Mac Portable problems (was Re: Mac Portable batt charger)

From: Marion Bates <Marion.Bates_at_Dartmouth.EDU>
Date: Fri Aug 21 21:13:49 1998

--- Uncle Roger wrote:
At 08:41 PM 8/20/98 EDT, you wrote:
>--- Tony Duell wrote:
>Do you have a working battery in the machine? IIRC, the PSU can't supply
>enough current on it's own to get the machine and hard disk started up.
>When the hard disk tries to spin up, the PSU shuts down, etc. Giving you
>exactly what you're seeing

That is true. Took me a while to figure that out.

>Really? I'm charging a pair of batteries overnight. Tomorrow I'll see if
>anything works with a charged battery. I thought that with the 9-volt
>backup and the power adapter, that was enough juice -- Uncle Roger, is
>that what you were saying earlier?

Yes, that seems to work, provided you take the cover for the main battery
off. Also, the 9v has to be pretty new.
--- end of quote ---

Yeah, I pulled the main battery cover and it was definitely drawing on the backup 9V, but maybe it's too low. That dual-battery thing scared the bejesus out of me the first time I tinkered with a Portable -- I'm staring at the power adapter, unplugged, with the main battery in my hand, and the bloody machine's still humming and chiming, seemingly getting power from _nowhere_. I thought there was a ghost. ;)

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

-- MB
Received on Fri Aug 21 1998 - 21:13:49 BST