Bought a Powerbook G4 12"

[benwild_33]

I was browsing Powerbooks on ebay the other day and saw a G4 12" for £20 buy it now, I offered them £18 and they accepted. It was listed as booting up to an error, I assumed this was a faulty HDD so was happy to purchase anyway. I also had no idea of the spec. It arrived the other day and I was surprised to find it booted straight up in to leopard and quite quickly too. I will have to reformat as the previous owner left all their data on the drive and obviously I need to respect their privacy. It did have a copy of Office 2008 that I tried to copy over to my 17" but I didn't have any luck (errors saying disk full).

Specs and Pictures below:
1.5GHz PowerPC G4
1.25GB Ram
250Gb WD HDD (not sure on the health of this although it seems quick)
F Key missing from keyboard

With regards to the missing key, I'm struggling to find one for a reasonable price. I may have to just look for a whole parts machine to take the keyboard from. Am I right in thinking the size of the key should be the same as the 15" and 17" models? A quick measure with my ruler on my 17" makes me think they are the same.

 

[1042686]

I was browsing Powerbooks on ebay the other day and saw a G4 12" for £20 buy it now, I offered them £18 and they accepted. It was listed as booting up to an error, I assumed this was a faulty HDD so was happy to purchase anyway. I also had no idea of the spec. It arrived the other day and I was surprised to find it booted straight up in to leopard and quite quickly too. I will have to reformat as the previous owner left all their data on the drive and obviously I need to respect their privacy. It did have a copy of Office 2008 that I tried to copy over to my 17" but I didn't have any luck (errors saying disk full).

Specs and Pictures below:
1.5GHz PowerPC G4
1.25GB Ram
250Gb WD HDD (not sure on the health of this although it seems quick)
F Key missing from keyboard

With regards to the missing key, I'm struggling to find one for a reasonable price. I may have to just look for a whole parts machine to take the keyboard from. Am I right in thinking the size of the key should be the same as the 15" and 17" models? A quick measure with my ruler on my 17" makes me think they are the same.

Nice score A quick search on eBay shows quite a few sellers of Pb keys advertising compatiblility with 12/15/17 pbs and early macbookpros.

 

[DearthnVader]

The keyboards on the 12" are among the best I ever used.

Just the right tactile response.

 

[AL1630]

Always nice to get a "broken" computer that ends up working! That's a great price too.

 

[benwild_33]

Nice score A quick search on eBay shows quite a few sellers of Pb keys advertising compatiblility with 12/15/17 pbs and early macbookpros.

I did see some of those although most didn't come with the rubber domes and the postage meant they weren't all that cheap. I've just bought another G4 12", this one definitely doesn't work but the palmrest and keyboard look to be in good condition and it has a battery which will be nice to have as a spare for my one. Annoyingly it cost the same as this one although it seems worth it vs paying for a single key or keyboard.

 

[CooperBox]

Nice pair of Alu PBooks. Powerbookmedic often have a good selection of parts, although a quick look seems to show nil current stock.
Unsure if the 12,15 & 17 model keys are interchangeable.

 

[eyoungren]

The keyboards on the 12" are among the best I ever used.

Just the right tactile response.

But the spacing!!!

With a 12 inch there's no area to allow your wrists to rest at an angle. You have to hold both hands straight on. It's cramped. I much prefer the space the 17" keyboard gives you.