PowerBook G4 Ti help?

[aaaaplay]

Hi everyone,
I’ve just picked up $10 PowerBook G4 Titanium 400Mhz.
It’s a mess! There are no screws for the bottom case, no hard drive (cable may have been removed as well) and there are cracks throughout the top case.
On the plus side the hinges seem sturdy.
I can’t get it to boot and I’m sure if it charging because the power adapter doesn’t light up.
So far I’ve tried resetting the PRAM and booting without the battery installed with no success.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I’ve included photos below in case you notice anything.

 

[eyoungren]

Yeah, you're missing the hard drive cable. See that black rectangular socket on the logicboard (near the HD bay)? That's where the HD cable connector goes.

But assuming everything else is ok (assumptions!), leave the Mac on the charger for a day and then see if it will start or not (by not booting I believe you meant, not turning on).

 

[aaaaplay]

UPDATE! I disconnected the PRAM battery and removed the optical drive and now it seems to turn on as much as it can (I think?). I can here general noises and the caps lock light comes on, no display, but I think there is a backlight.
could I try connecting it to an external display?

[automerge]1590211308[/automerge]

Yeah, you're missing the hard drive cable. See that black rectangular socket on the logicboard (near the HD bay)? That's where the HD cable connector goes.

But assuming everything else is ok (assumptions!), leave the Mac on the charger for a day and then see if it will start or not (by not booting I believe you meant, not turning on).

Your right I did mean turn on not boot (which it’s not going to do without a hard drive).
It’s not outputting any video to the built in display or externally, but should it be if it’s not got a HD drive?
Also in regards to charging, the charge indicator on the battery doesn’t light up, could it also have a bad battery?
So many questions haha.

 

[weckart]

It’s not outputting any video to the built in display or externally, but should it be if it’s not got a HD drive?
Also in regards to charging, the charge indicator on the battery doesn’t light up, could it also have a bad battery?
So many questions haha.

The screen should light up with a flashing icon to indicate the lack of a bootable volume and you should be able to type Cmd+Opt+O+F at the chime to get to the Open Firmware prompt regardless. If you have charged the battery for a while and it doesn't respond at all with the inbuilt indicators - not even a rapidly flashing first LED, then it is an ex-battery.

It seems as if your purchase has a whole heap of problems.

 

[aaaaplay]

The screen should light up with a flashing icon to indicate the lack of a bootable volume and you should be able to type Cmd+Opt+O+F at the chime to get to the Open Firmware prompt regardless. If you have charged the battery for a while and it doesn't respond at all with the inbuilt indicators - not even a rapidly flashing first LED, then it is an ex-battery.

It seems as if your purchase has a whole heap of problems.

The battery is dead for sure, the battery indicator doesn’t light up. I think the PMU battery is good though, I reconnected it and it seems to turn on still.
I’ve removed the logic board (let me know if anything looks off) but I’m going to check out the display connectors and see if anything looks off.

 

[aaaaplay]

I’ve reached the display connectors and I’ve noticed a couple of things:
1. It looks like the laptop sustained a bad bump near the IR sensor, as it was fully disconnected (now reattached). This is also near the multicoloured display cable is.
2. I think the top case has been replaced before as there is a date stamp for March 3rd 2003.
The cables look in tact, can anyone else see anything?

 

[Slix]

The Mac should still boot even without a drive (and search for external drives via FireWire or NetBoot). Did you reset PRAM after you got it to boot?

Can you see anything on the display if you hold a flashlight up to it? Did you try pushing the brightness up key on the keyboard once it appears to come on? Some of my older Macs had issues where they would revert to the minimum brightness (none) upon boot.

You can also connect it to an external display using the VGA or DVI port on the rear of the machine.

 

[eyoungren]

The Mac should still boot even without a drive (and search for external drives via FireWire or NetBoot). Did you reset PRAM after you got it to boot?

Can you see anything on the display if you hold a flashlight up to it? Did you try pushing the brightness up key on the keyboard once it appears to come on? Some of my older Macs had issues where they would revert to the minimum brightness (none) upon boot.

You can also connect it to an external display using the VGA or DVI port on the rear of the machine.

His problem is that he hasn't been able to get it to turn on yet, let alone boot. He did use the term 'boot' in his OP, but he actually meant 'turn-on'.

 

[Slix]

His problem is that he hasn't been able to get it to turn on yet, let alone boot. He did use the term 'boot' in his OP, but he actually meant 'turn-on'.

He did mention that the Caps Lock light comes on though, and that wouldn't happen without it powering on, right? That's why I suggested using an external display to see if it's doing anything (or if it's simply the internal display that's kaput).

 

[eyoungren]

He did mention that the Caps Lock light comes on though, and that wouldn't happen without it powering on, right? That's why I suggested using an external display to see if it's doing anything (or if it's simply the internal display that's kaput).

Not necessarily. I had a TiBook with a logicboard that died. Fans spun up, the CAPS lock and NUM lock keys lit, but there was no chime, no video (internal or external) and the HD simply idled.

So, yeah, technically that's on I guess, but it's still pretty much dead.

I'm not saying OP's problem is in fact the logicboard, as it's already been shown he's missing pieces, but it sure sounds exactly like the condition I had when my LB died.

 

[weckart]

What eyoungren said. I have an iBook and a PowerMac 8600 with the same symptoms. The logic board is most likely fried as otherwise you should be getting complaint beeps from it at the very least.

 

[aaaaplay]

The Mac should still boot even without a drive (and search for external drives via FireWire or NetBoot). Did you reset PRAM after you got it to boot?

Can you see anything on the display if you hold a flashlight up to it? Did you try pushing the brightness up key on the keyboard once it appears to come on? Some of my older Macs had issues where they would revert to the minimum brightness (none) upon boot.

You can also connect it to an external display using the VGA or DVI port on the rear of the machine.

I tried to reset the PMU using the rear button, but had to resort to disconnecting the PMU battery, which got it to turning on but without the display or sound.

There seems to be some flicker (not the backlight) when the power button is pressed, but the display is otherwise inoperable/no backlight etc... But also no image, so I don't believe the inverter or display is faulty at this stage.

I have tried an external display in a few different ways but there is certainly no signal outputted.

Not necessarily. I had a TiBook with a logicboard that died. Fans spun up, the CAPS lock and NUM lock keys lit, but there was no chime, no video (internal or external) and the HD simply idled.

So, yeah, technically that's on I guess, but it's still pretty much dead.

I'm not saying OP's problem is in fact the logicboard, as it's already been shown he's missing pieces, but it sure sounds exactly like the condition I had when my LB died.

That leads me to believe that my symptoms are very similar to eyoungren's situation. The fan comes on, the keyboard is responsive but there is no sound or video.

Thats why I checked all of the connections throughout the computer/pieces and everything is connected properly (including the IR sensor) and reassembled.

My conclusion at the moment is that the logic board is dead it someway, most likely the chipset responsible for video/audio.

My next steps would be to find a working logic board, a HD cable and a set of screws but finding something like that cheaply in Australia would be very difficult. Shipping from the US and UK seems to be prohibitively expensive, so I'll see what I can find locally.

It's a passion project to say the least.

 

[eyoungren]

I tried to reset the PMU using the rear button, but had to resort to disconnecting the PMU battery, which got it to turning on but without the display or sound.

There seems to be some flicker (not the backlight) when the power button is pressed, but the display is otherwise inoperable/no backlight etc... But also no image, so I don't believe the inverter or display is faulty at this stage.

I have tried an external display in a few different ways but there is certainly no signal outputted.



That leads me to believe that my symptoms are very similar to eyoungren's situation. The fan comes on, the keyboard is responsive but there is no sound or video.

Thats why I checked all of the connections throughout the computer/pieces and everything is connected properly (including the IR sensor) and reassembled.

My conclusion at the moment is that the logic board is dead it someway, most likely the chipset responsible for video/audio.

My next steps would be to find a working logic board, a HD cable and a set of screws but finding something like that cheaply in Australia would be very difficult. Shipping from the US and UK seems to be prohibitively expensive, so I'll see what I can find locally.

It's a passion project to say the least.

@AphoticD may be able to help you out. He's in Oz.

 

[Macbookprodude]

I tried to reset the PMU using the rear button, but had to resort to disconnecting the PMU battery, which got it to turning on but without the display or sound.

There seems to be some flicker (not the backlight) when the power button is pressed, but the display is otherwise inoperable/no backlight etc... But also no image, so I don't believe the inverter or display is faulty at this stage.

I have tried an external display in a few different ways but there is certainly no signal outputted.



That leads me to believe that my symptoms are very similar to eyoungren's situation. The fan comes on, the keyboard is responsive but there is no sound or video.

Thats why I checked all of the connections throughout the computer/pieces and everything is connected properly (including the IR sensor) and reassembled.

My conclusion at the moment is that the logic board is dead it someway, most likely the chipset responsible for video/audio.

My next steps would be to find a working logic board, a HD cable and a set of screws but finding something like that cheaply in Australia would be very difficult. Shipping from the US and UK seems to be prohibitively expensive, so I'll see what I can find locally.

It's a passion project to say the least.

In simple English - YOU GOT SCAMMED ! 10 dollars think about it - a TI PB G4 any model if working fine is going to be 50-300 easily.. I saw a 1Ghz TI several weeks ago going for 475 and it was working normally, seller he timed the back and paint were messed up. I myself am
Trying to get a TI PB G4 1Ghz but I won’t pay that much.

I am truly sorry you got scammed into thinking this would be working, but judging from what I read it’s dead.

 

[Slix]

In simple English - YOU GOT SCAMMED ! 10 dollars think about it - a TI PB G4 any model if working fine is going to be 50-300 easily.. I saw a 1Ghz TI several weeks ago going for 475 and it was working normally, seller he timed the back and paint were messed up. I myself am
Trying to get a TI PB G4 1Ghz but I won’t pay that much.

I am truly sorry you got scammed into thinking this would be working, but judging from what I read it’s dead.

I don't think he got scammed. $10 for "parts" is hardly a scam price. Especially if you can get it working with some love.

@aaaaplay I hope you can figure something out with it! At the very least you have a likely working keyboard and some parts!

 

[Macbookprodude]

Another question - I was over in the PDQ thread - will the Ati drivers from jaguar speed up tiger ?

 

[aaaaplay]

In simple English - YOU GOT SCAMMED ! 10 dollars think about it - a TI PB G4 any model if working fine is going to be 50-300 easily.. I saw a 1Ghz TI several weeks ago going for 475 and it was working normally, seller he timed the back and paint were messed up. I myself am
Trying to get a TI PB G4 1Ghz but I won’t pay that much.

I am truly sorry you got scammed into thinking this would be working, but judging from what I read it’s dead.

I knew it wasn’t working and actually got further with it then I thought I would if I’m honest.

I wouldn’t consider myself scammed (although I did think at least I’d get a set of screws for the bottom casing lol). But I bought it for some fun and the seller was honest about it in his ad.

if anyone does know someone who could help with some parts in Australia, then let me know and I’ll keep working on it.

 

[Amethyst1]

if anyone does know someone who could help with some parts in Australia, then let me know and I’ll keep working on it.

@AphoticD might.

 

[AphoticD]

I’ve got a stack of Titanium PowerBook G4’s in varying stages of repair. I’ll dig through my stuff and see what I’ve got from the mercury series.

@aaaaplay I wouldn’t feel bad about your purchase. I once paid over $50 (inc shipping from US) just for a set of hinges for a TiBook project I was working on.

It would be quite rare for the onboard Rage 128 to fail. Is there any sign of water damage or burnt out components?

 

[aaaaplay]

I’ve got a stack of Titanium PowerBook G4’s in varying stages of repair. I’ll dig through my stuff and see what I’ve got from the mercury series.

@aaaaplay I wouldn’t feel bad about your purchase. I once paid over $50 (inc shipping from US) just for a set of hinges for a TiBook project I was working on.

It would be quite rare for the onboard Rage 128 to fail. Is there any sign of water damage or burnt out components?

There wasn’t anything too weird, a spider had left the behind an egg sack, but that was about it.
The case had broken around the head phone jack, near the IR sensor, which makes me think it possibly had a fall?

 

[AphoticD]

We're in luck. I have a 400MHz unit which was from a collection of salvaged old Macs in mostly poor/partial condition.

I've tested it and it powers on OK, chimes and shows the flashing folder icon on screen, so I can determine the GPU and inverter are working as expected (and the LVDS cable is A OK). The display looks to have mould build up inside the panel. It’s missing internal HDD and ODD (and connectors), so I hooked up another PowerPC Mac over Firewire TDM and it booted up fine.

Your photo of the LVDS cable looks a little suspect - possibly burnt / shorted out? Maybe the damage there blew out the GPU.

I'll see if I can find a HDD connector ribbon from another non-working unit too.

 

[aaaaplay]

We're in luck. I have a 400MHz unit which was from a collection of salvaged old Macs in mostly poor/partial condition.

I've tested it and it powers on OK, chimes and shows the flashing folder icon on screen, so I can determine the GPU and inverter are working as expected (and the LVDS cable is A OK). The display looks to have mould build up inside the panel. It’s missing internal HDD and ODD (and connectors), so I hooked up another PowerPC Mac over Firewire TDM and it booted up fine.

Your photo of the LVDS cable looks a little suspect - possibly burnt / shorted out? Maybe the damage there blew out the GPU.

I'll see if I can find a HDD connector ribbon from another non-working unit too.

Your awesome!

I take that the LVDS cable is the multicoloured one? It does look a little bit burnt in the photo. Is there a way for me to test my panel? e.g. with a multimeter.

 

[AphoticD]

Your awesome!

I take that the LVDS cable is the multicoloured one? It does look a little bit burnt in the photo. Is there a way for me to test my panel? e.g. with a multimeter.

That’s the one.

Not sure about testing the panel other than powering it on with a known good system.

You can test the pins for continuity on each end of the LVDS with a multimeter. But I think that since you’ve determined there is no video output on an external display then I’d say it is the GPU/logic board at fault.

PM me your details and I can figure out shipping.

 

[AphoticD]

The parts unit is on its way with a known-working logic board, speakers, keyboard, trackpad, display inverter and panel (the display panel is in sub-par visual condition but it does work).

There should be enough to harvest parts and potentially make one good, working unit from the two.

I am excited to see another Aussie show interest in salvaging these old Macs.

Speaking of which, I was inspired to tackle the tear-down and repair of another Mercury TiBook tonight from my stack of “To Do’s”. After re-assembly, I configured its original 10GB spinner with a fresh install of Tiger + OS9 on 768MB of RAM.

It boots fast in both systems, launches apps quickly and is surprisingly zippier than what you would expect from a 19 year old, 400MHz laptop.

In this day and age of extreme privacy invasion from omnipresent “smart” devices and T2 security enclaves “phoning home”, I feel that for some (like us), there will be a desire to return to this kind of basic computing from a simpler era... just don’t tell the opportunistic profiteers on eBay about this - I am already seeing even average model PBG4 AlBooks going for hundreds of $$$.

Anyway, I am looking forward to reading all about the progress of your repair @aaaaplay, keep us posted!

 

[aaaaplay]

Update!

Thanks to AphoticD I’ve got a chime! The other good news is that my display works. Next I’m going to install the optical drive and see if that works.