Looking for G4 Powerbook 400 Mhz Take Apart Guide

[mbkj0916]

Hey all...
I am relatively new to Macs but not to hardware installation. My girlfriend has a G4 Powerbook 400 Mhz Titanium and has a broken hinge.

I found some hinges and would like to do the replacement myself as Tekserve in NYC wants to charge $220 just for the labor and ungodly amounts to send it in to Apple. I think I can do it myself but I'd like to see a guide to make sure I can handle it before I buy the parts.

Does anyone have or know of where I can find a free take apart guide? I see powerbookmedic.com has exactly what I am looking for here: http://www.powerbookmedic.com/xcart...r_Manuals_G4_Titanium_400__500-p-1-c-345.html

Anyone know of something similar for free? Thanks so much for any help you can give!

 

[krimson]

try pbfixit.com.. not sure if it's on the list though

 

[mbkj0916]

Thank you very much It was very informative but did not really have a part on hinges (though it did have documentation on pretty much everything else!

Does anyone else have good resources?

 

[mikeyredk]

i have the service manuel for that powerbook

 

[mbkj0916]

Is this something you could email me or...?

 

[mikeyredk]

do you have a email address in which i can send it to you

 

[mbkj0916]

Of course...how silly of me

it's ________________

Thank you!

 

[G4scott]

hmm, I thought those service manuals were confidential...

 

[powerbookmedic]

The service manuals don't cover hinge repair. Apple will only replace the display (which is covered in the service manual) Our manual covers hinge replacement, and is one of the only places that you'll find the procudure.

The manual can be found at PowerbookMedic.com.

-Bradley
PowerbookMedic.com

Powerbook Parts, Repairs, Upgrades, & More

 

[TLRedhawke]

The manual won't cover hinge repair, but it will show how to remove them properly. As for the confidentiality issue, the manuals are distributed to every Apple Authorized Service Technician globally, so it's a wee bit difficult to maintain confidentiality at that point. Moreover, it's just a representation of what is in the machine, with replacement part numbers. It's not really problematic for a consumer to get a hold of the manual. They had to make the .pdf anyway, so why go to the extra effort to keep it out of the hands of those people who may need it, especially if their machine is out of warranty.

 

[TLRedhawke]

Having just looked at the service manual for that particular machine, while it doesn't cover the disassembly process for the entire display, it's little more than common sense. I honestly cannot see myself needing a manual for the replacement of the hinges.

 

[powerbookmedic]

The Apple Service manual for the tianium does not cover hinge removal, replacement, or any aspect of titanium hinges.It only covers replacing the display which is what Apple does if your hinges break.

-Bradley
PowerbookMedic.com

 

[powerbookmedic]

The display is epoxied together, and you have to break the bond to get to the hinges. It isn't a matter of just unscrewing screws. If you unscrew the 4 screws on the sides of the display (2 on each side) nothing will happen becuase the epoxy is strong.

-Bradley
PowerbookMedic.com

 

[TLRedhawke]

So, we should give you money because "the epoxy is strong"? Maybe I've just screwed with far too many computers, mac and pc, but I cannot see any particular difficulty in replacing hinges, or any other part of a powerbook myself.

 

[powerbookmedic]

Replacing hinges in general on any laptop is not difficult, and on that I agree with you, but on the Titanium model Apple didn't use the typcial hinge placing method, and hence replacing the hinges is a difficult procedure. Apple didn't just screw them on as with every previous model...they screwed them on and then epoxied the entire case shut. If you send your laptop to Apple with broken hinges, they will only replace the display, not the hinges becuase the unit was not designed to have the hinges replaced. It is a design flaw. If you do a search on Google for the issue, you'll see what I'm talking about.

-Bradley
PowerbookMedic.com

 

[TLRedhawke]

I'm not ignorant of the supposed issue, but the only problem, as I see it, is the lack of availability of the hinges as individual service parts. Apple didn't really go beyond the normal scope of things with the hinges on the TiBook, as their hinges tend not to be readily replaceable. I wouldn't call their placement a design flaw, really. Yes, it makes life a pain for those with the machines later down the road, but if think of it this way: when those machines were under warranty, how much extra money did Apple spend to replace complete displays when only hinges were required? It was a pretty big pain for them at the time, probably moreso than it would be for any individual today.

 

[Apple Hobo]

Apple Service Manuals