PowerBook 1xx PowerDoor™ remake

[mmu_man]

The other day someone posted a nice picture on Discord of the "PowerDoor™" replacement ports door for the PowerBook 100 Series, which includes holes for both the power button and the modem port.

I knew I saw an existing model for the regular door, so I quickly made a mod in OpenSCAD, which can import STLs:


Source is here, you need both the .scad and the logo SVG, and the original STL from here. The customizer lets you chose which feature you want. Then F6 to render, F7 to export.
I didn't have exact measurements, but from my own PB it should be quite close.

 

[Elemenoh]

Here's the photo I posted to discord for reference.

 

[mmu_man]

If you can measure the openings I can patch the code

 

[Elemenoh]

If you can measure the openings I can patch the code

Modem: 16mm wide ✕ 22mm high. Bottom of cutout is 9.5mm from bottom of door.
Power: 14mm wide ✕ 16mm high. Bottom of cutout is 6.5mm from bottom of door.

 

[retr01]

@3lectr1c!

 

[Drake]

Here's the photo I posted to discord for reference.

View attachment 12227

is there a filament to match this color?

 

[retr01]

From @Elemenoh's photograph above, it looks like there is a matching filament. I wonder which one from the lists we have researched on:

https://tinkerdifferent.com/threads/powerbook-grey-filament-which-ral.2374/

Is it RAL 7012 (Basalt Grey), as @mmu_man proposed at the end of that thread?

 

[mmu_man]

From @Elemenoh's photograph above, it looks like there is a matching filament. I wonder which one from the lists we have researched on:

No that's the original product which was molded back then. :-D

https://tinkerdifferent.com/threads/powerbook-grey-filament-which-ral.2374/

Is it RAL 7012 (Basalt Grey), as @mmu_man proposed at the end of that thread?

No exact match yet though.

 

[mmu_man]

Modem: 16mm wide ✕ 22mm high. Bottom of cutout is 9.5mm from bottom of door.
Power: 14mm wide ✕ 16mm high. Bottom of cutout is 6.5mm from bottom of door.

Thanks, fixed the model.

 

[retr01]

No that's the original product which was molded back then. :-D

That's a lead. Who designed it? Who had it mass-produced by molding?

@Elemenoh, when was this produced? Did you order this from someone who made it by molding it?

 

[retr01]

I found more information about the PowerDoor. It was a commercial $19.99 product marketed by the AVO Company in California circa 1994. This was aimed at dissatisfied PowerBook users complaining of busted rear doors. It was for the PowerBook 1xx (except the PowerBook 100). They offered a version for PowerBook 5xx, too.

Was the market for busted PowerBook 1xx and 5xx rear doors big? Interesting.

Here is a magazine snippet from page 49 of the December 1994 issue of MacUser:

 

[Elemenoh]

I redrew the logos too in case you want to make a sticker for some reason. My kerning is probably still a bit off, but it's pretty close. The zip contains SVGs.

 

[mmu_man]

Did you change it since the last you sent me? The one I use is on the github too.

 

[mmu_man]

They offered a version for PowerBook 5xx, too.

I have a 520c here with the port cover, I could probably model it someday. But not this week.

 

[Elemenoh]

Did you change it since the last you sent me? The one I use is on the github too.

Same ones. Didn't realize they were in your repo.

 

[mmu_man]

not the bicolor one.

 

[retr01]

@Elemenoh, as you can see in the photograph I shared earlier from nearly 30 years ago, there is a white box border around "Power."