PowerBook 180c
The PowerBook 180c was the first Apple laptop with an Active Matrix Color display.
Specifications
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Release Date | June 1993 |
| Discontinuation Date | March 1994 |
| Processor | Motorola 68030 @33MHz w/ FPU |
| Bus Speed | 33MHz |
| RAM | PowerBook 165c/180c Proprietary - 4MB Standard - 14MB Maximum |
| Hard Disk | 2.5" 40-pin SCSI - 80 or 160MB Standard |
| Display | 8.4" Active Matrix Color LCD @640x480 (Sharp LQ9D01 Series) |
| GPU | Western Digital WD90C26A - 512K VRAM |
| Main Battery | NiCad |
| PRAM Battery | Soldered Lithium |
| Power Supply | Barrel Jack - 7.5V 3A - Apple M5652 |
| Disk Drives | 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive |
| PC Cards | None |
| Networking | Optional Modem |
| Other I/O | - 2x Serial - 1x ADB - 1x HDI-30 SCSI - 1x Mini-15 Video Out - 1x Headphone Out - 1x Mic In |
| Pointing Device | Trackball |
| Minimum Mac OS | System Software 7.1 |
| Maximum Mac OS | Mac OS 7.5.5 |
Upgrades
SSD Upgrade
See our page on SCSI SSDs for more info.
Resources
 Service Manual |
Capacitor Reference | 3D Print - Hinge Fix Part | 3D Print - Lower Case Standoffs | 3D Print - Battery Housing | 3D Print - I/O Door | 3D Print - BlueSCSI Mounting Adapter |
|---|
Common Faults & Maintenance
The PowerBook 180c, like other 100 series laptops, suffers from many different issues.
Screw Mount Failure
The 180c's plastics aren't super brittle, but they have shrunk slightly over time, which causes all the screw mounts to crack, as they can't shrink around the brass threads inside them. It's usually the hinge mounts and the drive cage mounts that fail. Both can be fixed by replacing them with 3D-printed mounts.
And a warning: DO NOT use the hinges on a 180c if they have broken mounts on the left side hinge. The fragile (and impossible to find) LCD ribbon cable is seated over the hinge, and it will get torn in half if the mounts fail, causing pressure to be applied on it.
LCD Failure & Bad Caps
The LCDs used in the PowerBook 180c almost never work anymore unless you've already done repair work to them. These LCDs use the same surface-mount electrolytic caps that Mac logic boards from the time do, and they do indeed fail and leak. Replacing the caps is a must-do. Displays that do still work will produce artifacting/ghosting around windows, like you'd expect to see on a passive matrix display.
Capacitor Reference info for this model is linked in the resources page.
I replaced the caps, the LCD cable is intact, but I still get no picture, a white screen, or my LCD has big blocks of bad pixels. Why?
Unfortunately, at this point, many of the caps have just been left to rot too long. If they've leaked bad enough, there's a chance that the internal ribbons in the LCD have been corroded. These soldered ribbons go from the LCD's controller board with the caps on it to the glass panel itself. Each one has an embedded controller IC on it. Once the cap juice corrodes them out, the LCD panel is unfortunately junk and you won't be able to fix it. By far though, many, many panels still exist that this hasn't happened to yet. Don't let this info dissuade you from recapping yours. I myself have yet to run into an LCD this has happened to, it's still fairly rare, but will get more common every year.
Other LCD Failures
Beyond caps and their associated effects, these old LCDs are also prone to developing Vinegar Syndrome, and can suffer from LCD Rot/dead pixel patches as well depending on how poorly they were stored.
Hard Drive Failure & Repair
As with any computer this old, it's more common to see a dead hard drive in one of them than one that works. Especially so, as drives used in the 180c are especially prone to failure. Apple laptops of this time used drives from one of three vendors: IBM, Conner Peripherals, and Quantum. Quantum drives are nearly always dead due to an internal rubber bumper in them that goes sticky, getting the heads stuck. Some Conner drives were also affected by this. This can sometimes be fixed with careful work inside of the drive, but it's tough.
Otherwise, these PowerBooks used SCSI 2.5" drives, which are pretty tough to find nowadays. If you do have a dead drive, I'd recommend replacing it with a modern solid state solution instead of paying silly money for spinning rust off eBay. Multiple options are available, and more info is available here.
Battery Leaks
The main battery for the 100 series PowerBooks is NiCad based, so they leak pretty frequently. Don't leave an intact one in your laptop, and make sure to check any unit you get your hands on for one. Usually the logic board only ends up damage in the event of a pretty severe leak luckily. Also, if the battery has shorted (which is pretty common), the laptop won't start with it installed. If you have a known-good AC Adapter and your PowerBook is acting dead, there's a good chance that's why.
The PRAM battery in the 180c is a rechargeable Lithium coin cell. These rarely leak. Still probably a good idea to remove it if you get the chance though, but be warned, it is soldered right to the internal interconnect board, so getting it out is a bit of a pain.
Power Supply Failure
The color 100 series PowerBooks use a very similar looking AC Adapter to the others, but the color supply is a 3A unit instead of the usual 2A ones. They often need recapping, but are more reliable than the 2A supplies.
Page last updated (MM/DD/YYYY): 04/19/2024
Update Reason: added newnav
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