PowerBook 190

The PowerBook 190 was Apple’s last model based on a Motorola 68040 CPU. The base model has a 640 x 480 4-bit passive matrix grayscale display; the 190cs has an 8-bit color display.

PowerBook 190Apple eliminated the internal modem bay and the ethernet port found in the PowerBook 500 series that preceded the 190, forcing buyers to acquire these items separately. Because the PC Card uses a 16-bit bus, ethernet performance is roughly 25% slower than on the PowerBook 540.

Because the 190 and 5300 share the same case any many other enclosures, it is possible to upgrade your 190 with 5300 components by swapping in the video card (which adds support for an external monitor) and/or an active matrix screen. You can also install the infrared circuitry if you have a reason to. (Thanks to Jonathan Fletcher for sending in this tip!)

Details

  • introduced 1995.08.28 at $1,650; discontinued 1996.06.15
  • requires System 7.1.1 or later; highest version supported without a PPC upgrade is Mac OS 8.1.
  • CPU: 33 MHz 68LC040
  • FPU: none
  • ROM: 2 MB
  • RAM: 8 MB, expandable to 40 MB
  • display: 9.5″ 640 x 480 84 ppi grayscale passive matrix
  • 500 MB IDE hard drive standard
  • expansion bay: same as PowerBook 5300
  • ADB ports: 1 port for keyboard and mouse
  • serial ports: 1 DIN-8 RS-422 port on back of computer
  • PC Card slots: 2
  • SCSI ports: HDI30 connector on back of computer
  • infrared: only supports Apple’s IRtalk
  • Gestalt ID: 122
  • Size (HxWxD): 2.0″ x 11.5″ x 8.5″
  • Weight: 6.0 pounds
  • power supply: M3747 or M3037

CPU Upgrades

  • Apple made a 100 MHz PowerPC 603e PowerBook Logic Board Upgrade Kit (M3881LL/A) for the PB 190, which effectively makes it a PowerBook 5300. This upgrade appears to be extremely rare.

Online Resources

Cautions

  • From Apple Knoweldge Base Archive Article 19358: There is a known issue with the password security feature on the PowerBook 5300 and 190 series computers. This issue is resolved by installing the System 7.5 Update 2.0 which includes the Password Security 1.0.3 control panel.
  • The 100-series and 500-series PowerBooks do not provide SCSI termination power, depending on external SCSI devices to provide it. For more details, see SCSI Termination Power.

Keywords: #powerbook190 #pb190

Short link: http://goo.gl/AiiDe7

searchword: pb190, powerbook190