Connect PB 1400 CS To Airport?

[RogueCrew]

Some kind lady gave me a (10-year old?) 1400CS Powerbook with OS 8.something on it and not much more, so I want to install OS 9 (still have the discs) and some of my kids favortie apps on it for them to be more familiar with Macs.

I also happen to have a spare Airport Base Station laying around (don't ask) and I would like to hardwire the 1400 to that, so they can access the Internet on our home wireless network.

The 1400 has the following ports:
1 ADB
1 Serial
1 SCSI (HDI-30)
1 Unfrared (??)
and some audio I/O, but no Ethernet, USB or FireWire. Is it possible some adapter would allow me to make this hookup?

~Old Rogue

[Steve_J]

I have a 1400 PowerBook that I use in a wireless network, so, yes it is possible. The best way to adapt the 1400 to anything is to use  PCMCIA cards. I have not looked for PCMCIA cards which adapt to USB or FireWire. I doubt that there is such a thing as the PC card port must be 16 bit and most likely USB and FW would require 32 bit also known as CardBus. However, I may be wrong. If it is possible to connect the Airport Base Station via an ethernet connection, and I don't know this I'm sure that some other TSer does, there are a number of cards which can give you an ethernet connection and this might be what you need. Failing that, you can do as I have done and get a wireless PCMCIA card.

You also will want to install OS 9.1 or 9.2, a processor upgrade and max out the RAM. There are a number of websites which will give you information on how to do this. LowEnd Mac being one of them.

Good luck

[krissel]

to TS, RogueCrew!

Here's a bunch of places to find info for your 1400. Have fun with it and come back and tell us how it's going.

http://www.penmachine.com/techie/airport1400.html

http://www.grumperfish.com/1400/

http://homepage.mac.com/techedgeezine/2004...00-upgrade1.htm

http://www.lowendmac.com/pb2/1400.shtml

[RogueCrew]

Hey, thanks.  Not five minutes ago, I was looking through the case that the 1400 came in and found a US Robotics "Cruise Card," V.34 PC Card Modem with XJACK Connector.  Does that help my cause?

[Paddy]

That card sounds like a modem card (an old, slow modem card if it's v.34!) - you need an ethernet card. Something like this:
http://www.welovemacs.com/nics-pcmcia.html

Clearly, eBay is a much better deal:

D-Link ethernet card

There are lots more ads for similar cards - you simply need to figure out which ones are Mac compatible if it isn't stated in the ad. I think you're best to look for a wired model - I don't know if any current wireless card would work with a 10-year old laptop running a 7-year old operating system!

[RogueCrew]

Thanks.  I just bid on the D-Link card at eBay.  I'll know if i got it in about 35 minutes!

[Parker]

QUOTE

Unfrared??

infrared

[RogueCrew]

Part Deux

OK - I bid, won, paid for and received a D-Link Fast Ethernet card from a guy in California (I'm in NJ), and it all went down in 48 hours!  That's gotta be some kind of record, given that it was only $4.99.

Now I need to erase the disk and install OS 9 and the D-Link software from CDs, but the 1400 does not have a CD-ROM drive, nor FireWire.  How am I going to do this?  Some kind of network?  Everythink else is on floppies or I will download and install, but I need some help on the basic setup.

One of you guys is going to tell me that I need to go back to eBay and get a FireWire PC card, right?

[krissel]

You really need access to a CD-Rom drive. Check out the link I posted above to read about how you might fix the laser on the drive or if you don't have one at all where to find one or alternative.

http://homepage.mac.com/techedgeezine/2004...00-upgrade1.htm

If you could find someone with an external SCSI CD-ROM drive you could boot to the CD on that for install.

As to network install, I've never heard of an early OS being installed that way, though maybe with Apple Remote Desktop. If you can find someone with a X or X server install you could probably do it.

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.a...qNum=1&rl=1

About installing 9:

http://www.themacintoshguy.com/mactips/archive/tip41.shtml

[Steve_J]

QUOTE(RogueCrew @ Oct 23 2006, 11:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Part Deux

OK - I bid, won, paid for and received a D-Link Fast Ethernet card from a guy in California (I'm in NJ), and it all went down in 48 hours!  That's gotta be some kind of record, given that it was only $4.99.

Now I need to erase the disk and install OS 9 and the D-Link software from CDs, but the 1400 does not have a CD-ROM drive, nor FireWire.  How am I going to do this?  Some kind of network?  Everythink else is on floppies or I will download and install, but I need some help on the basic setup.

One of you guys is going to tell me that I need to go back to eBay and get a FireWire PC card, right?

I doubt you'll find a FireWire PC card that will interface with the 16 bit bus of the 1400. You're best bet is to borrow a SCSI CDROM drive from a friend. What do you have in the Expansion Bay? Mine came with a Floppy drive in it, but I purchased a CDROM drive for it on eBay. That's another option.

[Parker]

Steve...
you read my mind!

SCSI CD-Rom drive you'll need
it may be slow
but it'll do the job

OR
take the hard disk out and put it in another machine with a cd drive that you can use to install Mac OS X 9