15 inch powerbook g4 needs keyboard repair? a simple fix? help...

[esspee1200]

My 15 inch powerbook g4 1.67GHz has a broken keyboard. The keyboard will intermittently work about 10% of the time. Most cases it is unusable and I have to use a usb keyboard.

Any idea on how to fix?

I don’t want to pay the $300 that the apple store is asking for such an old laptop.

Would buying a replacement keyboard on ebay do the trick? is it easy to install?

thanks in advance!!

 

[Slux]

I had a couple of keys come off my PB G4 keyboard a couple of years ago. If you are in the US you can buy individual replacement keys and there are detailed instructions on the Apple website as to how to replace them.

However, it sounds like your problem relates to the entire keyboard, so the above is probably not much use to you.

FWIW I could not buy individual keys (not in US) and had to have the entire keyboard replaced. Pretty sure it didn't cost US$300 though!

No idea if the entire keyboard is easy to replace, but there may be a guide on the Apple Support website.

Lots of words for not much help, hey?

 

[miles01110]

Keyboards on the Classic-style Powerbooks aren't terribly difficult to replace. You can do it yourself if you're careful and can follow instructions. I think iFixit has a guide.