PowerBook 160 USB-C PD Adapter

This adapts 15V, 2.0A USB-C Power Delivery power supplies to the 7.5V, 2.2A barrel jack on the PowerBook 160. I would assume that it works on other PowerBooks, but I haven't tested it. Of course, this can all be adapted to supply different voltages and different connectors - I just happened to build mine for a PowerBook 160.

Bill of Materials

To build it, you'll need:

• USB-C 15V Trigger Board
• Step Down Converter
• 2.1x5.5 mm Pigtail (should use the 6 mm cable variant)
• 10mm M3 screws

Annoyingly, with these links you can't build just one, so consider doing a group buy with some friends or selling the extras. You can optionally purchase a USB-C power meter to see what your adapter is outputting.

Tested USB-C Adapters

Any USB-C adapter that supports 15V or 9V with at least 2A should work. The trigger board will request 15V, and if not available, will step down to the next available voltage. I would recommend confirming the output voltage before connecting to your PowerBook, and then re-resting after connecting the PowerBook to be sure that everything is correct.

• Apple 35W Dual USB-C Adapter, Model A2571
  • Ships with M2 and M3 13" MacBook Air
  • Outputs 15V at 15V, 2.33A
• Apple 30W USB-C Power Adapter, Model A2164
  • Ships with M2 13" MacBook Air
  • Outputs 15V at 2.0A
• Apple 20W Adapter, Model A2935
  • Ships with the 10th generation standard iPad
  • Outputs max 9V, 2.22A
  • Despite not supporting 12V, seems to work great with the PowerBook 160
  • The Step Down Converter seems to maintain an even 7.5V, even though the input voltage is lower
• Ventev Wall Charger 585920
  • Supports 15V at 3.0A
• Anker PowerCore 20100 Nintendo Switch Edition
  • 15V at 2.0A

Assembly and Configuration

1. Solder together the boards
2. Place them in the enclosure
3. Connect a power supply
4. Measure the output voltage, and adjust the potentiometer until the output is approximately 7.5 volts
5. Connect it to your PowerBook, and boot it up
6. Now that the adapter is under a normal load, carefully fine-tune the voltage to 7.5 with 1/16th turns
7. Shut down the PowerBook, remove power, and install the top half of the case

Revision History

v1

• Initial release

v2 (2025-02-06)

• Relaxed tolerances
• Added hold downs for buck converter board
• Added 12 mm x 50 mm label space to one side
• Added 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, and 7 mm power cable variants, so you can print the right one for your specific cable