PowerBook 150
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| PowerBook 150 (Dana Sibera, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5) | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Notebook computer |
| Released | 18 July 1994 |
| Discontinued | 14 October 1995 |
| Intro price | US$1,300 (1994) |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 at 33 MHz, selectable 16 MHz power-saving mode; no FPU |
| Memory | 4 MB DRAM soldered; one slot for PowerBook Duo RAM cards; 40 MB maximum |
| Storage | Internal 1.4 MB SuperDrive; 2.5-inch IDE hard disk (120 MB standard) |
| Display | 9.5-inch dual-scan FSTN LCD, 640 × 480, 4 levels of grey |
| Sound | Mono speaker and sound out; no sound input |
| ROM | 1 MB |
| Power | NiCad main battery; 2.4 V backup battery; 7.5 V adapter |
| Dimensions | 2.25 × 11.25 × 9.3 in |
| Weight | 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) with battery |
| OS / Firmware | System 7.1.1 with the PowerBook 150 Enabler to Mac OS 7.6.1 |
| Predecessor | PowerBook 145B |
| Codename | Jedi |
The PowerBook 150 is the last of Apple's 100-series PowerBooks, introduced on 18 July 1994 to replace the PowerBook 145B as the entry-level model and discontinued on 14 October 1995.[1] It keeps the case of the 145B but has a new logic board built on the architecture of the PowerBook Duo 200 series, a 33 MHz 68030, PowerBook Duo RAM cards and, for the first time in a PowerBook, an internal IDE hard disk in place of SCSI.[2][3] The developer note calls it "JeDI"; Low End Mac gives the code name as Jedi and the launch price as US$1,300.[3][2]
To cut costs Apple left out the ADB port, so a PowerBook 150 cannot use an external mouse or keyboard, and it has no sound input.[2][3]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | Motorola 68030, 33 MHz; 32-bit address and data buses |
| RAM | 4 MB, expandable to 40 MB |
| ROM | 1 MB |
| PRAM | 256 bytes |
| Video RAM | 256K static |
| Floppy drive | Internal 19 mm 1.4 MB SuperDrive |
| Hard disk | 2.5-inch, 120 MB, IDE |
| Ports | HDI-30 SCSI (1.5 MB/s, up to six external devices); one RS-422 serial port (mini DIN-8); modem; sound out; reset and power buttons on the rear panel |
| Keyboard and trackball | 63 keys (64 ISO); 30 mm two-button trackball, ADB interface |
| Display | 9.5 in diagonal FSTN, 640 × 480 |
| Main battery | NiCad, 5.65-7.5 V, about 500 cycles; 2-4 hours |
| Power adapter | 110-240 V AC, 50-60 Hz |
| Size and weight | 2.3 × 11.3 × 9.3 in (5.8 × 28.7 × 23.6 cm); 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) with battery |
| Operating temperature | 10-35 °C |
Apple's specification page gives the weight as 5.8 lb and lists the panel under 640 × 400, while the Service Source and developer note give 5.5 lb and 640 × 480.[1][4][3]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]The PowerBook 150 has a single logic board, Apple part 661-0140, in place of the motherboard and daughterboard of the 140 and 145. An interconnect board and an inverter board sit in the top case as before. The NiCad battery is the same part, 661-0013, as the PowerBook 140's.[4] RAM cards are PowerBook Duo cards fitted through Apple's memory adapter kit, which plugs into connector J7 with a brace into two slots in the logic board.[4][3]
The internal drive is a standard 2.5-inch IDE unit on a 44-pin connector, and only one IDE drive is supported. The internal drive must be formatted with Apple's Internal HD Format utility.[3][2] Owners replace it with a CompactFlash card in a 2.5-inch IDE adapter; see PowerBook 150 General Maintenance#Hard disk.
The PowerBook 150 does not support SCSI disk mode and does not supply SCSI termination power.[3]
Known faults
[edit | edit source]- The soldered backup battery leaks. 3lectr1cPPC advises clipping it out on every machine, and one owner's leaked onto the logic board and destroyed choke L5 near the SCSI port.[5][6] See PowerBook 150 General Maintenance#Backup battery.
- The plastics are weaker than on the earlier models. 3lectr1cPPC's machine split around both hinges despite a 3D-printed hinge mount, and Byrd has seen long splits in the mouldings.[7]
- The eight small electrolytics on the LCD's driver board, which MacDat lists for replacement; it finds none on the logic board.[8] See PowerBook 150 Capacitor Replacement Guide.
- Dead original hard disks. Byrd could not revive a Quantum 120 MB drive and found a later 4 GB drive would not complete formatting.[9]
- Original power adapters that need recapping.[10]
- A one-pixel black line across the middle of the screen, where the two halves of the dual-scan panel meet. Owners treat it as a panel fault that cannot be repaired.[11]
Maintenance and repair
[edit | edit source]- PowerBook 150 General Maintenance
- PowerBook 150 Troubleshooting
- PowerBook 150 Capacitor Replacement Guide
- PowerBook 140 Battery Replacement: the main battery is shared with the 140-180 models.
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- PowerBook 150 Service Source: Apple's module-level service manual.
- PowerBook 150 Documentation: the developer note.
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Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Apple, "Macintosh PowerBook 150: Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). 68030 at 33 MHz, no FPU; no ADB port listed; 4 MB on the logic board, 4-40 MB, Duo-type RAM cards of 4, 8, 20 and 36 MB, 70 ns; battery type PB1XX, NiCd; introduced 7/18/1994, discontinued 10/14/1995; Gestalt ID 115; 5.8 lb; 2.25 × 11.25 × 9.3 in; original system 7.1.1 with the PowerBook 150 Enabler; IDE internal drive, 120-250 MB.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Low End Mac, "PowerBook 150" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Code name Jedi; introduced 1994.07.18 at US$1,300, discontinued 1995.10.14; 4 MB, to 40 MB with a Duo RAM card; no ADB port, so no external mouse or keyboard; first PowerBook with an IDE drive; the drive must be formatted with Internal HD Format; no SCSI Disk Mode; APS-17adp adapter, 17 W, 2 A. Secondary source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Apple Computer, PowerBook 150 developer note (1994), hosted here as File:PowerBook 150 Developer Note (1994).pdf (see PowerBook 150 Documentation). Chapter 1, pp. 1-2 to 1-4: 145B case with a logic board on the PowerBook 200 series architecture; 33 MHz 68030 with a 16 MHz power-saving mode, no FPU; 1 MB ROM; 4 MB DRAM; Duo RAM cards to 40 MB through memory adapter kit M3179LL/A, largest usable card 36 MB; 9.5-inch dual-scan FSTN, 640 × 480, 2 bits per pixel (4 greys), panel ID 4, video like the PowerBook Duo 230; internal 2.5-inch 120 MB IDE drive on a 44-pin connector, only one IDE drive; HDI-30 SCSI and one mini-DIN 8 serial port; sound output only; no SCSI disk mode and no SCSI termination power; NiCad battery with a 2.4 V backup battery; 5.5 lb; 11.25 × 9.3 × 2.25 in; Gestalt 115; no PowerBook Express Modem.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Apple Computer, PowerBook 150 Service Source, hosted here as File:PowerBook 150 Service Source.pdf (see PowerBook 150 Service Source). PDF page numbers: General Information p. 3; Rear Panel p. 4; Specifications pp. 6-14; Troubleshooting pp. 16-41; Take Apart pp. 43-98; Upgrades pp. 100-108; Additional Procedures pp. 110-118; Exploded View p. 120.
- ↑ 68kMLA forum thread "PowerBook 150 boot problem", April 2024. 3lectr1cPPC: clip out the soldered VARTA PRAM/clock battery, which will leak and destroy the board it is attached to; sad Mac 0000000F 00000001 linked to a failing IDE drive; halkyardo: bus error during early startup. Community repair report.
- ↑ 68kMLA forum thread "Powerbook 150 Choke identification", December 2023. bromaster: the PRAM battery leaked on the logic board and destroyed choke L5 near the SCSI port. Community report.
- ↑ 68kMLA forum thread "Anyone here use a PowerBook 150 with a CompactFlash card?", December 2024. 3lectr1cPPC: the 150 has really bad plastics; do not use the hinges until the mounts are replaced with 3D-printed parts; his housing split around both hinges; a 1 GB drive pre-formatted in another Mac works. croissantking: Apple's formatter cannot make custom partitions; 1 GB or less ideal, 2 GB the maximum and only with System 7.5.3 or later. Fizzbinn: Internal HD Format accepted a Transcend 2 GB industrial CF card but not a 512 MB SanDisk or 1 GB Kingston; epoxy around the standoffs. Byrd: generic 2.5-inch to CF adapter and a small card; long splits in the mouldings on two machines. Community experience.
- ↑ MacDat, "Capacitor Reference - PowerBook 150" (retrieved 2026-10-02). No electrolytic capacitors on the logic board; Sharp and Casio LCDs both use eight 3.3 µF 35 V low-profile surface-mount electrolytics; inverter 47 µF 25 V radial; trackball 10 µF 16 V; failing inverter capacitors can upset backlight and contrast after the LCD is recapped. Secondary source.
- ↑ 68kMLA forum thread "PowerBook 150: replacement IDE hard disk format pain", February 2020 to January 2021. Byrd: dead Quantum 120 MB drive; a Toshiba 4 GB drive is detected but Internal HD Format stops short; a generic IDE to CF adapter with a 256 MB industrial card works; bibilit: the 150 needs its own formatting utility; register: the 150 accepts only storage identified as non-removable; MikeatOSX: CF cards low-level formatted in another PowerBook and partitioned work. Community experience.
- ↑ 68kMLA forum thread "No startup chime or screen on Powerbook 150", February-July 2021. Byrd: most original power bricks have failed and need a recap, and a generic 7.5 V 2 A supply works; bpadgett: on reassembly make sure the brightness and contrast sliders sit on their pegs. Community experience.
- ↑ 68kMLA forum thread "Black line across the middle of a PowerBook 150 screen", August 2020. bibilit: screen issue, not fixable; Byrd: probably the ribbon cable to the drivers for the top and bottom halves. Community experience.