hardware peripherals page, Apr 17, 2003

Peripherals...

Storage

Communications

Input

Output

Miscellaneous

CD-ROM

Ethernet

Keyboards

Printing

Battery-Regular

MemoryCards

Modems

Trackpad

Screen

Battery_PRAM

IRDA

Microphones

Video-Out

Power Adapters

WinNT Access

Voice Input

Road Rocket

Connectors

Palm Devices

Digital Cameras

Equipment Cases

Cell Phones

Digital Video

Physical Security

Wi-Fi (n)


Wireless

Derek Miller's http://www.penmachine.com/techie/airport1400.html is a great Wi-Fi website for: "Wirelessly Networking (AirPort, Wi-Fi, 802.11b, WLAN) a PowerBook 1400,2400, 3400, or G3 With Mac OS 7.5 through 9.2: Step By Step" (17 Apr 02)

Flash Memory Cards

With Flash Memory Card pricing dropping significantly their use as an alternative storage and/or startup device becomes more reasonable. The following sites suggested by Marc Blessington have a good review of the various cards. If you want to know how to use one of these as a startup device check out Andy Stadlers article on our Hardware:Reference page.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/mediacompare/

http://www.robgalbraith.com/reports/2001_02_17_compactflash.html

Pricing: http://dealram.com/prices/19/64MB.html (u)

CD-ROM Drives

3rd Party CD-ROM and Drivers...

Driver Mods...

For those of you looking to make a third party CD-ROM work with your Mac, these links might be of some help:

Booting from Sony PRD-650: (DuoList/J. Staples/27 Jun 00)

  • Shut down my Powerbook
  • Put the OS 9 CD in the drive
  • Plugged the sony drive into the PB
  • Turned the sony drive on, waited until I saw the PC label in the upper left hand corner of the screen on the drive
  • Turned the PB on and held the "C' key until the Sony drive was in use and waited until the happy Mac icon appeared

    I tried this using the built-in keyboard (translucent blue one from MCE) and my external AppleDesign Keyboard. Both worked. And I did not start up with the extensions turned off.

Problem: I was using an external APS CD-ROM drive that has worked well with their driver under 8.1, but under 8.5.1 the system failed to restart after using the restart command. The latest version of the their driver allows the system to 'shut down', but it doesn't auto-reboot. This happens even using only the CD extension and the base 8.5.1. load via Conflict Catcher. What seems to happen is upon hitting Restart the system shuts down almost too fast, i.e., you don't get the restart 'gong' only a few feeble read/write noises from the HD, then it just sits there until I restart using the Control-Apple-Power combination. Almost seems like a timing issue of some kind, but I can't relate to how the CD-extension would affect that...though since it is the first one loaded, maybe it's the last one 'flagged' at Restart and thus causes a problem. (rpm)

Solution: By adding Apple's CD-Driver extension 5.3.1 I'm able to use both Apple and 3rd Party drives, specifically my APS. Depending on your situation, type of CD drive you are using and your comfort level with ResEdit you may find this site useful: http://www.heise.de/ct/english/98/26/188/. As always, be careful as YMMV.

Desktop or Portable?

When all the analysis and email exchanges were done I ended up buying a traditional external CD-ROM SCSI drive....mostly due to price. With 32x drives in the $150 range in the spring of 1998 it was not a hard choice unless you REALLY need a portable on the road. I'd probably give a serious look to the CD-RW drives today.(rpm/22Sep98)

As the following reviews note, Sony and Panasonic both make portable CD ROM drives, but given their high prices, low speeds(2x-8x), relative bulk and weight with a power supply, they don't seem to lend themselves to everyday use with the 2400. Most folks seem to just use a traditional desktop unit for loading software, etc.

Recent feedback from Kevin suggests that the Pioneer drive may be better alternative to the portable Panasonic and Sony CD-Drives addressed below:

"You complain on the site about how slow, expensive and heavy the portable CD-ROM drives from Panasonic and Sony are. I have a solution for you. A few months back I bought the excellent 24x portable CD-ROM drive from Pioneer Electronics. It's very small, weighs less than a pound, performs great, and as I recall it's only a little pricier than the Panasonic drives. You can order it with the appropriate SCSI cable and driver software, and as an added bonus it will boot the 2400 without the driver loaded (so, you can boot from your Mac OS CD if you have a problem with your hard drive). It will run on 6 AA batteries as well as with the very small AC adapter. It's highly recommended. Check the site for current pricing."(Kevin O'Neill)
(It looks like this is no longer available from Pioneer. rpm/10 Jan 00)

Sony PRD-250
(Sony PRD-650MC is the faster, 6x, variant)

"The Sony has only a single SCSI port on the back of the unit, so it needs to be on the end of the chain. Also, the SCSI cable is a proprietary ( read "pricey") Sony design, so I'd recommend getting the Sony desktop cable and a PB SCSI adapter so that you can use the Sony cable either as the only device on the chain, or hooked to another (DB-25) SCSI device (I ended up getting both cables).

That said, the Sony unit works flawlessly. If you get the Li-Ion battery for it and ditch the strap-on battery pack, it's wonderfully small and fits neatly in the pocket of a Wetsuit (that's the whole idea of the 2400 isn't it?).

So once you get the Sony cable and Li-Ion battery, the Sony is an elegant compliment to the 2400. Sitting next to the Floppy drive, it really looks like it was designed for the 2400." (Greg Torok)

Sony PRD-250 & 650 Drivers...

Bruce Piringer offers the following update:

"The latest driver for the Sony PRD-250 and 650 drives is CD Mounter Plus v3.3 which installs CD-ROM Extension v3.3.9. Contact Software Architects at http://www.softarch.com/us/support/support.index.html" (15 Dec 99)

Courtesy of Andrew on the DuoList...(15 Dec 99)

http://www.sony-cp.com/_E/Support/Download/Drivers.html

The file is: mac_prd20.sit (402 kB): Version 2.0 for Apple Macintosh

Sony SCSI Cable

A Sony Discman PRD-250 comes with a SCSI cable that is proprietary connection-to-HDI30. To hook it up to a SCSI chain, you'd need to buy Sony's cable, because of the proprietary connection. The cable costs $79 or so from Sony direct.

My Sony has been very reliable and easy to use. The only things I don't like about it are (a) the cable isn't chainable and (b) I can't get the thing to boot my PB 2400. I don't know if the Panasonic solves (a) or (b), maybe someone else can tell you.(11.24.98/Allison Percy)

Panasonic KXL-783M

"Definitely go with the Panasonic -- the built in stereo speakers alone make it better, not to mention that it's more thoughtfully designed than the Sony (in terms of placement of ports, plugs, and buttons). The Panasonic power supply is petite compared to the large brick bundled with Sony drives (heavier than the drive!). Finally, the Panasonic has a standard mini-SCSI connector, while the Sony uses a proprietary connector, which means finding cables for it will be hard. I tried both, and ended up happily choosing the Panasonic. It worked great with my 5300 and 2400." (Craig A. Hunter)

  • O'Grady's PowerPage has Craig's review of the Panasonic KXL-783M.

Panasonic KXL-810M

And from Hong Kong...

"I now have my 2400 with the G3 upgrade and a 6 GB harddrive. It is a wonderful machine and I am very very impressed. I got a factory refurbished Panasonic KXL-783M sent to me which works fine with the PB. However, in Hong Kong, my local retailer managed to get me a Panasonic KXL-810MN with which I am even more impressed. The speed is 20X and it has lost the external speakers. It does have a clip on unit to hold the batteries if you can't use AC power. The only drawback is that although all the markings on the unit are in English, the instruction book is in Japanese. However, using the instruction book for the 783 enabled me to get the unit up and running! The version of the FWD CD-ROM software which comes with the unit is also in Japanese but again, using the English software from the 783 I was able to use it without any trouble. And no, the software with the 783 does not recognise the 810. The 810 itself is a very compact unit, about six inches by five inches without the battery unit attached. (Ian Thomas 18Oct98)

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Cell Phone Connections

Sprint PCS Solution (Alan Harper/27 Mar 00)

If you want to try to use your Sprint PCS phone as a modem for your PowerBook, here is what you will need:

  • An Internet capable Sprint PCS phone
  • Digital network coverage (not Roaming)
  • A cable to attach the phone to your computer. A Windows-PC style cable can be purchased from Sprint, but this needs to be converted to a Macintosh style cable. See <http://www.go2mac.com/articles/read.cfm?id=182> for a discussion of the possibilities and other issues.
  • If you use Apple's Remote Access to dial out you will need a modem script which describes your phone. Alan Harper has written one which he invites you to beta test. To get a copy write him .

    Warning: The cable and the internet access can be expensive. As of this writing, the cable is $100, and Internet access is $0.39/minute. Of course, Sprint sells plans which bring down the cost.

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Ethernet

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Modems

Make sure you get the latest drivers off the websites for any of these cards. Most of the older models do not come out of the box supporting the 2400.

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IRDA

The PB2400 can handle both IRTalk and IrDA protocols. Keep in mind that the infrared connection is slower and provides a less rigorous connection compared to Ethernet, so if you plan on doing a lot of file sharing consider an ethernet card and a crossover cable or hub.

Apple made the IR port on the iMac Rev. A/B an IrDA-only port.

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NT

Alex provides some good sources of info for those of you that need to communicate with a NT Servers:

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Connecting with Palm Devices

Our very own DuoList Mom provided a source for those of you needed to know more about linking your PB 2400 to your Palm PDA. If you've got some others, please let us know.

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Keyboards

Want to Replace it Yourself?...

Allison Percy shows you how right here

(Local page here under development/rpm)

Just need to replace your keycaps? Jerry Krinock tells you how here.

Caps-Lock...

Keep hitting the Caps-Lock key? Kiran suggests you check out CapsOff."CapsOff is a System Extension and Control Panel that disables the Capslock key on PowerPC based Macintosh computers." He also recommends KeySwapper, which allows you to map various keys to various other keys, e.g., to get page up and page down, or to inactivate the caps-lock key. (Kiran Wagle/10 Apr 00)

Keystroke limitations...

"IIRC, The Extended and Extended II's allow many more keys to be pressed simultaneously. PowerBooks, the AppleDesign, Apple Ergonomic and third-party keyboards usually have a limitation. I think it's two non-modifier keys + unlimited modifiers."

Dan@InformINIT.com ...Playing Marathon with an external keyboard. ;-) http://www.InformINIT.com

3rd Party Keyboards...

As usual, the Japanese market is driving unique enhancements to the PB 2400. The Yu Co. is making a replacement keyboard, with deeper strokes, blue LED caps lock, wider shift key, Command keys on both sides of the Shift bar, and the Caps Lock and Control keys are reversed...or corrected if your an old Unix user. They are available in either original grey or various translucent colors.

Available in the US from MCE.

Wondering what color to buy?

While MCE is the only retailer for these keyboards now, Bill Fox of Mac's Only reported to the DuoList that when he was selling them directly the approximate overall color ratio for all sales (several hundred) is 5 blue, 2.5 green, 2 ice (clear) and 0.5 solid gray...with only 2 rose sold in over a year. (Bill Fox/DuoList/25 May 00)

English & Japanese Keyboards...

Sun Remarketing lists English (Part #922-3030) and Japanese keyboards (Part #922-2981) in their Service Parts Section. They are both priced at $100. Ordering via the Internet generates an additional 5% discount.

Black Mouse & Keyboard?

Try the Apple Design Keyboard and ADB II Mouse...

When you tout an external keyboard and/or mouse, I use and recommend the above in granite (Black). They are Apple Service Parts. They may originally have been for the Mac TV, but in all events can be had from - for example - MacConnection's service department or any Apple Authorized Service. The retail order desks in Apple shops or mail order companies do not know what you are asking for. These devices in the Apple service parts book and are ordered as such through the service end.(Cliff Anderson)

Sun Remarketing lists them in their Service Parts catalog for the Mac TV, though not in stock: (rpm 30Aug98)

  • Apple Desktop Bus Mouse, Graphite (# 922-2328) @ $83.57.
  • AppleDesign Keyboard, Graphite (# 922-2327) @ $64.29.

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Trackpad

Clean your PowerBook 2400's trackpad button regularly. It's amazing what a difference it'll make. You clean it simply by popping up the button with a small flat-head screwdriver and spraying a non-static cleaner in it (available at Radio Shack). Make sure you place the button back in correctly - it grabs in the back, and snaps in the front. If it doesn't work properly, you'll know something's wrong! Once clean, you'll get much improved usage out of it.

Clicker Problems?....If your PB 2400 is out of warranty or won't quailify for a fix, you might try the following approaches developed by Sidney Ho, Chuck Goolsbee and Peter Liethen.

Peter's solution: http://www.liethen.com/filia-ul-copt/clicker/index.html

Tom Ethan offers the following enhancement to Peter's process: "As a jeweler that uses glue at times to hold things that can't be don any other way, I wouldn't recommend super glue for a repair like you did. The failure rate for super glue in high traffic areas is fairly high and I would recommend epoxy instead which remains more flexible than super glue when dry.
(6 Jan 01/rpm)

Courtesy of Sidney Ho ...

Getting to the "Clicker"/Actuator Problem

Apple formally refers to the complete "clicker" as an actuator. It is very easy to pop off from the 2400 case just by using a dull knife blade along its lower edge.

After analyzing the way the actuator and trackpad were made, and the way in which mechanical actuation is accomplished, it was clear that the "bubble" contact patch (the extension of the trackpad) was being permanently deformed so that the "stick" (on the underside) of the clicker bar was progressively less able to make solid physical contact.

Step 1 - Fixing & Tuning the "Bubble"/Trackpad

I used PVC electrical tape cut into little circles (slightly smaller than the size of the clicker "bubble" & stacked like shims exactly over the "bubble").

Update: Milind suggests "for those of us, like me, who are pretty bad with a scissors, using a single hole-hole puncher to "cut" circular shims out of the electrical tapes works very well." (Milind Limaye, 26 Sep 00)

PVC has a specific density of about 1.4 & is quite stable & heat resistant so is unlikely to deform from repeated pressings by the "stick". I shimmed up about 3-4 pieces & then up to 7-8 the 2nd time (about a week later). My problem was that the "bubble" (which appeared as a round copper contact area, if I recall correctly), was in a process of gradually collapsing under the "stick", requiring an "engineered" shimming procedure. After reaching 7-8 there was no more free play between the "stick" & "bubble" so I removed one at a time until about 2-3 were removed. The result is exactly the amount of free play I desired -- it feels subjectively like about 1mm. The repair has held up about 10 months so I suppose the "bubble" has collapsed to its lower limit. Since the copper membrane is intact & the PVC shims further disperse/absorb the direct impact of the pointed "stick", I'm optimistic that this will work long term, although an occasional shim may have to be added.

To maintain/enhance the sensitivity of the "clicker", especially of the "clicker" actuator bar from its ends, I feel it is particularly important to cut the shims to fit within the circumference of the "bubble". This allows the maximum contact pressure to be exerted onto the "bubble" from anywhere that you may press the actuator bar, despite any angular contact. If you overrun the circumference of the "bubble" with tape (or any other material), you will somewhat deaden the leveraging effect of pressing the "clicker" from off-center positions.

Step 2 - Fine Tuning the "Clicker"/Actuator

The 2400, alone among Powerbooks, has a most annoying habit of often "dropping" selected items in a long drag operation. To improve positive action, I have to use one finger to depress the clicker & the other to drag on the trackpad. To optimize the leveraging effect of the unusual (& inconvenient) shape of the clicker (which by its very design is insensitive) at both ends and to ensure the desired positive action, I added another 7-10 square shims at each end of the actuator bar. The positioning is exactly over the foam rubber pads readily seen after the actuator bar is popped off. It is important to equalize the travel and sensitivity of its use from the center to the far edges. For example, if I use a finger of my left hand to press the far left end of the clicker, it responds immediately and even more precisely than pressing in the middle (which itself is already a dramatic improvement over the original new condition) and the total travel is roughly the same 1mm. If the tape is not added to the sides of the "clicker", the total travel is maybe 3mm which (subjectively to me) is too great. This excess travel dulls the control I want over the apparent pressure I apply and the distance I have move the "clicker" to get a response. This is a matter of personal taste (I prefer the same feel across the actuator bar) but by shimming more/less at any of the 3 points, you can precisely determine the right amount of actuator/clicker travel to best "tune" it.

For those who want a more permanent solution, once the proper thickness has been determined by "preliminary" shimming with tape, one can imaginatively substitute the shape/type of the materials (eg. nylon, HDPE or some other hard plastic sheet), sized to fit and suitably glued. Choice of materials can further refine the subjective mechanical feel of the actuation one wants to achieve by modifying travel distance and pad touch hardness/softness. However, the durability of the tape solution itself will probably last as long as the trackpad anyway and has the advantage that it can be easily adjusted at any time. Sidney Ho (rpm/19 May 99)

From: chuck goolsbee [Mac-Mgrs List Mom; http://www.mac-mgrs.org]

"On the suggestion of some other folks on the DuoList (The thread was called "The Clicker Mystery Solved (????)" last Nov/Dec(98)) I did the following procedure myself a while ago and have been very happy since then: 
	|		    __________		        |
	|		   |          |
	|		   |	      |			|
	|		   |          |	 	        |
	|	       /^| |----------| |^\		|
	|             /  +--------------+ \             |
	|             \____-----------____/             |
	|______________________***______________________|
                          ^            ^
                          |            |
                         Here   and   here
First pop off the button itself by using a very thin object such as a jewelers flat bladed screwdriver and inserting it in the spaces indicated above.

Inside you will see the "clicker" is composed of two parts. One is a "stick" and the other is a "bubble" that the stick clicks when depressed. I added some narrow strips of tape to the "stick" side of the clicker to increase its size. You may need to try different tape or use a thin tape and add several strips to achieve the feel you are looking for. I used 3 strips if pretty thin tape. This seems to have completely solved my (very irritating) "clicker problem."

I don't know what long-term affects it may have on my hardware, but I really don't care if it works the way I want it to. However - that said, the usual caveats about opening your own box, voiding your warranty, etc of self-surgery apply here. Don't hold me, or the list responsible if you break your own stuff."

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Microphones

Bottom Line: The PB 2400 cannot use an Apple PlainTalk or Omnidirectional microphone. It requires a line-level input microphone.

Voice Input

IBM ViaVoice can work on a G3 upgraded PB 2400!

Running a PB 2400/G3 240/80 MB RAM and a 6GB hard drive Bruce Piringer shared his success:

  • "It took me awhile of trial and error to find a microphone that would work on the PB2400 and with ViaVoice. The RadioShack catalog # 33-3025 works! This is a desktop mike. (Catalog # 33-3025A will also work, but not quite as well. But this observation is based on trying ViaVoice with one of each, a borrowed 33-3025 and a purchased 33-3025A. And having trained ViaVoice with the older one then switching to the "A" model).

    ViaVoice doesn't work quite as fast on the PB2400 as it does on my desktop (Beige 233MHZ G3), nor is it quite as accurate. But it is acceptable. The apparent slowness might be due to the microphone as well as not as much voice training time/use on the PB as on the desktop computer.

    ViaVoice is RAM hungry, a minimum of 10MB and runs better the more it has. It is also disk and processor intensive, definitely not for battery operation. The bottom of the case gets warm Install takes a minimum of 85MB drive space, and when in operation can use upwards of 200 MB drive space. Virtual memory must be on (it does not recognize the presence of Ram Doubler).

    After training ViaVoice with the new mic, and in the relatively quiet environment of my home office, accuracy improved considerably. One trick is to read the training stories with voice inflection." (Bruce R. Piringer/DuoList, 10 Mar 00)

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Digital Cameras

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Digital Video

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Printing

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Road Rocket

Need to run dual external monitors AND have access to your other PC slot? Then check out Peter Liethen's page on the defunct ix3D Road Rocket: http://www.liethen.com/filia-ul-copt/ix3d-rr/index.html

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Video-out Adapters

Need to display to a TV?

"I use a PC-Card VGA to NTSC converter from Focus on my 2400. I have the old one, so I can only display 640x480. It looks ok on a 20" tv but gets granny on a 32". I believe that they were working on a larger resolution PC card but have not checked back. The 640x480 worked for me because I'm using a 6" screen. Before you buy any converter, make sure you test them. The cheep ones can have horrible flicker, that is why I went with Focus." (ShaneW/DuoList/Mar 18 00)

"Focus's new PC Card "The Gold" does indeed have higher resolution, but it doesn't work with the Mac, PC only. I use their TView Silver converter,which is not a pc card, but it RELATIVELY small, and does a wonderful job. Ditto on the flicker thing, not one single problem with my Focus converter. Check out the reviews on their website, pretty impressive." (Mark Kral/DuoList/18 Mar 00)

"I recently purchased a device called Ezee Tvee for my Powerbook 2400. Although the ad listed compatibility for the 3400 model, it works fine with my 2400 for slide show displays. At $69.95, it is an inexpensive way to get video out. The company is at: http://www.colourfull.com Other 2400 owners may find this of interest." (Lory Oros/May 99)

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Screens

Screen Care

"There is a silica anti-glare coating on top of the glass screen and the ammonia in Windex will erode it. And wood pulp paper towels? Don't do it, you will scratch it with continued use. I use 'Endust for Electronics' wipes that come in a self dispensing container. They have an anti-static ingredient that disperses static with regular use. They don't drop lint and they don't scratch and you don't have to spray find a suitable cloth as it is all provided. They're cheap as well as safe. I recommend them highly." (Joel Smith/3 Mar 99)

MCE recommends Klear Screen and reiterates the need to stay clear of ammonia based cleaners and rough fiber cloth.

Screen Quality?

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Battery - PRAM

Apple Tech Library Article on batteries:

http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n10571

http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n11751

PRAM Battery...

This is the battery that maintains all your settings for a short period of time, particularly useful if you need to swap main batteries and are not running on AC power. It's buried under the logic board and is very difficult to replace, if it should die.

Specifications

Apple Part #: 922-3076

820-0523-A (Varta part no.?)
Varta 3.6V 110 mAh
3/V110H NiMH

As a learning experience from PRAM battery failure and resulting inability to swap batteries without being plugged into AC, Dave offers this nugget of info:

"...I then called MCE, who quickly informed me that the I/O board on 2400c computers has a fuse that, when blown, will prevent charging of the PRAM battery and eventually, of the main battery. It's about a $150.00 fix (if done by DT&T)." (Dave Fleishman/DuoList/20 Feb 2001) .............(or $90 from Paul Vail, After Hours Consulting, rpm)

In addition to the following commercial sources, Iwan in Europe, offers this innovative solution:

"...what I just did is the following: I bought a backup battery for a Powerbook 3400. This is a 7.2 V battery and has the same amp as the 2400 (the 2400 battery is 3.6Volt. and consists of 3 batteries of 1.2V sealed together). This battery of the 3400 consists of 6 small batteries (of 1.2 V) soldered and sealed together. So I split them, so I had 3 batteries of 3.6V. I sealed them, attached the long cable of the battery from the 2400 to it and voila! It works flawlessy. The three batteries fit also fine in the place where the old backup battery was!" (rpm/30 Oct 00)

Commercial Sources:

  • Bill Fox of Macs Only periodically acquires original, sealed Apple 2400c PRAM (motherboard) batteries. http://www.macimports.com/home.html or email: bill@macsonly.com (rpm/30 Oct 00)
  • Paul Vail, owner of After Hours Consulting and DuoList regular, offers PRAM battery replacement, in addition to the usually surgical services your PB 2400 may require.
  • PRAM Battery for the 2400, $26.95 are also available from http://www.ebatts.com..though the web page currently shows it Out of Stock. Courtesy of Dean Reichert via the DuoList. (rpm/16 Feb 01)
  • Donny Monk of PowerBooks Plus has been selling PRAM battery kits for various PowerBook models for over a year. After a long search his wholesaler was able to match the OEM battery to one in their inventory and guarantee it to me a perfect match. He's now able to sell the 2400c PRAM battery for $35 including shipping.While these are not Apple OEM batteries they seem to be a good alternative if you intend to do the install yourself, otherwise Paul Vail, owner of After Hours Consulting, is still your best bet for a custom built battery, including the installation. (rpm/10 Feb 01)
  • MacResQ...Dean Reichert reports that MacResQ had them for $49. (DuoList 12 Dec 99)
  • Batteries Plus, in St. Louis Park MN
    612 -929-6699 tel
    612-929-4821 fax
    • Speak with Todd, the Manager. These are custom builds, with at least one sold for $10. (DuoList/15 Apr 00)
  • All Mac ....listings for many PB 2400 parts.
    Do a search for "2400 battery", Li-Ion @ $250, PRAM @ $40. (DuoList/15 Apr 00)
    • (NOTE: Ash had a poor experience previously with All Mac, that was ultimately resolved to his satisfaction. We would be interested in your experiences. (rpm/16 Apr 00)

"Kit" has found a PRAM battery tester. He's not tested it yet, buy you may find it useful....YMMV. (rpm/13 Mar 99)

Paul Vail offers insight on it's replacement from a Service Providers point of view, following DuoList members poor experience with getting Apple to replace/provide a PRAM battery:

"It is a little over an hour of tech time for someone who knows what they are doing, and disassembly/reassembly is a non-trivial matter. I've personnally done two in the last month (we manufacture our own batteries now, in which the parts cost us a little over $15 and we sell for $25 -- so we aren't going to get rich selling PRAM batteries).

Here's the deal (and I think my friends who also do these repairs on this list will likely concur): If a customer can ship me a 2400 that is not in pieces that has a failed PRAM battery, I'll replace it. I'll bill the customer 1 hr of bench time plus parts. The customer agrees to pay shipping both ways and the initial bench time upfront ($85 +$25=$110USD). If the customer needs more work done (archiving of the data to CD, rebuild of partially-disassembled computer, replacement of failed parts, recovery of data/directories/system), that may incur extra charges, but not done without prior approval by the client. If that seems like a fair policy, then I am happy to work for you. If I'm unreasonable in my policy, then I'm not the appropriate service place to contact. I think this is what Apple is also saying -- but maybe not in the same way." (Paul Vail, DuoList, 15 Apr 00)

DuoLister, Jose Dalisay offers the following PRAM battery information:

Specifications:

820-0523-A (part no.?), 2400 battery
Varta 3.6V 110 mAh
3/V110H NiMH

"I've opened up my 2400 and taken out the battery a couple fo times to have a look at it (which confirmed that it doesn‚t look anything like most PRAM batteries I'ver seen, so may have been a one-off). Being UK-based right now, I suspected that Varta was a UK brand and looked them up. I wrote to their e-mail address and got the following response:

From: Bob.Stone@varta.com
To: jdalisay@hotmail.com
Subject: Varta battery
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 09:52:14 +0000

Jose,

Thank you for your enquiry. I doubt you will be able to buy your battery " off the shelf ". There is not enough demand for these specials. But I am sure that Power Packs in Solihull can help. Their telephone number is 0121 711 3360. If they do not recognise the actual computer type, if you send them the original they can "copy" it with new cells, which will be the V150H type now. This is identical in size but an increase in capacity, and so fully compatible with the circuitry. Any problems / queries, please contact me directly.

Best regards,

Bob Stone, Varta UK.

...The long distance prefix for the UK is 44, so Power Packs‚ number from the US would be 00 44 121 7113360." (Jose Dalisay, DuoList/12 Dec 99)

Battery - Regular Li-Ion

Apple Tech Library Article on batteries:

http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n10571

http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n11751

Sources: Actually buying an Apple PB 2400 Li-ion battery continues to be a trick in itself. Your best bet is to query the DuoList, check our News page and contact the usual places: Prices as of 1-1-2001 are around $250-$280, when you can find them.

MCE

Macs Only, Bill Fox

Digital House Communications, Vince, (615-898-0108; email: parts@digital-house.com).

Sun Remarketing

All Mac

New Batteries:

At the January, 2000 MacWorld BTI "announced" they would be releasing a PB 2400 battery, but various problems precluded a product being brought to market. Once again at MacWorld NY 2000, a mac2400 associate was told that the project is back on again and they hope to have a battery in production in six months....MacWorld 2001?

Eric, our ever loveable DuoList List-Mom keeps dragging the same kind of logic I ended up using to upgrade my cell phone into the discussion(rpm):

"You know, this is likely the thing that will drive me to an iBook. I love my 2400 but to think that I'd have to spend more than $200 for a battery that will only last a few hours at best is really crazy.

Doing the math I can get an iBook with an extra battery for $1750 and have 10+ hours of battery life. To get my 2400 to the same place (taking 3 batteries) we're looking at $690 and I already own the computer. If I take that $690 and combine that with the $1200 that my 2400 is worth I've got an iBook paid for." Eric Prentice

If you haven't picked up an extra battery for your PB2400, you might consider doing so....soon. Availability of the PB 2400 battery continues to be sporadic. At least in the U.S., we are seeing limited supplies show up at the various mailorder outlets and disappear just as quickly. The lack of battery standards and limited 3rd party battery vendors for laptops has meant that each manufacturer must custom design the battery for each specific model and serve, in many cases, as the sole supplier for replacements. This means that, for example, Apple not only must estimate how many PB 2400's they are going to make, but how many batteries they should order for the original production run, warranty service and post-production sale. Once these production runs are complete Apple would have to request a new run, which may or may not require new plastics or other custom material...all from an OEM manufacturer, who may have higher priorities. When you take into account that the PB 2400 is a (relatively) small volume seller which has been discontinued, the market forces are working against Apple spending any resources to meet our future battery needs. (rpm 2Oct98)

All that said, our understanding is that Apple is obligated to provide repair parts for their products for at least seven years...so you should be able to get one somewhere, at no more than full retail price, if you really need one in the future. (rpm 25Oct98)

External Battery Packs:

While a 12V video camera or other bulk battery will provide extended power with an AC/DC auto adapter cable, there are some other more elegant, albeit expensive, solutions:

Solar Power?...Suncatcher by Powerline, at Mobile Planet
or search Google: http://www.google.com/search?q=laptop+solar+batteries&hl=en&safe=off&start=10&sa=N

Need lots of power in a small package? Bill Fox of Macs Only can get these 4+ hour external battery packs, normally only available in Japan, for $399 plus S&H. (rpm, DuoList, 12Jul 00)

Rebuilt Batteries:

Vince at Digital House notified us that they have discontinued rebuilding batteries due to problems with the battery chip. They do have new ones in stock periodically, so it's worth checking with them. (rpm/28 Mar 00)

Digital House confirmed today that they are rebuilding PB 2400c batteries. The price is $99 +S&H, and requires your battery. Turnaround time is currently a week. (rpm/30 Aug 99)

Digital House Communications
E-mail: parts@digital-house.com
Sales Office: 10AM - 6PM CST
Voice: 615-898-0108
Fax: 615-898-1458

Kara offers her experience with this rebuild:

"I got my battery rebuilt by digital house and it seems to be working well. I am running a 240/1MB Newer G3 upgraded 2400c. MacOS 8.6. I am getting almost 2hrs. on my battery (whereas, before, I was getting somewhere between 30-50 mins). I've been happy with it." (4 Oct 99)

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Inside the 2400, by Hans GerwitzPower Adapters

The 2400's standard power adapter is officially EOL'd (End of Life).

Mark A. Kippert, courtesy of the DuoList, offers this (edited/rpm) summary on alternative power adapters:

"Everyone needs to be careful about confusing watts and volts. There are no 24W(att) adapters. All of them however, from the Duos on up to the G3s, have 24v(olt) AC adapters but each have a different output in watts.

For example, a Duo adapter won't charge a Pismo's battery because the Pismo's Power Manager senses that there is not enough power to both run the machine and charge a battery simultaneously, so it concentrates on powering the machine. If you put it to sleep or shut it down then it would focus on charging the battery. This shouldn't hurt the PowerBook or the AC adapter, it just creates an inconvenience.

Here are two excellent Tech articles from Apple regarding batteries, AC adapters, resetting power managers, etc. I would recommend everyone bookmark them, as I have when I start to get confused about all the variations.

For additional reference, here is the correct output for several PowerBook adapters:

According to what my adapter's say on the back:

Here are some alternatives to the 2400c's OEM adapter:

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Connectors

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Cases and Covers

There are a world of cases you should consider for protecting your new PowerBook 2400. We've had real-world reports on the following:

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Physical Security

Without a slot for the Kensington security cable, it becomes somewhat problematic to secure a PB 2400 when traveling. Here are a couple of alternative solutions: