New addition!

[iModFrenzy]

Just picked up a PowerBook 540, grayscale version.

Its a Motorola 68k 33Mhz,rest of the specs are on EveryMac.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook/specs/mac_powerbook540.html

The PowerBook 540 is untested, but working or not I still love to have it.

The condition is great, from the pictures.

Few Questions for the experts on the older PowerBooks.

Could I use my PowerBook G4 65w charger on it? Its almost impossible to find chargers for the 540.

Is it possible to install dual batteries?(form factor is similar to the PowerBook G3(Konga,Wallstreet,etc)) If so, is it a certain battery I need or can I buy just 2 batteries and they will fit.

Anyone know where to get the 68k version of Photoshop? Would love to make some 16-bit images.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Awww, I love those old Powerbooks! I wish my 180c still worked.

 

[poiihy]

Wow that thing is HUGE! Look how thick it is!!

I wonder what's inside to make it so thick.

The machine side looks like a good size, but why is the screen part so big?

 

[mzs.112000]

Just picked up a PowerBook 540, grayscale version.

Its a Motorola 68k 33Mhz,rest of the specs are on EveryMac.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook/specs/mac_powerbook540.html

The PowerBook 540 is untested, but working or not I still love to have it.

The condition is great, from the pictures.

Few Questions for the experts on the older PowerBooks.

Could I use my PowerBook G4 65w charger on it? Its almost impossible to find chargers for the 540.

Is it possible to install dual batteries?(form factor is similar to the PowerBook G3(Konga,Wallstreet,etc)) If so, is it a certain battery I need or can I buy just 2 batteries and they will fit.

Anyone know where to get the 68k version of Photoshop? Would love to make some 16-bit images.

I found the 68k version of Photoshop, it is version 4.0, it will run on Mac OS 8.
It is a .SIT file so you may need some software that can extract it.
https://winworldpc.com/product/adobe-photoshop/4x

 

[weckart]

Could I use my PowerBook G4 65w charger on it? Its almost impossible to find chargers for the 540.

Is it possible to install dual batteries?(form factor is similar to the PowerBook G3(Konga,Wallstreet,etc)) If so, is it a certain battery I need or can I buy just 2 batteries and they will fit.

Anyone know where to get the 68k version of Photoshop? Would love to make some 16-bit images.

I have a 520 and I hate it as it won't play nicely. Probably my one duff impulse buy. Chargers (Product code M1893) are very hard to come by, not that cheap (expect $20-25 on eBay) and only fit this 5xx series of Powerbooks. Nothing else will fit due to the weird four pin connector. It does have dual front bays so you can fit two batteries if you can find any that still work. Not sure if any aftermarket batteries are being made for this - I don't remember seeing any.

It is fairly easy to dismantle. The only tricky thing is getting the screen hinge covers off without damaging them otherwise a modest amount of Torx screws holds everything together. From what I could see, mine had System 7.1 on it with MS Word and Wordperfect but I cannot get it to stay on for more than a minute or two.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Anyone know where to get the 68k version of Photoshop? Would love to make some 16-bit images.

macintosh garden has 68K Photoshop too...I've used it in Basilisk - remarkably capable.

 

[iModFrenzy]

I have a 520 and I hate it as it won't play nicely. Probably my one duff impulse buy. Chargers (Product code M1893) are very hard to come by, not that cheap (expect $20-25 on eBay) and only fit this 5xx series of Powerbooks. Nothing else will fit due to the weird four pin connector. It does have dual front bays so you can fit two batteries if you can find any that still work. Not sure if any aftermarket batteries are being made for this - I don't remember seeing any.

It is fairly easy to dismantle. The only tricky thing is getting the screen hinge covers off without damaging them otherwise a modest amount of Torx screws holds everything together. From what I could see, mine had System 7.1 on it with MS Word and Wordperfect but I cannot get it to stay on for more than a minute or two.

I'll keep an eye for the charger and battery then.

--

If anyone has a charger/battery they don't need, I will gladly take it off your hands (Most I'll pay is 40)

--

Maybe a long shot, but will anything like Quake run on the PowerBook 540? I love fast-paced shooters like Quake.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Maybe a long shot, but will anything like Quake run on the PowerBook 540? I love fast-paced shooters like Quake.

I think Quake is beyond the capabilities of the Mac 68K although there are versions for the Amiga 68K.

There's always Doom though

http://www.emaculation.com/doku.php/68k_software

 

[MagicBoy]

Maybe a long shot, but will anything like Quake run on the PowerBook 540? I love fast-paced shooters like Quake.

Long shot. I can't find any Mac version requirements for Quake, however the PowerBook 68LC040 is lacking the FPU (Maths Co-Processor in 90s speak) which was absolutely required for the PC original. PC version also ran like crap on anything below a Pentium.

 

[weckart]

I'll keep an eye for the charger and battery then.

This one looks like it might just go below $20. Keep your eye on it as the other two start at $25.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Macintosh-PowerBook-AC-Adapter-M1893-/111653484856

The 500 series are super slow. Not really suitable for anything but text based games, really. The Windows equivalent would be something like a 386/SX or maybe a 386/DX for the 540. It might just about cope with Wolfenstein 3D or Doom I.

 

[bunnspecial]

Macintosh Garden is one of your best resources around for 68K software.

BTW, even though this computer will technically support up through OS 8.1, I'd suggest sticking with System 7.1 or possibly OS 7.5.5. I briefly tried OS 8 on my Quadra 700(which, to be blunt, is in every way a more capable system) and quickly took is back to OS 7.5.5. OS 8 is, IMO, too "bloated" for anything but a high spec 68K system.

Apple has System 1-System 7.1, as well as OS 7.5.5, available for download on their website. The files are in the form of floppy disk images-you will need another OWR Mac to write the images to disks. If you do this, I'd suggest downloading and loading all the images onto a ZIP disk from a newer computer(i.e. a G4) and then use that to transport them to your other OWR Mac to write the floppies.

 

[MagicBoy]

The 500 series are super slow. Not really suitable for anything but text based games, really. The Windows equivalent would be something like a 386/SX or maybe a 386/DX for the 540. It might just about cope with Wolfenstein 3D or Doom I.

I'm pretty sure from benchmarks Byte magazine did that it was quicker than that. 68040 was 486 class but had higher IPC. On pure CPU performance I'd say an equivalent to the 68LC040 @33Mhz would be a 486SX @50Mhz ... if one existed.