteries 3 and 4.
Here's what I know about the batteries individually so far:
1: claims only to have a capacity of 40mAH.
2: ?
3: ?
4: Non-Apple, claims a capacity of about 1720mAH.
I'm testing 3/4 now with BatteryAmnesia.
Here's what I know about the batteries individually so far:
1: claims only to have a capacity of 40mAH.
2: ?
3: ?
4: Non-Apple, claims a capacity of about 1720mAH.
I'm testing 3/4 now with BatteryAmnesia.
thats impressive man, that might just make a great portable writing system.
Nice score, on both counts. 
Best of luck with the "intelligent" (lol) batteries.
Best of luck with the "intelligent" (lol) batteries.
Good to see you got some battery action going on.
I have a 5300ce that had a "bad" battery.
A few runs of intelligent battery recondition and I now get over an hour.
I plan on trying a few more runs to see how much more life I can squeeze out of them.
I have a 5300ce that had a "bad" battery.
A few runs of intelligent battery recondition and I now get over an hour.
I plan on trying a few more runs to see how much more life I can squeeze out of them.