So a couple of months ago, i bought this macintosh portable for parts because it was at a good price, until I realized that it was coming from Germany, and the import fees blew all my money away. What ever.

I put it away and a month passes, and I remember that i have it. So, i started looking online for the parts i needed(my checklist: charger, battery, and blue scsi). I found a generic charger that matched the volts, amps and barrel size.

Next, I ordered the blue scsi from Joe's computer museum, then i ordered a battery, but the seller was away and wouldn't come back for another week and the expected shipping time was 2 weeks, because the battery was hand made. Fine!

So, the blue scsi and macintosh portable adapter comes in less than a week later and fast forward 3 weeks the battery finally arrives. So, i put the battery in, and pressed the space bar. Nothing.

Ok, so I google why my macintosh portable isn't working and it said that i needed to hold down the reset and interrupt button down for 10 seconds. So i do and it sprang to life!

I had trouble finding out how to put an OS on my sd card for the blue scsi, so I put it away again for another month. Untill today, where I looked at it and said" ok, i need to get this thing up and running."

It took way longer than it needed to get a bootable image of 6.0.8 on to an sd card, but today, I finally did it! It is my rarest item in my collection, and it is my baby, my pride and joy, my holy grail, my everything!

I'm so lucky to have the issue only be the battery, and not the caps. But time is inevitable, so i will eventually have to replace them.

Hey guys what's up? A couple of months ago, I bought this mint condition Powerbook 190cs, its only issue was a dead battery with little corrosion and now that is working perfectly with its original hdd, I want to recreate a battery or at least a battery cover for the battery compartment.

So here I ask, someone had ever recreated anything like this or has a 3d printable design? if you guys could help me with this, I would be more than happy.

Or if there are other models’ batteries compatible with this one, as I know some parts are compatible with the 5300c.

traded one of my clamshells for this complete Apple IIe. Pretty satisfied w my trade. Gonna retrobright at sum point prob

• Model: Power Macintosh 9600/300
• CPU: 445 MHz Newer Technology Maxlogic MaxPowr G3
  • 1 CPU, 1 Core, 32-Bit, PowerPC 750, <6W TDP
• RAM: 1.18 GB of 70ns 168-pin DIMMs
• Graphics: GPU 1 – ATI Rage LT Pro, 8 MB SDRAM
  • Samsung LC27F591FD, 1600 x 1200, Millions of Colors, 60 Hz, via VGA port
  • 75 MHz GPU Clock, 100 MHz Memory Clock, 800 MB/s Memory Bandwidth
• GPU 2: ATI 3D Rage II PCI
  • 60 Mhz GPU Clock, 83 MHz Memory Clock, 4 MB SDRAM, 664 MB/s Bandwidth
  • DB-15, Composite, and S-Video out
• Boot Drive: 2.1 GB Seagate ST3215N SCSI, Mac OS 9.1
• More Storage: 60 GB Maxtor 6Y060L0, with many apps including Photoshop 5.5
• Operating System: Mac OS 9.1
• PCI Cards:
  • Sonnet Tempo HD Ultra ATA/133 (Ultra-Tek133P+)
  • D-Link DFE-530TX+ 10/100 PCI Ethernet
  • Lucent USB + Firewire PCI Combo card
    • Lucent USS312MC Controller – USB 1.1
    • Lucent FW323-04 Controller – FireWire 400
  • Atto 68-Pin Express PCI SCSI controller card

I recently found a listing for two Power Mac G4s on a local auction site, and since I’m slowly building a vintage Apple collection, I went to have a look. I wanted to check what condition they were in, but ended up bringing both home.

The cases are in very good shape, with no cracks or missing panels, although there are some scratches on the sides. The Quicksilver’s opening side panel got the worst of it, and you can tell someone wasn’t particularly gentle when servicing it.

I took both apart, gave them a thorough clean and washed the plastic parts. There was a loooot of dust in the Gigabit, while the Quicksilver had been treated a little better. I also replaced the thermal paste on the processors, because the old stuff looked like it could still remember being applied at the factory, along with the PRAM batteries. Their dates confirmed they were the originals too, so they’d definitely earned their retirement.

Both now have Mac OS 9.2.2 and Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.11 installed, so I can switch between them. I managed to find a Polish version of OS 9 and added a Polish localization package to Tiger, because I wanted to see what using these systems in my own language was like.

These are my first Macs that boot Mac OS 9 natively, so just getting to know the system has been a lot of fun. I also installed Office 2001 to see what things used to be like. I don’t have a particular job planned for either machine, since I bought them for the collection and simply want to enjoy them.

After watching a few restoration videos on YouTube, I decided to gently polish a small section of the Quicksilver’s side panel, which looked worse than the Gigabit’s. Well… the scratch disappeared, but it left a hazy patch that I couldn’t polish out the way I’d hoped. 

You barely notice it in normal use, so it’s hardly a disaster and I can live with it.

Gigabit Ethernet

This one has dual 500 MHz PowerPC G4 processors, an ATI Rage 128 Pro and 192 MB of RAM across three working sticks, as the fourth is unfortunately faulty. It also has an original AirPort card, which works, but doesn’t get along with today’s wireless networks and standards, so it can’t see any of the networks around me.

It came with two hard drives: a 30 GB Maxtor DiamondMax 60 and a 40 GB IBM Deskstar 75GXP running at 7200 RPM. The Maxtor works, although it certainly isn’t the quietest drive, while the “Deathstar”, as you might guess from the series’ reputation, is unfortunately dead. It clicks when trying to spin up and prevents the Mac from booting.

Quicksilver

This one has a single 733 MHz G4, an NVIDIA GeForce2 MX and one 256 MB RAM stick. There are two drives here as well: a 40 GB IBM Deskstar 40GV running at 5400 RPM, which actually works this time, and a 10 GB Seagate U10 that was probably added by a previous owner.

The Quicksilver does have a power supply issue, though, as it starts ticking after some shutdowns and goes completely quiet once the computer is switched on again. It’s also sensitive to knocks on the side of the case, because a slightly firmer bump can shut the Mac down and start the PSU ticking again. Sometimes it refuses to boot, and a similar tap can “persuade” it, so I still have something to work on. It’s missing a few screws too.

I found an Apple Pro Mouse to go with them, while the keyboard is borrowed from my iMac G5 for now. Apple Pro Keyboards aren’t easy to find in Poland at a decent price, and when I finally managed to buy one, the seller immediately cancelled the order. Oh well, the hunt continues.

Both machines are staying in the collection, and I’ll keep looking out for retro classics that could use a little care and a refresh. For now, I have two more reasons to spend some time at an old Mac.

Which case design do you prefer - Graphite or Quicksilver?

I've been taking pictures with a QuickTake 150 this year. I had a convoluted system to get the pictures over to my modern Mac and Photos. I turned the last handful of steps into a Mac app. For the dozens of us that might use it: https://gerstacker.us/2026/09/21/take-n-go.html

I haven't tried other QuickTake models, but in theory it should work.

Is it something I should upload?

Hey guys,
got hold of this old Apple Service screwdriver today. Can't find a thing about it. Thought it was maybe some Apple Collection type thing? There was was a pencil with a similar look / logo for sale. Typo & logo both check out with the old brand guidelines on Internet Archive. This was made in W. (West) Germany, so it must date before 1989, before the Berlin wall fell. Maybe something exclusively made for the German market they just set up back then? Any former Apple techs from Germany here? Thoughts? Insights? Thought I'd share it w/ u.

First Generation Newton - 1993
QuickTake 150 Camera - 1995
First Generation iPod Touch - 2007
First Generation iPad - 2011 (with Bad Elf GPS module)
All four still work perfectly.

I have three LC IIs that all show no signs of life when the power is switched on. No weird noises or smells, and they're all very clean inside and in good mechanical condition.

Do I need to have a battery installed for them to boot?

My Macintosh SE/30 now has a new job: displaying Bitcoin prices and network stats on its little monochrome screen.

It’s running System 7.1 with just 4 MB of RAM. I put together a native 68k application called BlockMiner, written in C and compiled with Retro68.

The setup uses a BlueSCSI V2 with a Pico 2 W for storage and Wi-Fi networking, through DaynaPORT emulation and MacTCP. A small proxy running on a modern Mac fetches the data over HTTPS and serves a simple response the SE/30 can handle.

The app displays BTC/USD, the 24-hour change, block height, mempool size, transaction count and recommended fees. There’s also a full-screen mode with a big price display, and automatic updates every minute.

It’s a read-only monitor—the SE/30 gets to enjoy a peaceful retirement watching the numbers.

Getting the networking working took some troubleshooting, but it’s finally running on the actual hardware!

Pretty happy with how well Bitcoin fits into 512 × 342 pixels. 🖥️₿

I was rewatching the Knowledge Navigator video, and in the second half, noticed this "TAM-like" concept Mac featured in the classroom portion of the video. Does anyone know anything about it? Or is it simply just a concept device similar to the foldable tablet in the first half?

My colour classic II gives off a high pitched squeel which also seems to be in sync with slight wavy lines on the CRT. Does anyone know what this is? I’ve a feeling it’s capacitor-related on the main power supply or on the CRT-side. I’ve already recapped the motherboard. Thanks

I picked up this Macintosh Plus with a keyboard and mouse today that someone was getting rid of. I felt I could give it a good home and am looking at restoring it and getting it working eventually.

And as someone who has been into vintage tech and tech history for the past 10 years or so but hasn't actually owned much until recently, I am aware of some of the basics. Like I shouldn't plug it in until I've inspected the insides, checking the battery compartment for a corroded battery (There was one but it doesn't look that bad so far) and that I'll need a long "Mac Cracker" T15 Screwdriver before I can do much more.

But I was just wondering if there was anything I might be missing which is a critical step or generally good idea after getting one of these. Either before opening or when my new screwdriver arrives. I know I need to give it a good clean as well which I started doing by taking apart the keyboard and mouse to get out any dust or dirt.

Any comments are much appreciated. 👍

There are still some things to do. There are a couple capacitors missing (CP19/38 safety caps in the analog board) and C9 on the logic board (so no audio for now). But it works! Thanks for those who helped in the previous threads!

Hello everybody, I'm new to this! Have just inherited a disc that's been locked in a safe since 2002, containing my dad's history, his book that he wrote before he died, which I'm sure is hugely entertaining and libellous but I cannot read it! What to do? I'm in the Limousin region of France and having spent all day in Limoges yesterday and being told at all of the shops that I'm obsolete, am beginning to feel discouraged. All helpful advice very much appreciated, thankyou

Actually a little earlier than my roots; my very first Mac was a secondhand 667MHz PowerBook G4 that I bought in 2004 for £400. It was running 10.3 when I received it. It is no longer with us but the memory lingered, so...

I now own this PowerBook G4! It's a year or so earlier, being the original 400MHz model and running 10.2.8 as just received.

Knee-jerk reactions: * I'd forgotten how much travel there was on the old keyboard; * I've no prior exposure to 10.2 or earlier whatsoever so I'm still finding parts of it quite odd — especially that command+tab seems to cycle on the Dock and that there's no Exposé; * not being able to remap caps lock to control is really proving to be a crimp on any attempt to use the terminal; and * I'd also long-ago forgotten about how much OS 9 users used to complain about the low content density of OS X but now very much appreciate that point looking backwards from modern post-Retina displays.

It's also still shocking quite how far ahead OS X was over Windows XP during that era. Even at 10.2 it's only a few niceties away from being a perfectly comfortable full-time machine.

It came with original install media but I'm still trying to make a judgment on whether I trust its optical drive. At the minute I'm still trying to find a donor disc to put into it, in case it can't even eject. It doesn't currently have OS 9 installed at all so it would be nice to do that, but it's only a 10gb drive so perhaps replacing that would be smart first if I can ascertain that the drive definitely works well enough to survive an OS install. I've ordered what looks like an appropriate 2.5" internal M.2 to 44-pin PATA enclosure and a 128gb NGFF M.2 so we'll see.

Some sources suggest that the Titanium PowerBooks can install from a USB stick if you've partitioned it to use Apple's partition map and a primary HFS+ partition of about the usual size of install media but I've not experimented with that. I guess possibly I could grab one of those USB to PATA adaptors, and partition the new SSD on a modern Mac and restore the original installation media (for OS 9) and any retail ISO of a compatible version of OS X into their own partitions and install that way?

Also, and probably unsurprisingly, the battery is just dead weight at this point. The machine doesn't even recognise it, the charge indicators on the bottom don't light up, it's completely dead. As improbable as it is, does anybody offer a service for reconditioning those? I'm guessing not.

After watching a couple of videos, I’m going to give it my best to retro fit a Mac Mini into the iMac G4! I’ve got the G4 ordered, was very surprised at how much the 20” goes for so I went with the 17” 😅 will be ordering the board and mini next month.

I may attempt to follow in ActionRetros mod and try to wire the power cable and button from the mini into the G4’s for a seamless operation! I’m excited!

Does anyone recognize this original Apple dealer poster: “Some Computers Need Disguises… Some Don’t”? I liberated it while working at an Apple dealership in Canada in the early ’90s and have kept it ever since. The computer pictured is a Macintosh IIcx, introduced in March 1989, which would place the poster no earlier than that date. The artwork and copy take a jab at competitors adding a “mask” of icons and menus to their existing systems to make them “Macintosh-Like.” Thought I should share.
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I’ve got my 12” PowerBook G4 out of the loft to dust off and sell up after 22 joyful years. I want to reinstall OS X and wipe all my existing data. It’s currently on 10.5.8 and I have the original 10.3.3 installation discs which I’m hoping just work. But what’s the best way to get it back up to 10.5.8? I’m assuming it’s not available from Apple - and do I need to find my DVD-R’s 😳

Put together a little showcase inspired by Apple’s colorful 2000s era, featuring some of my iBook G3 Clamshells, iMac G3, CDs, posters, alongside iPods and some colorful drinks to complete the Frutiger Aero aesthetic. 🫧💿

What are your thoughts?

I've had to wait a long time to acquire my white whale. The moment is finally here. 1 hour drive and a great price too.

What is the best way to transport it? It doesn't come with the original box. I was thinking screen side down on a flat cushion with a bunch of towels under the screen?

Am I going to damage it that way?