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From: Charles on 31 May 2010 19:52
The faithful Mac no longer powers on. I took it to the Apple store
and
it was diagnosed as a bad PS, but since it's so old, they don't
service them any longer. I've been on line and there is a PS for $90
which is doable. However some questions answered would put my mind at
rest.
The Apple store thinks I have a bad power supply, but since the
computer is old, they don't carry the supply and can't repair it. I'm
curious if it's something I can do myself. I have moderate experience
with electroncs.

It's a Power Macintosh G4
The (E) power supply has Apple P/N 614-0091
The (E) power supply has M/N DPS-200PB-100 A
I read that there is an EEE code that would be helpful, but I
couldn't
find it

Is this something easily done by someone with low to moderate
electronic experience? Unplug the unit, remove the power supply from
it's spot, follow the cables to their plug-ins, remove them and
replace with (N), then put in the (N) power supply.

Then what?, plug everything back in, power on and hope?

Related, there is a considerable amount of dust inside.
Can I vacuum this out? (case unplugged, not connected to anything
else)
If so, do I need to ground either myself or the case
If I can't vacuum, would compressed air be ok

Also related
I'd like to get a backup hard drive. Suggestions? Running OS9.

From: Geoffrey S. Mendelson on 31 May 2010 20:14
Charles wrote:

> Is this something easily done by someone with low to moderate
> electronic experience? Unplug the unit, remove the power supply from
> it's spot, follow the cables to their plug-ins, remove them and
> replace with (N), then put in the (N) power supply.

Yes. but before you replace the power supply try this:

1. Open the computer up, vacuum out as much dust as you can,
or blow it out with compessed air (to get ahead of myself as it were).

2. Locate the CUDA (power reset) button, push it.

Try turning it on.

3. Hold down the CUDA button for 15 seconds.

Try turning it on.

4. Replace the battery.

Try turning it on.

5. Hold down the CUDA button for 15 seconds. (with a new battery).

Try turning it on.
>
> Then what?, plug everything back in, power on and hope?

yes.


> Also related
> I'd like to get a backup hard drive. Suggestions? Running OS9.

A cheap USB or Firewire drive would do. Internally anything with an IDE
connector and less than 120gig. Your computer may be able to support bigger
drives, but there were lots of G4's and I can't guess what you have.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm(a)mendelson.com N3OWJ/4X1GM
New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge or
understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation.
i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia.
From: Charles on 31 May 2010 21:40
On May 31, 5:14 pm, "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <g...(a)cable.mendelson.com>
wrote:
> Charles wrote:
> > Is this something easily done by someone with low to moderate
> > electronic experience? Unplug the unit, remove the power supply from
> > it's spot, follow the cables to their plug-ins, remove them and
> > replace with (N), then put in the (N) power supply.
>
> Yes. but before you replace the power supply try this:
>
> 1. Open the computer up, vacuum out as much dust as you can,
>    or blow it out with compessed air (to get ahead of myself as it were).

Any danger of static electricity damaging anything?
>
> 2. Locate the CUDA (power reset) button, push it.

This was mentioned on one of the websites I went to check on power
supplies. I'll try it but there is the faint odor of fried PS that
makes me think it's the drive. I think the website mentioned that the
CUDA solution works mainly if you've installed something or tweaked
something that might afftect the computer rather than the computer
working one evening and then not the next morning.
>
> Try turning it on.
>
> 3. Hold down the CUDA button for 15 seconds.
>
> Try turning it on.
>
> 4. Replace the battery.
>
> Try turning it on.
>
> 5. Hold down the CUDA button for 15 seconds. (with a new battery).
>
> Try turning it on.
>
>
>
> > Then what?, plug everything back in, power on and hope?
>
> yes.
>
> > Also related
> >     I'd like to get a backup hard drive. Suggestions?  Running OS9.
>
> A cheap USB or Firewire drive would do. Internally anything with an IDE
> connector and less than 120gig. Your computer may be able to support bigger
> drives, but there were lots of G4's and I can't guess what you have.
>
> Geoff.

Thank you Geoff.

Charles
From: Priam on 1 Jun 2010 13:21
On 05/31/2010 07:52 PM, Charles wrote:

> The faithful Mac no longer powers on. I took it to the Apple store
> and it was diagnosed as a bad PS

Did they really diagnose the PS or, because the computer didn't power up
they said the problem was the PS?

In the first case, there's nothing you can do except change the PS.

In the second case, check that connection are clean, from the power on
button to the mobo. With a pin or needle, clean each of them.

About static electricity. If you have a wooden floor and rubber soles,
and humidity is high, it shouldn't be a problem. If you have rugs and
leather soles, and the humidity is low, yes, it might be a problem.

Touching a grounded object just before working on the computer helps.
Otherwise, you can ground yourself. Just make sure the computer is not
connected when you work on it.

> but since it's so old, they don't
> service them any longer.

Too bad you don't have a very standard PC clone...
From: Charles on 1 Jun 2010 18:18
On Jun 1, 10:21 am, Priam <pr...(a)notsosure.com> wrote:
> On 05/31/2010 07:52 PM, Charles wrote:
>
> > The faithful Mac no longer powers on. I took it to the Apple store
> > and it was diagnosed as a bad PS
>
> Did they really diagnose the PS or, because the computer didn't power up
> they said the problem was the PS?

Admittedly, he shrugged and said he thought it was the PS. There is a
slight odor of burning PS though it might be normal. Someone else
suggested poking the CUDA button, and I'll clean the machine, then try
that, then if necessary, see if I can measure the voltage out of the
PS to double check.

>
> In the first case, there's nothing you can do except change the PS.
>
> In the second case, check that connection are clean, from the power on
> button to the mobo. With a pin or needle, clean each of them.

I'll look and see if this looks doable by me, probably it is but I'd
hate to make a mistake out of ignorance.


[snip]


Charles
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