Powerbook 190 Series Transfer to PC

Sunnah,

As you have discovered, the PB190 is pretty limited...no built-in Ethernet or modem plus legacy SCSI, serial, and ADB ports. If you are attempting to connect to a Windows PC, then it is even more difficult.

I think the easiest approach is this: Buy an inexpensive PC Card Adapter like this one from SanDisk:
http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Default.aspx?CatID=1139

Buy the necessary flash memory card to transfer the files. You just put the flash card in the PC Card Adapter, then insert the PC Card into the PCMCIA card slot on the left side of the 190 and drag-copy the files to the flash card. The PC will need a built-in flash card reader or a USB card reader. The memory cards come formatted as MS-DOS (Mac-speak for FAT32) and will read/write in the PB190.

Message was edited by: jpl

sunnah,

Yes, PCMCIA is an industry standard, a 16-bit protocol. CardBus replaced PCMCIA with a faster 32-bit protocol, but CardBus is backward-compatible with PCMCIA. The PB190 has the older PCMCIA standard and the flash memory card will work without any additional drivers...it's just plug-and-play.

If the 190 has a hard time mounting the FAT32 formatted memory card, you can use the PB190 to reformat the card again as MS-DOS. Just go up to the menu bar and select 'Erase' and it should give you the option of HFS or MS-DOS. If these options do not appear, restart while pressing the 'shift' key (extensions off), then see if you can successfully erase.

jpl-

That PCMCIA-slot flash card reader only costs US$10, and claims to work in anything with such a slot, so it's not a throw-away! Add a flash card (if you don't already have one) at about US$25 for 256 MB and you are in business! Great solution!

As you are already working with Performa/connecting to PC,you also can use the MPC-10 Ethernet PCMCIA-Ethernet-Card(MacSense) on PB190 to connect to your performa, you can also use older versions of DAVE on PB 190.
Sorry to say the Carlson-document will not help connecting to a PC/XP,2000Pro. Windows 2000 should contain the necessary parts to connect to a Mac-you may search for "Zubin D" for that.
You can connect the PB 190 via LocalTalk(Printer/modem port) to Performa,only a serial cable needed,or PhoneNet adapters,or Apple LocalTalk Adapter.

SunnaH,

You have the more elegant option in hand. However, from the 'For What It Is Worth' standpoint of finding alternatives, Lap Link gives motherboard to motherboard solutions (at 157,000 baud in 1980s) for laptop data transfers.

"I have connected two Macs ... but never a Mac and PC. ...
- believe this (ethernet) is his only option. -
- use the serial port? What model? -
UPDATE: I remember using an adapter that is sometimes called an EtherModem which is modem on one side to ethernet on the other.
"

Comm Port to Comm Port has been available since about 1987 or 1988. I remember driving to Lap Link's home office in the shadows of Microsoft's new Redmond Headquarters and buying one of their MacLink cables the first week it was sold. One plug goes into the printer port of any legacy Mac from the SE on up and the other end plugs into the comm port of any PC.

Even then, port configuration on the Mac side was plug and play. The instructions stated that if there were any communications problems, they would be on Microsoft's side.

Lap Link should still be around - Googling brings up a number of seemingly current products, some of which are 'discontinued by vendor' and one

"Laplink PC To PC Communication Cable" at this site:

http://www.amazon.com/Curtis-PC075-08-Parallel-Laplink-Communication/dp/B00004Z5 IR/ref=sr111/002-5472956-4361654?ie=UTF8

which states: Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973.

I find the date to be highly suspect because neither Amazon nor PCs existed back then! Be that as it may, direct cabling does exist.

Jim