Performa 6115CD Flooky Power? Help!

[Earendil]

I have a friend across campus who is using a Performa 6115CD as her computer. She called me up the other day and asked me if I knew much about computers (as if I pretend!) and that her computer was making a funny sound.

Upon inspection, it appears as if something with the power supply has gone out. She said that one night, while it was running, it just shut its self down, and restarted again. And it kept doing this. After that time she shut it down hard, and after a while restarted it and it would function fine for half an hour, and than spiral down into the shut down/start up routine.

Here is what I saw though-
I started the computer up. The OS (8.0) loaded and just as the desktop loaded it shut down as if someone had pulled the power. it than started up, and made it as far as the OS load bar before it shut down in the same way, and all the lights started flickering on the keyboard, monitor, and computer.

As far as I can tell, the clicking sound is coming from the CD drive as it recieves power, attempts to spin up, and then loses power.
Does this sound like a power problem?

Things I was able to elimiate:
power cord
outlet
power strip

At this point, when you try and start it, everything just flickers off/on/off/on
Does this sound like the power supply voltage adapter? Do they sell these things for this computer any more? any ideas where I can pick up or buy a new/used one from?

Thanks guys!

Tyler

 

[PismoGuy]

I had a similar problem with my 6115. It would shutdown everytime it was done booting up. But it so happened that my *dear* friend took the shutdown control panel and put it in the startup items. I got it working by starting up with extensions off and removed it from the startup items.

Maybe she met my friend.

But that does not explain the noise of the cd-rom drive.
try unpluging the power to the floppy and cd rom drive and just boot off the drive / if it works start plugging the other stuff in.
maybe it will fix itself.
otherwise check ebay for a supply

good luck

 

[Earendil]

When she was explaining it to me, that was exactly my thought. SOme sort of script or shutdown command had gotten into the startup items. But this happens at random. It happened during the OS load screen! Now it hapens within mili-seconds of hitting the start button. The power button flashes off and on almost as fast as I can tap my fingers on my desk.

If it were the computer getting very fast very frequent power shortages, would that cause the CD drive to mak a slight clicking sound? I suppose it could be the power in the computer shorting out and making that sound

Tyler

 

[Sayer]

If you want parts for it try http://www.shrevesystems.com/

They have been around forever and I have made purchased from them before, they are (were) totally legit and sent working *used* parts for old Macs. I ordered up a floppy drive for a friends "pizza box" Performa while he was stationed in an Army base in South Korea.

 

[Little Endian]

If you want parts for it try http://www.shrevesystems.com/

They have been around forever and I have made purchased from them before, they are (were) totally legit and sent working *used* parts for old Macs. I ordered up a floppy drive for a friends "pizza box" Performa while he was stationed in an Army base in South Korea.

Looks like Earendil's friend should just get a new computer. A Performa 6115 is ten years old now. Spending anything more than $20 to replace anything wrong would be pointless when the computer is probably not even worth as much. According to the Shrevesystems website one can get a Performa 5400 180Mhz 603e for only 59!! a complete system too being it all in one. $59 and probably 2-3 times faster than that 60Mhz 601 in the Performa 6115. Better yet one can get a used emac for as low as $599 refurbished.