Power Mac 8600/250 - Keyboard and mouse?

Question

Power Mac 8600/250 - Keyboard and mouse?

I recently got given (yes - given!) this Power Macintosh 8600/250 with the keyboard, mouse and monitor as well.

Monitor and computer work absolutely fine but the keyboard and mouse do not! At all.

I'm personally inexperienced with Mac, favoring Windows generally but I own other Apple products such as the iPod Shuffle and I've always been interested in owning a Mac of some form to broaden my understanding of operating systems.

I'm well aware that this particular computer makes use of the ADB connection rather than a USB or PS/2 connection, but I'm unaware of anything I may have to do once the keyboard and mouse are actually connected that may activate them?

I honestly don't know it seems kinda crazy to suggest that they may need 'turning on' seperately but see I'm clueless as it had no manuals or anything with it!

But both keyboard and mouse are not functional at all.

Does anybody suspect what I do, that I may have to purchase a new keyboard and mouse?

Because let's be honest it's completely useless without these. Like I say it all starts up fine but it's totally useless with no working input devices!!

Helps?

Luke.

Power Macintosh 8600/250, Mac OS 9.0.x

Posted on Nov 6, 2007 1:19 PM

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Answer 1

Jan Hedlund

Level 7

24,331 points

Nov 6, 2007 1:56 PM in response to Luke Megginson

Luke,

Normally, with properly connected cables, the keyboard and the mouse should be immediately active. Have you tried connecting only the mouse (or only the keyboard)? Please note that the ADB port is sensitive, so do not plug/unplug anything until the computer has been switched off.

A weak internal battery has been said to affect some soft power-on circuits; I do not know whether it would be of any importance here, though.

If you so wish, a manual can be found here.

Jan

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Answer 2

Nov 6, 2007 7:02 PM in response to Luke Megginson

If you heard the initial chime and are seeing a display with a blinking question mark, your Mac has passed its internal diagnostics and booting is likely, but it cannot find an appropriate source of software. The Parameter RAM backup battery is the likely culprit, especially if it has been off wall power for a while.

(The keyboard and mouse will not do much at the blinking question mark screen. They may be working fine.)

If this is your situation, to make progress, reset the PRAM:

2238- Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM

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Answer 3

Nov 7, 2007 7:57 AM in response to Luke Megginson

Luke,

Welcome to the discussions.

Jan mentioned plugging in just the mouse. Do that first. A loose connection at the keyboard will disable both.

The ADB mouse on the Mac II in 1987 became the model for the PS/2 mouse that has power. Windows warns people to shut down before connecting a PS/2 mouse but a serial mouse can be connected at any time. So, the ADB mouse can cause a voltage spike while the computer is on so only connect ADB devices with CPU power off to avoid damaging the port. Hopefully your port has not been damaged.

Just a little Mac background. When Windows 95 came out some of us had a 10 year head start. 95 was a Mac knockoff so when you learn more about the Mac, just think 95 and simple. the main difference will be the name differences. Alias vs shortcut, trash vs recycle bin, control panel vs control panel, system folder vs system folder. See a trend?

The one thing to keep in mind with devices is that if you put a disk or disc into a Mac, it is smart enough to figure out that you actually want to look at the files! On a PC, you have to tell it to mount on the desktop. Because the Mac auto loads the files, the eject button on the disk/disc/zip drive is disabled.

Finally, "soft power" means that a key on older Mac keyboards acts as the on and off button. You can use the power switch on the computer to turn it on but the upper right hand key is more convenient. Test the ADB port for damage by only using the mouse. There is less to go wrong with a mouse than a keyboard.

Enjoy your mac,

Ji˜m

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Answer 4

Nov 7, 2007 11:09 AM in response to Appaloosa mac man

Hey guys thanks for all the advice!!

Turns out I was having a complete blonde moment when I got the whole thing and I have now realised that there is a specific port for the keyboard and a designated ADB port underneath it for the mouse which makes a lot of sense as it now works fully!

Upon searching through the Applications I found it already had Office for Mac with Word/Powerpoint/Excel 98 on it! What a bonus?!

So now I can rest knowing my Mac is alive and well, I just need to find an appropriate place in my room to set it up and leave it.

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Answer 5

Nov 7, 2007 4:37 PM in response to Luke Megginson

Try to resist turning off its power strip at night. Most desktop Macs have a tiny "always-on" power supply that maintains the parameters when power is available. Otherwise, backup battery life will be much shorter, and you may soon be facing startup problems such as bad date/time, no screen, or can't find the system.

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