PowerBook 150
3946E
Entry ID #: 2152
Created: Mon, Jan 11, 2016 4:30 PM
As a group, we decided to take apart a Macintosh PowerBook 150 because not only was it interesting, but it shows the evolution of technology. The most surprising thing we discovered when taking apart the PowerBook was the lack of specifications existed for the computer. The Powerbook had only 4 MB of Memory. The next surprising thing about the computer was the hard drive. The computer had the still standard 2.5” drive, yet the amount of storage was only 120 MB. To put that into perspective, the iPhone 6s has over 1000X more storage. With only 120 MB, you could only store about 15 modern day songs. The PowerBook’s display contains only 307,200 pixels, while the MacBook Pro Retina has over 4 million pixels. The way that technology has evolved in the past 20 years shows how advanced we have become, and foreshadows what the future will have for us. Research: VLSI Super I/O Chip This controls the input devices. 4 NEC Memory Chips 4 MB, expandable to 40 MB. RAM is used by the computer to store information that will need to be quickly accessed. Quantum Daytona Hard Drive Hard Drive 2.5 in., 120 MB IDE hard drive. The hard drive is used for long term storage of information that uses a magnetic reader to interpret the information. Processer CPU Motorola 68030 processor running at 33 MHz. The processor is so heavily used, it has the only dedicated heatsink in the whole computer. Specifications: Processor CPU: Motorola MC68030 CPU Speed: 33 MHz FPU: none Bus Speed: 33 MHz Memory ROM: 1 MB Minimum RAM Speed: 70 ns Onboard RAM: 4 MB RAM slots: 1 Maximum RAM: 36 MB Storage Hard Drive: 240-500 MB ATA Bus: IDE Floppy Drive: 1.4 MB SuperDrive
