PowerBook 520 and 540 Developer Note
The Developer Note: PowerBook 520 and 520c and PowerBook 540 and 540c Computers is Apple's hardware description of the PowerBook 500 series for developers, published by Developer Press in May 1994. The hosted copy has 144 pages. Page numbers below are PDF pages; the printed page number is the PDF page minus 14.[1]
Contents
[edit | edit source]| Chapter | Sections (PDF pages) |
|---|---|
| 1 Introduction | Features (16-17), appearance (17-18), configurations and peripheral devices (19), compatibility issues (20-21) |
| 2 Architecture | Processor and memory: MC68LC040, RAM, ROM, Pratt memory controller (24-26); I/O: Whitney, Power Manager, display controller, Combo, Singer, Keystone and Ariel ICs (26-28) |
| 3 I/O Features | Hard disk power budget, bracket and connector (30-34), floppy drive (35), trackpad and keyboard (36), flat panel displays (37-38), external video and monitor sense codes (38-41), serial, SCSI and SCSI disk mode (42-43), Ethernet (44), ADB and sound (45) |
| 4 Expansion Modules | RAM expansion card: pin assignments, DRAM requirements, mechanical design (48-55); PDS expansion card in the left battery bay: signals, power budget and control, mechanical design (56-68) |
| 5 Software | ROM features, Power Manager software, Ethernet driver, intelligent battery support, trackpad software and control panels (from p. 85) |
| 6 Power Manager Interface | Programming interface to the Power Manager, with a header file (from p. 109) |
What it settles
[edit | edit source]- The batteries are 9.6 V, 1.9 Ah NiMH packs with their own processors that talk to the Power Manager (p. 17).
- The six launch configurations of RAM, hard disk, modem and number of batteries (p. 19).
- The 500-series adapter is not the one used by the PowerBook 140, 160 and 180 (p. 19).
- The Power Manager is a 68HC05 microcontroller with its own RAM and ROM, handling sleep, power switching, keyboard scanning, brightness and battery charging (pp. 27-28).
What this note does not contain
[edit | edit source]- No schematics, no parts list and no service procedures; see PowerBook 500 Series Service Source.
- Nothing on the PowerPC processor card, which came later.
Pages that cite this document
[edit | edit source]
Download: PowerBook 520 and 540 Developer Note (1994).pdf (1.5 MB)
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Apple Computer, Developer Note: PowerBook 520 and 520c and PowerBook 540 and 540c Computers (Developer Press, May 1994), File:PowerBook 520 and 540 Developer Note (1994).pdf.