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Success! - PowerBook G4 Titanium 15" Repair Thread
- Thread starter AphoticD
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As posted, yes the display panel and display assemblies are interchangeable, but the behavior you are experiencing sounds more like a backlight or inverter issue.
If it is the backlight then replacing the display assembly should fix it. If it is the inverter then you won’t need to replace the display at all, just the inverter board inside the top case.
I should have mentioned it... indeed, that was my first step. I swapped out the inverter and cable from my 1GHz Ti to this one to check for inverter failure, but to no avail. The symptom remains, while the inverter on the "broken" now works perfectly on the 1GHz. That lead me to believe it is the LVDS cable, since the backlight works perfectly when this cable is disconnected.
Thanks for sharing @jpcoelho.
To try to determine where the fault lies, I would suggest troubleshooting a few other ideas (if you haven't done so already);
- Drop into Open Firmware at boot time by holding cmd-opt-O-F - if the backlight stays on fully at this stage then it is likely a software issue. Continue to boot with the "mac-boot" command.
- Boot into single user mode by holding cmd-S at startup. This will drop you into the command line interface and doesn't load any graphics drivers. Again, if the backlight stays on here, then it points to a system software issue.
- Reboot into Safe Mode by holding the Shift key. This should force the OS to rebuild the kernel extension cache and check/repair the startup disk.
- If it still continues, try booting from an installer disc or known good system. You can use firewire target disk mode on another PowerPC Mac by holding the T key at startup, then hold option key on the trouble Mac to select the external startup disk and boot.
If none of this helps and replacing the LVDS cable doesn't make a difference then I'd put it down to a failed capacitor on the logic board which is not storing enough juice to keep the inverter ticking along. Look for any swollen or damaged / burnt out looking components on the board.
Keep us updated on your progress and good luck!
Thanks for the advice! I've just done most of the tests you suggested, and results seem to point to the LVDS cable/logic board... as follows:
1. Booting into Open Firmware led to flickering backlight, and then it dimmed out.
2. Single user mode returned similar results.
3. and 4. (booting from leopard system disc) did not make a difference.
The keyboard can also be excluded, as I can operate brightness control changes, and I can see changes in the overall reflection of the display, so the backlight is responding to the F1 and F2 commands.
Additional findings: the powerbook current resolution is actually 1152x768, so the display has been changed in the past (for the model I was considering); If I change resolution, the desktop goes back to normal for 2-3 seconds and then it darkens again.
I made a video:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
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@AphoticD did you end up pursuing the speaker replacement on the 867 TiBook? I have the same issue on a 1 GHz TiBook and I can't seem to find any good information on speaker replacement (other than one vague ifixit post). I was curious to see what your (mis)adventures in TiBook repair revealed.
It's incredible to me that it's 2020 and these machines are still viable. Hats off to you for the wealth of information in this photojournal! Thank you ?
It's incredible to me that it's 2020 and these machines are still viable. Hats off to you for the wealth of information in this photojournal! Thank you ?
Thanks @gocke004. It has been some time since I was working on it, but I recall the issue was not resolved by replacing the speakers and was an issue with the logic board, at least in this case.
I’ll need to revisit this project. I acquired a few more TiBooks in bad shape, so I might be able to
Use parts to make another good working condition unit.
@AphoticD interesting. Thanks for the insight. It is helpful to hear from someone who has actually tried the speaker replacement route. It also seems, based on my readings, that these audio issues are often no so simple. I will just stick with using external speakers for now. I am not quite as skilled as you at soldering on new capacitors and such! ?
Quick question.. is it possible to take a 1ghz or less G4 and replace the 550 in a Pismo ? Does the voltage and settings on the board allow for such an upgrade ?
If I would take a guess "yes I can be possible". According to the G4 Wiki the 7410 has compatible pins with other series, but voltage or the bootcode of the motherboard for the support of the CPU, but only the most experienced modders of this forum can make an statement
I want to replace the touchpad / TP but it's not documented anywhere including ifixit . com . So I opened the underneath of it
but the TP seems to be glued to the upper case. I 've tried pushing gently on the black sections (after I removed the flexcable) to pry it off the uppercase but it didn't work.
I wonder if the TP can be removed from the uppercase at all.
but the TP seems to be glued to the upper case. I 've tried pushing gently on the black sections (after I removed the flexcable) to pry it off the uppercase but it didn't work.
I wonder if the TP can be removed from the uppercase at all.
Well it might work but I'd still like to know if it's removable. ifixit shows how to remove many parts, including logic board, inverter, upper case, etc but not the touchpad which seems to suggest that it's not removable. On the other hand, I find it peculiar having to replace the whole uppercase just to replace the touchpad. I wonder if Apple took into account the possibility that some users might want to replace just the touchpad.
PowerBook G4 Titanium DVI Repair Hilfe: Das kannst du selbst reparieren! Wir zeigen dir, wie.
Model A1001 or A1025 / 667, 800, 867, or 1.0 GHz G4 processor
de.ifixit.com
sadly, the morons there are sold out of these parts.Cool. I can truly appreciate the design of the display assembly on the Aluminum ‘Books and pre-unibody MBP. It’s always a plus to be able to repair a machine by taking out a few screws and not having to crack a glued seal.
Before this batch of repairs I took the time to replace a broken hinge on the Mercury 400. It required me to crack the glue down one side of the display assembly, remove the broken hinge and glue in the replacement. I then glued the front bezel back down on that side to finish it off.
(I used a product of the USA called Versachem Quick set 2-part epoxy. Clear resin, 5 minute set time)
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Thanks @AL1630. I think it's going to be a bit of a rarity to find a 1ghz logic board.. PowerBookMedic has priced their 1Ghz Ti-boards accordingly (ouch!).
View attachment 762892
As I've discovered, the machine body will take any DVI model (667Mhz+) logic board.
I don't wonder. Apple has never wanted users to meddle with the internals. Take a look at its current line up - if anything goes wrong, throw the whole thing away and buy a new one. I suppose in terms of rigidity, "structural integrity" and repair turnaround, Apple preferred to make the top lid an all-in-one and just to have the entire lid replaced if any of its constituent components failed. If you glue the trackpad in, it is not going to wobble loose or creak.
Because this Powerbook was designed in 2000 I assumed that each part was easily replaceable. I assumed it was more like the IBM ThinkPad R40, R51, etc. which had a touchpad which stood perfectly and firmly in place (no wobble or creaks) and which was easily replaceable.
Actually it is still replaceable because it's not glued. After I've inspected it, I 've discovered that it's fixed into place by a transparent and double-side adhesive silicon and those silicons can be removed when enough force is applied but that might bend or disfigure the upper case and or the touchpad. So I've decided not to even attempting to remove it.
If you have ever pulled an Alu PB/MBP apart to replace a hard drive, repaste the CPU etc, you would quickly realise that Apple concentrated on the externals, first and foremost. Unlike nearly all of their PC counterparts they are a pain to work on inside. IBM even incorporated drainage into their Thinkpad keyboards to obviate spillage damage.
I just got a few TiBooks and the two 1GhZ both have no audio from the speakers but fine through the headphones. Any one know more details about the logic board issues? Is it just the caps needing to be replaced. If so that’s something I’m good at. Any idea where I can find the schematic for the 1GHZ/867MHz TiBooks?
From what I read, the Titaniums suffer from this defect. The only way to truthfully replace the speakers is to get a new top piece with the speakers attached. I have a 1ghz titanium that suffers from one side not playing. Took it apart to see if it was a blown speaker, it was not blown and it looked kind of new, it was also plugged in. These things have been known to go bad.
long shot that you are still around.Photo journal update Pt3.
View attachment 762836
18. While Leopard installs, I begin to prepare the LCD panel, which will be installed in the Aluminum 1Ghz machine.
View attachment 762837
19. Here the Albook's top display cover is removed and lifted back, revealing the panel, LVDS cable, inverter and Airport/Bluetooth antennae leads.
View attachment 762838
20. Upon looking up the model of this display, it appears to have been originally poached from a Titanium (VGA) PowerBook and retro-fitted into the AlBook. All Aluminum PowerBook 15" models had a standard resolution of 1280x854, except for the DLSD, but this (cracked) panel was the 1152x768 unit, which started with the Mercury Titanium PowerBook G4. This machine also has an empty serial number recorded against the logic board, so I imagine it has also undergone a logic board replacement in addition to the display now being replaced for (at least) a second time... I've named this machine "RoadWarrior" to honor it's rough and unknown life history
View attachment 762839
21. The Leopard installation finishes on the Titanium 867 and the intro video wooshes by without a sound... Audio is still dead. I can only appear to get sound out by plugging in headphones. I'll have to come back to this issue.
View attachment 762840
22. Here is the lineup of our repaired machines. The 400Mhz Mercury model on the right didn't get a great deal of attention today, but I have a PRAM battery rebuild still to do for it and will continue to hunt down a replacement optical drive, as well as hopefully a new top case assy to replace the broken outer frame.
View attachment 762841
23. The two Leopard machines are put through their paces with Geekbench.
View attachment 762842
24. The Titanium 867 scores 546 - not bad at all. The L3 cache is at work here.
View attachment 762843
25. The 1st generation Aluminum PowerBook G4, 1.0Ghz 7447 with 512KB L2 cache (zero L3), scores a healthy 634. Considering my 1.5Ghz PowerBooks typically score about 790, this is quite impressive.
The AlBook received a 5400rpm 80GB HDD and is zipping along very happy. It also runs very cool and only spun it's fans during the peak of the Geekbench testing.
The TiBook is also running cool and happy after finally completing Spotlight indexing and all of the software updates.
In conclusion;
Overall, the operation was a success! I salvaged 4 old beaten up and failing Macs, which otherwise would have been landfill, to make 3 working, healthy and happy portable PowerPCs.
but i noticed something interesting.
the 867 scored 546.
my 867 scored 492.
and it scored 537 when i overclocked it to 1 ghz.
and my 1ghz model scores around that too.
os x wont tell you its been overclocked unless you run cpu director (tiger only?)
so i think your machine was actually overclocked to roughly 1.13 ghz (unknowingly) since thats the highest clocks you can get without voltage increase
Thanks man. I ended up buying replacement speakers and soldering to the TiBook wire. on one of the TiBooks this fixed the issue. The other it did not.