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Advised not to fix Powerbook G4 12"

winsorbeach

winsorbeach

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 7, 2009
24
0
Long Island, NY
The DC In Board on my Powerbook G4 12" 1.5 GHZ appears to be on the fritz. The power cord has to be fiddled with to keep the battery charging and it seems to be getting worse. I'm kind of in a pickle because I'm way, way out in eastern Long Island working on a couple of writing projects on deadline and my entire life is dependent on this computer. A local tech told me that he would have to completely disassemble my G4 just to diagnose the problem ($150) and that in his experience the damage could also include the inboard connection to the logic board equaling hundreds of dollars in cost. He recommended buying a new computer, but I don't have the money at the moment. I started looking at identical 12" models on eBay with the idea that I could replace this one with an identical model and transfer everything over. I've also considered buying an external battery charger and spare battery and trying to keep it running by switching the batteries every couple of hours.... any ideas/help would be greatly appreciated. thanks, JED
 
winsorbeach said:
The DC In Board on my Powerbook G4 12" 1.5 GHZ appears to be on the fritz. The power cord has to be fiddled with to keep the battery charging and it seems to be getting worse. I'm kind of in a pickle because I'm way, way out in eastern Long Island working on a couple of writing projects on deadline and my entire life is dependent on this computer. A local tech told me that he would have to completely disassemble my G4 just to diagnose the problem ($150) and that in his experience the damage could also include the inboard connection to the logic board equaling hundreds of dollars in cost. He recommended buying a new computer, but I don't have the money at the moment. I started looking at identical 12" models on eBay with the idea that I could replace this one with an identical model and transfer everything over. I've also considered buying an external battery charger and spare battery and trying to keep it running by switching the batteries every couple of hours.... any ideas/help would be greatly appreciated. thanks, JED
Click to expand...

Your in a tough spot. Repairing the machine will cost a few hundred bucks. You might be better off picking up a used macbook or a deal in the refurb store.
 
re

Hi

Don't go for the battery thing - you would need an external charger, plus a few batteries, and it would be a pain.

I would sell it for parts on ebay, as people buy these things to fix them, and buy an ibook or first gen macbook, which run about $300.
 
reliable marketplace

Since I am not eligible for this marketplace...what is the best, most affordable/reliable marketplace for buying/selling used Mac notebooks?
 
winsorbeach said:
I started looking at identical 12" models on eBay with the idea that I could replace this one with an identical model and transfer everything over.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't advise getting an identical 12" PB; you'll likely just be exchanging one set of problems for another. You should set your sights on a newer laptop. The only issue might be if you're using PPC-only apps. What software are you using for your project(s)?
 
If you are really short on cash then my advice would be to just buy a big old windows box to last you over the short time. Any buy/sell market have them.
 
Nah, get a netbook. When you can afford a new mac, get a 15" or larger, and keep the netbook around for space-limited usage.
 
New/used computer

I hear you about trading one set of probs for another and I also hear you guys about getting a cheap pc for short term, but I use my Mac programs all the time: I record into Garage band using an Apogee Duet audio interface. I use iMovie to edit HD footage from a film project I'm working on.... I replaced the HD once already and went up to 120 gbs to deal with all my projects and am pushing the limits on that as is. Basically, I 'm screwed! I can't believe Murphy's law struck right at this crucial moment. I've been looking at 15" G4s on eBay and they seem a little cheaper and more abundant for some reason, but again I have no idea who to trust and when I get into the Macbook arena there are bazillions and I just shake my head. Its like blind luck in there. All the certified refurbished dealers want $500 + for a machine. Aaaargh! I'm tempted to risk the repair on this one, but if its the logic board I'm out $150 and in the same boat..
 
A DC-in board is fairly cheap from someone like iFixIt, and it's pretty easy to replace yourself. I did it on my iBook G4, which shares a very similar construction with the PowerBook. And it shall suffice to say that I'm not exactly the most coordinated person in the world, but even for me it wasn't a big challenge...this is what I would do in your position.
 
winsorbeach said:
I can't believe Murphy's law struck right at this crucial moment.
Click to expand...

That's why it's Murphy's law. :rolleyes: Seriously, there's no good time for one's computer to go on the blink but they do, especially these older laptops that get a lot of use. I still say move up. In the long run you'll be happy you did, rather than to keep dealing with old systems that continue to get older and more prone to breakdown.
 
Cassie said:
A DC-in board is fairly cheap from someone like iFixIt, and it's pretty easy to replace yourself. I did it on my iBook G4, which shares a very similar construction with the PowerBook. And it shall suffice to say that I'm not exactly the most coordinated person in the world, but even for me it wasn't a big challenge...this is what I would do in your position.
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Seriously? I just watched a tutorial and you have to dismantle the ENTIRE computer. The DC In Board is the last possible part...beneath the logic board. It looks like a total nightmare with a million potential booby traps/chances to break parts/cable/connectors/etc
 
I heard that there is a 300 dollar flat fee repair for these computers. You pay three hundred and they fix everything...Might what to look into that.
 
Opening these is a truly miserable experience.

On occasion, I feel nice and do it for $80 flat. I have insomnia and if I don't have a lot of projects on my desk, I don't mind, but I would never advertise this, because I don't want good paying work/time to enjoy my life being wasted on these soul killing machines. The board itself costs me $30, so the $50 is for the two hours that I will hate my life taking the old one out and putting the new one in. I replace the ribbon, board, and jack just because it is not cost effective to go crazy pennysaving for a repair I do once every few months.

Apple did a pathetic job on all of these powerpc based laptops. There's no denying that. In many ibooks there are over 35 different TYPES OF SCREWS to take out just to get to the hard drive. It defies logic to have this many different screw types. there are also at least 3 different ibook types all that look the same when you look at it, but with completely different internal constructions, none of which could be deemed better than the other. This is why most people charge a lot of money and say it is not worth it. It's not that it isn't worth it to you. It isn't worth it to THEM, to spend hours unhappy for a few extra bucks. I understand that.

If you take the repair philosophy that "something is not repaired just because it works - it is repaired when it's back to the working and structural order it was when it was manufactured", then it'll take a ton of time to repair this, because to do it to that standard you need a ton of patience and experience. A lot of people will open these and put them back together very ****ed up, because they are a total pain in the ass to work with.
 
I do not recommend doing this. I had this same exact problem and I replaced my DC-IN board on my 12" G4 only to find out that it wasn't it and it was definitely the logic board + cpu. It's not worth it. Get yourself a refurb or used Macbook if you need to. Also, make sure it's Intel. You'll be happier in the long run.
 
Are you sure it's the DC-DC Board?

winsorbeach said:
The DC In Board on my Powerbook G4 12" 1.5 GHZ appears to be on the fritz. The power cord has to be fiddled with to keep the battery charging and it seems to be getting worse. I'm kind of in a pickle because I'm way, way out in eastern Long Island working on a couple of writing projects on deadline and my entire life is dependent on this computer. A local tech told me that he would have to completely disassemble my G4 just to diagnose the problem ($150) and that in his experience the damage could also include the inboard connection to the logic board equaling hundreds of dollars in cost. He recommended buying a new computer, but I don't have the money at the moment. I started looking at identical 12" models on eBay with the idea that I could replace this one with an identical model and transfer everything over. I've also considered buying an external battery charger and spare battery and trying to keep it running by switching the batteries every couple of hours.... any ideas/help would be greatly appreciated. thanks, JED
Click to expand...

I'm typing on my old 12" PB I gave to my parents, and I've had a similar issue periodically over the last couple years (it's 6.5 years old). In my case the problem seems to be dirty contacts on the plug, since twisting and repeated plugging/unplugging seems to temporarily fix it for a while. I had a friend with a 15" PB that dropped his, and the symptoms were similar, but it was a broken plug in his situation. Buying a new power supply solved the problem, luckily the receptacle inside the computer wasn't broken.

The reason why I question the DC-DC board is that if you fiddle with the plug to get it to work, that denotes it is with the plug, and not the internal board. Try plugging/unplugging repeatedly, or buying a new power supply if the plug on the power supply side feels loose.
 
Also

If that doesn't work, try resetting the PMU or SMC. There are directions on apples website on how to do it.
 
leodavinci0 said:
I'm typing on my old 12" PB I gave to my parents, and I've had a similar issue periodically over the last couple years (it's 6.5 years old). In my case the problem seems to be dirty contacts on the plug, since twisting and repeated plugging/unplugging seems to temporarily fix it for a while. I had a friend with a 15" PB that dropped his, and the symptoms were similar, but it was a broken plug in his situation. Buying a new power supply solved the problem, luckily the receptacle inside the computer wasn't broken.

The reason why I question the DC-DC board is that if you fiddle with the plug to get it to work, that denotes it is with the plug, and not the internal board. Try plugging/unplugging repeatedly, or buying a new power supply if the plug on the power supply side feels loose.
Click to expand...


Fiddling with the plug to make it work could make it either the plug or the jack. There is no way that one could say there's certainty it's not the jack.

That would mean every ipod where you only hear one side when you fiddle with the plug had bad headphones, not a bad jack on the ipod, and that's just not the case.

Try another plug someplace. This will resolve the question of what the issue is rather quickly.
 
I've fiddled enough with the old white iBooks, which are the same generation, and I can tell you, that they were not meant to be put apart. The amount of screws and screw types, tape, adhesives, plastic parts, ribbon cables ready to be mixed up/lost/broken is terrible. Taking out the HD is a PITA, and you might never know if opening it up is any good, since it could be the logic board. I wouldn't spend any money on a PPC laptop (despite I like PPC systems), because you will end up losing the money down the drain faster, as the rest of the machine is going to continue on ageing.
 
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