15" (1.25 GHz) PGB4 (Al) Sleep/Boot/Charging Issues

[jjhof]

Hello everyone! I have a 15" 1.25 GHz PowerBook G4 that seems to be having some weird power related issues. I'm running 10.4.11. The issues are:

• Takes quite awhile to become responsive after resuming from sleep (The screen appears normal, but none of the keys nor the trackpad do anything for almost a minute after waking from sleep)
• The keyboard backlight does not work and the controls show a "prohibited" symbol when attempting to adjust them
• Brightness setting sometimes randomly resets
• The machine sometimes takes a long time to boot, even with my 64GB mSATA SSD in an IDE enclosure
• A known working battery refuses to charge (the computer detects the battery, but it does not charge)
  • Interestingly, removing the battery while the computer is on and refreshing System Profiler still claims that the battery is there.

The specs:

• 15" PowerBook G4 (aluminum)
• 1.25 GHz G4
• 512 MB RAM
• 64 GB SSD (mSATA->IDE)
• AirPort Extreme card
• OS X 10.4.11

What I've tried:

• Reset PRAM
• "reset-nvram" in Open Firmware
• Reset PMU (Shift-Control-Option-Power)

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

 

[jjhof]

Quick update: I also noticed that the computer is making a sort of humming and crackling noise, coming from the area around the display hinge. The noise seems to get louder when the CPU is working harder. The sound is not coming from the speakers, a hard drive (there isn't one), or the fan. Could this be related to my other issues, or is this normal and I just didn't notice it before? I recorded the noise, but I'm not sure how to attach the .m4a file here.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

That sure behaves like a PMU/PRAM issue to me. Have you switched out the pram battery? Not too difficult to do and while you have the case out you can do any other maintenance you want i.e. fan lube, cpu/gpu repaste, cable reseating etc. As far as the noise, there are two exhaust fans - one at each hinge that is probably causing that sound - ramping up when the CPU is under load and making weird sounds, chirps etc. Giving them some lube would help that. For the keyboard, I'd check and reseat the light sensor cables (there are two sensors, one at each end of the pb).

Another thought was to run ASD and see what it says.

Good luck.

 

[jjhof]

That sure behaves like a PMU/PRAM issue to me. Have you switched out the pram battery? Not too difficult to do and while you have the case out you can do any other maintenance you want i.e. fan lube, cpu/gpu repaste, cable reseating etc. As far as the noise, there are two exhaust fans - one at each hinge that is probably causing that sound - ramping up when the CPU is under load and making weird sounds, chirps etc. Giving them some lube would help that. For the keyboard, I'd check and reseat the light sensor cables (there are two sensors, one at each end of the pb).

Another thought was to run ASD and see what it says.

Good luck.

Thanks for your reply! I have not switched out the PRAM battery as I have been unable to find a compatible/adequate replacement. I’ll try working on some internal maintenance and reseating cables as well. Is AHT the same as ASD? If not, where might I find a copy of ASD?

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

AHT is a lighter version of the Apple Service diagnostic tools. Below is a link to some info on and downloads for ASD and AHT

ASD & AHT

 

[jjhof]

Thanks! I ran the ASD tests and all came back with no errors. I ran both the open firmware set of tests as well as the OS X tests.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Thanks! I ran the ASD tests and all came back with no errors. I ran both the open firmware set of tests as well as the OS X tests.

That's great news. If it were me, I think the next thing Id look at is cracking that case and swapping out the PRAM battery (and doing the aforementioned maintenance). I fixit is a great source of high quality step by step directions BUT, House of Moth also posted the internal Apple service guide/manuals for your powerbook right here as well, so a number of quality resources for you to utilize.

Best of luck.

 

[jjhof]

Thanks again for your help! I’ll try to get working on it again within the next few days and I’ll report back on how it goes! Any idea where to find a working replacement for the PRAM battery? It seems I would need to solder (I’m comfortable with that part) some obscure Panasonic 3032-related battery onto the larger battery module. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything new sold in the US.