My PowerBook G4 12" Journal - Full tear down, SSD upgrade and CPU Fan.

[AphoticD]

Thanks!

I've been using my PB12" now more than any other Mac portable. It has the best battery life of all my Macs, performs best with Tiger, runs pretty decent with Leopard and provides a pleasant contrast of appreciation when I fire up my HiDPI Octo-Core cMP

 

[SevenCities-PPK]

Great, detailed write-up! I'm hoping to replicate this kind of depth!

I'm likely to have to do a similar overhaul on my two (recently acquired and opposite ends of the metal Powerbook spectrum) Powerbooks. Hopefully it'll be a bit easier, since they are the 15" variety.

The SO used to have a 12" Powerbook. I believe it was one of the later ones, it's been so long. Apple was still in the transition to x86, and besides the added heat (because of the all-metal case and limited ventilation of said case) and fairly meh software loadout, it was a decent small computer for her.

 

[Hater]

Hows the keyboard!

I still do all of my typing on my 12", simply because how good the keyboard is. It is just night and day above the new ones. Mine is a 1.33 though. I still run the IDE HDD though!

Wish I could find a new battery for it, it has been dead as a doornail since 2009 or so.

 

[AphoticD]

Yes, solid typing on the PB12". I love the way the keys are flush with the sides of the unit too. Although the keyboard looks similar to the 15" and 17" PBG4 / MBP, I find typing on it feels more responsive.

I do find Leopard lags a bit for typing in some heavier apps (Xcode, Coda), but running Tiger on this little Mac makes it feel snappy like it should.

 

[macgeek18]

I need to strip down and clean my 1.5 PowerBook! Very nice PowerBook!

 

[z970]

I need to strip down and clean my 1.5 PowerBook! Very nice PowerBook!

Just be careful, slow, and precise in everything you do. I had to learn the hard way.

Thanks to PowerBook Medic's sloppy physical handling and unnecessary steps in their tutorials, I accidentally disconnected a black wire from one of the connectors connected to the logic board. Will not be looking to them for any further help in the future.

Always use iFixit. Always.

 

[weckart]

Always use iFixit. Always.

Always read the iFixit guide all the way through and look at all the comments before starting. There have been plenty of unnecessary steps or even errors in the guides and the authors don't always edit their guides after having these pointed out.

 

[z970]

Always read the iFixit guide all the way through and look at all the comments before starting. There have been plenty of unnecessary steps or even errors in the guides and the authors don't always edit their guides after having these pointed out.

So then, perhaps the best course of action would be not to open your computer unless it is either critical or easy.

 

[weckart]

So then, perhaps the best course of action would be not to open your computer unless it is either critical or easy.

Nope. Just don't rush into it otherwise you might find it took longer than it needed, you lost a screw you didn't need to undo and you manipulated a daughterboard to get at another wire you needed to detach, which was more easily accessible by approaching from another angle. The comments are a must read I have found.

Even if the steps are correct, the comments also give handy tips from others on how to detach that hard to reach connector without yanking the whole socket off the logic board. Those G4 AluBooks are very easy to mangle.

 

[SevenCities-PPK]

I'm curious, what software were you using for the temperatures? I am getting ready to do a similar test/teardown/rebuild on a few Powerbooks.

Already ordered the thermal paste, thermal pads, and the removal stuff (thought I had some left, but can't find them for the life of me).

 

[AphoticD]

I tend to rely on the free iStat Pro Dashboard Widget for all of the specifics and Temperature Monitor / Lite for menu bar readings.

For something more lightweight, you can try tp, which is a small shell script that gathers all of the specifics from the system probe readings. You can run tp from the command line as needed, or put it on your desktop with GeekTool.

A copy of the tp script and instructions are here.

 

[bobesch]

I'm curious, what software were you using for the temperatures? I am getting ready to do a similar test/teardown/rebuild on a few Powerbooks.

Already ordered the thermal paste, thermal pads, and the removal stuff (thought I had some left, but can't find them for the life of me).

My choice of software is "HardwareMonitor" and "G4FanControl" (see #22 My PowerBook 12" Journal - Full tear down, SSD upgrade and CPU Fan. )

I’ve disabled Dashboard. HardwareMonitor has the option to pin the data of choice onto the desktop (I’ve chosen to display CPU/GPU/mSATA in a horizontal view on the right side of the dock so it doesn’t block anything and is always visible.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/post-your-dock-powerpc.1766692/page-3#post-24281564
Fan activity is under ”control” by G4FanControl and my ears ...
My favorite gadget to keep the bottom cooler and elevated is iLapStand http://www.raindesigninc.com/ilap.html
I may let you also put stuff/cables beneath and keeps the book save, if ever a cup of coffee would be spilled over the table - but I didn't ever use it it with that huge black awkward cushion-roll ...

 

[z970]

I had another read of this, and it's made me want to polish my PowerBook even further.

Of course, not now. I don't have replacement fans, pads, or patience to deal with those infernal battery compartment screws. I even have a broken-off key because you have to take the keys off to get the keyboard off. All it's original feet are gone too, even the display's.

Speaking of the fan, I figured out that black wire was most likely belonging to the fan chassis, and I'm not even sure what it does, so it likely needs a new fan now, too.

Part of me sometimes wanders off to think about selling it and just getting a 1.67...

 

[Lastic]

Thanks.

Fan:
Powerbook G4 12" DVI Fan Assembly - 922-6242, GC054509VH-8A - Used
AU$3.07 + Shipping (UK to Australia was about $20)

Thermal Pad:
Silicone Pad Thermal Pad 50x100mm 2mm Thick Cooling Pad for CPU GPU
AU$4.86 inc shipping

So the thermal pads have arrived today from China, the Renkforce mSATA-IDE and KingSpec SSD have been sitting on my table for 2 weeks now, I only need the CPU paste.

Locally I can get Artic Silver but it comes in all kinds of different names , I saw Ceramique 2 which I think @bobesch used , any preferences ?

I've never repasted a CPU yet so no clue on what the good stuff is to be used.

 

[AphoticD]

So the thermal pads have arrived today from China, the Renkforce mSATA-IDE and KingSpec SSD have been sitting on my table for 2 weeks now, I only need the CPU paste.

Locally I can get Artic Silver but it comes in all kinds of different names , I saw Ceramique 2 which I think @bobesch used , any preferences ?

I've never repasted a CPU yet so no clue on what the good stuff is to be used.

I’m sold on a German product called Grizzly Kryonaut (12.5w/mk). I applied it to my DP G5 2.0ghz and it shaved off at least 10 C per CPU. I also applied it to my hot running GeForce 6800 GT in the same machine and instead of GPU temps up around 80 - 85C they are now 55 - 60C. If I ever redo my PB12”, I will use this paste instead of the no name silver paste I used. (30% silver, 6.5w/mk)

Although the 12” has been running beautifully since doing this teardown, I now know there is room for improvement.

I found this article very informative;
https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/2137-thermalpaste-types-conductivity-and-more

 

[skinniezinho]

I’m sold on a German product called Grizzly Kryonaut (12.5w/mk). I applied it to my DP G5 2.0ghz and it shaved off at least 10 C per CPU. I also applied it to my hot running GeForce 6800 GT in the same machine and instead of GPU temps up around 80 - 85C they are now 55 - 60C. If I ever redo my PB12”, I will use this paste instead of the no name silver paste I used. (30% silver, 6.5w/mk)

Although the 12” has been running beautifully since doing this teardown, I now know there is room for improvement.

I found this article very informative;
https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/2137-thermalpaste-types-conductivity-and-more

That is a very nice conductivity, but on paste.
On paste I have seen, this was the best I could find: https://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/thermal-pad.html
On my PB G4 12 I used MX4 which has about 8.5 W/(mK).
One thing I noticed was that its old batteries were also getting very hot. A new battery is completely cold.

 

[bobesch]

I choose "Arctic Céramique2", cause it "does not contain any metal or other electrically conductive materials. It is a pure electrical insulator, neither electrically conductive nor capacitive".
Repasting the 12"PowerBookG4 was the first time ever to do something like that and I was afraid to mess with any conductive material and cause an electric short-circuit.
So far no real complaints about it - the main problem had been the extra-temperature coming from the mSATA-converter-combination, which goes up to about 60-65°C, even if the converter is the best of it's kind.
Best solution I've found here (I think I came from @AphoticD): to put a thermal-pad between heatsink and metal-plate below the keyboard to use that large area as a radiator.
Anyway - G4FanControl and an iLap-stand serves me fine on the 12"PB to keep the temperature on a steady-state fan-threashold of 65°C (GPU/CPU) even on heavy load and without any fan fired up... Nice and cosy for your wrists in cold winter-evenings...
With my 15"/17" PowerBooks there are no such problems with the mSATA-converter-combination: simply more space to get rid of all the heat and a better configuration of all the hot components inside of the big Books.

 

[Lastic]

So today my thermal paste arrived and I started to disassemble my PB 12" .

All went fine until the hall effect sensor board and it's connector to the DC board.

I thought that I had disconnected the connector but no , I pulled it off the board entirely , sigh .

( I didn't use the pliers to pull the cable , I used a spludger
, it was just used so I could take a picture with both hands )

What do you people think ? Can I glue it to the board or should I play it safe and replace the entire DC board ?

Also it looks like the previous owner already did the job of applying new thermal pads even under the keyboard ?
@AphoticD did you ever sell a PB 12" to an European ?

Should I replace them, they look OK to me ?

Also should I repaste the CPU and if so should I first clean it and with what ?

 

[AphoticD]

All is not lost. There is some informative advice here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/glue-for-lifted-trackspads/

There are mentions of people using everyday superglue, but other websites I've read say to use a specialized electronics epoxy.. maybe your local electronics shop can advise you on this?

At the very least, it looks like a clean lift and no torn / damaged pads

Those thermal pads look like original stock. I would definitely replace them. Given their age, they will likely be crumbly and/or sticky/slimy and not very effective at heat transfer. The new (thicker) pads will compress when installed, which gives the material more density for heat transfer (or at least that's how I understand things).

To cleanup the old thermal paste (and any other components on the board), I use 99.8% isopropyl alcohol. I picked up a 250mL spray bottle at my local electronics shop for a few bucks.

And yes, definitely repaste the CPU with a quality product like the Grizzly goop mentioned earlier. I bought a 1g tube of Kryonaut on ebay out of the UK (seller:cclcomputers) for £7.19 (+shipping to AU for £0.60). This was by far the cheapest place to buy. Local distributors were asking for upwards of AU$40 for 1g!

It comes with a handy spatula and is easy enough to work with.

 

[Lastic]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I've found a replacement DC board on eBay shipped from the US for 17 EUR so I will simply replace it , I don't want to risk damaging stuff further.

I received my Grizzly paste today, bought it shipped from the Netherlands for 15 EUR here (Dutch site)
https://www.megekko.nl/product/2504/1709759/Koelpasta/Thermal-Grizzly-Kryonaut-1g-heat-sink-compound

A good tip for cleaning up the old stuff, will have to wait now to complete the rebuild until the DC board arrives somewhere next weekend.

I'm really glad I didn't damage any other connectors/PCB's , these things are incredible fragile to my clumsy hands.
Powerbook complete disassembly really ain't an easy task, I'll be glad once it's over with and I never have to open it again.

 

[AphoticD]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I've found a replacement DC board on eBay shipped from the US for 17 EUR so I will simply replace it , I don't want to risk damaging stuff further.

I received my Grizzly paste today, bought it shipped from the Netherlands for 15 EUR here (Dutch site)
https://www.megekko.nl/product/2504/1709759/Koelpasta/Thermal-Grizzly-Kryonaut-1g-heat-sink-compound

A good tip for cleaning up the old stuff, will have to wait now to complete the rebuild until the DC board arrives somewhere next weekend.

I'm really glad I didn't damage any other connectors/PCB's , these things are incredible fragile to my clumsy hands.
Powerbook complete disassembly really ain't an easy task, I'll be glad once it's over with and I never have to open it again.

It seems like the 12" suffered from weak logic board connectors. The technique I guess is to try to wedge in between the connector and the plug and gently waddle back and forth with a sort of twisting motion, without putting too much pressure on the logic board. Yanking it straight up in the usual way is too much for the fragile little thing. I don't think this is an age issue either, just Apple cheaping out on materials (which is nothing new).

At least the main logic board is intact. Put it aside for now, get the right gear in and then you'll be ready to rock and roll!

 

[bobesch]

All went fine until the hall effect sensor board and it's connector to the DC board.
I thought that I had disconnected the connector but no , I pulled it off the board entirely , sigh .
What do you people think ? Can I glue it to the board or should I play it safe and replace the entire DC board ?
Also should I repaste the CPU and if so should I first clean it and with what ?

Oh, sorry about that broke-off connector part.
What happend to both spring-attached screws, that hold the heatsink against the processor? The are broken off the board too ... (I've immediately noticed that, 'cause I happened to break one off the board too, when disassembling the heatsink on my 12" PB. I was lucky my neighbor is skilled in soldering stuff back in place...)

 

[Lastic]

Oh, sorry about that broke-off connector part.
What happend to both spring-attached screws, that hold the heatsink against the processor? The are broken off the board too ... (I've immediately noticed that, 'cause I happened to break one off the board too, when disassembling the heatsink on my 12" PB. I was lucky my neighbor is skilled in soldering stuff back in place...)
View attachment 751608

They are alive and well, unscrewed and laying aside

 

[bobesch]

They are alive and well, unscrewed and laying aside

Ah, that's fine. So you're able to solder or glue them back onto the board...

As far as I remember @CooperBox glued a screw back to the board ...

 

[Lastic]

Ah, that's fine. So you're able to solder or glue them back onto the board...

I just unscrewed them , looks like they just need to be screwed back in. Nothing broke during the disassembly except for the hall effect sensor