Theoretical limits on a Lombard/Pismo upgrade

1. 512MB should work.
2. 6MB, IIRC.
3. Notebook drives currently top out at around 120GB.
4. Whatever the fastest module anyone makes is. All OWC carries is a G4/500MHz card.
5. No.
6. Unlikely to work. Lombard/Pismo screens may be interchangeable, but I doubt any other model's screen would work without major (and expensive) hacking.

Actually, the max VRAM for the pismo is 8 megs. Come to think of it, I am pretty sure that Charles Moore (from low end mac, and macopinion, etc) wrote some articles on how to hotrod the pismo to its extremes. You might want to look into that.

[1] ram
* Lombard = 512MB
* Pismo = 1GB

[2] VRAM is 8MB on both and not upgradable on either

[3] HD
* both are limited to ~127GB on internal busses (including EBMs)

[4] dunno

[5] CPUs unique to each series and non-interchangable with others

[6]

LOL, riiiiight. Oh, answer is no and no, plus no. That said, LCDs from Lombard and Pismo are basically interchangable with each other.

Edit: hmmmmmm, mebbe later 1024x screens? eg: 12" iBook . . . ? All depends on the LVDS connectors and signals, but in theory it might be possible. That idea will come back to haunt me one day I'm sure, as I experimentally fry some hapless PB parts.

hth,

dan k

ISTR there's a G3 800 from someone. Which is faster would depend on whether you were in OS 9 or X, and what kind of software you'd be running.

Actually, I want to take the LCD from a PB 520 and use it with a Lombard/Pismo/Wallstreet for a very unique case hack. It is not my first choice, but it is free and will fit with litlle modification, (a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, ehh?)

So how would I go about tring to patch these together?

I am just trying to plan out my next hack while I work on the Eudimorphodon Challenge Card so I can keep an eye out for things that my be useful.

--DDTM

Free . . . hmmmmmmmmmmm

That LCD can be made to work with any computer, the only catch is that you must construct, from raw silicon, an insanely complicated circuit to drive the free thing.

You up for that oh great, wonderful and optimistic DDTM-the-Supremely-Silly?

dan k

PS: there is no way in freakin' hell you can get that LCD to work with any other computer. Ever.

PPS: That LCD can be made to work with almost any computer ever made, including the legendary DEC PDP-8a.

PPPS: That LCD cannot be used even with a PowerBook 520, as it has a bad spirit inside that will prevent actualizing its formidable potential.

PPPPS: disregard all the above, I just discovered the FAQ where everything is explained in great detail, with pictures and everything.

PPPPPS: Ooops, I lost the damn url and now can't find it again. SH*T!!

PPPPPPS: Please accept my apologies for the above clarification.

...may you smolder in purgatory one day shy of forever...

--DDTM

- So does that mean yer gonna go for it?!? -

dan k

I pulled a few LCDs from the ol' pile o' busted LCDs and the only jobbie I found pin-compatible with the Lombard/Pismo LVDS cabling was from a 800x rez clamshell iBook. The later 12" 1024x rez iBooks/PBs LCDs use a different connector.

Of course that doesn't mean a clamshell iBook LCD would actually work, but it's a starting point anyway.

Of course that doesn't mean anyone would care a single whit if a clamshell iBook LCD actually works either.

Back now to your regularly scheduled programming . . .

dan k

Dr. Webster,

Where does one purchase a 120 GB (I'm looking for ATA compatible) notebook/laptop harddrive? I've been looking since your comment, without much success. Is there a difference between notebooks and laptops? Fry's Electronics www.outpost.com seems to think so.

Also, if anyone else has been looking, where are the most reliable/cheapest 80-120GB laptop harddrives to be found?

Are the micro drives ATA compatible. They are expensive, but small (making room for other hacks?)

Mutant_Pie

1. NewEgg has frickin' everything. I couldn't find any 120GB drives (I think they haven't hit the market yet), but there are a couple 100GB ones there.

2. Fry's/Outpost is stupid. "Laptop" and "notebook" are synonyms.

3. No, but you can get PCMCIA-to-CF adapters that should work.

...could one boot off of an IBM microdrive connected as such?

--DDTM

That neither the Lombard nor the Pismo will boot off of PCMCIA Cards. I think that the Wallstreet was the last on to do that.

When I broke the 14" screen on my Pismo, I was desperate to find a replacement. I turned to my Clamshel screen and found, yes, some of the pins line up.... but no, it will not work. Believe me...
And if the Pismo uses the same screen as the Lombard, then it will not work with the Lombars either,

...it depends on what the limits are.

For example, I have a sweet hack plannned for a Rev A iMac in which I will replace the CRT with a 14" LCD pulled from a Lombard/Pismo. The show stopper there is the need for a VGA-LCD converter that supports LVDS. I found one, but it is cost prohibitive. If I could get past that, I could modify the case to account for the bevel of the CRt v. the flat LCD. (I already have some healthy plans for the empty space in the back if this ever comes to pass). Unless I can get my hands on such an adapter for something reasonable, it won't happen anytime soon. I could try to recase one of these laptops into an iMac body, but a good recase job is not the same as a serious hardware hack.

In this case, I was looking to shortcut the whole process by recasing a laptop into a different computer case, but his mod would require a smaller LCD, about 8" or so. Since I have two such LCDs and was already looking to acquire a Lombard/Pismo/Wallstreet for its LCD, I though I could pass the LCD over to the iMac project and the mobo over to this project.

In short, I need a laptop that fits the following needs:

So let's try this question:
What Powerbooks out there can support an 8" LCD and come close to the above specs?

--DDTM

While LVDS is sort-of a standard, there's no such thing as a universal LVDS LCD driver. Each driver board has to be 'tuned' to its LCD. The odds of finding a compatible standalone LVDS driver board for any given LCD are slim to none.

The best solution is to buy a complete VGA-driven 8" LCD, that way you can use any most anything to drive it.

Same deal goes for using a 14" PB LCD in your iMac hack, there's really no way you can get it to work without that LVDS driver, and it's really unlikely you'll be able to find a ready-made matching driver. Buy a cheap 15" LCD, they regularly sell for ~US$220 and finance it with the sale of your Pismo/Lombard LCD, they go for ~$100 - $150.

As for which PB fullfills your brief, I'd say you'd want at least a Lombard, but a Pismo of course would be even better. A Wallstreet would work, but it's a bit marginal.

dan k

I use Wallstreets at present as slaves by taking off the screen and using the "computer". shove it in a tight space and hook it up to large Monitors. I have several like that and it creates a nice CLEAN desk top.

I have tried to UPGRADE to Lombards so I could take advantage of USB devices but find that once the screen is OFF and it is hooked up to a monitor, the monitor ONLY comes on as an EXTENDED screen. Blank, with color, and I can use the mouse to move the cursor to the EXTENDED screen. But fishing with the pointer on a non existent screen is tough.

I have re-hooked up the Original screen and selected "MIRRORING" in the monitors control panel and then repeated the un-hooking of the LCD, but it just repeats.

Has or does anyone use a Lombard as a slave computer hooked to a MONITOR ????

thanks

The Lombard is sensitive to the hinge-assembly's position -- it only allows 100% output to an external monitor if it thinks the display is closed. It also requires some kind of input-device (HID) to be connected via usb, when booting/rebooting in this configuration.
.
The proceedure I perfected for cold-booting to an external monitor:
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* Press power.
* Immediately slam the lid shut -- don't worry, the lid's rubber spacers protect against impact.
* Wait until the Finder appears.
* Open the lid, allowing air-circulation across the keyboard.
.
If you open the lid too early, the startup-sequence + Finder will detect this, switching you to multi-screen mode. If you leave the lid closed, the machine will overheat. The above also works for s-video output. Btw: multi-screen mode, mirroring or otherwise, splits the video memory, resulting in lower quality performance for all screens.
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I should also note: the above assumes os9.