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Hi, just inherited a 1984 mac and am trying to see if it will boot up. I can hear it, but screen is dark. The 4.5 V alkaline battery is missing, so am trying to find another that will work. Everready no longer makes them sad to say, so am hoping someone in the community can point me in right direction.
Also, does anyone know where to find the system 1.1 floppy disk? Earliest I have on floppy is system 7 and I know that won't work. Thanks!
Hi,
First of all, I do not have an original 1984 Macintosh (128K) but a similar (1986-) Macintosh Plus (also with an external battery bay) usually starts up OK even without a battery. Are you possibly thinking about a line filter capacitor (Rifa?)?
You may want to check some of the web sites (such as 68kmla.org) focused on old Macintosh hardware.
Please note that all work inside a compact Mac is very dangerous because of the high voltages involved, and must be performed by qualified personnel only. Dangerous charges can remain in some components with the computer turned off and disconnected from the mains.
Actually for this model mac it was an Everready (says so on the inside of the battery port door) 523. I found a replacement for the 523 under the manufacturer Excell, on Amazon.
However, before I buy the battery, need to figure out why the monitor screen remains black when I power it up. Tried the control dial under the left side of the monitor, but no joy. Really not wanting to crack the case if I don't have to.
Does anyone know if Apple still provides the OS, which I believe is 1.1 on floppies that I could purchase?
My mistake — you did indicate 1984 and not 1994. Later models used the less expensive Rayovac that connected to the motherboard with a plug-in connector. A black screen on some of the newer models was caused by a dead PRAM battery, so if you don't mind spending the money on one to troubleshoot, that's what I'd do first. Have you checked ebay for a set of the floppies?
Hi, no problem. This battery goes in a special bay on back of the mac, not inside. I've been watching some videos and there is a reference to a "refi" (probably not spelled correctly) battery on the motherboard that "blows up" and needs to be replaced. Of course, who knows where to find this! Have not checked eBay yet, although I did see someone there had the carry case (which I also have) for $300!!! I'll continue looking as really would like to get it up and running. Have MS Word on one floppy and be nice if it would work in this mac! Thanks and send any more ideas my way.
Hi, to answer both comments, I tried the brightness control and that did nothing.
However, I do now think it is the RIFA capacitor. Have been watching some on line videos and this was a suggestion. Not sure where I can get a new one, however. Any ideas?
I do still need the external battery, but believe I've found one of those too, by Excell. It is a replacement for the Everready #523 that originally came with this mac.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
Lisa
If there is a problem in line/mains filter circuits, it is extremely important to use the correct capacitor types for safety reasons. This is not a subject that can be discussed here. I strongly recommend that you contact a qualified technician in this case.
The 4.5-v alkaline battery was a Rayovac 870 and can be found here. As a substitute, you can connect (3) 1.5-volt AA batteries in series, producing 4.5-v output.
>I can hear it, but screen is dark.
Also, would it be correct to assume that the external brightness control knob has been properly adjusted?
Battery for 1984 Mac needed
