Conquest Two: PowerBook G3 (Pismo)

Again, for parts, I can't say enough good things about TonyZZ on ebay. Good prices, fast shipping, communicates well and promptly. Good luck with the restoration!

I'm really Jealous of your pismo! I cant find any of them for cheap/trade or under $250 on ebay.

None of my eBay Pismos have cost more than $75, and most had working batteries and AC adapters. Keep looking. There is a 500mhz one on there now with no price reserve that looks clean. RAM is cheap, about $25 for a 512MB stick.

Or, this one...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/G3-PowerBook-APPLE-14-1-Laptop-500MHz-512MB-20GB-Complete-Vintage-Working-/260911378994?pt=Apple_Laptops&hash=item3cbf87b232

Thanks a lot guys, all this talk of Pismos made me buy this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/180776251821?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Now you'll have to speak to my wife and explain whatyou made me do! You should all be ashamed of yourselves! :lol:

Steve Jobs once described fitting a G3 processor as standard to as to "put a killer engine in this car", alluding to the newly introduced iMac's advantage over its Celeron powered competitors. It proved to be a sound move and sure enough, a killer engine it certainly turned out to be.

So I have no issue in saying in such a context that the PowerBook G3 Pismo is now prepped and ready for its engine transplant, courtesy of PowerbookMedic. A replacement processor daughtercard from a donor system is currently on its way from the United States to Australia, meaning that after 20 months of no action from the Pismo, it should only be a few days before it's returned to service.

I opted to keep the 400MHz processor in place instead of upgrading to the faster and more expensive 500MHz variant. The memory is a dual 256MB module configuration for a combined total of 512MB and the Pismo's 40GB hard disk drive, on loan to one of my other PowerBooks, will be returned to the Pismo during the reassembly. It has a Pioneer Slot Load DVD-RW drive in the secondary bay, which is confirmed functional. An 802.11b AirPort card has been fitted. The entire system has been stripped and cleaned, the hinge clutch packs have been inspected for slack and lubricated as necessary and the fan cable has a connector block from a 2006 iMac to replace the older, brittle and cracking connector.

Still to be attended to is a PowerBook Weight Saving Device or a custom made slot load faceplate, a re-cell of the battery pack and replacement of the rubber feet on the base. Does anyone know if feet from a Wallstreet will fit or can be modified to fit? I'll have to source aftermarket replacements if not.

I'm looking forward to having one of my favourite classic Macs functioning again. It's been way too long!

To everyone that recommended eBay, I did not ignore your advice, but I had considered and placed an order for the replacement parts only to find that most prefer not to sell to buyers with no to little activity, and I'm not exactly active on eBay. I decided to proceed with the order from a storefront retailer instead and gained a 12 month warranty on the parts in the process.

Well, the PowerBook CPU arrived. The system now powers on, chimes and begins loading the Mac OS. I can hear drive activity and the volume adjustment tones as I hit the volume keys. However I have no video. Not just backlight, but absolutely no video.

It worked before I placed it into storage. The only part that has been changed is the processor card. I have reset the PRAM and PMU. Still nothing. I'm attempting to test with an external display but don't get anything there either, although I could be doing this incorrectly and not entering Clamshell mode correctly.

EDIT: Fixed it. One of the pins in the processor connector block was slightly bent. After managing to get it absolutely dead straight, the system now displays video on both the internal and external displays.

Good work. I was going to offer a 400mhz daughter board (for the cost of postage from UK) if you needed it, but it seems not.

I currently have a 400mhz, 450 (overclocked 400, being used at the moment in my Pismo, running stably), but I'm waiting for a G4 daughter board from the US, so won't be needing the 400.

If you still feel the need you can have the board as a spare, plus I believe there's 768mb RAM on the G4 if you'd like it (the RAM, not the G4 8-o )

Cheers

Hugh

400MHz PowerPC G3. 512MB RAM. 40GB Hard Drive. ATI Rage Mobility 128. AirPort Wireless Networking. Pioneer Slot Load DVD-RW 8x SuperDrive. Dual Boot between Mac OS 9.2 and Mac OS X Tiger.

This is the PowerBook G3 Pismo in a nutshell. It's an absolutely beautiful machine. My favourite feature by far is the audio hardware as it's so rich and warm, but clear, the product of old school audio hardware engineering. It's a very warm machine, a friendly and inviting machine. I likened it to sitting at a fine wooden desk under the warm glow of a desk lamp with a vinyl on in the background. It's certainly a computer with character.

I think in the coming days and weeks I will attempt to use the PowerBook more often, perhaps use it as a dedicated workspace for that novel I had been intending to write for much too long. I think it would suit it quite nicely.

Now all I need are four rubber feet and either a battery (functional or not), a weight saving device or an optical drive to blank the right bay, which looks incomplete with the addition of the slot load drive. As I asked, does anyone know if Wallstreet feet can be fitted or modified to fit? I have a few spares already if so.

Hugh: I'll certainly keep it in mind. I wouldn't mind a spare. Only issue is at the moment I'm in between jobs so I need to watch what I spend on shipping or anything else for that matter. Hopefully things will settle fairly shortly though.

He he he ...



You're welcome to have the G3 for postage cost mate, just pm me when you are ready

Cheers

Hugh