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| Powerbook 170 Battery replacement |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-09-18 18:03:30
I see there's precedence for rebuilding a powerbook 100 battery. What about a Powerbook 170? Anyone done it, or is it a risky endeavor? |
Posted by: finkmac on 2026-09-18 18:33:50
funny because pb100 battery rebuilding is not particularly common compared to the big 1x0 battery rebuilds.
it's fairly commonly done, and there's many ways of doing it. you can gut a bad pack and replace the cells, or you can use one of many 3d printable shells to hold basic nimh or nicad cells. |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-09-19 06:41:11
Fantastic. I'll do a little research on the printable shells. Maybe connect with a forum member willing to do the surgery for me. I'm a little nervous about cooking something because I don't know what I'm doing.
I don't care if the battery needs to be charged outside of the laptop, just that it can hold a charge for an hour or so. I don't usually write for much longer period than that anyway. |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-09-19 07:46:59
Found the other thread… |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-09-19 08:46:42
Meanwhile any advice on getting a modern third party adapter for this would be great. It seems like it's pretty straightforward: anything capable of delivering 7.5V, 2A, 30W with the proper plug attachment would work? |
Posted by: rnb on 2026-09-19 09:28:04
Just follow these instructions and buy the battery pack listed (https://www.batteryspace.com/NiMH-Battery-Pack-6V-4500mAh-27Whm-5S/S-MH-4/3AF4500.aspx) as well as some copper strips around 2500mm x 5mm x 0.5mm, no need to do anything more complicated than soldering a wire to a piece of copper: https://www.printables.com/model/974484-powerbook-1xx-battery. The battery pack is pricey but great quality and a lot safer than trying to spot weld battery terminals. The laptop itself can charge it and it lasts 4+ hours. That and a BlueSCSI with wifi tethered to your phone make the 1xx series an awesome travel companion.
Totally different product but you can do the same thing with an eMate battery pack without even 3D printing something or trying to pry open a sealed enclosure. |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-09-19 09:56:51
Awesome thank you! 4 hours would be glorious. |
Posted by: rnb on 2026-09-19 10:20:04
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions! I was skeptical but for me at least, it was truly that easy. |
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