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One of these has just arrived from a fellow lister. It is working fine from what I can see. And what a beautiful screen! I can see why they were in high demand back in the 90s.
The battery is even accepting a charge after some initial failed attempts, so I am cycling the cells to see if I can awaken the chemistry. It had been re-celled (professionally, judging by the very fine glue line), so I am hoping that the cells are not too old.
8 MB ram total. Where could I find a cheapish 10 MB ram card, I wonder? Does anyone have one spare?
The battery is even accepting a charge after some initial failed attempts, so I am cycling the cells to see if I can awaken the chemistry. It had been re-celled (professionally, judging by the very fine glue line), so I am hoping that the cells are not too old.
8 MB ram total. Where could I find a cheapish 10 MB ram card, I wonder? Does anyone have one spare?
Cool - a Powerbook 180 was my second Mac (bought it new back in '92), and I loved it. It was a tank, pretty much indestructible.
Enjoy it!
As for finding RAM, I'm guessing the cheapest and easiest way is to scan eBay for a 140/145/160/165/170 or 180/180c advertised with 14MB RAM (meaning it has a 10MB module installed), and some kind of flaw. That, hopefully, would enable you to buy the unit cheaply.
If you could find new-old-stock, or even used, RAM modules by themselves, it's likely they'd cost more than an entire used Powerbook with the RAM already in it.
Enjoy it!
As for finding RAM, I'm guessing the cheapest and easiest way is to scan eBay for a 140/145/160/165/170 or 180/180c advertised with 14MB RAM (meaning it has a 10MB module installed), and some kind of flaw. That, hopefully, would enable you to buy the unit cheaply.
If you could find new-old-stock, or even used, RAM modules by themselves, it's likely they'd cost more than an entire used Powerbook with the RAM already in it.
I just got 80 mins. charge from the formerly dead battery in the PB 180 while running Battery Amnesia (great utility). And that is with all power-saving features turned off, which Battery Amnesia does when it does a deep discharge (disk never spins down, brightness turned up, AppleTalk on, etc.). It's heading for 90+ mins, I'd bet, but it probably needs a couple more cycles before the full capacity is known.
I wish, how I wish that Lithium Ion batteries were as forgiving.
The trick is to persist: 10-15 cycles of the cells is a good strategy, but check the temperature to ensure that they are not overheating. However, the moral of the story, children, is that with a little care, old PowerBook batteries can sometimes be revived.
I wish, how I wish that Lithium Ion batteries were as forgiving.
The trick is to persist: 10-15 cycles of the cells is a good strategy, but check the temperature to ensure that they are not overheating. However, the moral of the story, children, is that with a little care, old PowerBook batteries can sometimes be revived.