Power Macintosh 6500
 | |
| Power Macintosh 6500. Photo: Ben Boldt, Wikimedia Commons, public domain | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Mini-tower desktop personal computer |
| Released | February 17, 1997 (6500/225, 6500/250); April 4, 1997 (6500/275, 6500/300) |
| Discontinued | March 14, 1998 (EveryMac) |
| Intro price | US$1,800 to $3,000 (EveryMac) |
| CPU | PowerPC 603e (603ev) at 225, 250, 275 or 300 MHz; 50 MHz bus |
| Memory | 32, 48 or 64 MB; two 168-pin 5-volt buffered EDO DIMM sockets; 128 MB maximum |
| Storage | 2 to 6 GB IDE hard drive; 12× or 24× CD-ROM; optional Zip drive; 1.4 MB floppy |
| Display | None built in; DB-15 output from 2 MB SGRAM with 2D/3D acceleration, up to 1280 × 1024 |
| Sound | 16-bit stereo input and output with SRS; one built-in speaker/subwoofer |
| ROM | 4 MB |
| Dimensions | 406 × 198 × 428 mm (16 × 7.8 × 16.9 in) |
| Weight | 44.5 lb (20.2 kg) |
| OS / Firmware | System 7.5.5 (6500/225, 6500/250) or 7.6.1 (6500/275, 6500/300) |
| Predecessor | Macintosh Performa 6400 |
| Codename | Gazelle (EveryMac) |
| Model no. | M3548 |
The Power Macintosh 6500 is a mini-tower Macintosh with a PowerPC 603e processor, introduced by Apple on February 17, 1997 at 225 and 250 MHz, with 275 and 300 MHz models following on April 4, 1997.[1][2][3][4] It uses the tower case of the Macintosh Performa 6400, and Apple's developer note says its logic board is based on the 6400's, with a 50 MHz bus in place of 40 MHz, EDO memory, 2 MB of SGRAM and 2D and 3D graphics acceleration.[5] EveryMac gives the codename as Gazelle and the discontinuation date as March 14, 1998.[6]
Models
[edit | edit source]| Model | Introduced (Apple) | Level-2 cache | RAM | Hard drive | EveryMac order numbers and US prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6500/225 | February 17, 1997 | 256 KB | 32 MB | 2 GB | M5611LL/A (consumer, 3 GB), M5606LL/A (education, 2 GB and Zip); $1,800, $2,000 |
| 6500/250 | February 17, 1997 | 256 KB | 32 MB | 3 or 4 GB | M6189LL/A (consumer), M5607LL/A (education), M6127LL/A (small business); $2,100, $2,300, $2,600 |
| 6500/275 | April 4, 1997 | 512 KB | 32 or 48 MB | 4 or 6 GB | M6191LL/A (consumer), M6190LL/A (small business); $3,000 |
| 6500/300 | April 4, 1997 | 512 KB | 64 MB | 4 or 6 GB | M6192LL/A; $3,000 |
Cache, RAM and drives from Apple's service manual (pp. 8–15, 59–63);[7] order numbers and prices from EveryMac.[6][8][9][10] The service manual lists education, consumer, small-business and regional configurations with Ethernet, modems, Zip drives, video-in and NTSC-out cards, a TV/FM tuner and Avid Cinema (pp. 8–15).[7]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Processor | PowerPC 603ev at 225, 250, 275 or 300 MHz; processor bus 64 bits wide at 50 MHz |
| RAM | No RAM on the logic board; two JEDEC 168-pin sockets for 5-volt buffered EDO DIMMs, 60 ns or faster, 2K refresh; 128 MB maximum |
| ROM and PRAM | 4 MB ROM; 8K of parameter memory |
| Level-2 cache | 256 KB (6500/225, 6500/250) or 512 KB (6500/275, 6500/300) high performance module |
| Video | 2 MB of 88 MHz SGRAM on the logic board (ATI 264GT controller); 2D and 3D acceleration; modes from 512 × 384 at 32-bit to 1280 × 1024 at 8-bit |
| Storage | 3.5-inch IDE hard drive; tray-loading AppleCD 1800i (12×) or 24× CD-ROM; 100 MB Zip drive on some models; 1.4 MB SuperDrive; expansion bay for one 5.25-inch SCSI device |
| Ports | One ADB (three devices); one SCSI (six external devices, five with the Zip drive fitted); two GeoPort-compatible serial ports; stereo sound input, rear line output and front headphone jack; DB-15 video |
| Expansion | Two PCI slots (7-inch cards, 15 W each); communications slot II (PCI bus) for a modem or Ethernet card; TV/FM tuner port; video-in slot with 60-pin DAV connector |
| Sound | 16-bit stereo in and out with SRS 3D Surround Sound; 11.025, 22.05 and 44.1 kHz |
| Speaker | One built-in full-range mono speaker, which acts as a subwoofer when external speakers are connected |
| Electrical | 90–130 V or 180–264 V AC, set by a manual voltage switch; 47–63 Hz; 140 W maximum continuous |
| Physical | 16 in (406 mm) high, 7 13/16 in (198 mm) wide, 16 7/8 in (428 mm) deep; 44.5 lb (20.18 kg) without CD-ROM |
| Operating temperature | 10–35 °C (the 6400 is rated to 40 °C) |
Sources: service manual pp. 17–21, 56–73;[7] graphics controller, PCI card power and memory bus from the developer note.[5][11] Apple's specification pages give 220 W maximum and 3 A for the 6500, against the manual's 140 W.[2]
Voltage switch
[edit | edit source]The supply is not auto-ranging. Apple says the voltage switch "must be set correctly to avoid damaging the computer": set it with a screwdriver to show "115" for 100–130 V or "230" for 200–270 V. The manual prints a table of mains voltages by country (pp. 17–19).[7] A 6500 moved between countries can arrive set for the wrong supply.
Clock battery
[edit | edit source]Apple's specification pages give the battery type as 4.5 V alkaline for every 6500 model.[1] The service manual's battery replacement page instead warns that "the lithium battery in the computer could explode" if handled or discarded improperly (p. 211). Check the markings on the pack before choosing how to clean any leakage: alkaline residue is caustic and is neutralised with a mild acid such as white vinegar; lithium-thionyl-chloride residue is acidic and is neutralised with bicarbonate of soda. See Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage.
The battery sits on a hook-and-loop base on the logic board with a plug-in lead; Apple's test is to replace it below 3.0 V on the 10 V DC range (pp. 209–212).[7]
Known faults
[edit | edit source]Apple documented three 6500 faults in the service manual's Additional Procedures chapter.[7]
Video jitter
[edit | edit source]Video jitter, with pixels shimmering at the edges of the screen, windows and dialog boxes, affects 225 and 250 MHz machines with serial numbers XB708xxxxx to XB718xxxxx. Look at resistor R363 on the underside of the logic board: "100" means the board has not been reworked, "101" means it has. Apple replaced unreworked boards with reworked 661-1322 (225 MHz) or 661-1332 (250 MHz) boards (pp. 217–220).
Blurry video
[edit | edit source]Blurry video over the whole screen at 832 × 624 and above affects serial numbers XB708xxxxx to XB723xxxxx. Check the monitor board of the audio/monitor connection subassembly, just behind the monitor connector, for three red capacitors; if they are missing, replace the subassembly with 922-2996 (pp. 221–223).
Software installation errors
[edit | edit source]Software installation errors ("data mismatch" dialogs, hangs, Type 10 errors) on serial numbers XB708xxxxx to XB718xxxxx are caused by an OPC-made logic board with an incompatible L2 cache DIMM. If "OPC" is printed along the board edge, read the smaller chips on the cache DIMM: a five-digit number (such as 32384) is compatible, a four-digit number (such as 3384) is not, and the DIMM is replaced with 661-1477 (pp. 224–228).
Processor fan
[edit | edit source]The processor has its own fan (922-3859), plugged into J17 on the logic board and replaceable on its own (pp. 229–230).[7] Apple's symptom charts are on Power Macintosh 6500 Troubleshooting.
Service parts
[edit | edit source]| Part | Apple part number |
|---|---|
| Logic board | 661-1322 (225 MHz), 661-1332 (250 MHz), 661-1320 (275 MHz), 661-1432 (300 MHz) |
| Power supply | 661-1169 |
| Audio/monitor connection subassembly | 922-2547, replaced by 922-2996 |
| Front panel control board | 661-0139 |
| CD-ROM drive | 661-1415 (12×), 661-1400 (24×) |
| Hard drive | 661-1255 (2 GB), 661-1254 (3 GB), 661-1342 (4 GB), 661-1451 (6 GB) |
| Subwoofer/speaker assembly | 922-2384 |
The cable harness is ordered only as part of the metal chassis (p. 232).[7]
Maintenance and repair
[edit | edit source]- Power Macintosh 6500 General Maintenance
- Power Macintosh 6500 Troubleshooting
- Power Macintosh 6500 Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Power Macintosh 6500 Specifications
Documentation
[edit | edit source]Apple's Performa/Power Macintosh 6400 and 6500 Series Service Source (232 pages) covers the Performa and Power Macintosh 6400 and the Power Macintosh 6500/225, 6500/250, 6500/275 and 6500/300. It is module-level, with no schematics or component values.[7]
Apple's owner's manual for the series, Power Macintosh User's Manual for Power Macintosh 6500 series computers (1997), covers setup, the voltage switch, troubleshooting, and fitting PCI cards, DIMMs and the cache module (Appendix B, pp. 193–217).[12] The developer note for the 5500 and 6500 is at File:Power Macintosh 5500 and 6500 Computers Developer Note (1997).pdf.[5]
Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Apple, "Power Macintosh 6500/225: Technical Specifications".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Apple, "Power Macintosh 6500/250: Technical Specifications".
- ↑ Apple, "Power Macintosh 6500/275: Technical Specifications".
- ↑ Apple, "Power Macintosh 6500/300: Technical Specifications".
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Apple Computer, Developer Note: Power Macintosh 5500 and 6500 Computers (1997), chapter 1, Summary of Features and Table 1-1, printed pp. 2–5. Hosted as File:Power Macintosh 5500 and 6500 Computers Developer Note (1997).pdf.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 EveryMac, "Power Macintosh 6500/225 Specs".
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Apple Computer, Service Source: Performa/Power Macintosh 6400 and 6500 Series (1997), File:Powermac.perf 6400.6500.pdf; see Performa/Power Macintosh 6400 and 6500 Series Service Source. Page numbers are PDF pages.
- ↑ EveryMac, "Power Macintosh 6500/250 Specs".
- ↑ EveryMac, "Power Macintosh 6500/275 Specs".
- ↑ EveryMac, "Power Macintosh 6500/300 Specs".
- ↑ Apple Computer, Developer Note: Power Macintosh 5500 and 6500 Computers (1997), contents, "ATI264GT Graphics Controller", printed p. 21.
- ↑ Apple Computer, Power Macintosh User's Manual: for Power Macintosh 6500 series computers (1997), printed page numbers. Hosted as File:Power Macintosh 6500 Series User's Manual.pdf.