G4 Cube usb fried? CD stuck? Powerbutton burned?

[California]

Bought a broken Cube off MR. Not unhappy with purchase, just challenged. (Tho the LCD Apple Display is damaged.)

Power button started smoking upon first power up. Did some googling, found out if you have an old iMac keyboard with a powerbutton on it, you can override the faulty burning Cube switch. So did that. Nada. Grey screen with no memory load etc. THen got a USB SET UP problem prompt. No keyboard action except on the powerbutton.

SO pulled HD, added another OEM unused APple 20gig from my mom's ancient iMac G3. With fresh Panther.

The Cube loaded up okay. But still has the usb problem. Seller informed me of the bad usb port. But there must be a problem with both ports, as there is absolutely no keyboard response except with the power on button.

So I get the opening desktop, but mouse is frozen and I can't type anything or move around on the desktop.

Again the keyboard powerbutton works, but the keys themselves don't. One usb port is fried the other works wtih this keyboard but no way I can type anything. Is this logic board fried?

Oh, and the mac 10.1 install disc is also stuck in the drive. No keyboard action so can't get it out

 

[KD7IWP]

Does the mouse work? You can hold the mouse button down when it boots to eject the CD

 

[California]

Plugged into the Apple Display's usb ports, the optical mouse does light up red but no action. Weird.

 

[IJ Reilly]

A bad USB controller, I suspect. Do the USB ports look okay, or are they bent or crushed? Could be a shorted connector. If not you're probably in for a new motherboard.

 

[California]

A bad USB controller, I suspect. Do the USB ports look okay, or are they bent or crushed? Could be a shorted connector. If not you're probably in for a new motherboard.

Yes, one usb port is thrashed, the other looks okay but I get no keyboard action off it.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Yes, one usb port is thrashed, the other looks okay but I get no keyboard action off it.

Ah. This bolsters the theory that a USB port is shorting out and disabling the bus. Maybe if you can work a small screwdriver into the broken port, you can try to make sure that the inner and outer USB conductors aren't touching each other. It's kind of a long-shot, but worth a try I think.

 

[California]

Ah. This bolsters the theory that a USB port is shorting out and disabling the bus. Maybe if you can work a small screwdriver into the broken port, you can try to make sure that the inner and outer USB conductors aren't touching each other. It's kind of a long-shot, but worth a try I think.

That is way over this girlie girl's head... what do inner and outer usb conducters look like? You mean inside the port?

PS What is the difference between a CPU and a Logic Board? I thought they were both the same? I need a new logic board but not a new CPU?

Cubes are very cool despite these problems. I think the problem was the bugs in them. FoxxConn strikes again.

Also, if I got a CPU upgrade, would that be a card with the ports on it or do I need to get the ports fixed or replaced with a new logic board first?

 

[Flyinace2000]

Good luck with it. I wish i had the time to fiddle with it, but i knew it would just sit in storage. Good luck with the repairs.

On a side note: I hope you don't feel scammed, i thought i was very upfront about the condition of the cube. The LCD i had no idea was damaged since i didn't have another computer with ADC on it and i never got the cube to boot.

 

[IJ Reilly]

That is way over this girlie girl's head... what do inner and outer usb conducters look like? You mean inside the port?

PS What is the difference between a CPU and a Logic Board? I thought they were both the same? I need a new logic board but not a new CPU?

Cubes are very cool despite these problems. I think the problem was the bugs in them. FoxxConn strikes again.

Also, if I got a CPU upgrade, would that be a card with the ports on it or do I need to get the ports fixed or replaced with a new logic board first?

Sorry, I missed this response. The USB port has a plastic tongue in the middle and three or four metal conductors along one edge. I thought it might be possible to see if the conductors were bent. If you want to attempt a little exploration try shining a flashlight into the bunged-up port and seeing what you can see.

If the ports are bad, or the USB controller is a goner, I think you'd need an entirely new motherboard to correct it. CPU usually refers to only the processor and related circuitry, which is plugged into the motherboard.