Apple PowerBook Ti's??

[UltraNEO*]

I'm wondering... does anyone think those Titanium PowerBooks will end up making it into the collector's market? Perhaps make a good collectable system? Why? Because as time goes on, an increasing number of those machines seem to end up being scraped, dismantled and sold off as spares due to various hardware failures but mostly caused by mishandling by their owners.

Yeah, I know they're ain't very old but still, near enough every single one of those machines suffered broken hinges, damage display, case damage or discolouration and or worst. So a perfectly working system are becoming rarer. Want another reason? They run classic MacOS natively (not in classic mode).

Feedback?

 

[Creative One]

I'm wondering... does anyone think those Titanium PowerBooks will end up making it into the collector's market? Perhaps make a good collectable system? Why? Because as time goes on, an increasing number of those machines seem to end up being scraped, dismantled and sold off as spares due to various hardware failures but mostly caused by mishandling by their owners.

Yeah, I know they're ain't very old but still, near enough every single one of those machines suffered broken hinges, damage display, case damage or discolouration and or worst. So a perfectly working system are becoming rarer. Want another reason? They run classic MacOS natively (not in classic mode).

Feedback?

Nahhh... They don't have any amazing features of the past.

 

[Hrududu]

To an extent, yes I think it'll end up being a collectable someday. I think there are a few factors that determine how collectable a system will be.

Short production run
Unique design
Original in a long series
Price

Combinataions of these things seem to play big factors in what makes a Macintosh "collectable." Look at the Cube, Macintosh TV, Twentieth Anniversary Mac, and 128k Each has one or more of those traits. Other systems like the Bondi Blue iMac, Clamshell iBook, and perhaps even the TiBook can be made to fit, but sheer numbers produced kind of kill the value. Its also hard to say which Ti would be most desirable. An original 400 or 500MHz model? Maybe a 1GHz model since its the last and fastest? Who knows.

 

[Theclamshell]

i hope not i ripped mine apart lol i could see theese becoming collectibles one day though

 

[yellow]

It won't be a collectors item for a very very long time.

 

[UltraNEO*]

Well... I thought they would be, eventually because they're the first and possibly last PowerBook to ever run both the older MacOS9 and the MacOSX (but not Snow leopard - not a huge lost). Has Titanium somewhere (where though??). It's the first to use Apple's current laptop form factor - which is still used today in the unibody.

i hope not i ripped mine apart lol i could see theese becoming collectibles one day though

Ouch!! Why why why???

It won't be a collectors item for a very very long time.

That's alright.. I'm youngish... I can wait!

 

[toolbox]

They are incredible machines. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one. Great design too.

 

[nullx86]

I think the only one that would come close is the 12" PowerBook. that was one hell of a machine.

 

[xparaparafreakx]

The hinge will die sooner or later.

 

[dpaanlka]

every single one of those machines suffered broken hinges, damage display, case damage or discolouration and or worst

You could be describing the PowerBook 5xx series, the 1400, PowerBook G3s... and people still consider those desirable.

 

[UltraNEO*]

Nahhh... They don't have any amazing features of the past.

How about having the ability to run both the old world operating system (natively) and the modern BSD based OSX? Can't say that with any other PowerBook or MacBook(pro).... I think that's pretty amazing, if you ask me.

 

[UltraNEO*]

You could be describing the PowerBook 5xx series, the 1400, PowerBook G3s... and people still consider those desirable.

I like the Pismo.. dunno why though.

 

[quantum003]

I like the Pismo.. dunno why though.

I'm with you there. I've got several decent Mac laptops but I still bust out the Pismo from time to time; like when all I want to do is sit on the couch and browse random websites while I watch TV. The Pismo has mad style points!

I'm part Apple collector and part Apple junk yard. I have around 5-6 Titaniums that have found their way into my flock, and every single one of them is non-working:

I've got 3 with totally ruined hinges; one with no hinges remaining, just the screen hanging on by one pink display cable. Another that didn't even come to me with the top/screen, just the keyboard and base section (boots to external monitor though. I imagine it must be thinking "Killlll meeee....." ). And a third one with just one broken hinge that must be handled most delicately, and the display is a nasty hue of pink; ugly and not usable as is.

Then I've got two that don't boot at all, orange lights from chargers. I suspect bad logic boards, although they look great physically and their hinges are intact. I know I'm forgetting one more, but it doesn't work either.

In contrast, I've also got about a half dozen Powerbook G3's- every single one works just fine. No issues at all.

Personally I think the entire line of TI Powerbooks were just weak, underpowered, and sickly. They weren't long for this world. A hiccup in the evolution of Mac computers.

 

[UltraNEO*]

I'm part Apple collector and part Apple junk yard. I have around 5-6 Titaniums that have found their way into my flock, and every single one of them is non-working:

I've got 3 with totally ruined hinges; one with no hinges remaining, just the screen hanging on by one pink display cable. Another that didn't even come to me with the top/screen, just the keyboard and base section (boots to external monitor though. I imagine it must be thinking "Killlll meeee....." ). And a third one with just one broken hinge that must be handled most delicately, and the display is a nasty hue of pink; ugly and not usable as is.

Then I've got two that don't boot at all, orange lights from chargers. I suspect bad logic boards, although they look great physically and their hinges are intact. I know I'm forgetting one more, but it doesn't work either.

In contrast, I've also got about a half dozen Powerbook G3's- every single one works just fine. No issues at all.

Personally I think the entire line of TI Powerbooks were just weak, underpowered, and sickly. They weren't long for this world. A hiccup in the evolution of Mac computers.

Hmm... Does any of them work? I'm wondering does the Ti Series come with bluetooth by any chance?? I was digging around in mine (changing the slotloader and upgrading the ram) and I can see something that 'looks' like a bluetooth module but it doesn't work and the system doesn't see it... so what's the deal here???

 

[MacTech68]

...Then I've got two that don't boot at all, orange lights from chargers. I suspect bad logic boards, although they look great physically and their hinges are intact. I know I'm forgetting one more, but it doesn't work either.

Hmm... Does any of them work? I'm wondering does the Ti Series come with bluetooth by any chance?? I was digging around in mine (changing the slotloader and upgrading the ram) and I can see something that 'looks' like a bluetooth module but it doesn't work and the system doesn't see it... so what's the deal here???

The orange charge indication often means that the internal backup rechargeable lithium battery is flat. It runs the PMU and if the machines have been left without a power source for a long time it can take a couple of days to charge them up. After that, the machines often power up. I've seen at least half a dozen that wouldn't power up and exhibited the orange charge light (without a user-removable battery fitted) that booted up fine after a few days of charging the PMU battery and a PMU reset.

Sadly, none of the Ti's had internal bluetooth IIRC. You need the Aluminium before you get internal bluetooth.
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vapor tower vaporizer

 

[California]

Actually I have a vague memory that the final Titanium Powerbook, the 1 ghz model with the 64vram video card and two internal fans for cooling --

DID have some internal bluetooth option.

Probably the same little bluetooth card and antenna option that you could get for the iBook G4s 2003/2004 and the first mac minis.

 

[Hrududu]

Actually I have a vague memory that the final Titanium Powerbook, the 1 ghz model with the 64vram video card and two internal fans for cooling --

DID have some internal bluetooth option.

Probably the same little bluetooth card and antenna option that you could get for the iBook G4s 2003/2004 and the first mac minis.

It wasn't anything internal. The Bluetooth was a big deal because Mac OS X was the first OS with built in Bluetooth support, so it was for PC Cards.

 

[quantum003]

The orange charge indication often means that the internal backup rechargeable lithium battery is flat. It runs the PMU and if the machines have been left without a power source for a long time it can take a couple of days to charge them up. After that, the machines often power up. I've seen at least half a dozen that wouldn't power up and exhibited the orange charge light (without a user-removable battery fitted) that booted up fine after a few days of charging the PMU battery and a PMU reset.

Sadly, none of the Ti's had internal bluetooth IIRC. You need the Aluminium before you get internal bluetooth.

That's a great tip. Thanks! I've got a couple of TI Powerbooks to plug in when I get home... and try to charge my way through those orange lights.

Much obliged!

 

[MacTech68]

That's a great tip. Thanks! I've got a couple of TI Powerbooks to plug in when I get home... and try to charge my way through those orange lights.

Much obliged!

No Probs. I found it out quite by accident. I left one charging in the old strong room we had at the workshop over a weekend. After that, no more orange light and a PMU reset saw the PowerBook power up. After that I got several more going but found one or two that still wouldn't. I never did try swapping the PMU boards and batteries so that may be the next likely problem.

Here's hoping you get at least a 50% hit rate!
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vaporizer volcano

 

[quantum003]

No Probs. I found it out quite by accident. I left one charging in the old strong room we had at the workshop over a weekend. After that, no more orange light and a PMU reset saw the PowerBook power up. After that I got several more going but found one or two that still wouldn't. I never did try swapping the PMU boards and batteries so that may be the next likely problem.

Here's hoping you get at least a 50% hit rate!

Well bummer. I left them plugged in for over 72 hours and neither ever got past those orange lights. Still won't boot either. I think now I'm actually going to try swapping out the PRAM batteries for brand new ones and see where that gets me.

So MacTech one more question for you. I find it strange when a laptop doesn't do ANYTHING when you press the power button, usually most of them I come across will at least try or give some sign that they received the power on command even if they're busted to heck. I also have a pair of 14" iBook G3's, 700 and 800Mhz. They also don't do squat when I try to power them on, and I find that odd. Do you think that may also be caused by dead PRAM batteries? The charger lights up green for those though, and both do actually charge batteries. I hadn't considered swapping out the PRAM batteries before now but it might be worth a shot.

Thanks!

 

[MacTech68]

Well bummer. I left them plugged in for over 72 hours and neither ever got past those orange lights. Still won't boot either. I think now I'm actually going to try swapping out the PRAM batteries for brand new ones and see where that gets me.

So MacTech one more question for you. I find it strange when a laptop doesn't do ANYTHING when you press the power button, usually most of them I come across will at least try or give some sign that they received the power on command even if they're busted to heck. I also have a pair of 14" iBook G3's, 700 and 800Mhz. They also don't do squat when I try to power them on, and I find that odd. Do you think that may also be caused by dead PRAM batteries? The charger lights up green for those though, and both do actually charge batteries. I hadn't considered swapping out the PRAM batteries before now but it might be worth a shot.

Thanks!

Well, that IS a bummer. As for the iBooks, they don't use a rechargeable Lithium battery, rather a slow discharge capacitor.

Sometimes, removing the Lithium battery pack for a couple of days can revive a dead laptop. I recently took delivery of a 500Mhz Pismo with exactly this symptom and removing the internal battery did the trick.

Since the power button isn't really a direct voltage switch but rather a "soft-power" switch, if the PMU it's connected to has a corrupted software package, it won't even try to power up. It's a pain that a corrupted PMU often can't be reset by using the "PMU Reset" procedures but requires removal of ALL power sources. The first Mac I found this with was actually the LC475. Others that typically exhibit this behavior are the PPC 6100, The PPC 4400 (or 7220 in A/Pacific) and many PPC PowerBooks and even G4 MDD towers.

Of course, it doesn't always work. With soft-power control there's plenty of other components in the "chain" that can fail, causing the same symptom.

Perhaps if you have a PMU board on a working Ti PowerBook, try swapping it over to the dead PowerBook. I've not seen a dead PMU board in a Ti PowerBook but the PMU boards on the WallStreet PB were terribly common at frying itself.
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Suzuki GSX1400