iMac Power-on woes!

[SuperCompu2]

I recently sold an iMac G3 to someone, and told them I would warrant the purchase for 10 days after they bought it. 3 days into the Warranty period, the computer won't turn on. The customer described the power button light to "go on for a millisecond" before shutting back off again. I don't have any idea what could have caused this, and I told them I would replace the unit with another. Anyone ever had this happen to a G3 before? I'm getting the broken one back, so it's in my best interest to get this fixed.

Thanks!

 

[Eidorian]

Reset the PMU.

http://www.macgurus.com/products/motherboards/mbppcimacdv.php

Still some more specifications on the iMac would be nice.

 

[SuperCompu2]

Its a 500MHz Slot loading Indigo iMac. The HD is 20GB and the RAM was 128MB. Its also running panther.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[SuperCompu2]

Well, I replaced the guy's iMac with another, and had a chance to check out the unit myself. It's not the problem I thought it was gonna be

The blip of light only comes on when the power button is held in for maybe 4-5 seconds, and nothing happens after.

I reset the PMU, switched the internal battery with a working unit, and still it wont turn on. Any ideas on this unit? It probably wouldnt be financially feasible to replace the logic board on this beast, as the going price on these around here isn't that high.

Oh, i dont know if this helps or not, but the little green light near the RAM lights up, but it shuts off after you hold in the power button for a while for the light to flash.It basically does the same thing as resetting the PMU does, as the green light blinks brighter and shuts off. I'm not really experienced with Apple boards, as I've messed around with PCs most of my life. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

[SuperCompu2]

OK, really looking to get this fixed soon.

Read somewhere it might be a power supply. Would the button on the front still light up if the power supply had died? It still does the "flash after holding it down" thing, and I'm looking to sell this soon and need a quick fix.

Has anyone ever had this problem, or know of anyone who has? This problem is really bugging me, and I need to sell this iMac soon. My poor G4 won't get it's 22" LCD if I dont!

 

[Bobdude161]

OK, really looking to get this fixed soon.

Read somewhere it might be a power supply. Would the button on the front still light up if the power supply had died? It still does the "flash after holding it down" thing, and I'm looking to sell this soon and need a quick fix.

Has anyone ever had this problem, or know of anyone who has? This problem is really bugging me, and I need to sell this iMac soon. My poor G4 won't get it's 22" LCD if I dont!

Hey SuperCompu2, I had this happen to my one of my iMacs. Exact same model, 500 Mhz slot loader. It was working great for the first few hours but then it shut down on me when I tried to upgrade to Panther. It wouldn't turn on and the power button just glows a little bit to not at all. I Googled and found that it may be the PAV board overheating OR a Panther ate your Mac. I haven't done this yet, but it sounds like a firmware issue.

 

[SuperCompu2]

when I get home I think I'm going to post a short video clip of what exactly my power button is doing. I am able to press it, hold it in (no activity) for about 5 seconds, and then the white light flashes and i get this little pop noise that sounds like the speakers turning off or on. It's hard to explain, but I think a short little movie clip will show what I mean.

Now, to just remember to do that when I get home....(mental note)

 

[cblackburn]

Have you tried just plugging in AC power into the system and then listening *very* carefully for any abnormal noises. My old Bondi iMac had a faulty PSU and it made a (2Hz) fast clicking noise. If it does this then you know it's an analogue PSU problem not the Digital electronics

Chris