Well, I went to visit a local Mac specialist on the chance that I could get some work. Sadly that came to nothing, but he pointed at a huge mound of stuff and said I could have any of it I wanted. I came away with a dead slot loading iMac in Lime, a PowerBook 1400cs/166 with a smashed screen, a PB540 and a nice complete 6100/66. Also a very clean Plus keyboard and a 5.25" external floppy drive.There's more 6100s there so I might go back...
I have a question about the 1400. The screen is utterly destroyed, but it is in lovely condition and it seems to boot and work OK. What I'd like to do is put a screen from a 1400c on it, to have the nice TFT screen instead of the dual-scan. How much of it would need to be replaced? I'm guessing the whole top half, right?
The iMac does seem to work, sort of. The guy reckoned it had a dead power board, but I got a chime out of it after putting some memory in it and resetting the PRAM. The CRT makes the usual noise that they make when they turn on but stays resolutely black. The hard drive spins up and the CD drive ingested a spare CD (x86 Mandrake Linux) I had lying around, but it doesn't seem to boot.
I hooked up my cheap old LCD monitor to it, but it doesn't support whatever mode the iMac is putting out (85hz), proving how cheap and nasty the LCD is. Anyway, it appears that the iMacs logic board is working, and the CRT also seems to be working as it makes the usual noises. My question is how does the CRT connect to the logic board? Could it be that it has become disconnected somehow? But if the CRT is dead, it sounds like a good candidate for an ATX transplant.
Any advice would be gratefully received!
http://www.applefritter.com/node/1778
Try letting it boot until it seems finished, then press the power button once to put it to sleep. Wake it back up and you might just get video. Do the FW update, and things could be back to normal. If not, try some other stuff then think about the ATX conversion.
iBook 600,iMac 350 BB,UMAX c500/240,PM7100/66/G3-240,PCC PW120,512k, Plus,SE,SE FDHD,SE/30,IIsi,IIci/040,Q605,Q660/AV,Q700,Q800 PPC,P460,P475,LC 580,P5200 w/ 5500/250 MLB,PB165,PB150,Duo 280,Duo 280c&Dock II,PB 520c
Mac mini fund: $225
Google for powerbook_1400_series.pdf
Then when you've successfully dismantled it, check that the screen cable is OK too. Otherwise, yep, you're on track so far.
on the imac try cracking it open and on the left side there should be a few knobs that control the contrast and brightness on the screen.
Thanks for the various advice, it was indeed the firmware. The problem was a lack of a bootable system on the hard drive. I had to borrow an OS 9 CD from my Dad, but that let me use the sleep trick to get the screen back and then install the OS. One firmware upgrade later, and it works perfectly. Not a thing wrong with it except a lack of screws to hold the bottom on and a missing modem.
That's great that you got it running! I wouldn't want to be without my 1400c. But I would like to find a clear cover for it as opposed to the black one it came with when I got it.