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Dead after copying files to an external firewire drive. [message #94071] Fri, 05 July 2013 23:38 Go to next message
spilrules is currently offline  spilrules
Messages: 12
Registered: September 2012
Karma: 0
Junior Member
So I tried to post this 3 or 4 times to the G4 Books list and it never
showed up. Also that list appears to be abandoned so I will try it here
with hope of success in getting some more advice.

Back in March I was copying some large files from my 15" G4 PB 1.67 model
#A1138 to an external firewire HD and left my office for a couple hours.
Upon returning I noticed that the computer was not running. I know I
didn't shut it off and there was no power outage, as my digital clock was
still set correctly on my desk. I also noticed that the AC cord that is
normally lit up in a green color when plugged into the PB was not lit up.
Upon trying to start the computer, there was no response at all. The
battery indicator showed a full charge. I tried another AC adapter to no
avail. I tested both AC adapters with my other 12" PB and they worked fine.

I posted on here and tried these things based on the following advice:

Reset of the power manager: <http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1431> Which was
recommended by Bruce Johnson and it still did nothing.

Take the battery out, unplug the adapter and press the power button and
wait 10 minutes. Then reconnect power and hit the power button, then insert
the battery.
This should drain any capacitors that may be holding enough charge to keep
some circuits powered and in a "confused" state. This was recommended by
Clark Martin and also did not do anything.

Kris Tilford suggested: Broken power button? I am not sure how to test
this....does this sound possible?

Bruce then replied: If the battery shows a full charge, and the system
won't boot off of just the battery, I'd say that the DC board on it died.
Kinda fiddly to replace :
< http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+PowerBook+G4+Aluminum +15-Inch+1.67+GHz+DC+%26+Sound+Card/651/1>
but not terrible.

Then John Carmonne sent this: I have repaired a lot of G4 Power Books and
for me the most troublesome DC board have been the 1.67 A1138 models, some
are the jack from abuse and some are the board, a mutimeter will tell you
which it is. There are two 1.67's so be sure if you have to buy one that
you get the correct unit:-)

So I bought a DC board off of ebay, had it shipped overseas to me and
installed it and it still does nothing. Crap! Frustrated and busy I stuck
the thing in my closet. Now I am wanting to fix it if possible because I
really love this machine, so I was hoping to get some more advice if
possible.

Here is what I noticed as I played around with things. After taking out
the old DC input board and installing the new one, I plugged in the old one
that was out of the system and noticed that the AC power cord would light
up in the orange color that it usually would do when the battery was not
fully charged. I disassembled the laptop again and found that if I
unplugged the little wired cable that connects from the DC input board to
the motherboard and plugged the AC power cord back in, it would light up
orange, just as the old board did that was removed from the laptop. When I
plug this cable back into the motherboard and re-install the AC power cord,
it does not light up, thus it will not charge the battery and certainly
will not start up the computer.

I am wondering now if this is a sign of a bad motherboard? If so, any
advance warnings, suggestions, etc. or should I just keep it as an
attractive paperweight or bookend?

Any other thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, and thanks
also to all of you who responded previously to me!

Tom

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Re: Dead after copying files to an external firewire drive. [message #94075 is a reply to message #94071] Sat, 06 July 2013 11:53 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bruce Johnson is currently offline  Bruce Johnson
Messages: 319
Registered: August 2012
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Senior Member

On Jul 5, 2013, at 8:38 PM, spilrules <tom@tomstock.us> wrote:

> Here is what I noticed as I played around with things. After taking out the old DC input board and installing the new one, I plugged in the old one that was out of the system and noticed that the AC power cord would light up in the orange color that it usually would do when the battery was not fully charged. I disassembled the laptop again and found that if I unplugged the little wired cable that connects from the DC input board to the motherboard and plugged the AC power cord back in, it would light up orange, just as the old board did that was removed from the laptop. When I plug this cable back into the motherboard and re-install the AC power cord, it does not light up, thus it will not charge the battery and certainly will not start up the computer.

>

> I am wondering now if this is a sign of a bad motherboard? If so, any advance warnings, suggestions, etc. or should I just keep it as an attractive paperweight or bookend?


Uggh, I suspect you may be correct about a bad MB. You seem to have eliminated every other possibility..one thing you didn't mention, have you tried it without having the battery in it?



--
Bruce Johnson

"Wherever you go, there you are." B. Banzai, PhD

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Re: Dead after copying files to an external firewire drive. [message #94087 is a reply to message #94071] Sat, 06 July 2013 12:08 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Clark Martin is currently offline  Clark Martin
Messages: 156
Registered: August 2012
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Senior Member

On Jul 5, 2013, at 8:38 PM, spilrules wrote:

> Here is what I noticed as I played around with things. After taking out the old DC input board and installing the new one, I plugged in the old one that was out of the system and noticed that the AC power cord would light up in the orange color that it usually would do when the battery was not fully charged. I disassembled the laptop again and found that if I unplugged the little wired cable that connects from the DC input board to the motherboard and plugged the AC power cord back in, it would light up orange, just as the old board did that was removed from the laptop. When I plug this cable back into the motherboard and re-install the AC power cord, it does not light up, thus it will not charge the battery and certainly will not start up the computer.

>

> I am wondering now if this is a sign of a bad motherboard? If so, any advance warnings, suggestions, etc. or should I just keep it as an attractive paperweight or bookend?


I think you are right about the motherboard. BUT... try disconnecting the following and power it up:

Harddrive
Memory
Keyboard
Trackpad
WiFi card
Anything external

Then try it with ANYTHING plugged into the motherboard

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Re: Dead after copying files to an external firewire drive. [message #94583 is a reply to message #94071] Tue, 09 July 2013 17:41 Go to previous messageGo to next message
spilrules is currently offline  spilrules
Messages: 12
Registered: September 2012
Karma: 0
Junior Member
Uggh, I suspect you may be correct about a bad MB. You seem to have
eliminated every other possibility..one thing you didn't mention, have you
tried it without having the battery in it?


Yes I did try without the battery and it did not do anything either.



I will try what Clark suggested as far as unplugging things and attaching
the power cord to see what happens as soon as I can (hopefully) tomorrow
and will let you know what it does. Any problems or major difficulties I
should know about as far as changing out the logic board?
Thanks again to all!
Tom

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Re: Dead after copying files to an external firewire drive. [message #98156 is a reply to message #94087] Fri, 19 July 2013 21:51 Go to previous message
spilrules is currently offline  spilrules
Messages: 12
Registered: September 2012
Karma: 0
Junior Member


On Saturday, July 6, 2013 9:08:18 AM UTC-7, Clark Martin wrote:
>

>

> On Jul 5, 2013, at 8:38 PM, spilrules wrote:

>

>

> I am wondering now if this is a sign of a bad motherboard? If so, any

> advance warnings, suggestions, etc. or should I just keep it as an

> attractive paperweight or bookend?

>

>

> I think you are right about the motherboard. BUT... try disconnecting

> the following and power it up:

>

> Harddrive

> Memory

> Keyboard

> Trackpad

> WiFi card

> Anything external

>

> Then try it with ANYTHING plugged into the motherboard

>


I tried unplugging everything from the motherboard and plugging the power
back in and nothing happens. I also tried systematically disconnecting
items separately and still had the same result. I can only see the power
cord light up when plugged into the DC input board if I unplug the cable
that goes from the DC input board to the motherboard. As soon as I plug it
back in, the power cord does not light up. If this cable is disconnected,
the power cord lights up orange but nothing will obviously work. I assume
the motherboard is dead? If anyone has any other ideas before I buy a
motherboard, please let me know. Also any problems in replacing it that
anyone can warn me of would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks to all for the help as always!
Tom

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