NOTE: This is a bit general, and I might yet find the answers I'm
looking for in the archives. Feel free to ignore me if the topic has
already been covered exhaustively there.
My recently departed (in trade) Gigabit Ethernet Power Mac G4 was
essentially problem-free until the power supply died about a month
ago. I don't want to repeat what followed. Trouble was, without my
own computer and with only sporadic access to any others, there
wasn't opportunity for the research I needed to do, let alone time to
find this group and get some meaningful answers. No Mac friends or
ongoing relationships with a repair shop, either. The story, briefly,
and then I'll get on with the questions:
Came home, turned it on. Nothing. No lights, no sound, no action.
Tested different power cords and outlets, nothing. Power supply. My
roommate opined that it was probably a simple matter of getting any
old (new) power supply and throwing it in, though he wasn't positive.
He puts together his own PCs from kits, but he's not exactly a guru,
and knows nothing about Apple computers. My preference was to have
someone competent and qualified do whatever work was necessary. Power
supply sounded a bit intimidating. Apple Store first. They confirmed
the obvious, but couldn't help with the repair. They recommended an
Apple authorized repair shop. Spoke with them. Seemed like they
didn't want to be bothered - first suggestion was for me to find a
similar machine and swap things around. Thought about it. No, I
wanted them to fix it. Rebuilding the power supply is what they were
going to do (their first resort as a matter of policy). But it would
take a couple weeks for them to even get to it. OK. After a week they
called me and said they had a similar machine they could swap my HDs
and RAM into. I'd been without a computer for 2 weeks already, and
with the holidays coming up it seemed possible that it might be
another 2 or 3 or 4, maybe all of it just to get the answer "well, we
can't fix it, so we're going to have to find a replacement" and wait
some more. So I agreed. The Sawtooth I got back was in good shape and
worked well, only problem being a new one with my very own HDs. I
probably should have insisted on swapping more than just my HDs and
RAM into it, but I wasn't thinking. Can't complain too much, because
evidently I got a Zip Drive that might still work (at least with OS
9) and a DVD-RW instead of a CD-ROM in the bargain. But - all of this
could have been avoided if I had known a power supply from a hole in
the ground or had been able to find out quickly to begin with.
Questions:
1. How specific is the power supply to a certain Power Mac G4 or
indeed to any Apple desktop computer made since?
2. Is finding a replacement a matter of very specific model numbers
(I found a lot of replacements online quickly, ranging in price from
$60 to $180, but had no idea how trustworthy any of them might be and
remained iffy on whether the removal and reinstallation was work I
should undertake myself) or looking for certain specs?
3. Before even considering replacement, is there something a dummy
can do to look at and into the power supply and evaluate the
situation, something as simple as "oh, it's the fuse" or "oh, that
there cable has come loose"?
4. Is there such a thing as a normal or typical lifespan for a power
supply?
I get the impression that replacing a power supply isn't that big a
deal. Maybe something I could figure out myself if I had to. But
knowing everything about what to look for in a replacement isn't
something I can figure out myself. I'd like to forearm myself with
some knowledge. This "new" Sawtooth is older than what I traded for
it, after all, and the power supply might be as well.
Sean
--
You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for
those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs.
The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette
guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml
To post to this group, send email to g3-5-list@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
