3 - Powerbook 100's None work.

Like the portable, try hitting both reset & programmer buttons at the same time. There is also a switch on the back that completely shuts down the battery. Check that and the fuse on the logic board. When in doubt, leave it plugged in overnight and try again.

Since I don't own one I can't provide any helpful tips. But I did come across this webpage that might be of some use: http://www.kevinomura.com/powerbooks/powerbook100/

I'll hijack this thread, then.

My PowerBook 100 also has problems.

It used to boot up to a ? Disk, but now, instead…



After some diagnostic tests, it appears it has to do with the Capacitors.

Ah, yes. If they don't chime, try plugging in a pair of headphones, the speaker shares an internal connector with the display.

Edit:

Forgot this link: http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?37083-Powerbook-100-Restoration/page3

ok so, i guess i will start with a re-cap

by the way... FINK, its about time you got user on here....

< :-/ Hrmmm . . . pulls a pair of complete 100s off the PowerBookShelf . . . >

< . . . searches in vain for the three(?) PB 100 A/C adapters . . . >

< . . . remembers where he can find something similar . . . >

Looks like PB 100s can't run off a Luggable's A/C adapter any better than a Luggable.

Trash are you checking to see if your powerbook 100's work?

I have to admit…. I like the powerbook 100, It reminds me of my 85 Toyota Corolla AKA, Chevy NOVA,

It's really a pleasure to work on, getting my hands on the insides really gives off a precision feel.

nothing about it is cheesy or chintzy.

The screen … parts, and how they fit together have a good fit/feel.

This thing is growing on me

Yep, I'm going to be cleaning up tomorrow morning, hopefully I'll find an A/C adapter for the tests.

I think the only thing I don't like about the 100 is the plastic post that's the third support for the TrackBall. BabyPB was my first laptop love, she's in a project box with a 2300c LCD stuffed into her lid, awaiting completion of my reverse picture frame/BabyPB memorial display hack project.

Don't forget to recap the LCD panel as well. All SMD capacitors on the back of the panel are shot.

This will sort display issues like over- or under contrast and unstable screen.

The hard drive issues: Most stock powerbooks 100 I've seen have the Connor 20MB or 40MB hard drive. These suffer from stiction, the rubber around the magnet that keeps the heads in the parked position has degraded or liquified and keeps the heads in the parked position so you hear the drive spinning up and down when you try to boot it. This can be solved be disassembling the HDD and replacing the old rubber around the small magnet: be carefull not to loose the magnet as it's very tiny.

If you are giving the powerbook 100 a full service anyway, then remove the metal lever of the battery switch on the logic board and the 2x contacts from the logic board to the dead battery. This way it doesn't try to charge it anymore.

When it's repaired right, the fiddling with the reset/interrupt buttons is over.

Found the power adapter in the box at my feet, these babies need caps: bongs, screen lights up, but nada onscreen. :-/

yeah that is funny they used standard electrolytic caps on these.

i see alot of 10uf 16v ones… that might be tonight's project.

i will be replacing them with ceramic or tiny tants for sure.

When you recap, I'd appreciate pics and cap sizes, particularly of the LCD.

I also have 3 non-working PB100's I'd like to fix. I completely recapped one of the logic boards that chimes, but no display. There must be 60 caps on that thing, it took forever. Didn't help. There's a couple radial caps in the display that I had a difficult time locating replacements for that were short enough to fit back inside the case. Anyway, I haven't been able to revive mine, but will follow this with interest and possibly make another attempt at fixing them.

oh well that doesn't motivate me very much,

i hate spending time on something and not getting any results.

There's a couple radial caps in the display that I had a difficult time locating replacements for that were short enough to fit back inside the case.

Click to expand...

There are 2x rows of small radial caps at the back of the LCD panel that need to be replaced. It's a fiddling job as there's very little room.

If you have recapped the LCD and logic board but it still doesn't work, have a look at the PCB with the brightness/contrast pots.

I can't recall if there are capacitors on the interconnect board as well: I do know that I replaced every capacitor except for tantalums/ceramic one's in my 3x PB100 and they all revived.

Thanks much for that infusion of hope, comrade! :approve:

I am a little jelly that you guys have PowerBook 100's, working or not. I always wanted one, good luck getting them fixed!

I have to admit…. I like the powerbook 100, It reminds me of my 85 Toyota Corolla AKA, Chevy NOVA,
It's really a pleasure to work on, getting my hands on the insides really gives off a precision feel.

nothing about it is cheesy or chintzy.

Click to expand...

I had an '87 Nova, sounds like you had a better experience than me though. I hated that car. Trans blew up at around 140k, lost a head gasket at 160k which was when I got rid of it. There was always something broken and it was always expensive to fix it. Never buying another Toyota after that one!

Was your trans manual or automatic?

yes they had head gasket issues and timing belt issues. nice thing they are not an interference engine.

but this is when I bought them I had 4 nova's 85, 86 and 2 87's

I was buying them for 100 and 200 bucks

All of them the A/C always worked,

I could have the head off in like 40 min.

the gasket was 32 bucks, felpro… the timing belt was 12 bucks.

do those and they are good for another 80 to 120K miles depending on how bad you beat on er

I have some junk imac mainboards, looks like they are loaded with 10uf 16v Tantalum caps

tonight i am going to fire up the heat gun and sweat all the tant caps from this imac mainboard.

use those caps on the PB 100, that way I wont be pissed if it doesn't work, wasting my new stock.

By far the favorite of my vehicles was the '88 Nova Twin-Cam!

I'v only seen that twin cam version once

So did that second camshaft turn it into a rocket ship?

Heck, even the single cam version, I would stright-pipe the cat,

install a fresh set of NGK plugs, a full tank of Amoco Silver, and it would shitnget!!!!

Mine was an automatic. Started slipping really bad going up a hill, then BANG. Whatever broke inside it also cracked the transmission case, pretty violent ordeal.

I thought about putting a head gasket in it but some dude wanted to trade a sweet '73 Dodge motorhome for it and I said hell yes and never looked back. I was tired of dropping $200/month average on it for repairs.

by chance did you ever do a Transmission service on it?

New ATF fluid / New Filter?

Also were you BAJA'n it off road or in a farm field when it blew?

( lol )

real quick, what all did you have serviced on it? a 200/month bill seems pretty steep.

There are 2x rows of small radial caps at the back of the LCD panel that need to be replaced.

Click to expand...

Here's a picture of my disassembled LCD. The 2x4 row of black things are the radial caps. They seem to be 3.3uF 35V as best I can tell. Thanks for pointing those out, I didn't find them in my previous attempts. There are two radial caps on the center controller board, and that's all I could find. All the replacement radial caps I can find for those are too tall to reinstall the front bezel, so if anyone knows a replacement part for that, I'd appreciate knowing what it is. There's none on the brightness/contrast board or the cabling board.

That is odd, they look like leaking tantalums. but they are black and rectangular,

They're tin can radial electrolytics encased in a square plastic shell.

i would replace those with some tiny ceramics.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TDK/CGA5L1X7R1V335K/?qs=%2fha2pyFadugyXufOATqO62iQWK4GMmnKyc1yBDpmzms%3d

here are some cheaper tantalum caps

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/AVX/TAJB335M035RNJ/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtZ1n0r9vR22cbTpViMZtapg8jqOYAn9BA%3d

If they are small enough you could lay them right across the pads,

I like the ceramics because you wont have to be concerned with polarity

by chance did you ever do a Transmission service on it?
New ATF fluid / New Filter?

Also were you BAJA'n it off road or in a farm field when it blew?

( lol )

real quick, what all did you have serviced on it? a 200/month bill seems pretty steep.

Click to expand...

Nope, nope, and no. Got it when I was 18, before I knew anything about cars. Don't think I ever checked the fluid, maybe that had something to do with it. I dunno. I got really deep into fixing my own stuff with that car... the $200/month was a lot of piddly small stuff, alternator, starter, front struts, CV axles, steering parts, brakes, tires, etc... never had that much stuff go wrong with a car at one time. Probably would have had to max out a couple credit cards if I didn't pick up some car repair skills along the way.

Don't think I ever checked the fluid

Click to expand...

lol yeah that is very bad with any automatic transmission, manuals are slightly more forgiving, but then you would be doing a clutch every 100k miles.

alternator, starter, front struts, CV axles, steering parts, brakes, tires

Click to expand...

well i took my starter apart and greased the bearings and replaced the brushes / filed down the solenoid pads, same with the Nippondenso Co. Ltd. 日本電装株式会社, alternator, greased and installed new brushes.

tie rods were like 17 bucks a piece, and struts... if you did them your self with the autozone loaner spring compressor they were only 45 bucks a piece.

yes those CV boots would dry rot and break... the key is to catch it before the CV's start knocking around turns. and hell even if they are slightly knocking they can still be saved, they sold a split boot at advance auto for 9 bucks, a couple outer boots and , some really good clean up job, cut the hunks of the bad ones off, grease / install split boots and your good to go.

Yup... keep in mind this was a decade ago and if I knew then, what I know now, about fixing stuff - none of that would have been an issue.

Also back then the only parts stores we had in town were NAPA and CarQuest...$$$

Sometimes I have to go to NAPA to get parts for my M35, but they are always expensive.

Autozone / Pep Boys / Advance Auto --- Those guys are great.... O'Reilly, has the accu-turn break lathe I like. Pep Boys has that old beater AMCO brake lathe, blah... they were good 60 years ago... when nothing better had been invented.

also tires.... i always call the tire places before I go out, and ask them if they have any like new sets(4) of used tires they want to sell me.

lotta times they will say no,,, or do not have anything in your size that is ok, you can call back a week later,

I will get a great set of 80 - 90% used tires installed for under 130 every time. ( Michelin / Goodyear / Pirelli )