PowerBook Adapters

I am also a Lind Electronics believer, started with their air-auto
Powerbook adapter for a G3 Series PDQ (1998 vintage - still working),
and now with Lind's air-auto for PB G4 15".
I have just ordered (via a vendor located with Price-Grabber) their
PROEM-00006 as back-up/replacement for Apple's adapter that came with
the Powerbook.

The new PowerBooks will function and charge with all power adapters, including the original Apple 45w. However, they do not have enough power to boot up from the lower-power adapters alone; their must be some charge in the battery to assist it. So the best and easiest test to see if the adapters work fully with new powerbooks is to remove the battery and then try to boot off the adapter alone.

45W and 65W AC Adapters are supposed to be wired differently. Resistors are used so that the PowerBook can tell a 45W from a 65W from airplane power.

If the PowerBook realizes it is connected to a 45W adapter, it will draw less power (resorting to battery power when the adapter can't provide enough).

Under 10.4, the System Profiler program can report what type of adapter the PowerBook thinks is connected (Hardware->Power under the Basic or Full profile).

If your PowerBook realizes the AC Adapters is only 45 watts, you shouldn't have to worry about the adapter burning out. However, if the adapter is only 45 watts, and the PowerBook thinks it's 65 watts, you may run into problems.

From my system profiler report:

AC Charger Information:

AC Charger (Watts): 65 Connected: Yes Charging: No

I enjoyed your article on AC Adapters. I upgraded from a Pismo to a 12" PowerBook and bought the Generation Gap. I have two hockey puck AC adapters and an auto/air adapter for my Pismo that now work perfectly with my 12" Power Book.

http://www.madsonline.com/index.html?ggap.html~mainFrame

For someone that has an old power adapter laying around this is an inexpensive option. These old power adapters are still only 45 watts, not a problem for my 12", but as you reported, could be an issue for the 15" or 17" PowerBooks

Regards, Bob

>Under 10.4, the System Profiler program can report what type of
>adapter the PowerBook thinks is connected (Hardware->Power under the
>Basic or Full profile).

Interesting....and tragic....

You see, I checked this for my various adapters.
The MacAlly is 50 watts (listed as 45).
The Apple is 65 watts when plugged into my powerbook, 50 when plugged
into my wife's iBook (12").
The iGo comes out at 45 watts (listed as up to 70).
The Kensington comes out at 45 watts (listed as up to 70).
Lucille (from Madsonline) is 50 watts (listed as 65).

The iGo and the Kensington have changeable tips that regulate how
much comes through, as appropriate for whatever device the tip is for
(including iPod, phone, blackberry, computer, sexbot, whatever).
While they each can put out as much as 70 watts, they don't when
using the tip that fits the powerbook. Lucille can do like 65 watts,
but some of that is for the usb and fireport jacks (to recharge
iPods, phones, etc), I guess. Their specs indicate that it should
give me 65, but I ain't seein' it.

So, only the Apple adapter does 65 watts. The MacAlly charges
powerbooks as quickly as any of the other third party adapters and
can often be found for $30.

So, NOW I admit that I have a problem. I should have stuck with the
Madsonline micro for by bag ('cause it's the smallest) and gone with
the original apple for the rest. iBook users might want to do the
MacAlly.

--
=alex hoffman

On 11/22/05 1:36 PM, "Alexander Hoffman" <ahoffmanAleDev.com> cleverly
wrote:

> Interesting....and tragic....
>
> You see, I checked this for my various adapters.
> The MacAlly is 50 watts (listed as 45).
> The Apple is 65 watts when plugged into my powerbook, 50 when plugged
> into my wife's iBook (12").
> The iGo comes out at 45 watts (listed as up to 70).
> The Kensington comes out at 45 watts (listed as up to 70).
> Lucille (from Madsonline) is 50 watts (listed as 65).
 
Alex,

The wattage reported may be a bit misleading. The power is what the unit is
capable of producing. Just because System Profiler doesn't see it at the
units rating doesn't mean it can't produce that power. The computer sees a
voltage and a current flowing. I doubt that there is other information
coming in through the power lead (but correct me if I'm wrong).

Bruce


 

> > The MacAlly is 50 watts (listed as 45).
>> The Apple is 65 watts when plugged into my powerbook, 50 when plugged
>> into my wife's iBook (12").
>> The iGo comes out at 45 watts (listed as up to 70).
>> The Kensington comes out at 45 watts (listed as up to 70).
> > Lucille (from Madsonline) is 50 watts (listed as 65).
>
>The wattage reported may be a bit misleading. The power is what the unit is
>capable of producing. Just because System Profiler doesn't see it at the
>units rating doesn't mean it can't produce that power. The computer sees a
>voltage and a current flowing. I doubt that there is other information
>coming in through the power lead (but correct me if I'm wrong).

I didn't mean to imply that the adaptors are not capable of producing
that much wattage, only that they don't deliver it to my powerbook.

I have no desire to carry around extra capacity that I won't have
access to. Why carry around a 65 watt adapter that only works as a 50
watt adapter for me? I need some reason other than that fact that it
COULD deliver 65 watts, were some of it other parts a bit different.

--
=alex hoffman

Alexander Hoffman wrote:

> I have no desire to carry around extra capacity that I won't have
> access to. Why carry around a 65 watt adapter that only works as a 50
> watt adapter for me? I need some reason other than that fact that it
> COULD deliver 65 watts, were some of it other parts a bit different.

Well, an adaptor designed for 65W will run cooler and last longer at 50W
than one designed for 50W. Of course, it generally weighs more, too.

On 11/9/05 at 1:49 PM, tidbitsmichael.fryd.com (Michael E. Fryd) wrote:

> 45W and 65W AC Adapters are supposed to be wired differently.
> Resistors are used so that the PowerBook can tell a 45W from a 65W
> from airplane power.

<snip>

> If your PowerBook realizes the AC Adapters is only 45 watts, you
> shouldn't have to worry about the adapter burning out. However, if
> the adapter is only 45 watts, and the PowerBook thinks it's 65 watts,
> you may run into problems.

Well, that would certainly explain why some people had problems with the
MicroAdapter burning out, if it doesn't have the resistors wired as you
describe. I received an e-mail from one of the MadsonLine people that
I'm waiting on permission to repost to the list; I'll pass this question
along to her to see if the MicroAdapter is in fact wired this way.

Travis Butler
tbutlermac.com

On 11/11/05 at 12:20 PM, brussomac.com (brusso) wrote:

> I enjoyed your article on AC Adapters. I upgraded from a Pismo to a
> 12" PowerBook and bought the Generation Gap. I have two hockey puck
> AC adapters and an auto/air adapter for my Pismo that now work
> perfectly with my 12" Power Book.
>
> _ http://www.madsonline.com/index.html?ggap.html~mainFrame _
>
> For someone that has an old power adapter laying around this is an
> inexpensive option. These old power adapters are still only 45 watts,
> not a problem for my 12", but as you reported, could be an issue for
> the 15" or 17" PowerBooks

I've got a couple of Generation Gaps, and I carry one around in my
laptop case in case I forget my adapter; the chance of running into
someone with an older adapter is small, but the Generation Gap is small
and light enough that it's worth carrying around on the off chance that
someone will.

That said, it's something I view as a last resort, not a replacement for
the 'proper' adapter with the right plug. It adds enough length to the
plug that it can be a problem in tight quarters; you have to be careful
to plug everything in tightly to get a solid connection; and given the
problems I've had with the outer ring separating on my 15" AlBook, it
worries me how much the Generation Gap spreads the ring on the old power
adapter's tip.

Travis Butler
tbutlermac.com

On 11/22/05 at 1:36 PM, ahoffmanAleDev.com (Alexander Hoffman) wrote:

>
> >Under 10.4, the System Profiler program can report what type of
> >adapter the PowerBook thinks is connected (Hardware->Power under the
> >Basic or Full profile).
>
> Interesting....and tragic....
>
> You see, I checked this for my various adapters.
> The MacAlly is 50 watts (listed as 45).
> The Apple is 65 watts when plugged into my powerbook, 50 when plugged
> into my wife's iBook (12").
> The iGo comes out at 45 watts (listed as up to 70).
> The Kensington comes out at 45 watts (listed as up to 70).
> Lucille (from Madsonline) is 50 watts (listed as 65).
>
> The iGo and the Kensington have changeable tips that regulate how
> much comes through, as appropriate for whatever device the tip is for
> (including iPod, phone, blackberry, computer, sexbot, whatever).
> While they each can put out as much as 70 watts, they don't when
> using the tip that fits the powerbook. Lucille can do like 65 watts,
> but some of that is for the usb and fireport jacks (to recharge
> iPods, phones, etc), I guess. Their specs indicate that it should
> give me 65, but I ain't seein' it.

I'm not sure what's up with the Lucille. I think there's an extra
dimension for both the Kensington and the iGo, though, after reading the
copy on the new Kensington adapters on their website: if you power extra
devices from either adapter, those devices come out of the maximum power
rating for the adapter. The Lucille's extra ports don't really have this
issue, since both USB and Firewire have official limits on the amount of
power a device can draw; however, both iGo and Kensington claim to power
a broad range of devices with varying power requirements. So neither
adapter may give the full 65 watts to a Powerbook, but the extra power
is still there for other devices.

All that said, I am surprised by the ratings you were getting for some
of those; I'd love to see measurements of the actual power draws from
someone with the appropriate electrical testing equipment.

Hm, a third thought - since the tip is what regulates the power on the
iGo and the Kensington, if there is a problem, you could theoretically
fix it just by replacing the tip with one that provides the proper power
draw.

Travis Butler
tbutlermac.com

====== Forwarded Message ====== Date: 11/8/05 9:18 PM From: Matt Hemenway

The "full" wattage as provided by the Apple adapter isn't *necessary* per se; if you can sacrifice things like being able to charge the battery quickly (or at all) while the machine is on, you can get away with a lower wattage.

As for the MacAlly adapter specifically, I'm using one right now. All around it's a nice unit, but I'd recommend supergluing the snap-on cable to the brick, or at least never detaching it. I found out the hard way that the plastic is on the soft side and repeated twisting on/off yields a loose and flakey connection. I now have to keep mine under constant light tension or else my powerbook claims there's no AC power.

- Matt Hemenway http://www.sneakertech.com

====== End Forwarded Message ======

====== Forwarded Message ====== Date: 11/8/05 8:02 AM From: Peter Gold

Thanks for this article and follow-up. I thought you'd also want to look at the NuPower PB power supply from Other World Computing. It's about $40, and is 70 watts.

I had tried two iGo units from Radio Shack, with my TiBook, and both burned out in two days or so. My original PB supply didn't burn out. The fix I made when the low-voltage plastic plug began to crack, was to wrap a cable tie around it. I included the cable in the wrap, but the bend in the cable was too sharp, eventually breaking the insulation and exposing the conductors. They made contact. The best fix at the time was to replace the unit. When I get some spare time, I'm going to attempt to repair the plug.

Regards,

Peter Gold

====== End Forwarded Message ======

====== Forwarded Message ====== Date: 11/27/05 9:41 AM From: Jerry Kornfield

I bought 2 of the MacAlly AC adapters from Small dog. Within a month both started failing. It is the lack of a good connector from the computer side going into the brick itself. Take a look at that pin. It broke 2 times, or at least is very bad. I wonder if they are a "bad batch" since we got them from the same source.

Jerry

====== End Forwarded Message ======

I recently contacted the iGo folks about the 45W/65W issue (and pointed them at this thread). I had a Juice70 that had been bought for an older TiBook, but that shows up as a 45W adapter on the AlBook 15".

I was told that they "have updated our tip 15 to fix the problem that you are having" and that one will be sent out to me. When I get it and can test it, I'll report back here.

Update: the tip arrived. It's slightly different than my original, having the cable attach at the opposite end from the PowerBook plug rather than at a 90 degree angle. It's also labeled "Rev. D".

Good news: System Profiler sees it as a 65W adapter now, though I haven't tested how long it takes to charge the battery, whether it can run and charge at the same time under heavy loads, etc.

Bad news: the tip is resistant to being plugged in to the laptop and takes more force than I really feel comfortable using for a power connection. I suspect that this may be some combination of it being new and/or having been slightly squished out of round during shipment (since it came, bare, in a padded envelope). I'll probably try to round it out and/or open the outer ring up a bit with some pliers.

(Going back to the original iGo tip, it seems to be more snug than the Apple adapter but less so than the new tip, contributing to my "it's just new" and "it's just squished" hypotheses.)