Mac Portable FAQ - Version 5 ---------------- The Macintosh Portable was a 'luggable' mac, the forerunner of the PowerBook range, about the size of an electric typewriter, and about as heavy. If found for the right price and with sufficient memory, it makes a useful, self-contained desktop Mac, especially if it has to be stored for some of the time. Not really a FAQ as such, but it's the best description for this document I can find... I'm no expert, but wanted to write down what I learned about it after I acquired one. I've added in two appendices (larger than the main doc!) at the end, to keep all info in one file; some apple info about the Mac Portable being used in space, and a detailed look at the Portable's sad mac codes. Spec ---- CPU 68000 @ 16 MHz, 16 bit bus System software 6.0.4 to 7.5.5 256k ROM 1 Mb built-in RAM, model specific expansion cards up to 9Mb Drives - 1.4Mb floppy drive (desktop Mac type, not PB type), 40Mb SCSI HD (non-standard connection - see below) Ports - ADB (low-power), Modem, Printer, SCSI, external floppy, audio out, power in, video out* Internal slots - expansion ROM, modem, RAM, PDS Screen - 640x400 active matrix, backlit on later models Keyboard - full size, with either trackball or numeric keypad Sold - 9/89 to 3/91 (non backlit), 3/91 to 10/91 (backlit) * requires external adapter, rare or nonexistent - see below for signals Software --------- Treat as any other 68000 machine, dependent on memory. With low memory available (i.e 2Mb) use system 6.0.7 - that still allows plenty left for ClarisWorks (v2.0?), Mavis Beacon, Eudora, etc. System 7.1 is useful (albeit slower) if memory is available. Misc ---- RAM - Apparently Apple only ever made two proprietary expansion cards - 1Mb for the non-backlit model, 3Mb for the backlit version. Most 3rd party cards used the PDS slot. It is also reported that use of the PDS slot for memory precludes the use of Apple cards in the RAM slot. Power Arrangements ------------------- The portable needs a main battery before it will start up from a main adapter. The main battery is a large 6V 5.0Ah sealed lead-acid unit; this is supported by a 9volt battery, to maintain memory contents while battery changing. There is a microswitch which switches between these, which is switched by a prong on the battery unit. If you have one that won't boot but continually 'chimes', try internally disconnecting the hard drive and booting from floppy, to check the other parts of the machine. But if you have a rebuilt battery it will fire right up. The DC in socket requires 7.5v at 1.5A, centre positive. The power supply for a PB1xx Apple PowerBook works well. The lead-acid battery must not be fully discharged, and if neglected will almost certainly die. This is the most common fault in a 'dead' computer. The Portable constantly takes a small current from the battery to maintain memory contents. IT IS ESSENTIAL, THEREFORE, TO REMOVE THE BATTERY COMPLETELY IF THE PORTABLE IS NOT TO BE USED FOR A LENGTH OF TIME. Fortunately the internal cells are relatively easy to replace, at least in the USA It is necessary to remove the top of the battery case (I had to saw mine off, being careful not to short anything out inside), and replace the cells, soldering the cells together and to the connection plates. Triple-check the polarities. Other one-piece rectangular batteries may also be valid replacements. There is a PC mounted wire-ended fuse towards the front of the PCB, near where the battery power connector plugs in. Disassembly ----------- The portable uses the snap-together philosophy. The rear cover ('behind' the screen) lifts up easily, and offers access to the batteries (lift-out), hard disk (snaps in on each side), and under that the floppy (lift-out). The cover around the keyboard and trackball snaps out; remove the two outer rubber feet at the front of the case, push a jeweler's screwdriver or similar through the slots to free the cover. this avoids cosmetic damage to the casing. The keyboard and trackball are held in by clips along their rear edge; these can be swapped over for differently-handed users. The screen assembly is held on by the two pivots; the covers over these come off with a gentle twist. There are then small lift-out tags which, once removed allow each pivot to pull off, freeing the display, which is attached by a ribbon cable and connector to the front of the motherboard. This ribbon cable may be the cause of various screen problems, and may be worth replacing in such cases. The main internal casing then snaps out of the case, and the motherboard snaps out of the lower part of that. SCSI wiring ----------- The original Conner hard drive must never be formatted with any version of Apple HD SC Setup later than v7.0.1. Otherwise, the Portable will crash when it tries to wake from its automatic sleep state. You can run Systems as new as 7.5.5 on the Portable, but you must not use these later Systems' Disk Tools utilities to format or initialise the disk. The original hard disk uses a non-standard connector, but apparently can be replaced with a normal HD. Micromac (see links below) sell an adapter, or you can make your own cable, as per the details below: Macintosh Portable Internal SCSI Cable: Note: Normally, two-row 50-pin odd pins 1-23 and 27-49 are ground, and pin 25 is not connected. Note: The connections 16-3, 11-39, 2-47, and 6-49 are opportunistic grounds, easy to make with paired conductors in a ribbon cable. SCSI 34-pin 50-pin SCSI 34-pin 50-pin -REQ 1 48 -SEL 12 44 (gnd) 2 47 (gnd) -DB(P) 13 18 -MSG 3 42 -DB(0) 14 2 -C/D 4 46 -DB(1) 15 4 -I/O 5 50 (gnd) 16 3 (gnd) (gnd) 6 49 (gnd) -DB(2) 17 6 -ACK 7 38 -DB(3) 18 8 -ATN 8 32 -DB(4) 19 10 -BSY 9 36 -DB(5) 20 12 -RST 10 40 -DB(6) 21 14 (gnd) 11 39 (gnd) -DB(7) 22 16 TERMPWR NC 26 (info only, not used) 5V pwr 23 -----+ 5V pwr 24 -----+ Y B B R 12V pwr 25 ---+ | /------------\ 12V pwr 26 ---+ | / \ 0V pwr 27 -+ | | | o o o o | 0V pwr 28 -+ | | | | 0V pwr 29 -+ | | +----------------+ 0V pwr 30 -+ | | 12 0 0 5 12V pwr 31 ---+ | 12V pwr 32 ---+ | Female power connector, 5V pwr 33 -----+ as viewed from disk. 5V pwr 34 -----+ External Video Connector ------------------------ The Portable has a mysterious external video connector on it's rear, in the VGA format (high density 15 pin D-type). However the signals are nothing like VGA, and don't even think about trying it... they are basically the LCD control signals brought out, for an external OHP panel or similar. The connections are as follows: p1 - FPDATA(0) - [flat panel data display bus bit 0] p2 - FPDATA(1) p3 - +5v p4 - FPDATA(2) p5 - FPDATA(3) p6 - FPDATA(4) p7 - gnd p8 - +5v p9 - gnd p10 - FPDATA(5) p11 - FPDATA(6) p12 - FPDATA(7) p13 - batt [direct connection to maion battery] p14 - FLM [flat panel new frame sync] p15 - CL2/ - [flat panel data clock] Appendices: ------------- 1) - Mac Portable in Space 2) - mac Portable Sad mac codes Macintosh Portable: Used in Space Shuttle (11/93) Article Created: 1 December 1993 The Macintosh Portable used in the space shuttle by the NASA some years ago. Shuttle launch STS-43. The primary mission of STS-43 was to deploy a fourth TDRS satellite (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite). The shuttle was launched at 11:02 AM EST on Friday August 2, 1991, and landed at about 8:30 AM EST on Sunday August 11, 1991. The shuttle carried a Macintosh Portable (nonbacklit 5120) system on board. It was used for four primary purposes: 1) Testing four cursor control devices: a) the PortableÕs built-in trackball b) a modified aircraft control stick fitted with a thumb ball at top c) a 2-inch trackball d) an optical mouse Some bushings were placed under the trackball for experiment 1a to take up the small amount of slack. Experiments 1b-d were performed with third party products. 2) Connecting to AppleLink and sending mail and disk files. The very first electronic mail message from space was sent by the crew of the space shuttle mission on Friday, August 9, 1991. You may be interested in that message: "Hello Earth ! Greetings from the STS-43 Crew. This is the first AppleLink from space. Having a __GREAT__ time, wish you were here,... send cry, and CS! Have a nice day...... Haste la vista, baby,... we'll be back!" To connect to AppleLink the modem was modified by NASA to work with their synchronous DCE equipment. AppleLink modifications were made to deal with, among other things, routing and packet delays. 3) Recording LB NP (lower body negative pressure) medical results along with other mission notes and provided procedures for doing medical experiments. 4) Shuttle flight path tracking using an application called (Shuttle Portable Computer). It presents a real-time display of the shuttleÕs orbital position against a world map along with day and night cycles, tracking stations, and emergency reentry information. In addition, the Macintosh acted as an alarm clock (in tandem with the WristMacª) alerting the crew when it is time to do certain experiments, and so on. Modifications were also made by NASA to the battery system (we believe a circuit breaker was added to meet the safety requirements and regulations for personal gear transported into space). Since this date, Apple portable computers are continued to be used in other NASA space missions; we have no details on those missions. MacWeek published an article in late 1991 on mission STS-43 you may wish to pursue. In general, the Portable was basically a stock Macintosh with very few modifications. Copyright 1993, Apple Computer, Inc. This information is from the Apple Technical Information Library. ArticleID: TECHINFO-0014039 19960724 15:55:27.00 Mac Portable Sad Mac Codes ------------------------ The bootup code in the Macintosh Portable contains a series of startup tests that are run to ensure that the fundamental operations of the machine are working properly. If any of those tests fail, a Sad Mac icon appears on the screen with a code below that describes what failure occurred. Here is a typical example of a Sad Mac display with an error code below it: SAD MAC CODE 05460203 = (D7.L) 000OB6DB = (D6.L) The two codes are actually the contents of the two CPU data registers D6 and D7. The upper word (upper 4 hex digits, in this case 0546) of D7 contains miscellaneous flags that are used by the start-up test routines and are unimportant to just about everybody except a few test engineers within Apple. The lower word of D7 is the major error code. The major error code identifies the general area the test routines were in when a failure occurred. D6 is the minor error and usually contains additional information about the failure, something like a failed bit mask. SAD MAC CODE BROKEN DOWN Test Flags Major Error ---------- ----------- 0546 0203 Minor Error Minor Error ----------- ----------- 0000 B6DB The major error is further broken into the upper byte that contains the number of any 68000 exception that occurred ($00 meaning that no exception occurred), and the lower byte that usually contains the test that was being run at the time of failure. If an unexpected exception occurred during a particular test, then the exception number is logically ORed into the major error code. This way both the exception that occurred as well as the test that was running can be decoded from the major error code: SAD MAC CODE FURTHER BROKEN DOWN 68000 Exception Test Code --------------- ----------- 02 03 In this example, the code says that an address error exception ($0200) occurred during the RAM test for Bank A ($03); $0200 ORed with $03 = $0203. Major Error Codes ----------------- Below is a brief description of the various test codes that might appear in the major error code: **Warning**: Some of these codes may mean slightly different things in Macintosh models other than the Macintosh Portable. These descriptions describe specifically how they are used in the Macintosh Portable. $01 - ROM test failed. Minor error code is $FFFF, means nothing. $02 - RAM test failed. Minor error code indicates which RAM bits failed. $05 - RAM external addressing test failed. Minor error code indicates a failed address line. $06 - Unable to properly access the VIA 1 chip during VIA initialization. Minor error code not applicable. $08 - Data bus test at location eight bytes off of top of memory failed. Minor error code indicates the bad bits as a 16bit mask for bits 1500. This may indicate either a bad RAM chip or data bus failure. $0B - Unable to properly access the SCSI chip. Minor error code not applicable. $0C - Unable to properly access the IWM (or SWIM) chip. Minor error code not applicable. $0D - Not applicable to Macintosh Portable. Unable to properly access the SCC chip. Minor error code not applicable. $0E - Data bus test at location $0 failed. Minor error code indicates the bad bits as a 16bit mask for bits 1500. This may indicate either a bad RAM chip or data bus failure. $10 - Video RAM test failed. Minor error code indicates which RAM bits failed. $11 - Video RAM addressing test failed. Minor error code contains the following: upper word = failed address (16-bit) msb of lower word = data written lsb of lower word = data read Data value written also indicates which address line is being actively tested. $12 - Deleted $13 - Deleted $14 - Power Manager processor was unable to turn on all the power to the board. This may have been due to a communication problem with the Power Manager. If so, the minor error code contains a Power Manager error code, explained in the next section. $15 - Power Manager failed its self-test. Minor error code contains the following: msw = error status of transmission to power manager. lsw = Power Manager self-test results (0 means it passed, non-zero means it failed) $16 - A failure occurred while trying to size and configure the RAM. Minor error code not applicable. Minor error codesPower Manager Processor Failures -------------------------------------------------- If a communication problem occurs during communication with the Power Manager, the following error codes will appear somewhere in the minor error code (usually in the lower half of the code, but not always): $CD38 Power Manager was never ready to start handshake. $CD37 Timed out waiting for reply to initial handshake. $CD36 During a send, Power Manager did not start a handshake. $CD35 During a send, Power Manager did not finish a handshake. $CD34 During a receive, Power Manager did not start a handshake. $CD33 During a receive, Power Manager did not finish a handshake. Diagnostic Code Summary ----------------------- Below is a summarized version of the Sad Mac error codes: Test Codes $01 ROM checksum test. $02 RAM test. $05 RAM addressing test. $06 VIA 1 chip access. $08 Data bus test at top of memory. $0B SCSI chip access. $0C IWM (or SWIM) chip access. $0D Not applicable to Macintosh Portable. SCC chip access. $0E Data bus test at location $0. $10 Video RAM test. $11 Video RAM addressing test. $14 Power Manager board power on. $15 Power Manager self-test. $16 RAM sizing. Power Manager Communication Error Codes --------------------------------------- $CD38 Initial handshake. $CD37 No reply to initial handshake. $CD36 During send, no start of a handshake. $CD35 During a send, no finish of a handshake. $CD34 During a receive, no start of a handshake. $CD33 During a receive, no finish of a handshake. CPU Exception Codes (as used by the startup tests) -------------------------------------------------- $0100 Bus error exception code $0200 Address error exception code $0300 Illegal error exception code $0400 Zero divide error exception code $0500 Check inst error exception code $0600 cpTrapcc,Trapcc,TrapV exception code $0700 Privilege violation exception code $0800 Trace exception code $0900 Line A exception code $0A00 Line F exception code $0B00 Unassigned exception code $0C00 CP protocol violation $0D00 Format exception $0E00 Spurious interrupt exception code $0F00 Trap inst exception code $1000 Interrupt level 1 $1100 Interrupt level 2 $1200 Interrupt level 3 $1300 Interrupt level 4 $1400 Interrupt level 5 $1500 Interrupt level 6 $1600 Interrupt level 7 Great Stuff Eh????