PowerBook 190
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| PowerBook 190 (Danamania, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Notebook computer |
| Released | 28 August 1995 |
| Discontinued | 15 June 1996 (190); 1996 (190cs) |
| Intro price | US$1,650 (190) |
| CPU | Motorola 68LC040, 66/33 MHz |
| Memory | 4 or 8 MB on the logic board; one RAM card slot; 40 MB maximum |
| Storage | 2.5-inch 500 MB IDE hard disk; 1.4 MB floppy drive in the expansion bay |
| Display | 9.5-inch FSTN greyscale (190) or 10.4-inch FSTN colour (190cs), 640 × 480 |
| Sound | — |
| ROM | 2 MB |
| Power | NiMH intelligent battery; 45 W power adapter |
| Dimensions | 2.0-2.2 × 11.5 × 8.5 in (5.1-5.6 × 29.2 × 21.6 cm) |
| Weight | 6.0 lb (2.7 kg) (190); 6.3 lb (2.9 kg) (190cs) |
| OS / Firmware | System 7.5.2 to Mac OS 8 |
| Successor | PowerBook 1400 |
The PowerBook 190 and PowerBook 190cs are Apple's low-cost notebooks of 1995: the case, battery, expansion bay, PC Card slots and most other parts of the PowerBook 5300, with a Motorola 68LC040 logic board in place of the PowerPC one.[1] Both were introduced on 28 August 1995; Apple lists the 190 as discontinued on 15 June 1996.[2][3] They were the last Macintosh computers with a 68k processor.[4]
Models
[edit | edit source]| Item | PowerBook 190/66 | PowerBook 190cs/66 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 9.5-inch backlit FSTN greyscale, 16 levels, 640 × 480 | 10.4-inch backlit FSTN colour, 256 colours, 640 × 480 |
| RAM / hard disk as shipped | 4 MB / 500 MB or 8 MB / 500 MB | 4 MB / 500 MB or 8 MB / 500 MB |
| Weight | 6.0 lb (2.7 kg) | 6.3 lb (2.9 kg) |
| Introductory price | US$1,650[5] | US$2,200 (Low End Mac) or US$2,300 (Wikipedia)[6][4] |
Apple's developer note, written before launch, gives the colour model a 16.8 V lithium-ion battery and the greyscale model a NiMH battery.[7] The Service Source lists NiMH for every 190 and 5300 model, and Macworld reported in December 1995 that NiMH packs were in production for the 190 when Apple switched the 5300 to them.[1][8]
Differences from the 5300
[edit | edit source]| Item | PowerBook 190 | PowerBook 5300 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 68LC040, 33 MHz bus, 66 MHz internal, no FPU[7] | PowerPC 603e, 100 or 117 MHz[1] |
| Power supply | On the logic board; no separate power supply board[1][9] | Separate power supply board, 661-1056[1] |
| Backup battery cable | Plugs into the logic board[1] | Plugs into the power supply board[1] |
| Video out, infrared | Options; the video board and infrared board can be added[1] | Standard |
| RAM maximum | 40 MB (developer note); 36 or 40 MB (Apple specification page)[7][2] | 64 MB[1] |
| Sound input | The developer note's feature list gives only a stereo output jack, though its back-view drawing labels an input jack; the Service Source fits a sound-in cover to the 190 logic board[7][1] | Stereo line-in jack[1] |
Apple's upgrade table for the 190 lists four 5300 parts it can take: the video board, the infrared board, the logic board and an active-matrix display.[1] Fitting the PowerPC logic board turns a 190 into a 5300-class machine; Wikipedia gives Apple's price for that upgrade as US$1,199.[4]
Repair
[edit | edit source]The 190 shares Apple's Service Source, the Repair Extension program and almost all its procedures with the 5300. Its logic board carries the power circuitry and eight electrolytic capacitors; MacDat says a 190 does not need a recap as a matter of course, but that failing capacitors sometimes stop one starting.[9] Values are on PowerBook 5300 Capacitor Replacement Guide.
Owners report loose power jacks. One 190 that lost power whenever its cable moved was cured by reflowing the jack's three through-hole joints, adding solder on top of the board and gluing the jack down.[10] Apple's REA program listed a loose AC power connector among its symptoms and replaced the logic board on units with serial numbers xx605xxxxx and below.[11]
- PowerBook 5300 General Maintenance
- PowerBook 5300 Troubleshooting
- PowerBook 5300 Capacitor Replacement Guide
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- PowerBook 190 and 5300 Series Service Source
- PowerBook 190 Developer Note
- PowerBook 5300 and 190 Repair Extension Program
Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Apple Computer, PowerBook 190/5300 Series Service Source (186 pp., this copy last modified July 2002), hosted here as File:PowerBook 190 and 5300 Series Service Source.pdf (see PowerBook 190 and 5300 Series Service Source). PDF page numbers: Product Overview pp. 3-4 (190 upgrade options); PowerBook 190 configurations p. 7; Specifications pp. 23-38; symptom charts pp. 41-69; Take Apart: power supply board (5300 only) pp. 117-120, backup battery pp. 121-123, video board (optional on the 190) pp. 126-128, infrared board (optional on the 190) pp. 135-137, sound-in cover (190 only) pp. 147-148; Upgrades for the 190 p. 172.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Apple, "Macintosh PowerBook 190: Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). 68LC040 at 66/33 MHz, no FPU; 4 or 8 MB on board, 36 or 40 MB maximum; 45 W; battery type PB190; introduced 8/28/1995, discontinued 6/15/1996; 6 lb; 2 × 11.5 × 8.5 in; ROM 2 MB; original system 7.5.2; Mac OS 7.5.2 to 8.0; 500 MB IDE hard disk; Gestalt ID 122.
- ↑ Apple, "Macintosh PowerBook 190cs: Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Introduced 8/28/1995; 6.3 lb; 2.2 × 11.5 × 8.5 in; otherwise as the 190.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Wikipedia, "PowerBook 190" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Last Macs with a 68k processor; introductory prices; US$1,199 PowerPC upgrade, US$49 infrared and US$149 video options; 190 production ended June 1996, 190cs on sale until October 1996. Used for history only.
- ↑ Low End Mac, "PowerBook 190" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Introduced 28 August 1995 at US$1,650, discontinued 15 June 1996; power supply M3747 or M3037; upgrading a 190 with 5300 parts. Secondary source.
- ↑ Low End Mac, "PowerBook 190cs" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Introduced 28 August 1995 at US$2,200, discontinued September 1996. Secondary source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Apple Computer, Developer Note: Macintosh PowerBook 190 Computer (Developer Press, 1995), hosted here as File:PowerBook 190 Developer Note (1995).pdf (see PowerBook 190 Developer Note). Features, chapter 1: 68LC040 at 66/33 MHz; upgrade to a PowerPC 603 by replacing the logic board; 4 or 8 MB, up to 32 MB on a card for 40 MB; 10.4-inch FSTN colour or 9.5-inch supertwist greyscale; 500 MB IDE disk; the colour model uses a 16.8 V lithium-ion battery and the greyscale model NiMH; weight 6.5 lb.
- ↑ Cary Lu, "Apple Recalls PowerBook 5300 Series", Macworld, December 1995, pp. 36-37 (vintageapple.org PDF, pp. 38-39, retrieved 2026-10-02). The 5300 recall; NiMH batteries already in production for the PowerBook 190, "whose design is the same as the 5300 series'".
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 MacDat Capacitor Reference Library, "PowerBook 190 Capacitor Reference" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Logic board: six 100 µF 35 V, one 47 µF 35 V and one 33 µF 25 V surface-mount electrolytics; Casio and Sharp displays; inverter board. "You don't need to recap a 190 but the caps do sometimes go bad and keep them from starting." Logic board photograph credited to oldcrap.org. Secondary source.
- ↑ TinkerDifferent forum thread "PowerBook 190 power jack reflow (5300 prob similar)", MacOfAllTrades, October 2023. Community experience.
- ↑ Apple Computer, PowerBook 5300/190 Repair Extension Authorization (REA) program manual (November 1996), hosted here as File:PowerBook 5300 and 190 Repair Extension Authorization Program.pdf (see PowerBook 5300 and 190 Repair Extension Program). Symptoms (p. 1); qualifying units (pp. 2-4); 190 logic board replacement for serial numbers xx605xxxxx and below (pp. 4, 17-19).