Mac Lab Report
PowerKey Programmable Power Manager
- 2002.05.23
Where else on the Web but Low End Mac would you find a review of a product that was developed in 1990? Following my recent articles on new uses for the SE/30 (Putting Your Old 68K Macs Back to Work and 21 More Uses for a 68K Mac), Sophisticated Circuits sent me some products for review - products still offered for older ADB Macs.
This week I've hooked up and tested PowerKey, an intelligent and programmable power strip for ADB Macs.
PowerKey looks like a vintage beige peripheral for pre-iMac
computers. It has one ADB port which connects
through a Y-adapter to the ADB port of your computer and your
keyboard. Four 3-prong outlets are provided in the brick-sized device.
Thus, you could hook up your CPU, monitor, printer, and one other
peripheral. The cable leading to the wall outlet is thick and heavy; it
makes you feel like it can handle the current requirements of four
hefty peripherals.
Essentially, what the device offers out of the box prior to installing the software is the ability to turn on all of these devices at once simply by pressing the power key on your ADB keyboard.
The device has remained unchanged since its initial design, primarily because it's simple and works well. The manual brings back memories of the old days, when you actually got paper documentation on every feature of a new device, including clear screen shots, menu item descriptions, and so on. The manual does not acknowledge the existence of USB Macs (it says it works on "any desktop Mac with System 7 or higher and an ADB port").
Please note that the original Macintosh and the Mac Plus lack ADB ports and will not work with PowerKey. Also, I found no reference within the manual regarding the power capacity of the device. Like any other power strip, you could plug too many things into it or do something silly like try to plug a power strip into each Power Key outlet and try to boot an entire lab off of it. (Bad idea.) Exactly how much stuff you can plug in is not well documented.
Aside from these points, I really could not find much to complain about with the product or its documentation.
Sophisticated Circuits has a simple and easy-to-navigate Web site, and you will quickly discover that there are equivalent, even more sophisticated products available for USB Macs.
I tested my review device on a Power Mac G3/233 MT with an Apple Extended Keyboard II (the noisy one with good tactile response). The machine and peripherals started up without even installing the software. The setup included a monitor and an external SCSI hard drive on the other power ports. Now, as everyone knows, it's best to start up SCSI peripherals before starting up your computer. I thought that might be a problem, but it didn't cause any problems that I could detect.
PowerKey is also a fairly sophisticated programmable startup device. On machines without EnergyStar compliance, this is a nice feature. You can set the system to start itself, shut itself down, and even shut down the CPU power before the peripheral power. Other programmable events include being able to launch applications, trigger AppleEvents, restart the computer, and more.
In practice, I probably wouldn't plug a networkable printer into the device; you wouldn't want to have to turn on your PowerKey computer just to be able to print from other computers on the network.
Another nice feature, partially implemented in a more advanced product called PowerKey Pro, is the ability to independently control each plug to some degree. With PowerKey Classic, they're either all on or all off. With Pro, there's one plug that's always on, another programmable plug, and a group of others that all go together.
Since many of our older computers are on standalone duty or single purpose functions, PowerKey provides a way for you to cycle power, run scripts, and make your setup a little more independent than it would otherwise be. I had no difficulty setting up or using the included software.
PowerKey Classic is listed on the specials and closeouts list at Sophisticated Circuits; it is currently on sale for $35. This is a great price if you're in the market for this type of product.
There is also a fascinating list of other devices for both old and
new Macs that you should keep handy for last minute birthday requests.
Jeff Adkins is a science teacher who isn't afraid to state his preferences in computing platforms. In his classroom he has everything from a beige All-in-One to a a G4 XServe, and they all work together nicely. He calls himself the "poster child for technology integration" in the classroom. He was the 2006 Outstanding Educator of the Year for the California Computer Using Educators (CUE) organization. He also maintains a site for astronomy teachers at www.AstronomyTeacher.com.
Recent Mac Lab Reports
- Microsoft Word 2004 vs. iWork Pages 1.0 for writing a book, 2008.01.10. Microsoft Word is great for technical writing, powerful yet slow, while Pages lets you concentrate on just writing, making it great for novels.
- iWeb a great tool for quickly creating an attractive website, 2007.09.11. Apple's iWeb software isn't just easy to use, it also integrates nicely with .mac and other programs in the iLife bundle.
- Use your Bluetooth phone to control your Mac? Maybe, 2007.02.27. Salling Clicker software turns many Bluetooth phones into remote controls for Bluetooth-equipped Macs.
- More in the Mac Lab Report index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Dynamac, introduced 1987.02. This AC-only portable has a backlit electroluminescent screen.
- February 3 in LEM history: 1998: Apple and CompUSA - 2001: Vinyl to disc - 2003: Apple has always been a significant player - Upgrading a Power Mac G4 - Making a bootable OS X CD - 2005: Apple's future is with the consumer market - 2006: Browsers for the Classic Mac OS - Microsoft's monopoly makes it slow and vulnerable
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Does iOS Doom the Mac?, Apple Again #1 Smartphone Vendor, Massive 16 iPad Charger, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.02.03. Also Sleipnir browser lets you share links locally, iPro brings Schneider lenses to iPhone 4, and more.
- Time to End 13" MacBook Pro?, Refurb MacBook Air from $699, Enable TRIM in OS X, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.02.03. Also Auro Pro Express SSD upgrades for 2010/11 MacBook Air, Sleipnir browser syncs bookmarks with iOS, Prey laptop recovery tool, and more.
- Apple Refurbs a Great Deal, iOSificiation a Fundamental Shift for Apple, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.02.03. Also IT workers embracing Apple, battery-free wireless mouse, freeware alternatives to commercial apps, and more.
- Kill Caps Lock, but Leave the Rest of My Keyboard Alone (Mostly), Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2012.02.03. It's too easy to hit Caps Lock by accident, but why change a keyboard layout that billions of users are comfortable with?
- 25 Years of AppleShare Networking, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.02.02. Macs have always had built-in networking, but Apple didn't have server software for Macs until 1987.
- Disk Expert Helps You Find and Delete or Archive Your Biggest Files, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 2012.02.02. If your hard drive, flash drive, or SSD is filling up, Disk Expert can help pinpoint the biggest files, which you may be able to delete or archive.
- Tiger or Leopard for PowerPC Macs? Does It Matter Anymore?, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 2012.01.31. Does it really matter whether you run OS X 10.4 Tiger or 10.5 Leopard on your increasingly left-behind PowerPC Macs?
- MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro, Looking for a Vertical MacBook Stand, and SE/30 Internet Tips, Charles W. Moore, Charles Moore's Mailbag, 2012.01.31. Whether a MacBook Air makes as much sense as a MacBook Pro, finding a vertical stand for a MacBook, and tips for getting an SE/30 on the Internet.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best iPad Deals
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals
- Best Apple TV Deals
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals
- Best Power Mac G4 Deals
- Best Mac OS X 10.6 Deals
- Best MacBook Deals
- Best Time Capsule Deals
- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow
Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac
on Facebook
Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct
from Strider Software.
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay

