Should I risk iBook repair?

[livingfortoday]

OK, my iBook is doing the same thing I had reported my PowerBook as doing about two weeks ago, only it does it all the time. The screen gets really dark like the contrast is all the way down, but you can still kinda make out the screen.

I'm guessing this is a logicboard failure, and that I need to replace this part. I'm wondering if anybody here has replaced the logicboard on a G3 iBook, and if you consider it excessively hard. I have a lot of experience on desktops, but haven't really tried to take apart the iBook. Is it doable?

 

[buryyourbrideau]

ha yes i think it is...however i am not the man to ask how to do it...i have heard of it being done before

 

[eva01]

find out first if your laptop is covered by the logic board repair program

 

[amholl]

if u have to pay for it, i would just get a new one.

 

[calyxman]

If your machine can still boot but the display goes dim to dark and flickers when you adjust the display, then odds are it's not covered under the logic board program. I took mine into the Apple Store after an employee there told me that I had a logic board failure. A day later I get a call from one of their tech people telling me that it will cost over $200 to repair.

There is a tutorial here on how to replace the logic board on the iBook.

http://www.pbfixit.com/Guide/50.17.0.html

 

[Les Kern]

Hear me now and believe me later.
At my district I wanted to remove a hard drive from one iBook 12" and put it in a second. Two hours later I was no closer to succeeding than I was when I picked up the iBook for the first time. iBooks are INCREDIBLY complicated inside. I'd suggest you NOT attempt it.
Also, experience with hundreds of iBooks says that it MIGHT be a logic board, but is most likely the wire that runs from the board inside up through the hinge to the LCD. If you can't fix it with a NVRAM reset, it dosn't have lines or waves and it simply goes dark, it just might be the lead.
DON'T do it. Take it to an Apple store or an area Apple authorized repair center. They might give you a free estimate.

 

[calyxman]

The reed switch failure has been a notorious design flaw on Apple's part along with the logic board. Unfortunately the logic board is the only thing Apple has recalled (after dragging their feet for awhile). Even after that, I've seen examples where Apple has refused to fix the problem.

The fact that you have to jump through so many hoops just to replace the harddrive indicates how poorly designed these machines are. If you take a look at most notebooks on the market today, you'll see an access door at the bottom held in place by a phillips screw. Why Apple hasn't done that is beyond me. (The Powerbook is a little bit easier, but still there are steps involved.) It doesn't hurt the design, and it doesn't hurt the look. I heard the old Pismo's were a breeze to work on. It's so discouraging to fix these things and so expensive for Apple to do the job that you're almost tempted into trashing your system for a new one. And surely Apple doesn't mind selling you a new system.

At any rate, I've read so many nightmare stories involving these iBooks, that from now on I'm avoiding them like the plague. Hopefully we'll see some better quality control and hardware user friendliness with the next major revision.

 

[ldburroughs]

Hear me now and believe me later.
At my district I wanted to remove a hard drive from one iBook 12" and put it in a second. Two hours later I was no closer to succeeding than I was when I picked up the iBook for the first time. iBooks are INCREDIBLY complicated inside. I'd suggest you NOT attempt it.
Also, experience with hundreds of iBooks says that it MIGHT be a logic board, but is most likely the wire that runs from the board inside up through the hinge to the LCD. If you can't fix it with a NVRAM reset, it dosn't have lines or waves and it simply goes dark, it just might be the lead.
DON'T do it. Take it to an Apple store or an area Apple authorized repair center. They might give you a free estimate.

It is honestly not as difficult as most people make it out to be. Just keep track of your screws and it will be a breeze. It should take less than two hours to open it up, drop in a hard drive, and superdrive. This is coming from someone who had just received his iBook and decided just to dive right in. If you keep track of things it will be very simple. I would suggest taking it in for a quick (free) estimate before you decide to open it up like this. But do not be intimidated, it is not that difficult. It is very overrated.

 

[livingfortoday]

Also, experience with hundreds of iBooks says that it MIGHT be a logic board, but is most likely the wire that runs from the board inside up through the hinge to the LCD.

So... if it is that, would that be an easier repair than the full logic board? I mean, it'll be much cheaper, but it seems much more complex...

 

[calyxman]

So... if it is that, would that be an easier repair than the full logic board? I mean, it'll be much cheaper, but it seems much more complex...

Check the link in my sig regarding taking apart the iBook. For more information on this intricate task, refer to this site.

 

[livingfortoday]

Wow, that site is awesome, thanks so much!