What chargers work with iBook G3 clamshell?

[Bentheminernz]

Hello,

I recently ordered an iBook G3 Snow and it comes with this power adaptor as shown in the image below, I'm not quite sure what power adaptor it is but would it work with an iBook G3 Clamshell? The charger looks like this charger (Link) but this one is for a different model. Thanks for all and any help.

Also does anyone know what this keyboard layout is? This is ordered from a New Zealand seller but it isn't a keyboard that is used here.

 

[B S Magnet]

Hello,

I recently ordered an iBook G3 Snow and it comes with this power adaptor as shown in the image below, I'm not quite sure what power adaptor it is but would it work with an iBook G3 Clamshell? The charger looks like this charger (Link) but this one is for a different model. Thanks for all and any help.

Hi. Clamshell owner here.

The answer I have is “I’m not sure, but I don’t believe so.”

The reason has to do with the diameter of the barrel shielding on the iBook clamshell being slightly larger than what was used for the PowerBooks (which also used the yo-yo-styled adapter for models like the Pismo and the first run of Titanium models). I learnt years ago that the Titanium yo-yo-adapter was incompatible with my clamshells. The barrel shield diameter for that Titanoum adapter is the same as what it used later for rectangular iBooks and PowerBooks.

Someone else ought to check my answer on this, though. There might be a detail I overlooked.

Also does anyone know what this keyboard layout is? This is ordered from a New Zealand seller but it isn't a keyboard that is used here.
View attachment 2212204

That layout is used with Swedish and Finnish keyboards.

 

[AphoticD]

In my line up, my PowerBook 1400cs, PowerBook G3 PDQs, Lombard, Pismo and clamshell iBook G3s all use a 45w adapter which have the larger 3.5mm headphone jack center pin - literally.

In a pinch, it’s quite easy and relatively safe to wire up a standard 3.5mm headphone connector to an adapter suited to the white iBooks and PowerBook G4s (2.5mm center pin). I used a simple 3.5mm headphone connector kit from an electronics store for a couple of bucks.

I’ve done this without adding an outer barrel and it works great on my clamshells. The charge light ring is on the clamshell itself, rather than in the adapter barrel as was the case with the later units.

Just spitballing, but it might be feasible to use a 2.5mm female to 3.5mm male adapter to step the barrel end up in size and plug into the clamshell. Depending on the girth of the adapter it might even be possible to slip under the outer barrel without modification.

I might have to test this idea...

 

[paardenkapper]

As far as I know the earlier G3 power supplies used a larger barrel connector as shown in my photos.
The upper one is a G4 A1010, the lower one a G3 PowerBook Lombard.

They changed the diameter sometime around 2000 but the voltage is the same.

 

[B S Magnet]

In my line up, my PowerBook 1400cs, PowerBook G3 PDQs, Lombard, Pismo and clamshell iBook G3s all use a 45w adapter which have the larger 3.5mm headphone jack center pin - literally.

In a pinch, it’s quite easy and relatively safe to wire up a standard 3.5mm headphone connector to an adapter suited to the white iBooks and PowerBook G4s (2.5mm center pin). I used a simple 3.5mm headphone connector kit from an electronics store for a couple of bucks.

I’ve done this without adding an outer barrel and it works great on my clamshells. The charge light ring is on the clamshell itself, rather than in the adapter barrel as was the case with the later units.

Just spitballing, but it might be feasible to use a 2.5mm female to 3.5mm male adapter to step the barrel end up in size and plug into the clamshell. Depending on the girth of the adapter it might even be possible to slip under the outer barrel without modification.

I might have to test this idea...

Oh, that was the bit (pun unintended) I’d forgotten made the later adapters incompatible with the clamshell (and why, when I had one fail several years back, relying on the yo-yo from my Titanium 400 was a very quick non-starter (in spite of, at the time, both sporting the yo-yo-styled power supply). A friend of mine managed to split open and repair one of the clamshell adapters which had shorted inside the adapter end (the end connecting with the iBook). The outcome was it sort of worked, but it was never really the same, and it definitely wasn’t something one could take with you to the café.

Thanks for refreshing my memory.

 

[AphoticD]

I've ordered a 2.5mm female to 3.5mm male headphone adapter for less than $3 (shipped) from the bay. Will circle back and confirm in a week or so.

 

[chaosbunny]

I recently ordered an iBook G3 Snow and it comes with this power adaptor as shown in the image below, I'm not quite sure what power adaptor it is but would it work with an iBook G3 Clamshell?

Unfortuntely it will not work with a Clamshell. Like others have mentioned, the pin in the middle and the whole plug have a different diameter. When the adapter of my clamshell broke about a year ago it was quite difficult to find a replacement, then a friend (who is firm with electricity stuff) managed to build a "Frankenstein"-adaptor with the plug from the Clamshell and an old leftover PowerBook G4 adapter I had lying around. This solution still works.

It's become quite difficult to get replacement parts for early PowerPCs where I live (central Europe).

 

[Bentheminernz]

Unfortuntely it will not work with a Clamshell. Like others have mentioned, the pin in the middle and the whole plug have a different diameter. When the adapter of my clamshell broke about a year ago it was quite difficult to find a replacement, then a friend (who is firm with electricity stuff) managed to build a "Frankenstein"-adaptor with the plug from the Clamshell and an old leftover PowerBook G4 adapter I had lying around. This solution still works.

It's become quite difficult to get replacement parts for early PowerPCs where I live (central Europe).

Thats so annoying that my ibook 500/snow charger doesn't work with the clamshell.

 

[AphoticD]

$3 Adapter Confirmed.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-use-a-g3-g4-power-adapter-on-a-clamshell-ibook-pismo-wallstreet-lombard-pdq-powerbook-g3-1400-3400.2393395/

 

[Bilunty]

Hi,
I was prompted to reply here after reading another post regarding the $3 adapter which allows the use of the later model (small plug) power supply with the larger plugged Pismo etc.
I own a Pismo which I bought second hand when it was quite new and upgraded with G4 processor and a few other bits and pieces, but the machine has been languishing for some years after the original power supply melted and the cost of a replacement made me spill my coffee...
The above-mentioned post made me go and dig the Pismo out from under the Snow (which was stacked on top of it) and have a look at the Snow's power supply. I remembered that I'd tried to think of a way of modifying the Snow's plug to fit the Pismo but had given it up, until I read about the ingenious use of the stereo plug adapter the other day.
Not having the adapter to hand, and being the impulsive type, I cut the plug of the Snow's power supply (it's screen had died some years ago) and wired an ordinary stereo plug to the cable instead, plugged it into the Pismo's socket... and after a few resets and change of hard drive... it was running again!
Now what bothered me was the plug seemed very loose, to the point that if I bumped the cable or moved the machine it would lose connection. Age, and that fact that there was no metal ring to hold the plug in place meant I had to be very careful while using the Pismo.
After a couple of day's messing around I hit upon a solution. I realised the metal ring on the Pismo plug is the exact same size as that in an RCA plug. Sadly there's no such thing as a single stereo RCA plug - until now.
Unfortunately, I'm not one of these people who can stop and take photos while I work, and believe me there was some painstaking effort involved in creating the plug you see in the photo here. But all it took was the original (quite good quality) RCA plug, a stereo socket, a lot of dremel work, soldering iron (and solder), shrink tube, a multimeter to check connections... and another power supply, because the one from the Snow died as I was testing.
Strangely enough, a 19v Dell adapter I found in a box seems more than up to the task and has been powering the Pismo quite happily all day today through the new plug.
Next, I have a bunch of batteries on the way to refurbish the old battery pack.