Dead Powerbook G3 firewire (Pismo) -- battery issue?

[Aortus]

To: cswarthout ...

I have joined your forum with one express purpose, and that is to thank you for the information as above, although a simple 'Thank You' seems so inadequate. I purchased my Powerbook G3 Firewire (Pismo) many years ago
... SB ...

I too just registered for exactly the same purpose.

Late in 2000, I paid $1800 for a Pismo which had served as a demo at our University Bookstore. I'd been ogling it for months. For years El Pismo and I had high times together - authoring multimedia, scanning my slide collection, playing games and all that good stuff. I even paid $150 for an extra 16 MB of RAM. But El Pismo had been sitting there untouched for a year or so - too many other computers, Macs and Windoze boxen too. This weekend, when I hooked its adapter up and tried to boot... NOTHING.

But I stumbled across this site, and I just finished the "little operation" described in this thread. Presto! My old buddy just answered the bell again and is back from the dead, charging up to meet all my System 9 needs.

All I can say is THANKS - SPASIBO - DANKE - MERCI - GRATIAS AGO... and BUMP!

 

[l4rgo]

I can't get the optical drive to slide out of its bay to check on the PRAM. Can someone tell me the trick please? The is the first Pismo I've ever done surgery on. Thanks guys and gals.

It's been awhile since you asked, but the trick is the latch on the front of the laptop (right-hand side). It's a little hard to see since it's flush with the case, but once you know it's there you can spot it.
You pull it straight out towards you, and the optical drive slides out partway. It's easy to take out after that.


And of course, a Thank You! for the PRAM trick. I thought my laptop was due for an expensive overhaul until I checked here. Awesome.

 

[montgoma]

logic board anyone?

I posted on the first page regarding the "issue" of no start. Does anyone have an xtra working logic board I could try/buy for my still dead pismo?? Oh, and a known good PRAM Batt.

Thanks,

Montgoma

 

[freqazoidiac]

chirping (and dead) pismo g3 400

Hi All . Great forum. Have used this for my other machines...i'm relatively new to the pismo, snagging 2 off ebay in the last couple months.

I bought 1 from a seller, and then it ended up having the same problem as this 2nd one that he sent out.

The problem, is, the Pismo stopped working, and just emits a high pitched Chirp (beep) when I plug the AC power in. I DO NOT have any batteries to test.

I have tried removing PRAM battery, following instructions from here, and doing the reset procedure (holding the tiny button down on the back)
but that had no effect.

NOW, the main thing that happens, when I do plug in the AC power adapter, is a constant "chirp" or beep (or somewhere in between) sound, every second.

It sounds as if it is coming from the PMU board (the board that also has the clicker button)

SO.. if I am getting a sound from this, then does it mean the Sound/power board is faulty, or the PMU?

OK..so since this happened with BOTH Pismo's i bought from the same guy.. I am trying do deduce..is it caused by the Generic, but properly rated AC power adapter? I am ruling out batteries,, due to the fact I do not own any.

I have not come across any posts that detail this problem, only a constant "high pitched sound" ..not a beeping. It is not the harddrive, because i removed it to check.

ANY HELP would be great..

 

[MonaPrince]

Hi All . Great forum. Have used this for my other machines...i'm relatively new to the pismo, snagging 2 off ebay in the last couple months.

I bought 1 from a seller, and then it ended up having the same problem as this 2nd one that he sent out.

The problem, is, the Pismo stopped working, and just emits a high pitched Chirp (beep) when I plug the AC power in. I DO NOT have any batteries to test.

I have tried removing PRAM battery, following instructions from here, and doing the reset procedure (holding the tiny button down on the back)
but that had no effect.

NOW, the main thing that happens, when I do plug in the AC power adapter, is a constant "chirp" or beep (or somewhere in between) sound, every second.

It sounds as if it is coming from the PMU board (the board that also has the clicker button)

SO.. if I am getting a sound from this, then does it mean the Sound/power board is faulty, or the PMU?

OK..so since this happened with BOTH Pismo's i bought from the same guy.. I am trying do deduce..is it caused by the Generic, but properly rated AC power adapter? I am ruling out batteries,, due to the fact I do not own any.

I have not come across any posts that detail this problem, only a constant "high pitched sound" ..not a beeping. It is not the harddrive, because i removed it to check.

ANY HELP would be great..

Was just browsing around the forums trying to get some info for my Tibook when I came across your problem. I remembered I read something about a user who has a similar problem and also encountered the ticking/beeping sound when the AC is connected to a Pismo on another forum, here is the link below..maybe that can help you out.

http://www.powerbookmedic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1906

You just might need to replace the AC power adapter or worst case scenario the logic board as the tech suggests in that other forum. Good luck!

 

[freqazoidiac]

tardy reply...

Was just browsing around the forums trying to get some info for my Tibook when I came across your problem. I remembered I read something about a user who has a similar problem and also encountered the ticking/beeping sound when the AC is connected to a Pismo on another forum, here is the link below..maybe that can help you out.

http://www.powerbookmedic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1906

You just might need to replace the AC power adapter or worst case scenario the logic board as the tech suggests in that other forum. Good luck!

HI! Thanks soooo much for the reply..i had my settings for email notification of replies OFF ! :S anyways.. mona..appreciated.! I will look into this deeper. I have that info and also the option of just getting a mess of individual parts on ebay now.. and try it all! No problems here, as since taking this apart 4 times..i get the proceedure..folks don't be afraid,,, unless youspent lots of money or have a warranty to worry about! I have the EXACT problem with both pismo,.,.. so it was probably that darn external power adapter.

 

[montgoma]

I did tighten those 2 aluminium (TORX 8) screws. I unseated/reseated the daughterboard. I pressed it down very very firmly... yet, no way to resurrect the Pismo. Everytime I press the power button I can hear the HD spinning... and that is all it does. Then, to shut it down I press again for several seconds until it stop spinning.

Anybody knows what is this problem?
Thanks

Try a logic board replacement, and whle your that far into it, replace the sound card, and Power manger board. Oh yes the PRAM battery Check www.ifixit.com for step by step instructions on r&r on the logic board.

 

[montgoma]

Well I got my Pismo running...

Hi folks;

After a few months I finally replaced all the major components from the MB up. Even the Pram battery. It works but still a bit of a funk. Sometimes after closing the book, and then reopening, the comp shuts itself down?? When rebooting, I will get the clock error, (see attachment) even though I have replaced the PRAM battery and the clock is keeping accurate time?? And sometimes, a get a black rectangle while at the grey screen then it shuts down. Hmm...otherwise the PB runs fine, although my main batt is getting over the hill.

 

[Curtfishin]

Powerbook G3 Pismo battery



Hi there,
I have an issue with the powerbook not starting up. I have read all the info on the pram battery. My question is: Can the powerbook be operated with a dead battery using the power supply our would that maybe draw down the pram battery.

TY Curtfishin

 

[macgruder]

There's an easy solution to this. It has worked for me on at least 3 Pismo's.

Unplug the PRAM battery (the brown one - 2 circle shape like this: --OO ) from the motherboard and attempt to start up. Leave it unplugged. Shut down and plug it in again then start up. It may be dead - but the machine will work without it.

Essentially, the power manager needs to be reset, and that seems to do the trick.

Google for Pismo power manager reset will find official steps too I'm sure.

 

[n2zcars]

black box/ grey screen on startup

I am having the very same trouble with the black box appearing and the puter shutting off. The hard reset caused the system to shut down losing date/ time /setting info

I found that the machine would boot from a hard drive with OS 9 but was fuzzy when booting into OS X I found that starting with option key and then choosing the hard drive with OS X on it that it would boot (most of the time)

Anyone know about this black box on startup?


Jeff

 

[montgoma]

PRAM battery

I had this thing too even after replacing just about all the main innards. With a new PRAM battery it seems you have to allow it to charge with adapter plugged in for at least 24 hours. I had the black box a few times but now, not noticed it happening again.

Best,

Alan

If you are in the market for a Pismo let me know, mine may be for sale.

 

[n2zcars]

pram battery

Can anyone else comment on the black box at start up being affected by pram battery? I guess I could steal one out of my other machine that I believe has a known good one.
how about why it fires up every time in OS9.
How the same hard drive in another machine works and that a HD from another machine does not like booting up in this machine?
I have the black box that either locks up the machine or resets it. doesn't this have to be either a hardware issue or firmware. I think I got the firmware installed and the puter confirmed it.
any thoughts?

 

[derekd]

Dead battery- not so dead

I stumbled onto this thread and it inspired me to grab my old Pismo and see if it would still fire-up. It hadn't been used for over 4 years.

Sure enough the main battery was dead flat and I didn't get any sign of life when I tried to power-up with the power supply plugged in. I was pretty sure the battery had died. I went through the usual reset routines and nothing worked until I did the following:

Disconnected the power
Removed the battery
Disconnected the PRAM battery (under the keyboard)
Pressed and held the reset button for 5 seconds

Then I reconnected everything and to my amazement the little beauty fired up! Not only did it start but it's sitting beside me on the desk right now and the battery is showing it is 3/4 charged after about 3 hours.

Now I'm trying to remember where to reset all the parameters in OS 9! It took some time to recall having to go through the Chooser to access shared drives on my network. Ahh, the joys of OS 9....

Derek.

 

[twoton]

There's an easy solution to this. It has worked for me on at least 3 Pismo's.

Unplug the PRAM battery (the brown one - 2 circle shape like this: --OO ) from the motherboard and attempt to start up. Leave it unplugged. Shut down and plug it in again then start up. It may be dead - but the machine will work without it.

Essentially, the power manager needs to be reset, and that seems to do the trick.

Google for Pismo power manager reset will find official steps too I'm sure.

I have the same problem, in that I left my Powerbook unplugged for a couple of months and now it won't start. I have taken out the battery, unplugged the PRAM battery, pushed the reset button on the back... plugged in the AC adapter and pushed power... nothing. Should I even worry about getting a new PRAM battery, or am I now the unhappy owner of a large paperweight?

Is it possible that the PRAM battery could bring this back to life, if all of the earlier advice doesn't work?

 

[macgruder]

I have the same problem, in that I left my Powerbook unplugged for a couple of months and now it won't start. I have taken out the battery, unplugged the PRAM battery, pushed the reset button on the back... plugged in the AC adapter and pushed power... nothing. Should I even worry about getting a new PRAM battery, or am I now the unhappy owner of a large paperweight?

Is it possible that the PRAM battery could bring this back to life, if all of the earlier advice doesn't work?

Did you try starting up leaving the PRAM battery out? That may work.

 

[twoton]

Did you try starting up leaving the PRAM battery out? That may work.

By "leaving it out" do you mean physically taking it out of the book? I have tried powering up with the PRAM disconnected already. No dice.

Thx for your prompt reply, though.

 

[macgruder]

By "leaving it out" do you mean physically taking it out of the book? I have tried powering up with the PRAM disconnected already. No dice.

Thx for your prompt reply, though.

I just meant unplugged. Try this:
At the back there is a small 'button' that you can only push in with something like a toothpick - it has a triangle beside it. Hold that in for a minute of so. Then try the power up. Don't bother plug the PRAM battery back in until hopefully you've managed to do one start up.

 

[IlovemyMacs]

Problem solved!

Thanks indeed to the net, forums and wonderful helpful smart people. Was worried my baby was gonna be permanently retired after being left resting for 8 months because of my new MBP but the unplugging of the PRAM worked and I am relieved! Thanks!

 

[cygni]

I had the same thing happen. The powerbook would simply not turn on. I read somewhere that you could test it to see if it was because of a dead PRAM battery by simply disconnecting the PRAM battery. I did this and voila! the computer started right up! There is a great article on replacing the battery here:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/PowerBook-G3-Pismo/PRAM-Battery/6/4/

The neat thing here, is that all I had to do was open up the keyboard to have access to the battery cable. I just pulled the plug on it! It is a great way to test whether the PRAM battery is causing the trouble before buying a new pram battery!

Hope this helps.

This worked, and saved me the hassle of trying a new adapter. Yay!

 

[groongerock]

It worked!

Count me in as another satisfied user of the unplugging-the-backup-battery trick! Many things on my 2000 G3 Firewire PowerBook have died, including the audio out port, expansion bay battery, CD/DVD drive, and hinge, but at least it's still alive!

 

[segers909]

LOL @ this threat being 6 years old

 

[Karyyk]

That didn't do it :-\

I've been trying to revive a G3 Pismo for a friend of mine (used to be his father's) and when I came upon this thread, it gave me some hope, but it hasn't seemed to work for me. I've flipped up the keyboard and disconnected the PRAM battery, but it still won't power on, no chime, no video, no nothing. Is there anything else that I should be checking?

 

[curlydog]

This worked on my old Pismo G3 - but how to change the PRAM battery?

I had the same thing happen. The powerbook would simply not turn on. I read somewhere that you could test it to see if it was because of a dead PRAM battery by simply disconnecting the PRAM battery. I did this and voila! the computer started right up! There is a great article on replacing the battery here:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/PowerBook-G3-Pismo/PRAM-Battery/6/4/

The neat thing here, is that all I had to do was open up the keyboard to have access to the battery cable. I just pulled the plug on it! It is a great way to test whether the PRAM battery is causing the trouble before buying a new pram battery!

Hope this helps.

Did the same thing for a Pismo G3 that seemed totally dead. Couldn't figure how to get the cd drive out but it wasn't necessary. There was the cable. I unplugged it - reconnected mains - and hey it started up. Made me laugh aloud - such an old thread keeps on running.

All sorted - off to get a new battery.
It's really odd using OS 9.2 again - and seeing only 256Mb Ram and a 12G hard drive - LOL
Thanks

Curlydog

 

[SuperMatt]

I just dug my old Pismo out of the closet and it wasn't working. I tried the tip on here of unplugging the backup battery, and voila! Thank you macrumors community!