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Calum2

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Original poster
Jan 4, 2017
45
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Got a powerbook g4 17" 1.5ghz with no sound. Ive tried all that pram vram stuff, reinstalled os, checked all internal flex cables/ lines, its says internal speaker in settings. Headphones work with no issues. Everything seems to be right but it just doesn't work.

Any help appreciated (yes it has been a year since I last posted about this and I haven't figured it out)

Edit: Ive also tried pushing on solder points while playing audio and that didn't do anything.
 
Got a powerbook g4 17" 1.5ghz with no sound. Ive tried all that pram vram stuff, reinstalled os, checked all internal flex cables/ lines, its says internal speaker in settings. Headphones work with no issues. Everything seems to be right but it just doesn't work.

Any help appreciated (yes it has been a year since I last posted about this and I haven't figured it out)

Edit: Ive also tried pushing on solder points while playing audio and that didn't do anything.

I have two 1.67GHz PowerBook G4 17-inch (SLSD). One with no sound from either speaker and the other with left channel sound only. Just like yours the audio is fine with headphones and is reported OK in System Profiler.

I dismantled both units and swapped speaker kits between them to determine if it was the speakers or logic board at fault and the behavior carried across with the specific speakers.

It looks like the speakers have failed in some manner. They look fine with no physical wear, but just don’t produce any sound. Maybe there is a tiny fuse or resistor inside the individual speaker housings which has failed.

I didn’t venture any further and concluded that I would need to replace the speaker kits.
 
I have two 1.67GHz PowerBook G4 17-inch (SLSD). One with no sound from either speaker and the other with left channel sound only. Just like yours the audio is fine with headphones and is reported OK in System Profiler.

I dismantled both units and swapped speaker kits between them to determine if it was the speakers or logic board at fault and the behavior carried across with the specific speakers.

It looks like the speakers have failed in some manner. They look fine with no physical wear, but just don’t produce any sound. Maybe there is a tiny fuse or resistor inside the individual speaker housings which has failed.

I didn’t venture any further and concluded that I would need to replace the speaker kits.

Thanks for the response, I have an ibook g4 1.33ghz that I don't mind taking parts out of. Does anyone know if they have the same speaker assembly?
 
It’s a good thought, but they are very different.

The iBook G4 speakers shown here installed in the white top case use a four pin connector, whereas the speaker kit from the PB 17” uses a six pin connector. Your best bet would be to get the part from powerbookmedic.com, thebookyard.com, eBay or some other 2nd hand parts dealer.
 

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It’s a good thought, but they are very different.

The iBook G4 speakers shown here installed in the white top case use a four pin connector, whereas the speaker kit from the PB 17” uses a six pin connector. Your best bet would be to get the part from powerbookmedic.com, thebookyard.com, eBay or some other 2nd hand parts dealer.

Yes but then I had a different thought, the powerbook g4 speakers unscrew to this:
IMG_20200407_013610.jpg


Maybe the inside of the ibook speakers are the same and I can simply solder them in?

Edit: Also I don't really want to spend money on this thing
 
I don't know if this will help, the advice was specific to a Power Mac G4, which is a different beast. Come to think of it, the OP never replied whether or not it helped him, so I'm at a loss. But you're stuck, so maybe it's worth a shot.

Try this: Go to Macintosh HD>Applications>Utilities>Audio MIDI Setup. Under the "Audio Devices" tab you'll see properties you can change for the Audio Output, such as:
  • Format: this should always be "44100.0 Hz" for your built-in speaker (may be different for other outputs like external speakers). There's a drop-down menu, but at least for the built-in there shouldn't be any other options listed. If for some reason there are options (sometimes an application will make changes) then make sure it's set to 44100.0 Hz.
  • Below that you'll see some sliders for volume and an option for "Mute". Make sure that your sliders are moved over toward the right, and that nothing is checked under "Mute".
See if that makes any difference. If not, I've got nothing.

The important part here is that nothing in your audio settings is set to "Mute". If you've tried to boot your machine from an external disk with a different OS install - could be same version, just not a clone of what's on there right now - and you still don't have audio, then I'm probably on the wrong track.
 
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Maybe the inside of the ibook speakers are the same and I can simply solder them in?

I've disassembled two Power Mac G4 speakers, and they all use the same basic assembly. Those speakers are glued, not soldered - no soldering is ever necessary. You will need to carefully get them out of the PowerBook's enclosure without tearing the cone, then transplant them into the iBooks assembly in a similar way; if that's what you plan to do.

Apple was always known for making their consumer product lines difficult to service. That is a standard Apple "feature", albeit an evil one indeed.
 
For the record, the 17" PowerBook G4 has an actual sound board. I'm guessing it's faulty.

Here's what the part looks like:

IMG_1487L.jpg


Here are the part numbers: 922-5768, 922-6062, 922-6755, 922-6975

And you can look at it here: http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Sound-Board-17-Powerbook-G4-Aluminum-p-16681.html

Although I'd go to eBay for this.

I have replaced this part before in my first 17" PowerBook.
 
Try cracking open the PBG4 12" and you might get nostalgic for the iBook ;)

The 12" PowerBook is tedious, with many screws. The iBook, on the other hand, is infamously nerve racking with just as many screws plus more. And, you run a real risk of breaking the plastic if you rip it apart wrong, which is not an applicable process for the PowerBook.

So... I disagree.
 
The 12" PowerBook is tedious, with many screws. The iBook, on the other hand, is infamously nerve racking with just as many screws plus more. And, you run a real risk of breaking the plastic if you rip it apart wrong, which is not an applicable process for the PowerBook.

So... I disagree.

I did both in one day. The PB took twice as long. The cables in the PB are just that little more inaccessible plus while the iBook can crack (less likely than the MacBook that followed) the PB has lots of flimsy aluminum parts around the ports and optical drive that can easily stretch out of shape. You can glue a cracked frame - good luck getting stretched aluminium to spring back to its former dimensions.
 
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I did both in one day. The PB took twice as long. The cables in the PB are just that little more inaccessible plus while the iBook can crack (less likely than the MacBook that followed) the PB has lots of flimsy aluminum parts around the ports and optical drive that can easily stretch out of shape. You can glue a cracked frame - good luck getting stretched aluminium to spring back to its former dimensions.
The one part of working in the 12" that always induces panic for me is getting that connector off the logic board through that tiny rectangle in the top case. The first time I did it was nerve-racking because that connector was tight.

Bottom left is what I mean.
 

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I did both in one day. The PB took twice as long. The cables in the PB are just that little more inaccessible plus while the iBook can crack (less likely than the MacBook that followed) the PB has lots of flimsy aluminum parts around the ports and optical drive that can easily stretch out of shape. You can glue a cracked frame - good luck getting stretched aluminium to spring back to its former dimensions.

I've had to disassemble and reassemble both in the same day many times.

Nonetheless, I suppose the iBook just struck me as the more difficult laptop when I had it beside the PowerBook. The latter's top cover's thin aluminum frame would often inconveniently bend in or out, yes, but I would usually just push it back. As for the little logic board connector, you just have to use the end of a pair of needlenose pliers to pull the very top piece straight out.

But the trial that is getting to the iBook's logic board is a royal pain, using screwdrivers / spudgers to bend the plastic housing and separate plates from I/O ports, just to get to the thin aluminum shielding covering the logic board with 800 screws, then replace the shielding and its 800 screws, etc.

Actually now that I think of it, removing those four keys from the PowerBook just to get the keyboard out was a dealbreaker. Mine actually broke off that way.

...Yeah, both laptops equally suck to maintain. Nightmares.
 
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The person who designed the ibook g4 is beyond evil. worst disassembly ever
Whatever you do, DO NOT YANK THE POWER BUTTON LEAD OUT OF ITS SOCKET!!! You will either rip the cord apart, or yank the header off of the PCB, along with the copper pads. I highly recommend *patiently* prying the lead off of the header with a narrow plastic spudger.

But, yes, the iBooks are the most poorly designed laptops I've ever had the misfortune of servicing. You have to disassemble half of the machine just to access the hard drive. Only Apple is capable of such an engineering abortion.
 
Alright so it turns out it was the speaker itself (surprisingly) I am now in the process of swapping the ibook speakers over to the powerbook casing
[automerge]1586225317[/automerge]
Whatever you do, DO NOT YANK THE POWER BUTTON LEAD OUT OF ITS SOCKET!!! You will either rip the cord apart, or yank the header off of the PCB, along with the copper pads. I highly recommend *patiently* prying the lead off of the header with a narrow plastic spudger.

But, yes, the iBooks are the most poorly designed laptops I've ever had the misfortune of servicing. You have to disassemble half of the machine just to access the hard drive. Only Apple is capable of such an engineering abortion.
Lets just say that it may uh be fully dissembled and Ill probably never put it back together lol
 
Alright so it turns out it was the speaker itself (surprisingly) I am now in the process of swapping the ibook speakers over to the powerbook casing
[automerge]1586225317[/automerge]

Lets just say that it may uh be fully dissembled and Ill probably never put it back together lol

likewise on my PB17” 1.67GHz. I’m still unable to get sound even tried speakers changed out
 
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