PowerBook 165
The PowerBook 165 is a greyscale notebook Macintosh introduced on 16 August 1993 and discontinued on 18 July 1994.[1] Apple's developer note describes it as a PowerBook 160 running at 33 MHz.[2] It shares the 160's case, boards and Service Source; in Apple's exploded view only its daughterboard, display bezel and EMI shield have part numbers different from the 160's.[3] Low End Mac gives the code name Dart LC and a launch price of US$1,970.[4]
.jpg) | |
| PowerBook 165 (Miguel Durán, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5) | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Notebook computer |
| Released | 16 August 1993 |
| Discontinued | 18 July 1994 |
| Intro price | US$1,970 |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 at 33 MHz; no FPU |
| Memory | 4 MB pseudostatic RAM; one expansion slot; 14 MB maximum |
| Storage | Internal 1.4 MB floppy drive; 2.5-inch SCSI hard disk |
| Display | 10-inch backlit FSTN LCD, 640 × 400, 16 greys |
| Sound | — |
| ROM | 1 MB |
| Power | 2.5 Ah NiCad main battery; 3 V lithium PRAM battery |
| Dimensions | 2.25 × 11.25 × 9.3 in (5.7 × 28.6 × 23.6 cm) |
| Weight | 6.8 lb (3.1 kg) with battery |
| OS / Firmware | System 7.1 to Mac OS 7.6.1 |
| Predecessor | PowerBook 160 |
| Codename | Dart LC |
The colour PowerBook 165c came first, in February 1993.[5] Apple introduced it with "a distinctive new exterior design", and its display and display power boards are its own; it shares a Service Source with the 180c, not with the 165.[6][7] It is described in its own section below.
PowerBook 165 and 165c compared
edit| Item | PowerBook 165 | PowerBook 165c |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 16 August 1993[1] | 10 February 1993[5] |
| Discontinued | 18 July 1994[1] | 1 December 1993[5] |
| FPU | None | 68882 at 33 MHz[1][7] |
| Display | 10 in FSTN, 640 × 400, 16 greys[3] | 9 in colour FSTN, 640 × 400, 256 colours[7] |
| Display parts | Display 661-0745, inverter 922-0025, display cable 922-0820[3] | Display 661-0752, inverter 922-0374, display cable 922-0373, inverter cable 922-0566[7] |
| Power adapter | 17 W[3] | 24 W[7] |
| Weight | 6.8 lb (3.1 kg)[3] | 7.0 lb (3.18 kg)[7] |
| Gestalt ID | 84[1] | 50[5] |
| Launch price | US$1,970[4] | US$3,400[8] |
PowerBook 165 hardware
editThe 165 differs from the 160 only in its 33 MHz processor. Both use the 16-grey FSTN display 661-0745 with inverter 922-0025 and display cable 922-0820, and the same motherboard, 661-0746.[3] To tell the daughterboards apart, look at the underside: a 165 board (661-1016) has resistor R39 fitted and R38 empty, a 160 board the reverse, and a 180 board has an FPU at U27.[3]
The developer note gives 1 MB of ROM, 4 MB of PSRAM and room for a 10 MB card, 14 MB in all, with cards needing 85 ns or faster RAM.[2][1] The external video port drives 256 colours on Apple monitors up to 16 inches, in either mirror or dual mode.[2] The 165 also supports SCSI disk mode through an HDI-30 SCSI Disk Adapter cable.[2] The developer note lists 40, 80 and 120 MB disks; Apple's specification page gives 80-160 MB.[2][1]
On a 165 with a serial number below FC247xxxxxx or CK247xxxxxx, Apple's cure for a row of pixels that never lights includes replacing the daughterboard along with the display.[3] The rest of the fault-finding and repair is shared with the 160; see the guides listed below.
PowerBook 165c
edit.jpg){kind=spacer}
The 165c was Apple's first colour PowerBook.[8] Apple's developer note gives it a 33 MHz 68030 and 68882, 4 MB of PSRAM expandable to 14 MB, an 8-bit colour FSTN display of 640 × 400 lit by two cold-cathode lamps, 80 and 120 MB disks, a 2.9 Ah NiCad battery, a 3 V lithium backup battery and "a new 24 W" adapter.[6] The colour circuitry is a Western Digital WD90C26 controller and WD90C55 display driver with Apple's Pangola interface ASIC and 512 KB of DRAM, appearing to software as a NuBus video card in slot $C.[6] The Service Source calls the same 512K "video RAM".[7] Low End Mac says Apple used single-ported DRAM there, where the 160 and 180 have VRAM, and that screen redraws were slower as a result.[8]
The 165c's Service Source shares its charts and procedures with the PowerBook 180c. Points that matter for the 165c:[7]
- The NiCad battery gives 1.5-2 hours. Low End Mac puts it at about one hour.[7][8]
- The machine needs the 24 W adapter. If it will not start with the battery removed or flat, check that the adapter is a 24 W unit before anything else.
- The brightness and contrast controls are on the DC/DC converter board, which carries a shield; see PowerBook 180 General Maintenance.
- A thin white line across the middle, rainbow colours at extreme angles, uneven brightness, and a display that stops working below about 5 °C or above 40 °C and then recovers are all normal on the 165c.
- The PowerBook Display control panel dims the backlight but never turns it fully off.[6]
165c display capacitors
editMacDat lists no electrolytic capacitors on the 165c's logic board. The display has seven 10 µF 63 V low-profile radial electrolytics. The inverter board has two 8.2 µF 80 V electrolytics, for which MacDat substitutes 10 µF 80 V, and one polymer capacitor that rarely fails.[9] The board in MacDat's photograph also carries two slide controls and a label for use with display 661-0752. The procedure is on PowerBook 180 Capacitor Replacement Guide.
.jpg)
Capacitors in the 165
editThe 165 uses the same LCD driver board, inverter and trackball capacitors as the 140, 145 and 160, and none on the logic board.[10]
| Board | Value | Qty | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCD driver board | 100 µF 6 V | 1 | Surface-mount electrolytic |
| LCD driver board | 22 µF 35 V | 1 | Surface-mount electrolytic |
| LCD driver board | 3.3 µF 35 V | 9 | Surface-mount electrolytic |
| Backlight inverter | 47 µF 16 V | 1 | Low-profile radial electrolytic |
| Backlight inverter | 33 µF 10 V | 1 | Low-profile radial polymer |
| Trackball | 10 µF 16 V | 1 | Radial electrolytic |
MacDat advises against ceramic replacements on the LCD board, which have caused contrast drift, and recommends tantalum.[10] The full procedure is on PowerBook 140 Capacitor Replacement Guide.
Maintenance and repair
editFor the PowerBook 165:
- PowerBook 160 General Maintenance
- PowerBook 160 Troubleshooting
- PowerBook 140 Capacitor Replacement Guide
- PowerBook 140 Battery Replacement
For the PowerBook 165c:
Documentation
edit- PowerBook 160, 165 and 180 Service Source: the 165
- PowerBook 165c and 180c Service Source: the 165c
- PowerBook 165, 165c and 180c Developer Notes
- PowerBook 160 Documentation: the PowerBook 160 and 180 developer note, which both 165 notes refer back to
Related pages
editReferences
edit- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Apple, "Macintosh PowerBook 165: Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). 68030 at 33 MHz, no FPU; video mini-15; 17 W, 2 A, 100-240 V; battery type PB1XX NiCd; 4 MB on the logic board, 4-14 MB, cards of 2, 4 and 10 MB, 85 ns; 128K static RAM for the LCD and 512K VRAM for external video; internal LCD 640 × 400 at 4 bits; external video up to 832 × 624 at 8 bits; introduced 8/16/1993, discontinued 7/18/1994; Gestalt ID 84; 6.8 lb; 2.25 × 11.25 × 9.3 in; original system 7.1 with System Enabler 131 v1.0.3; Mac OS 7.1 to 7.6.1; internal hard disk 80-160 MB; ROM 1 MB.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Apple Computer, Macintosh PowerBook 165 Developer Note (Developer Press, 1993), hosted here as File:PowerBook 165 Developer Note (1993).pdf (see PowerBook 165, 165c and 180c Developer Notes). PDF page numbers: features p. 12; compatibility and Gestalt value p. 13; RAM card design guide pp. 14-15.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Apple Computer, PowerBook 160/165/180 Series Service Source, hosted here as File:PowerBook 160, 165 and 180 Service Source.pdf (see PowerBook 160, 165 and 180 Service Source). PDF page numbers: display compatibility matrix p. 4; processor p. 6; memory p. 8; sound and video p. 13; electrical p. 14; video symptom charts pp. 28-37; daughterboard identification pp. 84-86; exploded view p. 169.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Low End Mac, "PowerBook 165" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Code name Dart LC; introduced 1993.08.16 at US$1,970, discontinued 1994.07.18; 9.8-inch 4-bit 640 × 400 passive-matrix display; 80 or 160 MB hard drive; power supply M5651, 19 W, 2 A. Secondary source.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Apple, "Macintosh PowerBook 165c: Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). 68030 at 33 MHz with 68882 FPU; 24 W, 3.2 A; battery type PB1XX NiCd; 4-14 MB, 85 ns; internal LCD 640 × 400 at 8 bits; introduced 2/10/1993, discontinued 12/1/1993; Gestalt ID 50; 7 lb; 2.29 × 11.25 × 9.3 in; original system 7.1 with System Enabler 121; Mac OS 7.1 to 7.6.1; internal hard disk 80-120 MB.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Apple Computer, Macintosh PowerBook 165c Developer Note, hosted here as File:PowerBook 165c Developer Note.pdf (see PowerBook 165, 165c and 180c Developer Notes). PDF page numbers: introduction and features pp. 12-13; block diagram p. 14; compatibility p. 15; colour LCD interface pp. 18-19; LCD screen p. 20; control panel changes p. 24.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Apple Computer, PowerBook 165c/180c Service Source, hosted here as File:PowerBook 165c and 180c Service Source.pdf (see PowerBook 165c and 180c Service Source). PDF page numbers: display compatibility matrix p. 4; configurations p. 7; processor p. 8; memory pp. 9-10; sound and video p. 15; electrical p. 16; physical p. 17; power and video symptom charts pp. 27-39; DC/DC converter pp. 70-74.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Low End Mac, "PowerBook 165c" (retrieved 2026-10-02). First colour screen in the PowerBook line and, by Low End Mac's account, the first notebook from any maker with 256 colours on its internal display; battery life about one hour; single-ported DRAM for video in place of the VRAM of the 160 and 180, slowing redraws; code name Monet; introduced 1993.02.10 at US$3,400, discontinued 1993.12.01; 8.9-inch 8-bit 640 × 400 passive-matrix display; power supply M5652, 24 W. Secondary source.
- ↑ MacDat Capacitor Reference Library, "Capacitor Reference - PowerBook 165c" (retrieved 2026-10-02). No electrolytics on the logic board; LCD seven 10 µF 63 V low-profile radial electrolytic; LCD inverter board two 8.2 µF 80 V low-profile radial electrolytic (10 µF 80 V works) and one polymer of unknown value; trackball one 10 µF 16 V. Secondary source.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 MacDat Capacitor Reference Library, "Capacitor Reference - PowerBook 165" (retrieved 2026-10-02). No electrolytics on the logic board; LCD one 100 µF 6 V, one 22 µF 35 V and nine 3.3 µF 35 V surface-mount electrolytics; ceramic replacements have caused contrast drift, so tantalum is recommended; inverter one 47 µF 16 V electrolytic and one 33 µF 10 V polymer that rarely fails; trackball one 10 µF 16 V. Secondary source.