eMac power button repairs

[dandeco]

OK, so you may recall me mentioning with my eMac, when I was doing a fixup to the hard drive, I accidentally snapped off the connector for the power button off the logic board. Well, we soldered the wires back onto the logic board at the appropriate spot (but not the connector), and then accidentally broke the power button off the retainer ring.

I ordered a new button kit from Apple Palace, but it hasn't arrived yet. Once it does, I will try and put the new button and retainer ring onto the existing cable. If that doesn't work, I may have to try a local repair shop, or the Apple Store as a last resort. Or should I sell the broken eMac on eBay (many computer geeks buy broken computers on eBay for the parts or to do repairs on them, generally they go much cheaper than completely-functional computers) and buy a better model? (Not sure whether to get another eMac or a used iMac G4/G5 or a PowerMac, as money is tight on my part and I can only afford the G4 stuff.)

I tried removing the hard drive on the eMac, putting it in a USB 2.0 enclosure, and booting up from it on one of my college's Fine Arts building's 24-inch iMacs, selecting the power option to "Automatically restart after power failure," but that didn't help.

Any tips/comments/suggestions? I would greatly appreciate this as I feel a little down having to be stuck with Windows for now (even if it's Windows 7, which is better than XP and Vista anyway)

 

[MacHamster68]

i would wait for the power button to arrive and repair it ,as you already said you could sell it but maybe you get a couple quid for it , but dont expect more then 50 for a broken one so reapair it when it works again you can still decide
to sell it and upgrade to the eMac 1.42 ghz model ,

f the eMac g4 1.42 outperforms iMac g4 due to double the on chip level 2 cache and the faster processor
so in terms of performace the eMac is the better option
choosing the iMac g4 is only about the design , if you love it then get one, but i promise you will miss the crisp image of the crt

 

[dandeco]

i would wait for the power button to arrive and repair it ,as you already said you could sell it but maybe you get a couple quid for it , but dont expect more then 50 for a broken one so reapair it when it works again you can still decide
to sell it and upgrade to the eMac 1.42 ghz model ,

f the eMac g4 1.42 outperforms iMac g4 due to double the on chip level 2 cache and the faster processor
so in terms of performace the eMac is the better option
choosing the iMac g4 is only about the design , if you love it then get one, but i promise you will miss the crisp image of the crt

Selling the broken one if need be, I would probably sell it starting the bid at $30, cause like I said, they go cheaper than fully-functional ones.

But when I DO get it fixed, I might not sell it then. After all, I've already got like 1.25 GB and a SuperDrive in it and that's just fine for me. And despite it being heavy, I like the crisp display of the CRT, so I'll definitely keep it, and maybe just get or build a better desk for it (mine is a tad small right now, but it works.)

I also have a very nice Apple Pro Keyboard and Mouse I use with it. Both are the black versions seen with the PowerMacs of 1999-2002, but they get the job done. Plus, the colors remind me of my iPod Nano and the current MacBook Pros (which my next Mac should probably be.)

 

[dandeco]

OK, now I got the power button, but I don't know how to assemble it! I put the button in the correct way from the outside, but the inside it is having trouble putting the retainer ring onto the back of the button, and I don't really want to risk breaking this button. Can anyone please help me with this?

 

[MacHamster68]

if you hold the power button in your hand and the retainer ring too then you should see exactly how they fit together
but when i am looking up for the power button parts at one shop ,then there are two available one for the older eMacs and one for the newer usb 2.0 models so if you have the right parts
place the power button in the hole
hold a finger against it from the outside and push the the retainer ring over it firmly you should feel a slight klick finished connect the wire screw the back on again and power up

 

[dandeco]

OK then, which side of the retainer ring should be facing the back of the button? I am guessing the side where the metal is facing upward

 

[MacHamster68]

never done it before , but i guess thats right
but here is the service manual
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12029251/apple-service-manual-emac

if that does not help ,but as i did want to clean my emac iinside anyway soon so i could do that tomorrow and tell you

btw when yours is open already i recommend to take out your motherboard and fann too and clean it
gathering quiet a bt dust between crt and logicboard and you can only clean it by dismantling complete (should be done regular as collects dust like a hoover )
another tip carfully spray a bit WD40 in the fan , DONT make it drown in wd 40 ,but it does reduce the fan noise a bit

 

[MacHamster68]

sorry don`t had time today , but i found a better picture and the square bit of the retainer ring is facing inwards away from the power button