iMac G3 (Summer 2001) - Any Hope?

[tensixturtle]

Hello,
I have a summer 2001 iMac G3 that I have no idea the background of. All I know is that it does not turn on. I have changed the PRAM battery and pushed the reset button on the logic board, and I have checked the trickle power which showed that the PSU isn't supplying enough power. I am wondering if there is a point in trying to fix it? The power supplies for this model are almost impossible to come by on eBay and it might be broken/will get broken further even after changing the power supply. If I do fix it I have no clue where to even start. I have looked at the service manual that Apple made for this computer.
Any thoughts/comments are appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

[Adarna]

An iMac G3 to M1 conversion would be awesome.

 

[tensixturtle]

An iMac G3 to M1 conversion would be awesome.

I agree, however the PSU would need to be working and there isn't be a good way to hook up the CRT to use as a display, is there?

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

2001 imac g3s IIRC have a vga out in the back that will mirror the CRT output. Id try and fix it - probably pull out the PSU and send it to a repair guy who does such things - some guys on ebay who do it.

 

[tensixturtle]

@Certificate of Excellence, thank you for the suggestion. Do you think you might be willing to PM me if you have any ideas for where I can get the PSU fixed and the price please? Also, I don't know if you've done it before, but if you have, do you know if I need to be extremely careful around the CRT neck? I've read that it will explode if you bump it. Thanks

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

acxelectronics down in Austin Texas has a good reputation for repairing mac psus. I have not pulled a psu out of an imac g3. The downloadable service manual for a slot loader imacg3 is here:

🛠️ Power Mac, iMac, iBook and PowerBook G3 Service Manuals

Attached to this post are PDF's of the service manuals for all the Power Mac G3's, iMac G3's, PowerBook G3's and iBook G3's. Enjoy :) PM_g3_all_in_one.pdf - Power Macintosh G3 All-In-One PM_g3_blue_white.pdf - Power Macintosh G3 (Blue & White), Macintosh Server G3 (Blue & White)...

tinkerdifferent.com

It is quite a process to get to the psu (power/analog board) but doable. If you are not comfortable with this level of repair though, due to the cost of psu repair, I think it may be best to pass it on to someone who could use it or take it to recycling or a reseller or part it out. I acknowledge that this is not an everyday easy breezy repair because it is not. Best of luck to you.

 

[tensixturtle]

@Certificate of Excellence, I appreciate the tips. I agree that the repair looks challenging, especially with the hardest repair I've done being an iBook G4 hard drive replacement. Although the hardest part looks like disconnecting the CRT. If I decide to do it I guess all I can do is follow safety procedures and be very, very careful Thanks again!

 

[tensixturtle]

Actually, I was wondering if someone can tell me how breakable the CRT neck is please? Is the glass about as sturdy as a light bulb? I'm just trying to gauge how risky the repair would be. Thanks.

 

[ahurst]

Not sure if this applies to your situation, but I was once tasked with reviving an iMac G3 that powered on briefly and then immediately turned off. After much digging I learned that the G3 CRTs had problems with their flyback transformers, which would go bad on some models and draw excessive power during boot and causing the system to shut itself down out of protection. Does yours power on at all, or is there zero flash of life when you press the button?

 

[tensixturtle]

Does yours power on at all, or is there zero flash of life when you press the button?

There is absolutely no sign of life, unfortunately. I checked for trickle power and there wasn't enough current.