PowerBook G3 Pismo Firwire

I have an Apple Powerbook G 3 that I bought new in 2000--I upgraded the HD to 80 Gig and maxed out the ram.---running OSX Tiger 10.4.11. I got an original Airport wireless card to use to grab the web. I put the card in and nothing--I got it from Airport cards direct--does anyone have info to mount the card--or software?? Thanks for your attention to this matter

Oceangreg, welcome to Apple Discussions.
The airport software is included with Tiger.
Make sure the antenna cable connector is plugged in
fully. There should be no space between the base of the
connector and the edge of the AirPort Card.
Does the Airport card show up in the System Profiler under Network>Airport Card?
 Cheers, Tom
Edit - There's a separate forum for G3 Powerbooks at http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=121 Next time suggest you post there so more PB users will see your question.
Message was edited by: Texas Mac Man

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How Do I Upgrade My PowerBook G3 Pismo?

(First off, let me just say that this forum has been extremely helpful throughout the years. Thanks to everyone! And, I hope this post (and responses) continues to help those like me in the future!)
I want to upgrade my PowerBook G3 Pismo.
I already have a G4 PowerBook, yet can't tear myself away from my G3 just yet. However, my Pismo needs a huge overhaul. Right now it's running on 192MB of memory, a 6G hard drive, and a 400MHz processor. (I'm running OS 10.3.9, since I don't have enough hard drive space to install 10.4.) (Even most websites have gotten too advanced for my little G3 to view at a reasonable speed.)
Let me also say, I am not a do-it-yourself kinda guy really, so I'm hoping the answers I receive here are easy to follow for the average Joe.
From reading the other posts, I understand the three biggest upgrades to a G3, in order of impact and ease, are:
1) Memory
2) Hard Drive
3) Processor
I would also like to include another relevant element:
4) Battery Replacement (my battery is completely dead, as you can imagine)
(Another aim for this post is to have one place where people can easily see how to upgrade these things, rather than dig around for each topic.)
Rather than deal with the multitudes of justifications (whether or not I should, etc.), my questions for each of the four items above are simple:
A) How can I maximize each option? (i.e. - What is the maximum amount of memory I can buy for it? How big of a hard drive can my G3 accommodate and utilize? What is the fastest processor I can use?)
B) Where is the easiest/best place to purchase each item? (I know that's a bit subjective, but I'm sure there's a general consensus as to where the best, tried-and-true replacement batteries are sold, etc. (At least, I hope so.))
C) How do I do-it-myself? (i.e. - Is there a specific URL or post that tells me how to physically replace the memory and hard drive, etc.?)
Again, thanks very much to all of you who help out in the posting of answers to all of us who are less technically advanced!

Hollywood Guy:
You have hit upon a favorite topic around here, as you have already noticed.
The place to begin your upgrade is with RAM. The Pismo will support a total of 1 GB of RAM. 2 - PC 100 3.3v 144-pin SO-DIMM. You will find comparative prices of popular brands at ramseeker. You will also get good prices at Kahlon. The Pismo is not very picky about RAM and most manufacturers warranty their RAM for life.
The next upgrade that will give the biggest bang for the buck is the Hard Disk Drive. As noted previously, your computer will support up to a 120 GB HDD natively. (The BootROM will actually see 128 GB, but most manufactuers standardize the size to 120 GB). It is possible to install a larger HDD with the help of SpeedTools. However, I have not used the product, so I cannot vouch for it. Here is a list of available HDDs available for your Pismo at OWC
In terms of a processor upgrade, this is the most expensive upgrade and unless one really loves the Pismo, it may not be cost effective in the long run. I have done it myself, but then Pismo is my primary computer and I use it constantly and extensively for all my computing needs. Although we Pismo aficionados love our machines, we are also aware of it's limitations. If one would like to run any OS beyond Tiger, for example, you will need a minimum of a G with 867 MB processor, and even with a processor upgrade the Pismo will not make the cut.
So while I recommend the first two upgrades without qualification or reservation, the processor upgrade is different. If you decide that you really want to do it after careful consideration, I suggest that you peruse this thread for a full exploration of the subject. Several vendors are mentioned in the thread. My G4/550 processor upgrade is a Wegenermedia, but I hesistate to recommend them, as, since my installation I have learned of several users who have had difficulty with their service and products.
Please do post back with specific questions on any of the topics mentioned.
Cheers
cornelius

Restore discs for powerbook G3 Pismo 500 series please?

Hi all,
I hope I can solve this little problem. I'm about to acquire a powerbook G3 pismo 500 in good condition that will undergo significant upgrading. The plan is dual booting OS X 10.4 and OS 9.2, however, what I'd like to do is flash the mac back to factory configurations or as near to it. I'm looking for restore disks, etc for the G3 Pismo, can anyone help me?
am hard at it rebuilding a stock of G4 powerbooks for a contact of mine, so working through christmas to get them alive and well. If anyone can help, would much appreciate it.
cheers and merry christmas to all.
ed
<E-mail Edited by Host>

Here are a few more potential sources for OS and OS X
http://lowendmac.com/2013/classic-mac-os-downloads-and-updates/
http://www.pure-mac.com/appud.html
http://rescuemyclassicmac.com/index.html
http://store.fastmac.com/index.php?cPath=10_5_6
http://www.welovemacs.com/apsyso.html
http://oldermac.hardsdisk.net/oldmac.html#hard

Powerbook G3 Pismo-Bad Logic Board?

Hi. My powerbook G3 pismo suddenly refused to work last week. It chimes at startup, but then only gets the "grey screen." I took the hard drive out and put in in an external enclosure......it's fine. I took out an extra RAM chip I had added a couple of years ago....still no go. I have attempted to access the disk in Target Disk mode...no go. I've also tried to start up from a different startup disk by pressing the option key at startup...still no go! The Apple Hardware Test CD that came with my Pismo never gets past the "loading....." stage. I am writing in hopes that someone can tell me what the problem is. I'm assuming it's the Logic Board and am ready to purchase a replacement off Ebay, but would hate to buy one if someone thinks or knows for sure that it is not the Logic Board. I guess what I'm asking is this......What exatly happens when your Logic board fails? Are the symptoms similar to the ones I've described above? Thanks in advance and hope someone who's had this problem can help!
iMac G4 1 GHz, Powerbook G3 Pismo Mac OS X (10.4.9)
iMac G4 1 GHz, Powerbook G3 Pismo Mac OS X (10.4.9)
iMac G4 1 GHz, Powerbook G3 Pismo Mac OS X (10.4.9)
iMac G4 1 GHz, Powerbook G3 Pismo Mac OS X (10.4.9)
iMac G4 1 GHz, Powerbook G3 Pismo Mac OS X (10.4.9)
iMac G4 1 GHz, Powerbook G3 Pismo Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Sax,
The HD ribbon cable would have been such an easy fix, but unfortunately I think the logic board is now the only fix as Cornelius has suggested.
Please keep in mind that the logic board contains multiple components and you can have a failure of one component without affecting the rest of the board. The FireWire bus is controlled by the PCI bus bridge whereas the internal HD is controlled by a separate I/O device controller. Even a partial failure of the I/O device controller is possible as evidenced by still having functionality of the optical drive. See this link: go to Architecture > Block Diagram and Buses > Block Diagram.
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Hardware/DeveloperNotes/MacintoshCPUs-G3/PowerBook/index.html
You can tear down the Pismo to replace the logic board or continue the inconvenient use of the FireWire HD. There is another alternative, however; buy an expansion bay HD enclosure and install your current HD in the enclosure. Since the optical drive interface still works, the media bay HD should have no problem. However, I would check with MCE first.
MCE Expansion bay kit
Message was edited by: jpl
Message edited by: Host

Is my Powerbook G3 Pismo dead?

I had a collection of old Macs that I've now sold - apart from one - a beloved Powerbook G3 400ghz laptop with the gold keyboard. But I was horrified to find a few days ago that it wouldn't power up - I've tried with two different chargers and nothing. It's been in the attic for about 3-4 years but it was wrapped up nicely and presumed it'd be ok.
Does anyone have a clue what's happened? Or how to resurrect it? Or should I just sell it for spare parts?
Many thanks.

You probably hae a dead PRAM battery. An old trick for non-responsive Pismos is to disconnect the internal backup, or PRAM, battery, You can access the connector through the keyboard without having to do a full teardown.
Tee illustrated guide here:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/PowerBook+G3+Pismo+PRAM+Battery+Replacement/21
shows how it looks inside. In one image that show disconnecting the battery, you can see its position is revealed when you simply lift the keyboard out.
If it starts with the PRAM battery disconnected, that is a good indication that the battery os dead. You can get a new PRAM battery here:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/PRAMPBG3LP/

PowerBook G3 Pismo 400 Mhz Mega Max Upgrade Ideas?

Hi guys,
I have a PowerBook G3 Pismo (400 Mhz) and I would like to know what the best possible upgrade would be for a machine of this age? HD, RAM, Batt. Thanks!

needsomeihelp:
You will find popular brands of RAM with comparative prices at ramseeker. I have also purchased RAM, with good results from Kahlon. Note that some of these vendors offer free shipping. In addition, their RAM is guaranteed for life. If you buy at eBay you buy at your own risk, so be sure to ask questions.
To access the RAM slots:
• Disconnect Power adapter and remove main battery from bay.
• Lift off the keyboard by pulling back on the tabs next to the esc key and between F8 and F9, and lay keyboard face down on palm rest;
• Remove Microprocessor EMI shield by removing the two screws and lifting off shield.
• Remove the long Phillips screw from the bottom left side of the heat exchanger.
Important: Do not remove the two screws holding the heat exchanger to the microprocessor board as this will break the seal of the thermal paste to the processor, and you will need to remove the old thermal paste and put new stuff.
• Pull up on the tab on the right side of the board to release it from its connector. The connector is along the bottom, right side of the board. If the tab is missing bend a paper clip and hook it in the hole from the underside and lift.
Note: When replacing the board leave the top RAM module off, press down hard on the front right of the board until you feel the connector snap into place. It is very important that the card is properly seated or you may not be able to start the computer.
• Insert RAM module in bottom slot, replace processor board, the insert RAM module in top slot.
Good luck.
cornelius
PS: Thank you for leaving feedback in Apple Discussions by marking "helpful" and "solved" posts.
Cheers
cornelius

Powerbook G3 Pismo will not boot.

Could anyone help me with a Powerbook G3 Pismo which will not boot?
I bought this machine a few months ago for my daughter (to stop squabbles over who gets to use the MacBook). I have added more RAM, an Airport Card and have upgraded the OS to 10.3.9. Everything has been working well until yesterday.
My daughter has just had a disaster with the Powerbook. I'll try to describe what happened.
She was 'playing' with the Powerbook (unplugged), using several applications (MS Word & Safari possibly). She left the applications running, went to close the lid and liked the effect of the screen turning off (she liked it so much that she moved the screen up and down many times making the screen turn on and off).
She then left the computer while she went upstairs to do something else. On her return the screen was black. She moved her finger across the track pad (no response), she touched the space bar (no response), she pushed the return button (no response); she then pushed the power button (again no response). At this point she started to panic and then plugged the Powerbook back into the mains.
She tried to turn the computer on using the power button (again no response). She then left the computer until I got home.
On my return, the Powerbook would light up the screen (bright grey screen) and nothing else. I tried pressing the restart button; I got a 'chime' sound and the screen lit up but that was all. I couldn't hear any obvious sounds of life.
I tried pushing the start button and holding down apple, option, P and R and waiting for two chime sounds but again the furthest I got was the screen lighting up.
I have had a brief look at some of the troubleshooting tips on iFixit but I am at a loss to know why the computer failed in the first place.
My daughters description of what she was doing with the screen didn't sound good to me. Could a component have failed or come loose?
I can't hear any 'whirring' sound to suggest that a fan or the HD is spinning.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I would be very grateful if you could get back to me.
I was thinking of opening up the Powerbook tomorrow and checking some of the connections; after that I was thinking of looking at the PRAM battery and so on.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards
Mal (Parters)
Mac OS X 10.3.9
MS Office 2004 (Student & Teacher Edition)
Norton Antivirus for Mac 10.0
Mac OS X Cocktail

I have just spent part of my lunch break with the Powerbook on my desk, connected up to my PC's monitor.
I decided to try out several things, to see if I could finally get to the root of the problem.
1) When I tried to boot up the Powerbook as before (with the PC monitor connected to the Powerbook), the monitor had a message saying "VGA NO SIGNAL INPUT" and it then promptly powered down.
2) I followed a tip from the iFixit site by booting the Powerbook with my Jaguar installation disk in the optical drive and with the hard drive removed. When I fired up the Powerbook, the monitor showed the same background colour as the laptop screen (grey screen). The monitor screen remained grey, whereas the laptop screen showed the Apple icon. The laptop screen then turned blue, the monitor did the same but no icons or text were showing, whereas the laptop showed dialogue boxes for Mac OS X install.
The Jaguar disk was working in the optical drive and I was propmpted to install Mac OS X; obviously I did not proceed.
It would appear that the hard drive has failed.
When I looked at the underside of the hard drive, I noticed that there was a wear mark on the flexible cable; it would be close to where the cable connects to the drive itself. The wear was on the widest circuit on the left had side (looking from above). I'm not sure if this has happened previously, or with the repeated removal and replacement of the drive in recent days.
Looking into the laptop casing, there did appear to be a 'lip' in the plastic casing which may have rubbed against the cable (just a guess on my part). I wasn't sure if it was my imagination but it almost looked like a heat mark.
Has anyone got thoughts on this?
I think that the hard drive must have failed, although I do wonder about that cable.

Powerbook G3 (Pismo) & OSX Tiger

Hi
I have a 500mhz G3 Pismo. I've upgraded the HardDrive to 60Gig 7200rpm and the RAM is 640mb. I'm running OSX 3.9 but I stopped updating there because I was worried that Tiger might be a paw (sorry-step) too far for this computer?
Can anyone inform me as to whether installing the latest version of Tiger might cause problems or slow my powerbook down as compared to OSX 3.9 ?
Many thanks
Barry
PowerBook G3500mhz Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Yah, love my Pismo too~ Just sharing the Dashboard issue I see on the iMac G5 at work. When I go to Dashboard, it always goes like this: screen dims and widgets move in from the edge of the screen but freeze halfway for 2 seconds or so. Don't know how it's like on a Pismo G4. I'm not upgrading to Tiger because a certain language input method is missing in it. So I don't have first-hand experience on the speed of Dashboard on Pismo. Maybe it's just that the iMac I use at work is slow with Dashboard. I've heard that Pismo's start-up speed is the fastest of all Apple laptops, even compared with MacBook Pro Core Duo 2.16 GHz (first-hand experience by 2 guys at the other forum). I guess different configuration causes this. Hope Barry is getting along with his new Tiger~
powerbook g3 firewire Mac OS X (10.3.9) XLR8 G4 upgraded

Got new router, now powerbook G3 pismo wont connect to it.

asked cable company to replace router as i was paying for 60 meg connection but due to moving my router to connect to my dreambox i realised that the router only had 802.11g wifi and so my computer wasnt able to connect fast enough to use the connection. when watching football or downloading big files i ran an ethernet cable across the room which wasnt ideal.
they replaced it with a new router capable of 802.11n today an rewired the cabling so both my mac and dreambox have ethernet connections.
when they were here i went to test it with wifes powerbook but battery was dead so i tested with my palm tx and it connected fine..
however...
wifes powerbook gives an error and wont connect. part of me thinks its due to the powerbook being 802.11b and the router not handling that, but my palm tx is 802.11b so thats not a reason surely? checked and psp, wii, nokia phone all connect but powerbook gives error.
if it is, can i just stick a pc usb 802.11g or n stick into the powerbook's usb (1) slot and make it connect?

Are you certain you connected all the way to the Internet with your palm, and not just to the Router?
cable company
The cable company has to perform a "deep reset" to allow you to use a new device with a new M.A.C. Address. Your connection was established with an older M.A.C. Address, and that (your old Router) is the only device that can be connected until they do this.
Call them and tell them, "I got a new computer, and you guys have to reset your equipment to accept the new device in place of the old one."
almost every 802.11n Router has a mode that will allow it to pause for an instant and "sniff" for slower devices. It slows your network down by an imperceptible amount. Not an issue in home networks. But you may have to configure it to do so.

Powerbook g3 Pismo won't boot

Hi guys i just got myself a pismo (always wanted one) but it won't boot at all !!
I get power to the battery the keyboard and the HD spins but thats it, no chime and nothing on screen !! also the power light does not light ...
Can anyone shed any light on what the problem may be

A dead PRAM battery can cause this. So disconnect the battery connector (it's under the kbd). This site has instructions. http://www.ifixit.com/Device/PowerBook_G3_Pismo If you get it booted, reconnect the battery. It's a rechargable battery so it may take a charge.
You can also try pressing the reset button on the back panel neat the tel line connector.
 Cheers, Tom

The Apple PowerBook G3 Pismo (Nonresponsive Problem Solutions)

Hello Everyone!
A few days ago I was searching through my powerbooks old users manual. Not many people use this method for a nonresponsive computer anymore but it really does help this computer. Whenever I get the spinning beachball cursor for more than 30 seconds all I have to do Is hold down the
apple + .
keys and It continues from wherever it left off

tu

How can I do the apple hardware test on a powerbook g3 pismo?

I have two disk, the os 9 software installation disk, and the software restore disk. Which disk do I use and what key do I press when starting up.

Hi Jim!
Antarctica? Really? What are you doing there?
Here are a couple of links to articles with helpful suggestions on OS Maintenance:
Mac OS X 10.3/10.4: System maintenance
Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
Further questions? Please post back.
Cheers
cornelius
PS: Thank you for leaving feedback in Apple Discussions by marining "helpful" and "solved" posts.

Pismo (powerbook g3 with firewire) upgrade to mac osx 10.4.9

After having this Powerbook G3 Pismo (400 MHz, 2 firewire and 2 USB ports) I decided to upgrade from 10.3 up to 10.4.9 (if doable).
Since this Powerbook G3 had a 5.59 GB hard drive (which had 12% free space) and 512MB RAM I could tell there were many things that had to be done but I'd try them in steps first.
I ordered additional RAM (2 512MB cards from www.powerbookmedic.com) for $189.90 ($94.95 each 512MB card). The idea would be replacing the two 256MB cards. The cards arrived 3 days later and I had no trouble replacing the top 256MB card (thus going from 512MB to 768MB) but the lower card was going to be a bit of trouble.
I noticed a performance change right away with activity monitor (CPU usage, system memory, etc) and decided it would be worth it to continue.
Circuit City in Deerfield Beach, Florida is an authorized Apple service center so a trip to them was next. I explained that I wanted the hard drive replaced (5.56 GB) with a 60 GB one ($80 for the hard drive), and install the 512MB card that I brought with me ($30 labor). Paid for all of items ($80 for hard drive plus $30 for labor) and went home.
A few hours later Circuit City called up and said I could pick up the Powerbook on Sunday morning after 11:00. Wow!
Picked it up and tested a few items by doing a software update (it now had 10.3 loaded on to the 60 GB drive). I used Circuit City's wireless connection there at the service counter. All the updates came up fine (glad they did not charge me for bandwidth).
Off to home and where I still had my Mac OS X 10.4 DVD from my MacBoook Pro 17". Put in the Mac OS X 10.4 DVD and kept my fingers crossed. It worked, took about 45 minutes all said and down.
Under system preferences made sure that synching thru .Mac was enabled so now my Powerbook G3 has all the addressbook, bookmarks, iCal, etc of my Macbook Pro.
Not a lot of dollars ($300) to get a 7 year old computer (February 2000 when purchased) to year 2007.
Can't say it would work the same if I had a lombard or wallstreet version but it certainly did work out well for pismo (400 MHz, 2 firewire and 2 usb ports). It makes me think how advanced this powerbook g3 was back in early 2000.

Hi sanchezpaulk!
You wrote "Off to home and where I still had my Mac OS X 10.4 DVD from my MacBoook Pro 17". Put in the Mac OS X 10.4 DVD and kept my fingers crossed. It worked, took about 45 minutes all said and down."
I'm very surprised that you were able to use a Model Specific install disc, for an Intel Mac, to install a functioning system on a PPC Mac.
Additional info in these links.
Using OS X Install CDs/DVDs On Multiple Macs
What's A Computer Specific Mac OS X Release
Software Update, Upgrade: What's The Difference?
ali b

PISMO Powerbook G3: Pressure on wrist rests turns off

Hi,
I just revived an old Pismo and it's working great, but I'm still stuck with the same problem. Whenever I put pressure on the wrist rest near the track pad, the computer immediately shuts off. If I put pressure anywhere else, including on all the items under the keyboard, I have no problems, so I feel like I've narrowed it down to some sort of loose connection/cracked board or something under or near the trackpad.
Is there anyone that's into Pismo's that might have an idea of what might be causing it (and how to get to it--I've been reading a great take-apart tutorial here:
http://homepage.mac.com/sysop/PhotoAlbum7.html).
Thanks!
Bob

Bob,
Here is a picture of the top case which includes the trackpad, etc:
http://www.ifixit.com/PowerBook-Parts/G3-Pismo-Upper-Case/IF106-006
Here is a picture of the power board which lies under the trackpad:
http://www.ifixit.com/PowerBook-Parts/G3-Pismo-Power-Card/IF106-008
If you were to disconnect the trackpad ribbon cable, you may be able to eliminate the top case. See step #32 here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/PowerBook-G3-Pismo-Upper-Case/31/11#s79
You might also try this: Grab each side of the powerbook with the left and right hands away from the sensitive area. Now provide a little twisting and bending to see if the 'book shuts down.

PowerBook Pismo, good laptop?

Hi every one, I was thinking how good the Pismo laptop is, I am not really satisfied with iBook tangerine, its just not the laptop that I like, I was wondering how does the PowerBook Pismo feel like, is it really good running OS X? does it work with iPod?
I heard that the PowerBook G3 Pismo is the most durable laptop of all.. Its that true?
My iBook is starting to get cracks every where on the case and its very slow and not expandable.
So, how does the PowerBook Pismo feel like? is it very durable and capable of doing every day tasks?
Because I heard that it was one of Apple’s best products...

I am still without the Pismo, but saving for it, I
have another question, would I be able to use fast
DSL via an old airport card? or maybe a normal PC
wi-fi card?
The AirPort card that works with the Pismo supports 802.11b, which is up to 11 megabits per second, or usually more like 5 or 6MBps in real life. Most residential DSL is under 5Mbps, which the Pismo can easily handle on wireless. If you have a DSL service that can outrun 802.11b, you have something a lot better and pricier than basic service.
To be realistic, although the Pismo may be the best laptop Apple ever made, I couldn't keep using it for day-to-day work as more of the apps I use required a G4 and more video RAM. I still use the Pismo enough to know that it has problems with the CoverFlow display in iTunes, and with Google Earth, both because of video RAM limitations.
I upgraded the RAM and hard drive a long time ago, but other parts on my Pismo are finally starting to go. The LCD is dim and the video cable is wearing, resulting in scrambled screen display if the lid is at certain angles. The lid won't even stay open by itself anymore because the hinge is worn. Repairs would run into hundreds of dollars, which I probably won't spring for, but I'm going to keep using it until it dies, because it is still so useful 6.5 years later.

PowerBook G3 Pismo Firwire

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