[NTLK] Walstreet II PRAM

[Forrest Buffenmyer]

Scott:

My PowerBook 3400C ("Hooper") had a similar problem last year. This PowerBook was the one just before the G3 models made their appearance, so it's a little older than yours.

I bought a new battery for it on eBay some years ago but by now its useful life is several minutes at best...it's a "placeholder" battery like yours.

Well, the power brick (adapter) went out--some sort of internal connection had come loose and getting it to work was hit-or-miss. I found a replacement adapter pretty cheap on eBay through a Hong Kong supplier...in a few days I had it and plugged it in...and got all sorts of odd behavior. I got an erratically flashing light while it was sleeping before I started it up...when I lifted the clamshell lid and it tried to start up, in place of the startup chime I got something like a squawk, a brief flash of light across the display, and it went dead. I tried to start it up several more times and got the same things (sometimes instead of the sqawk it was more of a screech)....then, nothing.

I tried "zapping the PRAM" at startup, and removing and reinserting the battery. I was in a panic...had I somehow fried the logic/power supply board? Finally I checked the new power adapter...it wasn't putting out nearly enough juice (volts or amps) to run the machine! Still, the PowerBook 3400C was listed as one of the units this power adapter would supposedly work with.

I'll forego the comments about buying inexpensively from overseas and just say that I did get a refund--minus the shipping, which I had to pay twice (on purchase and on return), making it in the end just as expensive as the one I subsequently got from an eBay supplier in New York. This worked perfectly from the very start. PLUS, this one has a power indiactor light on it, which neither the original nor the cheap replacement had.

I hope this is instructional not only for you but anyone else who has this kind of difficulty.

Thanks,

--Forrest

Sent from my First Generation iPad

On Aug 15, 2011, at 3:24 PM, Lloyd Conway <doc_retro at juno.com> wrote:

> Hello, Scott:
>     My PRAM battery is bad, too.  I didn't change it because, as has 
> been noted, it is a tough repair to make.  My solution was to get a 
> decent WS battery and to keep it in the bay at all time.  (On ebay, I 
> paid $44.00 for a batt w/nearly 4 hours' life in it.)  Power supplies 
> can be had for $10-15, and the PowerBook 1400 ones also work, if you 
> have or can get one for less.
>     Once you have the battery problem addressed, you should be fine, 
> though, of course, a PRAM zap may help to clear out any junk that 
> accumulated in the meantime.
>     If you do want to try the PRAM replacement, here is a link to the 
> iFixit guide: 
> http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-PowerBook-G3-Wallstreet-PRAM-Battery/11/1
> Regards,
> -Lloyd
> 
> Greetings Fellow Newtonians, Here's an off-topic puzzler from the 
> WallStreet II department... Just yesterday I had dusted off my PowerBook 
> G3 running OS 9.2.2. Everything worked fine including wireless. Today, 
> however, after plugging it in (I don't have a functional battery pack 
> for it - one's in there to hold the spot but it's dead) I got nothing. 
> Er, to be exact, I got an occasionally flickering green power light. 
> Sounds like the machine wants to start up but doesn't. The rundown: plug 
> in power supply, plug into computer, and get startup chime and immediate 
> power off. Light comes on, sounds like computer trying to start up, 
> light goes out, nothing further. I tried reset, reseating dead battery 
> pack, un-plugging and re-plugging in power supply, different power 
> socket, etc. ad nauseum. Suggestions? Do you think it could be the power 
> supply board? I understand they can be a source of trouble in the 
> WallStreets. Thanks for your time. Take care, Scott
> -- Sent from my Apple MessagePad.
> 
> -- 
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> https://sites.google.com/site/docretrovintagecomputing/
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