PowerBook 550c
The PowerBook 550c is the last model of Apple's PowerBook 500 series, sold only in Japan from 30 May 1995.[1] Compared with the PowerBook 540c it has a full 68040 processor with the floating-point unit, a larger 10.4-inch colour screen, a 750 MB hard disk, a Japanese keyboard and black plastics.[2][3] Apple's service manual says it was available only in Japan, and that customers outside Japan had to take it to an Apple Authorized Service Provider in Japan, at their own expense, for warranty service.[2] Wikipedia adds that it never received FCC certification.[3]
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| PowerBook 550c, fitted with a PowerPC 603e upgrade card (osaMu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0) | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Notebook computer |
| Released | 30 May 1995 (Japan only) |
| CPU | Motorola 68040 at 66/33 MHz, with FPU, on a plug-in daughterboard |
| Memory | 4 MB on the daughterboard; one RAM card slot; 36 MB maximum |
| Storage | 1.4 MB SuperDrive; 750 MB 2.5-inch SCSI hard disk |
| Display | 10.4-inch colour active-matrix LCD, 640 × 480 at 256 colours or 640 × 400 at thousands of colours |
| Sound | — |
| ROM | 2 MB |
| Power | Two NiMH intelligent batteries; 40 W power adapter |
| Dimensions | 2.25 × 11.5 × 9.65 in (5.7 × 29.2 × 24.5 cm) |
| Weight | 7.3 lb (3.3 kg) (Service Source); 6.8 lb (specification page) |
| OS / Firmware | J-7.5 to Mac OS 8.0 |
| Codename | Blackbird |
The rest of the machine is the 500-series design: a trackpad, two battery bays, built-in Ethernet, stereo sound, and a processor daughterboard that Apple's PowerPC upgrade card replaces. Apple's 550c Service Source says it uses the same cables as the 520 and 540.[2] Maintenance, fault-finding and recapping follow the 500-series guides; the differences are below.
Specifications
| Item | PowerBook 550c |
|---|---|
| Processor | Motorola 68040, 66 MHz internal, 33 MHz bus, on the daughterboard |
| RAM | 4 MB on the daughterboard; 12 MB with Apple's 8 MB RAM card; 36 MB with a third-party card |
| ROM, PRAM, VRAM | 2 MB ROM; 256 bytes of PRAM; 512K static video RAM |
| Display | 10.4-inch backlit colour active-matrix; 640 × 400 at thousands of colours, 640 × 480 at 256 colours |
| Storage | Internal 15 mm 1.4 MB SuperDrive; 2.5-inch 750 MB hard disk |
| Ports | HDI-30 SCSI; ADB (200 mA total); RS-422 serial (mini DIN-8); stereo sound in and out; Micro DV-14 video out, 8-bit; Ethernet (AAUI); 90-pin processor-direct slot for the PCMCIA module; modem slot; security slot |
| Input | Keyboard with 12 function keys, 76 keys (77 ISO); trackpad |
| Batteries | Two NiMH intelligent batteries, up to 3.5 hours each |
| Power adapter | 110-240 V AC, 40 W; outputs 16.4-16.6 V on its VBATT and VMAIN pins |
| Size | 2.25 × 11.5 × 9.65 in (5.7 × 29.2 × 24.5 cm) |
| Weight | 7.3 lb (3.3 kg) |
Apple's specification page gives 6.8 lb, 12 MB as the minimum memory, and the original system as J-7.5. It also lists the FPU as "none" and the video port as mini-15; the Service Source gives 7.3 lb and a Micro DV-14 video port.[1][2] Low End Mac lists 8 MB of RAM as standard and the M1893 or M1910 adapter.[4]
Differences from the 520 and 540
- Processor: a full 68040 with its FPU, where the other 500-series models use the 68LC040.[4][3]
- Display: a 10.4-inch Sharp LQ10D32A panel.[2][5] The inverter board is also different: MacDat reports it is the same board as in the PowerBook 5300 and 190.[5]
- Keyboard and case: Japanese keyboard (service part J661-1001) and black plastics.[2][3]
- Service parts: Apple lists a daughterboard (661-0982), display (661-0983), inverter (922-1445) and RAM card (J661-0205, Japan only, or 661-0058) for the 550c.[2]
Capacitors
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MacDat's list for the 550c, compiled from AEChadwick's machine, is short:[5]
| Board | Capacitance | Voltage | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logic board | 100 µF | 25 V | 1 |
| Display (Sharp LQ10D32A) | 100 µF | 16 V | 1 |
| 33 µF | 10 V | 1 | |
| 22 µF | 16 V | 1 | |
| 10 µF | 25 V | 1 | |
| Inverter board | 10 µF | 50 V | 1 |
| 2.2 µF | 50 V | 1 |
The single logic board capacitor is the same part as on the other 500-series boards. The procedure, and the M1893 power adapter's list, are on PowerBook 540 Capacitor Replacement Guide.
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Service notes
From Apple's 550c Service Source:[2]
- Reset the power manager by removing the adapter and battery for 3 to 5 minutes, then holding Control, Command, Option and Power On together for 5 to 10 seconds (PDF p. 168).
- A charged battery reads about 10.8 V and a flat one 7.8 V; a pack left out of the machine for a long time may read 5.0 V (pp. 169-170).
- The backup battery is rechargeable: leave the machine on the adapter for 48 hours to charge it (pp. 171-172).
- The adapter should give 16.4 to 16.6 V on pins 1 and 2 against the connector shell (p. 173).
- If the machine will not power up with a good adapter and battery, check that the adapter tip is not chipped or cracked, then replace the fuse on the motherboard (part 922-1116) before the motherboard itself (pp. 33, 100-101).
- When refitting the CPU stiffener, both EMI clips must fold over the clutch pegs; the right clip can short the motherboard if it folds back onto the power connector pins (p. 110).
- Remove the daughterboard with an IC extractor widened to grip the notches at its ends, never by levering it up with a screwdriver (pp. 92-94).
- The floppy drive and interconnect-to-logic-board cable connectors are not keyed and can be refitted upside down; note their orientation first (pp. 82-89, 102-103).
- A click when the lid is closed is cured by refitting the centre base cover with the screw nearest the SCSI port first (p. 56).
General care, batteries and fault-finding are on PowerBook 540 General Maintenance and PowerBook 540 Troubleshooting.
Documentation
- PowerBook 550c Service Source: Apple's service manual for the 550c.
- PowerBook 500 Series Service Source and PowerBook 520 and 540 Developer Note: the rest of the series.
Related pages
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Apple, "Macintosh PowerBook 550c: Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). 68040 at 66 MHz, 33 MHz bus, 8K cache, FPU field reads "none"; ADB, mini-15 video, HDI-30 SCSI, AAUI-15 Ethernet, printer and speaker ports; 40 W, 1.015 A; battery PB500 NiMH; 4 MB on board, one PB5xx RAM slot, 12-36 MB; 512K VRAM for external video only; introduced 5/30/1995; Gestalt ID 72; 6.8 lb; 2.3 × 11.5 × 9.7 in; "This system is not sold in the U.S."; original system J-7.5 with the PowerBook 550c Enabler; Mac OS 7.5 to 8.0; ROM 2 MB; 1.44 MB floppy; 750 MB SCSI hard disk.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Apple Computer, Macintosh PowerBook 550c Service Source, hosted here as File:PowerBook 550c Service Source.pdf (see PowerBook 550c Service Source). PDF page numbers: general information p. 3; service strategy p. 4; cable matrix p. 8; PCMCIA module pp. 9-10; battery information pp. 11-13; specifications pp. 16-26; symptom charts pp. 29-56; fuse pp. 100-101; CPU stiffener pp. 106-110; motherboard pp. 113-116; additional procedures pp. 168-173; exploded view p. 175.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wikipedia, "PowerBook 500 series" (revision 1376591653, retrieved 2026-10-02). The 550c of 1995: 10.4-inch display, 68040 with FPU, bigger hard drive, Japanese keyboard and black case; sold only in Japan and never FCC certified; the only all-black production model; combined Latin/Kana keyboard. Used for history only.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Low End Mac, "PowerBook 550c" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Blackbird code name; sold only in Japan; 68040 rather than 68LC040, 750 MB hard drive and a larger screen; introduced 1995.05.30; 8 MB RAM, expandable to 36 MB; 512 KB VRAM; 10.4-inch 640 × 480 8-bit active matrix; 6.8 lb; power supply M1893 or M1910. Secondary source.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 MacDat, "PowerBook 550c Capacitor Reference" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Logic board: one 100 µF 25 V surface-mount electrolytic; Sharp LQ10D32A LCD: one 100 µF 16 V, one 33 µF 10 V, one 22 µF 16 V, one 10 µF 25 V; inverter board, identical to the PowerBook 190/5300 inverter: one 10 µF 50 V and one 2.2 µF 50 V. Images and information from AEChadwick (68kMLA). Secondary source.