Built in Microphone Broken?

[jimjiminyjim]

I launched iChat to visit with a friend who just bought a Mac, and found that my iBook's internal microphone was not working.

A quick trip to sound preferences, clicking the "internal microphone" and adjusting the level yielded nothing. No noise, no raise in bar, nada.

Any other hope besides taking it in to have someone look at it?

Thanks,
Jim.

 

[mklos]

If you go to the Apple Menu and then to About this Mac, then click on More Info (which launches System Profiler), does the Microphone show up in the audio section? Maybe its not even hooked up. If thats the case, its a trip to an AppleCare Service Center....

 

[jimjiminyjim]

I hadn't thought of checking the system profiler. It does show up though.

Weird: in Speech preferences, when calibrating the microphone, it does show a low level of noise - although it doesn't seem to correspond to any noise I make.

 

[840quadra]

I hadn't thought of checking the system profiler. It does show up though.

Weird: in Speech preferences, when calibrating the microphone, it does show a low level of noise - although it doesn't seem to correspond to any noise I make.

It is possible that wire for the Microphone is pinched or shorted. The path travels from the the right side of the display, down to the center through the right side of the hinge. It then travels through a channel with other wires ( I think the speakers) all the way up to the front left corner near the hard drive (under were your left wrist would rest). Well this is true for the G3 iBooks, I am not sure of the G4.

I had an issue with my G3, but since it was out of warranty, and I replaced the logic board anyway, I just opened the case, found the break, and spiced it back together.


One Other Test
Do you have Garageband? When you go to add a "Real Instrument" and turn on Monitor for vocals, what does it sound like ?

 

[jimjiminyjim]

The GarageBand test: I hear the low-level noise that the speech preference calibration was showing. Would this be indicative of the pinch or short you're suggesting? And would this make sense given that the microphone does show up in the system profiler?

Thanks again,
Jim.

 

[840quadra]

The GarageBand test: I hear the low-level noise that the speech preference calibration was showing. Would this be indicative of the pinch or short you're suggesting? And would this make sense given that the microphone does show up in the system profiler?

Thanks again,
Jim.

It is quite possible, What it also could be is an issue with the microphone itself. What happens when you (gently) flick near the microphone port on the side of your display? Does the sound change, get better, worse ?

I believe the fact that the Microphone shows up in the system profiler simply indicates that your motherboard has onboard circuitry for a built in Microphone, not that it is present, or working. I don't believe that their is an internal self test that checks voltage to and from the Microphone per say, but only an Apple tech would know for sure.