Powering a PB with an external modern USB battery pack? (68k or PPC)

[dr_hoads]

I love my collection of PowerBooks (both 68k and PPC). Of course their batteries are long gone and extremely difficult if not impossible to repair. But I'd still love to be mobile with them.

I'm wondering, has anyone ever tried to power their PowerBook externally via a modern USB battery pack (this one or similar)? I think it might be possible, given that some, especially modern USB Power Delivery models, have variable V, Amps and wattage outputs. I figure you have a DC power source and DC power load on the laptop side. The variables are simply Volts and Amps. Here's an example USB - A to DC cable adapter. The idea would be to plug it in to an external battery on one side and the PowerBook on the other side.

Seems like there are some similar products available, although they seem to be expensive and not as well made as an Anker battery.
Obviously specific power requirements would vary per PowerBook model.

Anyone have any thoughts?
Am I crazy?

 

[dronecatcher]

I have one of these for starting the car if there's a battery problem - can also power laptops (though I've never tried to) - it was just under £100 a few years ago.

IconBIT FTB12000JS - 12000mAh USB Power Bank / Car Jump Starter to Jumpstart diesel engines up to 2000cc and petrol engines up to 3500cc : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

IconBIT FTB12000JS - 12000mAh USB Power Bank / Car Jump Starter to Jumpstart diesel engines up to 2000cc and petrol engines up to 3500cc : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Kai Robinson]

You could try this: https://tinkerdifferent.com/threads/powerbook-1xx-series-battery-case.833/#post-5429

 

[GiGaBiTe]

Re-celling a PowerBook 1xx series battery isn't impossible, but it also isn't easy. You'd be better off printing my battery case linked above and build a new pack. Breaking open an old PB battery is a chore, exposes you to hazardous materials and is hard to do in a way that keeps the shell intact enough to reuse.

When I reverse engineered the pack, I had to use a bench vise, metal paint scraper and hammer to bash along the seam and crack the ultrasonic welded plastic apart. I've pried open enough battery packs in this way to know the right amount of force to use, it's definitely not something I'd recommend to everyone. If you hit too hard, or at the wrong angle, you're going to puncture a battery and fire will ensue if the battery has any appreciable charge left. Doing it outside with a fire extinguisher handy, or if you have somewhere safe to just watch it burn out when it goes thermonuclear.

Re-celling a PowerBook 100 battery isn't possible on the other hand. In fact, I'd advise against trying to get this pack apart because it's an SLA battery, unlike the NiCD of the later 1xx series. Someone on Ebay is selling custom made PB 100 battery packs using LiPO pouch cells for around $100, which are probably fine, and not much more expensive than how much it cost to make mine, about $60. It would theoretically be possible to make a NiMH pack for the PB100 using AAA cells, but the capacity would likely be lower than the original SLA battery and definitely lower than the LiPO solution, but it would be cheaper.

But to answer your question about an external battery pack, yes you can. The PB 100 series power circuitry is completely dumb, the DC jack is passed through to the battery terminals directly with no protection other than I believe a thermistor on some of the later models. As long as you can supply 7.5v at 2.0-2.5A, the laptop doesn't care what source it comes from, battery or mains power adapter.