KB1MAX's Home Page ► Old Computers

Apple PowerBook G3 (Wallstreet)

Replacement/Upgrades

Hard Drive

The original hard drive didn't initially work so I replaced it with:

Western Digital WD1200BEVE 120 GB 5400 RPM 2.5 inch IDE

I determined afterwards that the original drive worked after a few power cycles to get the disks spinning.

RAM modules

The original 32 MB of RAM worked fine. I updated it to 512 MB, but in retrospect the 32 MB was enough.

512MB (2X256MB) MEMORY 32X64 PC100 8NS 3.3V SDRAM 144 PIN SO DIMM

Build a Backup Battery Replacement

The backup battery saves the PRAM and power management information. The old battery was dead and needed to either be removed or replaced. Encouraged by others who have successfully built one [1], and that I could buy the parts still, I opted to replace it.

I bought the cells on Amazon:

Panasonic VL2330-1 Lithium Coin Cell Battery, 3V, VL2330/HFN Rechargeable

Photos of the original backup battery

Photos of the replacement backup battery

Removing the battery from the topside of the left bay requires taking the entire laptop apart [2]. The original battery is a very tight fit in the plastic holder that holds it in. It has to stay that thin or you won't be able to slide anything into the expansion bay.

In my battery replacement I had to cut the plastic case that holds the battery because I added too much thickness. I was still able to gently push in an expansion module but its tight enough that something will break if care isn't used. Because the replacement coin cells have solder tabs on them I don't know of a good way to keep the thickness down.

After replacing the battery reset the PRAM with Shift-Fn (function)- Ctrl (control)-Power [3].

References