PowerBook 5300ce

PowerBook 5300ce

The PowerBook 5300ce was the top-end model of the 5300 Series. It featured a faster 117MHz processor, and a higher-resolution 800x600 LCD. It also shipped with a higher-capacity hard drive.


Specifications

Spec Details
Release Date August 1995
Discontinuation Date September 1996
Processor PowerPC 603e @117MHz
Bus Speed 33.3MHz
RAM PowerBook 190/5300 Proprietary
- 16MB Soldered
- 64MB Maximum
Hard Disk 2.5" IDE
- 1.2GB Standard
Display 10.4" Active Matrix Color LCD @800x600
GPU Chips & Technologies 65225 (Apple ECSC)
- 1MB VRAM
Main Battery NiMH
PRAM Battery 3V Lithium (rechargeable)
Power Supply Barrel Jack
- 24V 1.87A
- Apple M3037
Disk Drives PowerBook 190/5300 Modular Bay with the following available modules:
- 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive
- ZIP Drive
- Others?
PC Cards 2x PCMCIA Slots
Networking None
Other I/O - 1x Serial
- 1x ADB
- 1x Mini-15 Video Out
- 1x HDI-30 SCSI
- 1x Line Out
- 1x Mic In
- Infrared
Pointing Device Trackpad
Minimum Mac OS System Software 7.5.2
Maximum Mac OS Mac OS 9.1

Upgrades

SSD Upgrade

See our page on IDE SSDs for more info.


Resources


Service Manual
Capacitor Reference 3D Print Templates

Common Faults & Maintenance

Brittle Plastics & Hinge Failure

Like just about every 90s laptop, the PowerBook 5300ce's plastics are now fragile and brittle. The first place where this will become a problem on one is with the display hinges. The screwposts on both the base side and the LCD side are both known to crack and break. When this happens, further damage to the plastic housing parts will be caused if the hinge continues to be used after the plastic breaks. You're also just about guaranteed to break your LCD cable if you do this.

So, what's the fix?

3D print templates have been made that replace the LCD-side hinge mounts. You can find downloads for these on the resources page. If you dont want to replace the original mounts with 3D printed ones, you can also reinforce the originals with epoxy.

Main Battery Leaks

The main NiMH battery in the 5300ce is well known for leaking, usually severely. Even when compared to other NiMH batteries, these seem to be especially leak-prone. If you have one, do not leave it in the system to start corroding things.

The CMOS battery in the 5300ce is a rechargeable Lithium pack that isn't known for leaking.

Capacitor Failure

The 5300ce has a good amount of electrolytic capacitors in it - on the logic board, inverter board, and the LCD (on some models). These capacitors can leak, although it's currently not extremely common. They do fail though, and there have been many known cases of bad logic board caps keeping them from starting. Capacitor Reference info is available on the resources page.

Broken Power Jacks

The 5300ce's power jack is a tiny, fragile barrel jack. These are known to break off of the board very easily, even back in the day. There's a chance that you may have to resolder yours when you get one.

Misc. less common issues

LCD Vinegar Syndrome

See article: Vinegar Syndrome

Stiff Keyboards/"Binding Key Syndrome"

The keys on the 5300ce's keyboard can go stiff with age, causing what I call "binding key syndrome", where the keys will bind when trying to press them down from the edges. If your keyboard has this issue, it may be possible to use a small amount of lithium grease to improve it.


Gallery

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Page last updated (MM/DD/YYYY): 08/13/2024
Update Reason: page refreshed

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