Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Macintosh batteries (no physics)



At 10:57 AM -0700 7/13/00, Leigh Palmer wrote:
Computer batteries for Macs may be difficult to obtain. In September
1995 I returned from an absence of nine months to my Mac LC and found
its battery dead. I did what any reasonable radio amateur would do. I
removed the battery from the computer and went down to my local computer
store to buy a new one. The store did not have that battery in stock,
which I thought was odd, since it was a Macintosh dealer. "Oh, the LC is
an old computer. We wouldn't stock tose batteries any more" they told
me! I was upset because in my experience batteries only wear out on old
computers.

I went home and started to do my searching by telephone, ranging as far
south as Seattle in my quest. I was told by a couple of the places I
called that the battery was only replaceable at an authorized Macintosh
dealer, and that I couldn't buy one without paying to have it installed!

My Radio Shack wanted $20 for a new 4.5 volt for my Performa 636 so instead
I just bought 3 N cells (the half-tall AA size) and soldered them together
in series (with wires so they'd fold over into a neat little triangular
pyramid) and to the connector and velcroed it back in place Been working
like a charm ever since. 4.5 V is 4.5 V, plus it should last a lot longer
than the $20 one would have.

BTW, there is a web page about which battery different Mac models take:
<http://www.academ.com/info/macintosh/>

Larry