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Modern G4 Cube PSU replacement?

stormy

Well-known member
Hey guys,

The G4 Cube PSU is terribly inefficient. Even when the machine isn't turned on the PSU is kicking out heat. Has anyone known of a modern equiv or has anyone got the pinout for it?

 

Byrd

Well-known member
Hi stormy,

It's a 28V 200W power supply, there are several 28V switch mode power supplies out there that would fit the bill, available from Aliexpress/eBay.  Unattractive, but you could fit the PSU into a plastic case.  The power connector is known as a "standard power DIN, terminal 4 pin or mini DIN 4 pin".

Pinout is below - found online

XDAiP0w.jpg

 

Stephen

Well-known member
I had this problem myself recently. My (temporary) solution is below. This is powered by my 30v/10a bench power supply set to 28v. I can see from the power supply that at idle the G4 Cube draws ~1 amp (28 watts) without an Apple Studio Display. With a 27" Apple Studio Display the G4 Cube is drawing nearly 4 amps (112 watts).

The original power supply is rated for 8 amps (224 watts) and I'm not really sure why it would need that much power. I'm trying to understand if a smaller more common PSU would be acceptable for a G4 without ADC (e.g., DVI).

image0.jpg

 
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François

Well-known member
The original power supply is rated for 8 amps (224 watts) and I'm not really sure why it would need that much power.

The lineup of Apple Studio Display that plugs into an ADC port includes this beast:
00studio17_side.png
Rated at 113W ! (and powered exclusively through the ADC port)

Half of the power of the Cube power supply is just to power this big CRT (the last one ever produced by Apple, an incredible design imho! (just look at that transparent stand: it’s a double möbius loop o_O))
 

François

Well-known member
The cube psu plug is definitely not a mini-din. Everything is too small in a mini din, the outer diameter, the pins, the current rating…

And if the Amphenol one is a standard din plug, I think they’re too big!
 
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sfiera

Well-known member
I think you’re looking for the KPPX-4P. It’s sometimes called “Power-DIN” (not “DIN” or “Mini-DIN”) but I don’t think that’s an official name for it, and the term doesn’t appear on the KPPX datasheet.

In an ideal world, you might be able to pick up this PLUG-P1J-R7B adapter and use a standard barrel jack PSU, but there’s no pinout listed for that adapter, so for all I know it’ll short power to ground. At $5, though, it couldn’t hurt to buy one and check.
 

François

Well-known member
It just happens that I have in my stash an old power supply (from a broken external FireWire disk) that has this very plug!

AC POWER SUPPLY.jpeg

And I can confirm that it fits perfectly in the Cube socket. (I didn’t check for height clearance, an angled plug might be necessary)
 

mg.man

Well-known member
an old power supply (from a broken external FireWire disk)
Ooo... I have a dodgy Cube PSU - needs to be warmed up to work - so have been following this thread. I believe I also have an old PSU like this I can lift the cable from and avoid cannibalising the Cube PSU. Thanks for the find!!
 

davidg5678

Well-known member
I have four of these LaCie PSUs. They are very prone to failure, and three of mine have already died. Perhaps they will make for good donors.
 

sfiera

Well-known member
At $5, though, it couldn’t hurt to buy one and check.
Unfortunately, looks like a bust. I decided I’d pick one up to check, but the pin assignment is orthogonal to the Cube PSU’s, and the pins aren’t given separate wires in the cable. It’s a shame, because the fit is pretty good.
kppx-wiring.jpgkppx-cross.jpgkppx-fit.jpg
 

stormy

Well-known member

kitsunesoba

Well-known member
Excellent, very interested to hear of the results. One of the things that made me hesitant to buy a cube is the PSU that's bound to croak sooner than later with any level of usage.
 

stormy

Well-known member
Excellent, very interested to hear of the results. One of the things that made me hesitant to buy a cube is the PSU that's bound to croak sooner than later with any level of usage.

I can confirm that it * DOES * work. This PSU is perfectly compatible. Plugged into my Cube today, all is well!
 

shadedream

Well-known member
Nice! If only we could find one closer to the stock PSU it'd be perfect. Would be nice to be able to power ADC displays also. I think I'd probably be most comfortable running it on the 110 just for some headroom.
 
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