Power Mac G4 Power Supply (the notoriously loud AcBel 400W "Windtunnel")

[iantm]

I just recently got a Quicksilver. It boots, but I need to replace the electrolytics.

I think I know the answer, but it is advisable to recap the PSU? Or is there a PSU that would work but be quieter?

I've recapped a couple of SE Sony PSUs so I feel comfortable doing it.

 

[mac27]

The famous "wind tunnel" PSUs are in the MDD G4s, not the Quicksilver. Which do you have?

If it's an MDD, then yes, the PSUs are basically all in need of a recap at this point. I recently had mine done through the repair service on eBay and had a good experience with that (it was working before but just decided to do it as preventative maintenance). But if you're good enough to do the mobo then you should do the PSU as well if you're up for it.

 

[iantm]

I'm not entirely sure as the HDD was trashed. It chimed though so I'm confident it can be used.

I'll get it running via IDE>SD and install 9.2.2 he PSU has an AcBel label on it — so I assumed on that and the ports that it was perhaps a PowerMac 3,5 from 2002. All MDD have dual processors, right? This only has a single, so it's either 733 or 867, but I have yet to find out which.

Either way I'll open the PSU first to see what I'm dealing with. I'm hoping it just has the two 200V 850uF caps I've seen online.

So it was only the MDD AcBels that were that loud, presumably because of the dual processors?

 

[iantm]

Also: holy cow your site is comprehensive. Thanks for that resource. Maybe I'll be able to find an .iso of the CDs for this and my TiBook now.

 

[mac27]

I'm not entirely sure as the HDD was trashed. It chimed though so I'm confident it can be used.

I mean, the Quicksilver and MDD have very different case designs (particularly the front and rear), and the internals are completely different (including the PSU). So you shouldn't need any hard disk to determine which one you have.

All MDD have dual processors, right?

Negative. There were several MDD models with a single processor, including a single 1.0 GHz and a single 1.25 GHz that came later.

Also: holy cow your site is comprehensive. Thanks for that resource. Maybe I'll be able to find an .iso of the CDs for this and my TiBook now.

Thanks - hope it is a useful resource. There are many versions of discs/ISOs that Apple shipped with systems over the lifespan of many machines during the G4 era (as you can see in CompleteSet) so it's kind of a pain.

 

[iantm]

lol I forgot I can just look at the back label. It’s a 733 MHz G4.

 

[mac27]

lol I forgot I can just look at the back label. It’s a 733 MHz G4.

OK. That means it's a Quicksilver, so it doesn't have the notoriously loud AcBel 400W "Wind tunnel" PSU from the MDDs.

 

[phunguss]

lol I forgot I can just look at the back label. It’s a 733 MHz G4.

The back can't always be trusted, as when Tinkerers do upgrades, they don't update the labels. I bought a G4 Cube and it unknowingly already has a 1.2GHz upgrade in it. And you can overclock these G4s with some soldering skills.

 

[iantm]

True! This one came from a friend's basement, dusty as hell, so I'm 100% certain this one was stock. But in any other case, yep.