Power supply compatiblity

Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?
PeterD wrote on :
Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?
Dorian Gray replied on :

In article 1gyz4ln.1crc8ql63dsnmN%pd.news@redacted.invalid, pd.news@redacted.invalid (PeterD) wrote:

Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?

When I read the iBook user manual last month (!) it said that you should never plug other power adapters into the iBook, even other Apple power adapters, even power adapters from other models of iBook (!), because it might damage the iBook or its battery. The implication is that they are all slightly different, even between slightly different models of the same Apple computer.

I was tempted to use my iBook G4 and iBook snow G3 power adapters interchangeably, since their DC output voltage, current and/or power are identical, but maybe there is some internal sophistication to them that means they are not strictly interchangeable anyway. Or maybe Apple just wants to sell more power adapters...

D.M. Procida replied on :

Dorian Gray D.Gray@redacted.invalid wrote:

Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?

When I read the iBook user manual last month (!) it said that you should never plug other power adapters into the iBook, even other Apple power adapters, even power adapters from other models of iBook (!), because it might damage the iBook or its battery. The implication is that they are all slightly different, even between slightly different models of the same Apple computer.

Bascally, if the connector fits, shove it in. A PowerBook G3 will happily run from a Duo PSU (but won't charge well) for example. Nothing bad will happen. Go ahead.

Daniele

Dorian Gray replied on :

In article 1gz11tj.mtfnzdqilfqsN%real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid, real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid (D.M. Procida) wrote:

Dorian Gray D.Gray@redacted.invalid wrote:

Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?

When I read the iBook user manual last month (!) it said that you should never plug other power adapters into the iBook, even other Apple power adapters, even power adapters from other models of iBook (!), because it might damage the iBook or its battery. The implication is that they are all slightly different, even between slightly different models of the same Apple computer.

Bascally, if the connector fits, shove it in. A PowerBook G3 will happily run from a Duo PSU (but won't charge well) for example. Nothing bad will happen.

If it won't charge well, that means you're probably doing the battery damage (remember these are complex "intelligent" device with programmed control circuitry, not just some chemical cells) so that its life will be significantly shortened.

D.M. Procida replied on :

Dorian Gray D.Gray@redacted.invalid wrote:

Bascally, if the connector fits, shove it in. A PowerBook G3 will happily run from a Duo PSU (but won't charge well) for example. Nothing bad will happen.

If it won't charge well, that means you're probably doing the battery damage (remember these are complex "intelligent" device with programmed control circuitry, not just some chemical cells) so that its life will be significantly shortened.

Doubt it. It's probably just trickle charging it very slowly, because it can't handle the full current demand.

Daniele

Simon Bailey replied on :

Dorian Gray D.Gray@redacted.invalid wrote:

In article 1gz11tj.mtfnzdqilfqsN%real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid, real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid (D.M. Procida) wrote:

Dorian Gray D.Gray@redacted.invalid wrote:

Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?

When I read the iBook user manual last month (!) it said that you should never plug other power adapters into the iBook, even other Apple power adapters, even power adapters from other models of iBook (!), because it might damage the iBook or its battery. The implication is that they are all slightly different, even between slightly different models of the same Apple computer.

Bascally, if the connector fits, shove it in. A PowerBook G3 will happily run from a Duo PSU (but won't charge well) for example. Nothing bad will happen.

If it won't charge well, that means you're probably doing the battery damage (remember these are complex "intelligent" device with programmed control circuitry, not just some chemical cells) so that its life will be significantly shortened.

I think Daniele's referring to the fact that at 24V 1.5A the Duo psu basically doesn't quite have the oomph to charge a battery and run the PB all at once, but will do either, in turn, very well. It works well for me.

Flavio Matani replied on :

Dorian Gray D.Gray@redacted.invalid wrote:

I was tempted to use my iBook G4 and iBook snow G3 power adapters interchangeably, since their DC output voltage, current and/or power are identical, but maybe there is some internal sophistication to them that means they are not strictly interchangeable anyway. Or maybe Apple just wants to sell more power adapters...

Apple? Apple doing that? Pas possible, it would be like.. I don't know, like releasing an update of the operating system every year for a hundred quid....

Peter Lee replied on :

PeterD pd.news@redacted.invalid wrote:

Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?

Yes, it's fine. It will also work OK for G4 Powerbooks, although if you are using the laptop at the same time, the PSU doesn't supply enough power (I think the yo-yo supplies 45W - the G4Powerbook requires 65) to charge the battery rapidly (you'll see something like the battery status indicator saying that the battery will be charged in 15 hours!)

Peter

PeterD replied on :

Peter Lee peterlee@redacted.invalid wrote:

PeterD pd.news@redacted.invalid wrote:

Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?

Yes, it's fine. It will also work OK for G4 Powerbooks, although if you are using the laptop at the same time, the PSU doesn't supply enough power (I think the yo-yo supplies 45W - the G4Powerbook requires 65) to charge the battery rapidly

Que? The Titanium is a G4 PowerBook.

The power supply doesn't list a wattage, but its output is 24V x 1.875A which is 45W as you say.

I just looked at the tonkabook G3 iBook power supply, and it does say "Apple 45W Power Supply".

Having looked up the specs, it turns out all the iBooks to date use a 45W power supply, while the Powerbooks went from 45W to 65W at the 1GHz point.

Chris Ridd replied on :

On 1/7/05 6:15, in article 1gz190j.1vg5tla85eca8N%pd.news@redacted.invalid, "PeterD" pd.news@redacted.invalid wrote:

Having looked up the specs, it turns out all the iBooks to date use a 45W power supply, while the Powerbooks went from 45W to 65W at the 1GHz point.

That sounds right. My old 0.667GHz TiBook had a 45W supply.

Cheers,

Chris

Dorian Gray replied on :

In article 1gz14z3.qslj69154aszuN%coz@redacted.invalid, coz@redacted.invalid (Simon Bailey) wrote:

Dorian Gray D.Gray@redacted.invalid wrote:

In article 1gz11tj.mtfnzdqilfqsN%real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid, real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid (D.M. Procida) wrote:

Bascally, if the connector fits, shove it in. A PowerBook G3 will happily run from a Duo PSU (but won't charge well) for example. Nothing bad will happen.

If it won't charge well, that means you're probably doing the battery damage (remember these are complex "intelligent" device with programmed control circuitry, not just some chemical cells) so that its life will be significantly shortened.

I think Daniele's referring to the fact that at 24V 1.5A the Duo psu basically doesn't quite have the oomph

Quite, the iBooks and PowerBooks G3 require 45W (24V x 1.875A) where as 24V x 1.5A = 36W.

to charge a battery and run the PB all at once, but will do either, in turn, very well. It works well for me.

It will work for you except your battery life might well be shortened more rapidly than normal, which would mean your battery would become useless or die prematurely. The point is, these batteries are consumables, they have a finite life, and their lifetime depends on how they are used. The internal battery circuitry/controller is designed with the rated input voltage and current in mind, and is tweaked to maximise the battery performance AND life, given that power supply. If you change the power supply specs, it might still charge, but it cannot be expected to be doing so in a way that maximises battery life! Result

  • the battery will go downhill quicker than normal.

On the reverse side, I am leaning towards the stance that if two Apple power supplies are rated identically, they should be interchangeable.
Does anyone know whether there is any controlling circuitry inside the iBook/Powerbook brick power supplies, or is it just a transformer?

Adrian Tuddenham replied on :

D.M. Procida real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid wrote:

Dorian Gray D.Gray@redacted.invalid wrote:

Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?

When I read the iBook user manual last month (!) it said that you should never plug other power adapters into the iBook, even other Apple power adapters, even power adapters from other models of iBook (!), because it might damage the iBook or its battery. The implication is that they are all slightly different, even between slightly different models of the same Apple computer.

Bascally, if the connector fits, shove it in. A PowerBook G3 will happily run from a Duo PSU (but won't charge well) for example. Nothing bad will happen. Go ahead.

Don't do it with some of the very early B&W laptops, they changed the polarity on some models without changing the type of plug.

D.M. Procida replied on :

Adrian Tuddenham poppy.uk@redacted.invalid wrote:

Bascally, if the connector fits, shove it in. A PowerBook G3 will happily run from a Duo PSU (but won't charge well) for example. Nothing bad will happen. Go ahead.

Don't do it with some of the very early B&W laptops, they changed the polarity on some models without changing the type of plug.

Are you sure about that? I'm pretty certain that if it fits physically, it will work.

Daniele

Adrian Tuddenham replied on :

D.M. Procida real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid wrote:

Adrian Tuddenham poppy.uk@redacted.invalid wrote:

Bascally, if the connector fits, shove it in. A PowerBook G3 will happily run from a Duo PSU (but won't charge well) for example. Nothing bad will happen. Go ahead.

Don't do it with some of the very early B&W laptops, they changed the polarity on some models without changing the type of plug.

Are you sure about that? I'm pretty certain that if it fits physically, it will work.

The PSU was from a PB165 but I can't remember the other (fairly similar) model involved - however, I can still remember the smell of the smoke....

Peter Lee replied on :

PeterD pd.news@redacted.invalid wrote:

Peter Lee peterlee@redacted.invalid wrote:

PeterD pd.news@redacted.invalid wrote:

Does anyone know if the UFO power supply for a PowerBook Titanium will be okay to plug into an iBook 1GHz?

Yes, it's fine. It will also work OK for G4 Powerbooks, although if you are using the laptop at the same time, the PSU doesn't supply enough power (I think the yo-yo supplies 45W - the G4Powerbook requires 65) to charge the battery rapidly

Que? The Titanium is a G4 PowerBook.

Sorry - My point was that it will also work with more modern Powerbooks too.

Peter

Martin S Taylor replied on :

Flavio Matani wrote

Or maybe Apple just wants to sell more power adapters...

Apple? Apple doing that? Pas possible

I just bought a Maxtor external drive from PC World (yes, yes, I know. I didn't realise MacWarehouse had been taken over) and they told me the power adapter wasn't included in the price and stung me for an extra £20.

(Though to be fair, when I got the thing and found the power adapter was included in the box like one would expect, they refunded the £20 and let me keep the spare adapter. Anyone need one?)

MST

D.M. Procida replied on :

Adrian Tuddenham poppy.uk@redacted.invalid wrote:

Are you sure about that? I'm pretty certain that if it fits physically, it will work.

The PSU was from a PB165 but I can't remember the other (fairly similar) model involved - however, I can still remember the smell of the smoke....

The 165 PSU will work happily with all the 1xx models, and I'm not aware that it will even fit any of the others. Which is not to say that you didn't have fun a smoke-release experience, just that I don't think it's to do with polarity.

Daniele

Adrian Tuddenham replied on :

D.M. Procida real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid wrote:

Adrian Tuddenham poppy.uk@redacted.invalid wrote:

Are you sure about that? I'm pretty certain that if it fits physically, it will work.

The PSU was from a PB165 but I can't remember the other (fairly similar) model involved - however, I can still remember the smell of the smoke....

The 165 PSU will work happily with all the 1xx models, and I'm not aware that it will even fit any of the others. Which is not to say that you didn't have fun a smoke-release experience, just that I don't think it's to do with polarity.

I seem to recall we decided at the time that it was caused by a polarity problem - but it could have been something else. Just wish I could remember which model....

Simon Bailey replied on :

Adrian Tuddenham poppy.uk@redacted.invalid wrote:

D.M. Procida real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid wrote:

Adrian Tuddenham poppy.uk@redacted.invalid wrote:

Are you sure about that? I'm pretty certain that if it fits physically, it will work.

The PSU was from a PB165 but I can't remember the other (fairly similar) model involved - however, I can still remember the smell of the smoke....

The 165 PSU will work happily with all the 1xx models, and I'm not aware that it will even fit any of the others. Which is not to say that you didn't have fun a smoke-release experience, just that I don't think it's to do with polarity.

I seem to recall we decided at the time that it was caused by a polarity problem - but it could have been something else. Just wish I could remember which model....

The insulation at the plug tip of one version of those 1xx psus had a tendency to break, leaving it vulnerable to shorting. Could that have been the source of your smoke?