PowerBook G4 12" Repair Thread

[Gamer9430]

Not unless you are planning on going aluminum?

My MBP is one of the one's that look like the PowerBooks. I bought it on purpose for that. If I have to have an MBP I am going to try and stick as close to the PowerBook form factor as I can.

As cool as that may be, I don't believe they would fit, lol.

Is the keyboard on the MBP as heavenly as the PB ones? I've used my friends's MBP a few times, but it was long ago, it's been completely trashed (accidentally dropped down the stairs a few times) since then, and it doesn't work anymore...

 

[eyoungren]

As cool as that may be, I don't believe they would fit, lol.

Is the keyboard on the MBP as heavenly as the PB ones? I've used my friends's MBP a few times, but it was long ago, it's been completely trashed (accidentally dropped down the stairs a few times) since then, and it doesn't work anymore...

The only difference between the keyboard on my PB and my MBP is the ribbon cables. The tactile feel is the same.

The PB has one cable. It's wide (orange) and it's for the backlight, trackpad and keyboard. The MBP keyboard has one thin ribbon cable for the backlight (blue), one thin ribbon cable (also blue) for the trackpad and one thin ribbon cable (again blue) for the keyboard.

Other than that the keyboard has the same screw mounts to the top case and the same irritating clips that make it damn near impossible to get back in correctly.

I spent over an hour on a five minute job trying to get the damn keyboard back in and flat.

 

[Gamer9430]

The only difference between the keyboard on my PB and my MBP is the ribbon cables. The tactile feel is the same.

The PB has one cable. It's wide (orange) and it's for the backlight, trackpad and keyboard. The MBP keyboard has one thin ribbon cable for the backlight (blue), one thin ribbon cable (also blue) for the trackpad and one thin ribbon cable (again blue) for the keyboard.

Other than that the keyboard has the same screw mounts to the top case and the same irritating clips that make it damn near impossible to get back in correctly.

I spent over an hour on a five minute job trying to get the damn keyboard back in and flat.

Yes... I learned the hard way that the PB keyboards are very bendy and really hard to put in perfectly

 

[eyoungren]

Yes... I learned the hard way that the PB keyboards are very bendy and really hard to put in perfectly

I was afraid I was going to snap it in half at one point.

 

[Gamer9430]

I was afraid I was going to snap it in half at one point.

I forgot to take out the black screw under the RAM cover and I though it was just stuck or glued down. The entire left side of the keyboard was sticking up. I luckily got it back to normal and all flattened out. Lucky me all the keys still work

 

[Riviera122]

Possibly the keyboard is bad.

I've had a few keys stop working on one of my older A1013's. The usual trick for me was to pull the battery and ram cover (after shutting down the Mac), pulling the trackpad ribbon cable out of the socket and then wiping the end clean. Always worked after that (after putting it all back together).

However, that was the 17" Powerbook, not a 12" or 15". Since you didn't specify then this may be a bit more involved.

I replaced a keyboard on my MBP a few months back. I had four keys that didn't work. Real PITA to do.

It's a 12. I've heard they are much harder to get into than the bigger models? Seeing how it's damn near flawless I'm not sure whether it'd be worth risking it just for the hyphen key. I'm not good at DIY jobs.

 

[128keaton]

It's a 12. I've heard they are much harder to get into than the bigger models? Seeing how it's damn near flawless I'm not sure whether it'd be worth risking it just for the hyphen key. I'm not good at DIY jobs.

If its just the key, its easy. Just use your pinky or a small flathead and pry the upper left hand corner up until you hear a snap-click. Then move your pinky/screwdriver to the upper right side and pry there too. The key should come off easily.

 

[Riviera122]

If its just the key, its easy. Just use your pinky or a small flathead and pry the upper left hand corner up until you hear a snap-click. Then move your pinky/screwdriver to the upper right side and pry there too. The key should come off easily.

Would it be as simple as that? The key works fine, it's not stuck and still has full range but it's just not registering a hyphen when I press down on it. It doesn't register in terminal, nor does shift + hyphen (underscore) work. I have tried making a new user account however it's still not registering.

 

[weckart]

Would it be as simple as that? The key works fine, it's not stuck and still has a full motion range but it's just not registering a hyphen when I press down on it. It doesn't register in terminal.

It could be a problem with the membrane. Liquid spills can short a key. Sometime careful cleaning of the membrane can work wonders but if the backspace is not registering a tap then the keyboard most likely is toast in my experience. You have to completely dismantle a keyboard to get to the membrane so it will take hours. You have to factor in how much your time is worth to you. Just remove the hyphen key and take a good look. If you see what looks like an ink blot or rust underneath then you have narrowed down your diagnosis.

 

[Riviera122]

It could be a problem with the membrane. Liquid spills can short a key. Sometime careful cleaning of the membrane can work wonders but if the backspace is not registering a tap then the keyboard most likely is toast in my experience. You have to completely dismantle a keyboard to get to the membrane so it will take hours. You have to factor in how much your time is worth to you. Just remove the hyphen key and take a good look. If you see what looks like an ink blot or rust underneath then you have narrowed down your diagnosis.

Thank you. The backspace key works so I assume it might be dirty underneath or rusty. Is it hard to put the key back on after taking it off?

 

[MacCubed]

Thank you. The backspace key works so I assume it might be dirty underneath or rusty. Is it hard to put the key back on after taking it off?

Nope, it's a matter of pushing down