Replacement mains lead for iBook G4

[Ciel Noir]

Okay, so last night I was on my iBook when I smelt burning plastic. I looked at the mains lead and the bit right at the end had burnt through the insulator cable (it was right at the top of the wire, right under the "head" of the charger). I could see sparks coming out of the wires inside.

So clearly I need a new mains charger. I'm just wondering if anyone has ever had similar problems with old chargers (I've had this iBook G4 for about four years. Recently the charger has been a bit temperamental, I've had to fiddle with it for a bit to get it light up and start charging the computer). Apart from low battery life, the computer is in pretty good shape. Is buying a new charger likely to sort this out, or could it be an internal problem with the laptop? My friend said it was probably a loose wire in the cable.

I'm also wondering where people tend to buy replacement chargers? eBay is cheapest but there seem to be a lot of fakes on there, so I'm considering buying directly from the Apple website or the Apple store in town. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

 

[miles01110]

Most adapters, regardless of make, tend to wear out after years of use. Buying one off eBay isn't the ideal solution because they'll probably be just as old and worn as the one you're replacing. I'd just buy a new one from Apple.

 

[techound1]

I seem to recall the sparking and melting happening when the ibooks were new too, so it may not be just age.

The old addage "you get what you pay for" holds true here, too. Apple's product must have a warranty - be it a month or a year. If you were using the cheapo ebay version as a second charger - for at work or another secondary location, it might be worth the savings - but since it sounds like it's your main charger (haha, no pun intended), you'll be happier you went with the genuine apple.

 

[madog]

We Love Macs sell all matter of Mac laptop parts and may be able to help you. There are other sites, but I can never remember off the top of my head.

 

[davidjearly]

I have one for sale in marketplace. Has UK plug, but if you have the original one for yours, just put that on and it will work.