Macally (PSAC4) AC Adapter for iBook and PowerBook

I spent a few months trying to milk everything I could out of a used Apple charger for my used Powerbook Titanium, being forced to bend the wire a certain way and push the plug in the outlet another to make a connection.

What a tool I was.

I ordered a few of these Macally AC Adapters for other Powerbooks I bought, fixed and sold online, forgetting that I also bought one for myself. After I discovered my little gift when the Apple charger became too finicky for my taste, I opened 'er up and plugged the new charger in.

Please note, Macally markets this adapter for iBooks and powerbooks. While it plays just fine with my Titanium, I've read that it will NOT work well with the Aluminum series. This is because it charges at 45-48 watts [which they don't tell you explicitly]. Apple's original charger for the Titanium machines worked at 40 watts, although they eventually eschewed that for the Aluminum's faster 60 watt charger.

That being said, it works just fine with my machine. It does heat up a little bit and there is no green/orange light to indicate if it's charging, but a small blue light shows it's plugged in and it does power up the battery. This device is also slightly bulkier than Apple's adapter, although the circuitry is in the middle of the wiring now as opposed to leaning on the plug.

While there are only some modest differences between the actual construction of these adapters, the deal breaker against Apple was the cost. Apple charges $80 for each of their chargers, while the Macally typically runs for less than half of that.