Chosen Solution

Hey there, The adaptor charging ring recently stopped lighting up when plugged in on my Powerbook G4. It boots and runs just fine from the battery, but I can’t recharge it once it runs out! I tried the adaptor on a friends computer and it works just fine. I took the laptop apart and inspected all of the relevant cables and connectors looking for something loose or disconnected. Nothing was found to be out of place. When I put it back together the adapter was lighting up again and I was back with a working computer for a very happy 24-hour period… until it stopped working again. I tried the same procedure again to no avail. I read that I may want to try replacing the DC-In board, which ranges from $50-$90 since it includes the sound inputs. That got me thinking, so I plugged in a pair of headphones, booted up my computer, and head the startup chime coming from the headphones! Still not charging though.. I’m curious what else I could do to pin-point the exact problem before I shell out any cash for a part I don’t need. If I were to get my hands on a voltmeter could I test the voltage on a specific area to isolate the malfunctioning connection? Or, is there something else along those lines I could try? Thanks in advance! Benji

Wow, this is an interesting case! DC-ins are very strange creatures…I’ve run across many in iBooks that appear dead or problematic, but once they are disconnected for a while, then re-connected, they work like new. It’s as if they hold onto a “bad charge” which affects their behavior until it is allowed to dissipate. The question in this case seems to be, what is causing that “bad charge”? Here’s what I’d do: First, make sure you have a 65-watt AC adapter, since 15" aluminums don’t like 45-watt ACs. That could be the problem right there – 45W adapters often work for a while, but then weird stuff starts happening as they (I assume) are ultimately unable to meet the power requirement. Next, since you mentioned having your DC-in temporarily disconnected made it work temporarily, I’d go in and disconnect it for an hour or overnight, then re-connect it. Next, I would remove your battery, and connect your laptop to AC power, but do it on the other side of the house (on a different circuit). If it works in that condition for a sustained period, you can try either the battery, or plugging into the original power source, to see if it goes bad again. Doing this, step-by-step, hopefully you’ll be able to isolate the issue. If none of this helps, you may be looking at a bad board.

The part you need is 922-6963. You might want to do a web search. Of course the iFixit parts are tested UPDATE The only part left is the battery connector. With the AC adapter plugged in, use a multimeter to test the connectors. Here’s the part: [linked product missing or disabled: IF154-067-1]

Something weird is going on with these Powerbooks and chargers. My charger works fine most of the time, but occasionally stops charging without me having touched, unplugged or changed anything. My laptop is plugged into the charger 99.9 % of the time, I basically just use the laptop as a desktop. It will run for months on end without any problems and then, one day, unexpectedly, I may notice that the lighted ring on the charger’s plug is not on, or, if I missed that, I get a warning that my computer is running on spare battery power, even tough it is still plugged in to mains power. This will then happen every day, usually only once a day, sometimes twice, for a few weeks or a month or so, and then the issue goes away again for a few weeks or months. The remedy I have found is to unplug the power cord from the charger, leave it for a few minutes, then plug it in again and everything will be fine till the next day. Unplugging the lead form the computer itself does not work, it has to be the mains lead that plugs into the adapter. If I don’t wait long enough before plugging it in again, the problem repeats itself straight away, i.e. the charger stops charging after a few minutes. It does not happen at exactly the same time every time, no apparent connection to hot or cold days, it is not a charger over-heating problem, it’s not re-produceable at will - it’s just completely baffling! I have two chargers, both do the same thing. I have re-set PRAM, no difference. Tried all sorts of things, no difference. It is a known problem; I have searched the net for a solution and found others have had the same issue. I have found “remedies” suggested by others, but nothing seems to fix this issue. Anyway, it’s no biggie, just a annoyance, and a mystery I haven’t been able to solve. Apple must have put it in the “too hard basket” themselves too, it has been discussed on Apple’s web site forum, but no solution there either. I guess this Powerbook will eventually take this mystery to its grave …