Need to repair an iBook G3 "Clamshell"

I bought an old iBook G3 "Clamshell" from eBay this year. It looks great, and everything works fine, except the power supply inside the laptop no longer charges the battery, so the iBook cannot turn on at all if it is not plugged in to a wall outlet.

Does anyone know where I can send my iBook in to get the power supply repaired?

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rob42

I'd of thought that it's more likely to be a battery issue, given that the PSU powers the device okay. Just M.H.O...

Phalanx

Might be worth reading: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iBook+G3+Clamshell+Battery+Replacement/103

bjpeter

rob42 wrote: »

I'd of thought that it's more likely to be a battery issue, given that the PSU powers the device okay. Just M.H.O...

I replaced the battery with a new one, but it still won't run unless it's plugged in.

rob42

bjpeter wrote: »

I replaced the battery with a new one, but it still won't run unless it's plugged in.

Aw, that info was not included in your post, but fair enough...

So, either your PSU is faulty, in so much as it's not supplying the amps required to charge the battery or there's some internal fault that's preventing the current from getting to the battery. I don't think it's a faulty PSU (but I could be wrong) because charging the battery takes less current than powering the computer.

If you can, make sure that the terminal connections between the battery and the computer are 'clean': IPA is a good cleaning agent. Any tarnishing will create a resistive barrier, preventing the current reaching the battery. It could be that the terminals are damaged in some way. A close inspection is in order.

After thought...

What about the connections between the battery terminals and the circuit board? To inspect that, you'll need to take the thing apart (how brave do you feel!). A 'dry' or broken solder could very well be the issue.

OctalDump

From memory, I think this is the DC:DC board. It's a fairly cheap component... if you can find it.