Dead Pismo - Ideas???

[viggen61]

I decided to start up my PowerBook G3 Pismo today (400mHz/0.5GB RAM/Tiger/Two batteries), and it's dead. No response. Nothing, nada. Tried two power supplies, the yo-yo that I got with it and one of the earlier recalled ones (that I can't get replaced because I didn't buy it...).

Anyway, I'm leaving it for a few hours to see if the batteries charge a bit, and then perhaps it will start. But I was wondering if the culprit could be the "sleep" battery or whatever that small battery is called that lets you swap batteries while the PB is sleeping. I seem to recall that if that battery is dead, the PB won't start.

I'd left it alone for quite a while, unplugged. Having an MBP will do that...

Any suggestions welcomed!

 

[darwinian]

PRAM Battery?

Proper Burial otherwise. Loved that thing.

 

[PDE]

I suspect that indeed it is the pram battery. The good news is that it's very easy to replace. Just flip up the keyboard and remove the right battery/drive, and you'll see it there. Unplug and replace. Long live pismo! I just booted up my old Lombard for sale...manufactured in April 1999, amazing that it still works so well.

Hope your pismo gets well soon

 

[viggen61]

I suspect that indeed it is the pram battery. The good news is that it's very easy to replace. Just flip up the keyboard and remove the right battery/drive, and you'll see it there. Unplug and replace. Long live pismo! I just booted up my old Lombard for sale...manufactured in April 1999, amazing that it still works so well.

Hope your pismo gets well soon

Ok. PRAM battery... Makes sense to me, as it's been lying, neglected, on my desk for close to a year now (I bought my MBP in February of 2007). And little used for a while before that, too, as I'd been doing most of my work on my G4 (1.2 Ghz upgraded).

Still is amazing that these machines can keep on plugging after all these years.

 

[California]

reseat the processor and google around

Same thing with a Pismo a while back. Reset pram and you have to do some three step power button I think

I played around with the dead Pismo after googling around for the answer -- it wasn't the Pram battery -- just some three step power button pushing and reseating the processor.

Hit it up with a full gig of ram and new hard drive and you can run Tiger great on it. I think you also have to take out the battery when you do the three step power button pushing and pram resetting... sorry cannot remember. Google around

 

[rjphoto]

any luck

Just curious.

My wife is still using my old G3-500 PB everyday.

She even let me use it the other day... I said how much I still love that design and she pushed me aside and said, "You can't have it back!"

 

[Macdctr]

reseat the processor and google around

Same thing with a Pismo a while back. Reset pram and you have to do some three step power button I think

I played around with the dead Pismo after googling around for the answer -- it wasn't the Pram battery -- just some three step power button pushing and reseating the processor.

Hit it up with a full gig of ram and new hard drive and you can run Tiger great on it. I think you also have to take out the battery when you do the three step power button pushing and pram resetting... sorry cannot remember. Google around

Yes you have to take out the battery and also disconnect the PRAM battery when you reset the PMU on the Pismo. Once the PMU has been reset then you reconnect the PRAM battery and the laptop battery and AC Adapter and you should be set.

 

[4JNA]

hurry up and wait.

work on lots of these. before you go ripping things apart, plug it into the charger and leave it for about 24 hours or so. more if you're patient.

i've had several of these that were 'dead' that powered up just fine after a good solid charge, and yes the battery/pram were dead as well. just my two cents. best of luck.