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PowerBook Buyer's Guide
PowerBook 540
by Steve Hildreth
The 540 is the grayscale equivalent of the 540c. The screen was the first to display 64 grays instead of the standard 16 grays. The 540 also shipped with a 240 MB hard drive as opposed to the 540c's 320 MB. Otherwise the models are identical. Users generally paid between $800-1000 for the upgrade from grayscale to color and gained only 0.2 pounds. The active-matrix screen is bright & sharp and nice for working with text documents, and it consumes less juice from the batteries. However, unless price is a strong consideration, many people will probably opt for the color screen when looking for a 540 on the used market.
Rating:
At the time: A-
Ports:
1 serial
ADB
audio out
audio in
video out
Ethernet
internal modem
1 PDS slot
HDI-30 SCSI
Display:
Active-matrix 64 grays
9.5"
640x480 resolution
Weight: 7.1 pounds
Apple's Specifications:
| Logic Board |
Ports |
Power |
| Processor: |
68LC040, 66 MHz |
| PMMU: |
integrated |
| FPU: |
none |
| Data Path: |
32-bit, 33 MHz |
| L1 Cache: |
8K |
| L2 Cache: |
none |
| 2nd Processor: |
none |
| Slots: |
modem |
|
| ADB: |
1 |
| Video: |
mini-15 |
| Floppy: |
none |
| SCSI: |
HDI-30 |
| Geoports: |
none |
| Ethernet: |
AAUI-15 |
| FireWire: |
|
| Mic Type: |
Line in |
| Other Ports: |
Printer, Speaker,
|
|
| Max Watts: |
40 |
| Amps: |
1.0/1.5 |
| BTU per Hr: |
136.8 |
| Voltage: |
100-240 |
| Freq Range: |
50-60 Hz |
| Battery Type: |
PB500, NiMH |
| Soft Power: |
yes |
|
| Memory |
Video Memory |
| Logic Board: |
4 MB |
| RAM Slots: |
1, PB5xx |
| Min - Max RAM: |
4 MB - 36 MB |
| Min RAM Speed: |
70 ns |
| RAM Sizes: |
4, 8, 12, 20, 32 MB |
| Install in Groups of: |
1 |
|
| Resolution |
Video Memory
built-in LCD screen
(built in) |
Video Memory
512K VRAM (ext. only)
(built in) |
| 512 x 384 |
n/a-bit |
8-bit |
| 640 x 400 |
n/a-bit |
n/a-bit |
| 640 x 480 |
8-bit |
8-bit |
| 800 x 600 |
n/a-bit |
8-bit |
| 832 x 624 |
n/a-bit |
8-bit |
| 1024 x 768 |
n/a-bit |
n/a-bit |
| 1152 x 870 |
n/a-bit |
n/a-bit |
| 1280 x 1024 |
n/a-bit |
n/a-bit |
|
| Physical |
Software |
Storage |
| Introduced: |
5/16/1994 |
| Discontinued: |
10/17/1994 |
| Form Factor: |
PowerBook 520 |
| Gestalt ID: |
72 |
| Weight (lbs): |
7.1 |
| Dimensions (in): |
2.3 H x 11.5 W x 9.7 D |
|
|
|
| Addressing Modes: |
32-bit |
| Orig SSW: |
7.1.1 |
| Orig Enabler: |
PowerBook 500 Series Enabler |
| ROM ID: |
n/a |
| ROM Ver: |
n/a |
| ROM Size: |
2MB |
| AppleTalk Ver: |
57.0.4 |
Mac OS
Supported: |
7.1.1
7.5
7.5.1
7.5.3
7.5.5
7.6
7.6.1
8.0 |
|
| Floppy Size: |
1.44MB |
| Floppy Inject: |
manual |
| Min. Int HD Size: |
240MB |
| Int HD Interface: |
SCSI |
| Orig CD Speed |
n/a |
| Int CD Support: |
|
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