I thought this might be of interest, especially further on down when
specifics are mentioned as to what get covered by the REA for
powerbooks.
-----begin forward-----
POWERBOOKS
I wanted to mention a few things in reference to the article I wrote last
time. A few of you told me that I should have mentioned the PowerBook 2400.
I can't believe I forgot that one! That was a really interesting machine,
both to look at and work on. The biggest problem with these machines was
failure of the I/O and power supply board. If you have a 2400 with a
no-power issue, you might have a bad power supply board. Check the wall
outlet, AC adapter, rechargeable battery, backup battery, and keyboard
first, but, if the problem persists, you might want to try replacing the I/O
P/S board.
Working on these machines is particularly difficult. If you're not familiar
with PowerBooks or do not do well with numerous small parts, avoid opening
up a PowerBook 2400!
Another bit of information about these units is that you can use either the
factory 36 watt AC adapter or the 45 watt brick that came with similar
PowerBooks (1400 and 3400). From time to time, a customer calls looking for
a rechargeable battery for a 2400. When I say that I can get one, many 2400
users get very excited. Apparently, they are not easy to find. So, if you
ever need one, let me know.
Another handy piece of PowerBook information has to do with the rechargeable
and backup batteries for the Wallstreet G3 PowerBook. The power subsystem in
these machines is intricate, and many different components come into play
when there is a power issue. The rechargeable batteries in these units are
very sensitive. The main thing I would like to impress on Wallstreet owners
is that you should follow Apple's advice and fully charge, then fully
discharge your expansion bay batteries. Another tip is to make sure those
machines get plugged in at least once a week for a few hours. The backup
battery takes a charge from being plugged in and can deteriorate in charge
and cause power issues until it is revived by AC power.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
REPAIR EXTENSION PROGRAMS
In my last newsletter, I mentioned that the PowerBook 5300/190 was covered
under Apple's repair extension program. A lot of people contacted me,
apparently unaware of this option for in-warranty repair of their old
machines. This is an excellent program and anyone within the boundaries
of its parameters should take advantage of this free service. You must be
the original purchaser of the product in question (and be able to produce a
receipt) and have a unit that fails in the prescribed manner for that
machine.
The following will describe which units are covered by the repair extension
program, the acceptable symptoms/failures for each product, and when the
program for each group ends.
+-----------------------+
LASERWRITER 12/640
An Apple OEM (original equipment manufacturer) recently identified a
potential minor safety issue in the LaserWriter 12/640 PS and LaserWriter
12/640 PS Plus printers (referred to jointly as the LaserWriter 12/640).
Under certain conditions, a small percentage of LaserWriter 12/640 printers
may fail to disable the power inside the unit when the top cover is opened.
This may cause users to come into contact with low-level electrical voltage
or be exposed to rotating parts. Because only a small percentage of
LaserWriter 12/640 printers fail to disable the power when the top cover is
open, a relatively small number of users are at risk of low-level electrical
shock. To address this issue, Apple developed a Repair Extension
Authorization (REA) Program to modify customers' printers. Modifications
to reduce paper jams should also be performed as part of this REA program.
Modified LaserWriter 12/640 printers are not susceptible to the safety issue
and do not need new DC controllers or the paper jam reduction modifications.
Modified printers have:
* Serial numbers greater than xx710xxxxxx
* A blue dot on the UPC label of the printer box
* A small (2 to 10mm diameter) white dot on the left side vertical
surface at the entrance of the paper tray.
These units are covered under the Apple REA program until May 2004.
+-----------------------+
POWER MACINTOSH/PERFORMA 52xx/53xx/62xx/63xx
Models included in this program:
* Power Macintosh 5200/75 LC, 5300/100 LC
* Macintosh Performa 5200, 5215, 5300
* Macintosh Performa 6200, 6205, 6214, 6216, 6218, 6220, 6230, 6290,
6300
The Repair Extension Program for Power Macintosh and Performa
52xx/53xx/62xx/63xx products addresses the following two key quality
issues:
1. System freezes caused by specific, known component issues that have
been identified by Apple
2. Sudden or intermittent changes in the monitor's color hue on some
Power Macintosh and Performa 52xx/53xx models due to a particular
cable.
Apple has identified specific root causes for frequent random system freeze
and video color hue issues in Power Macintosh/Performa 52xx, 53xx, 62xx,
63xx computers. A cable on the CRT/video board has been identified as
causing the sudden or intermittent changes in color hue on some Power
Macintosh and Performa 52xx/53xx Rev A units. One or more of the following
components have been shown to cause the system freezes:
* Some specific clock chip versions at location U10
* Some specific ROM DIMM
* EMI ground clips on the underside of the logic board
* Ethernet comm slot card pulled out of the connector
This repair program addresses only hardware-related system freezes. Both
hardware and software issues can cause a system freeze. A freeze is defined
as when the cursor (arrow) does not move on the screen and the menu bar
clock does not advance. A system hang, crash, bomb, or lockup is defined as
when the cursor still moves on the screen but pressing the mouse button
has no effect. A freeze may also involve an error dialog box such as ID =
Type 11. System freezes that are software related are not addressed by this
program. It is possible for system freezes or video issues to occur for
reasons unrelated to the specific components described in the repair
procedures associated with this repair extension program. Any such issues
are not covered by this repair extension program.
These units are covered under Apple's REA program until June 2002.
+-----------------------+
POWERBOOK 5300/190
Models included in this program:
Apple PowerBook 5300, 5300c, 5300ce, 5300cs, 190, 190cs.
These units are covered under Apple's REA program until June 2002.
+----+
PowerBook 5300 and PowerBook 190
SYMPTOM: The AC power connector on the logic board can become loose or
inoperative.
Serial Number: xx605xxxxx and below
Solution: Replace logic board
SYMPTOM: Using a device in the media bay in combination with certain PC
cards that draw higher levels of power can cause the system to freeze at the
time the devices are used. When the computer experiences a freeze, the
computer does not respond to mouse and/or keyboard input.
Serial Number: xx605xxxxx and below
Solution: Replace logic board
SYMPTOM: Exterior plastics and internal frame are subject to cracking at
certain stress points.
Serial Number: xx622xxxxx and below
Solution: Replace all plastics
+----+
PowerBook 5300 only
SYMPTOM: Some computers may take twice as long to boot when plugged into AC
power as compared to booting from battery only.
Serial Number: xx605xxxxx and below
Solution: Install the power supply shield.
SYMPTOM: Some computers on larger LocalTalk networks may experience devices
dropping off the network.
Serial Number: xx622xxxxx and below
Solution: Replace the logic board
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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