If you're still reading, I know what > you're > thinking, the battery is shot. OK, but what voltages should I be > getting > from the power board when the battery is charging? There are 5 pins > that > press up against the battery, top down (notebook sitting in usual > screen up > position) they are: > > A (goes to battery - terminal) > B > C (connects to A) > D > E (goes to battery + terminal) > > With no battery in the machine and the black lead of the voltmeter on > A, I > get these readings when moving the red lead of the voltmeter to > points B, D, > and E: B=5V, D=4.3V, E=1.6V. When I put the battery in and let My > Battery > stabilize, I get these readings: B=4.9V, D=2.9V, E=9.8V. > > Can anyone adventurous enough tell me if these readings are in the > correct > range? Given the info above, can anyone also deduce with a large > amount of > certainty that (a) power board is bad, or (b) battery is bad, or (c) > both?
I have a Kanga 3500 and have had several 3400's. They will use the same NiMH battery as your 5300. The voltage as measured by my computer of my Li-Ion battery is around 14 volts (up to 16.9 while charging). I will assume the voltage to be near 14 for the 5300 using a NiMH battery. I have removed the battery on my Kanga and put a voltmeter on the + and - terminals but get no reading. This is because the battery is "smart" enough to not turn on its switch unless it is in the computer and gets the required info from the computer. Therefore, it makes it a bit difficult to determine what component is at fault without exchanging known good parts. So, at the risk of sounding like a tired old recording, New batteries for the 5300/190 are cheap on eBay. In fact, one reason to own a 190/5300 (and also 3400/3500) is that the batteries are by far the cheapest Powerbook batteries. As far as a failing power supply board, my guess would be that if it were to fail it would not fail in that manner (slightly lower voltage) but that is a guess. For diagnostics, replacing the battery would be cheaper than replacing the PS board. Another thought, since you have little to lose doing it, would be to slice the battery case open and check the cells individually. I sliced open a Li-Ion battery for the 3400 (it had very low run time) and discovered a wire that had come disconnected. It had been barely soldered from the factory. Fixed that and the battery is good as new. The point is, you can't go too wrong to look and see. Greg __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com -- PowerBooks is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PowerBooks list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/powerbooks.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/powerbooks%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
