In my previous article I promised to describe my laptop a little differently Apple PowerBook 160 with monochrome display from 1992. Technical parameters are in other articles sufficiently published. If anyone is interested in further details, I'll give them link to service manual to this device. In this article, I would like to focus on the description of its connectors, which from my own experience, when showing the device to many younger people, do not say anything except perhaps the audio connectors. Few people know Apple HDI-30 connector, through which SCSI devices were connected (most often external CD drive or scanner, later an external hard drive). He needed a special one Apple HDI-30 cable at a price of CZK 3500, including the sales tax at the time (VAT was only introduced in 1993 after the disintegration of the Czechoslovakia). ADB connector (Apple Desktop Bus) is a bit more well-known and before today's USB or the current Bluetooth was most often used to connect a keyboard, mouse or pass-through HW ADB DONGLE keys against the use of illegal software (e.g. the QuarkXPress program or some programs from Adobe).
One connector on the computer was sufficient, as the mouse could be connected via the left or right keyboard. Even then Apple he also thought of people writing with their left hand. An interesting element ADB keyboards for Macintosh there was a button to turn on or off the computer with the support of operating systems up to and including OS-9. Audio connectors probably need no comment. An interesting accessory was an external microphone with a holder in the color PB160 supplied with the device (see photo gallery). We could also meet the same microphone in beige color, for example, when buying a computer Apple Macintosh LC. Serial connectors RS-422 interface were used to printer connection (e.g. CANON BJC-4550), modem or LocalTalk adapter for connecting computers and peripherals to the network, which system Apple supported even then. Although the sockets were marked with a symbol for the printer and the other for the modem, it didn't really matter where we connected the printer. But the operating system didn't recognize it, we had to by the Chooser program say. HW buttons are also worth mentioning reset and interrupt, activated e.g. by the tip of a paper clip. The connector, which the layman now often confuses with the HDMI interface at first glance, is the output to an external monitor using a reducer Apple Display Adapter to increase the resolution than the LCD panel provided. The following images are photos of this company's laptop pioneer Apple, its accessories and period advertisements.
| DESCRIPTION OF CONNECTORS | PC VS. MAC | WOZ IN ADVERTISING | LEAVE 18 YEARS |
Figures 1 and 3 show the rear legs of the device turned for better tilting. Slide 1 also shows the slot in the computer for the era's key portable data medium, a 3,5″ diskette drive with maximum storage capacity 1,4MB (DS, HD) per media. The connectors in Figure 2 shared a hinged cover so they could be neatly tucked away. In Figure 4 we see the TrackBall control with two buttons. But both had the same function as a one-button ADB mouse. The second right mouse button was not supported up to and including OS-9. Also note the original Czech keys of this computer. In photo 6 we see the removed computer battery. This is followed by a network adapter (No. 7), an external microphone (No. 8) and in the last picture No. 9 we see a serial RS-422 Apple cable for connecting a printer or modem or could be used to connect two Macintoshes in a P2P network.
| PICTURE #1 | PICTURE #2 | PICTURE #3 |
| PICTURE #4 | PICTURE #5 | PICTURE #6 |
| PICTURE #7 | PICTURE #8 | PICTURE #9 |
Great article, thank you :)
It's okay, maybe someone is interested even today after so many years.
I have that microphone at home too, it came with the Mac LC
Mazecccc. I want him!!
May I ask what the price of the PowerBook was then? :)
@Kryštof: We paid 83.000 Czechoslovak crowns for him...