Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Salvage a dead iBook?

A

anrake

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 1, 2006
13
0
My wife's iBook G3 600 recently died so we got a new one. Supposedly there was a problem with the logic board so I decided it wasn't worth sending in to fix. now my question is what can I do with this thing?

The HDD should be OK so I can put that in an external enclosure. I can probably use the extra RAM i installed and the battery should work on the new one too. Is there anything else to salvage? Anything I can do with the screen?
 
anrake said:
My wife's iBook G3 600 recently died so we got a new one. Supposedly there was a problem with the logic board so I decided it wasn't worth sending in to fix. now my question is what can I do with this thing?

The HDD should be OK so I can put that in an external enclosure. I can probably use the extra RAM i installed and the battery should work on the new one too. Is there anything else to salvage? Anything I can do with the screen?
Click to expand...

Apple has a logic board replacement program for early ibooks. It's good even after the warranty expires and they'll fix it for free. Its worth at least taking it in to see if they'll fix it. You'll get more for it working than broken.
 
Instead of a drive enclosure you can also get a cheap USB to IDE connector for about $20 U.S. I don't trust TigerDriect because the denied a rebate that I know I did correctly. Search for Cables Unlimited USB 2.0 to IDE Cable with Power Adapter. I used one to transfer data from my busted iBook.

Then I would part the computer out, or if your willing sell it to somebody that needs anything other than the logic board. It's worth posting here in the Market Place Forum

iFixit.com has instructions.
 
munckee, according to the guy at the Genius Bar this one was too old. that replacement program is only good for 3 years from the purchase date. naturally, that just passed a few months ago.

eniregnat, thanks for the tips. i'll look into the cable.
 
Eniregnat said:
Instead of a drive enclosure you can also get a cheap USB to IDE connector for about $20 U.S.
Click to expand...


I got an enclosure for an old laptop drive for $15 on ebay. So I'd say go with the enclosure. ;)

ANd to the original poster, there are PLENTY of people who want parts, I would part it out. Check the "for sale" section of this board, there are a few posts up there about it. You should be able to get a decent amount for the monitor (like in the $50 range, I would think), and the RAM (which may not be compatible with your new ibook, unless you bought a same generation one) can fetch a decent price, as can the drive, the power supply (I may be interested in that, by the way), the battery (if it still holds a charge), and the cd drive if it works. The best thing in there, if you have it, is the Airport card, which you can get about $100 for on ebay (the original Apple airport cards were discontinued, so anyone with a G3 ibook or Imac or an early G4 needs those)...

I'd say part it out either here or on ebay. I bet a tinkerer would even be interested in the logic board to mess around with.
 
thanks disconap, I totally forgot about the airport card. Sounds like parting it out or selling as is (hdd in tact) might be the way to go. I live in Tokyo so parting it here or on eBay may not be the best way to go. Will look locally.
 
I'd also just find out how much it would cost to have apple put on a new logic board. It seems silly that they won't honor their extended extended warranty now..
 
If that 400 dollars puts it back under warranty, it MIGHT be a way to go. Ask Apple if it extends the warranty or not. I actually think the Apple price is 349 and the extra money goes to the Apple dealer or tech that is helping you. I think the price for out of warranty laptops is 349. Ask them what the actual price is from Apple and see if you can't send it in directly to Apple.
 
anrake said:
now my question is what can I do with this thing?
Click to expand...
Part it out.

You should be able to sell the LCD, keyboard, RAM, and HDD all individually. From there, you can probably sell what's left of the case and its innards to someone for a few bucks.
 
buy a new logic board from ebay and replace it yourself, or have a techy friend to do it.

my 600MHz ibook breaks on a regular basis thats because i treat it like crap, but i repair it every month or so, i thought it was a gonner this morning but just took it apart and cleaned everything with a swab and meths and now it works.
 
Hector said:
swab and meths and now it works.
Click to expand...

Your iBook is on Crystal Meth??? Man, I'd like to see what kind of crazy stuff appears when you turn on the screen saver.
 
what exactly is crystal meth, i've heard of it but dont know what it is, we dont have it in the uk.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back