Scott Baret
Well-known member
I had posted a thread on this many years ago, but wanted to start anew since we have some fresh minds here and hopefully someone can help with this.
Please read this carefully so you don't miss any details.
The Original Power Adapter Dies (Batteries Worked Fine)
I bought my clamshell iBook in 2000. At the time, I had two batteries for it.
Five years later, the original yo-yo power adapter shorted out. This happened on the cord, as was common for Apple products of that time period (I had the same thing happen to a ProMouse).
Both batteries had a lot of load cycles by then but were still charging and holding power up until the adapter shorted out, meaning I couldn't charge them any further simply because I no longer had an adapter.
It took me a month to acquire a replacement power adapter, which was a generic one from MacWarehouse or someone similar (one of those black ones with the rectangular midsection). Neither battery charged on this new adapter, but the computer itself ran off wall power.
Of course, these batteries were five years old and had been without charge for a long time--one for a month, one for several months.
Symptoms
I run OS 9 on this iBook. The battery icon in the menu bar had a red X on it.
In the control strip, the battery gauge appeared for a while, then disappeared and was replaced by a picture of a wall outlet.
Unplugging the adapter would cause the computer to abruptly turn off.
Revival Attempt Begins
Five years ago, I bought a new battery from Newer. I also sourced a replacement yo-yo power adapter. (I do still have my original one, should I try to fix it someday).
My goals? Ruling out a bad power adapter and getting a battery to charge.
The battery didn't work. It wouldn't charge or be recognized by the computer. However, it did solve one problem: if the power adapter was unplugged, the computer would keep a charge for about ten seconds before going to sleep.
Another item I picked up--a VST iBook battery charger. The old batteries didn't charge (keep in mind they were ten years old by this point and hadn't been charged in five years) but the new one did.
The charger did charge the battery, but the iBook didn't recognize the charge.
Going Through the Usual Routines (don't ask me to try them because I already have)
I did the "reset-nvram" and "reset-all" in the open firmware mode. I tried it about a dozen times--no luck.
I downloaded the Battery Reset 2.0, which installed the Battery Update extension. That didn't do a thing. The reason I know? That darn plug is still in the control strip, and the red X shows up on the battery in the menu bar.
I figured I'd try Battery Update for Firewire iBooks, but it wouldn't install, since my iBook is the original model.
The Ring Thing
Here's what happens with the ring:
When booting the computer, it's always green until the "Welcome to Macintosh" (well, the Mac OS screen, but you know what I mean) appears, in which case the ring does turn orange. It will remain orange when the computer is on or in sleep mode.
It's like it's trying to charge the battery but can't recognize what sort of charge it has. It doesn't matter if the battery is fully charged or 50% charged; it can't process how much charge is in it.
The question--is it actually charging?
Can We Rule Out the PRAM Capacitor?
I'm going to have to say maybe on this. It worked absolutely fine in August 2005 when I could still mess with the yo-yo's cord and get it to charge.
I doubt that PRAM capacitor would go bad in the span of a few weeks, especially since I had zero charging problems until that power adapter ceased to work.
The OS X Solution
Someone proposed a solution about booting into OS X. However, I have had no luck with this. I have a Cheetah disc, and it did nothing. Of course, it is Cheetah, so maybe that version doesn't do the trick.
I have a set of Jaguar discs, but they produce funny white lines on the screen and crash the Mac at startup.
I don't have Panther on CD-ROM; if someone has a copy they'd be willing to swap me for a small part or whatever that would be great if you think it could work!!
Still, I know the main goal here is to produce the orange ring, which I can get with OS 9. (It's 9.0.4 for those curious, and yes, I have reinstalled it three times since 2005).
Some Things I've Thought Of...
Could the replacement adapter have fried some circuit somewhere? Only way I'd know is to find another clamshell that can charge a battery and go from there.
Could I have received a battery with some defect?
What if I tried a battery that was known to work on another clamshell?
I sort of think this battery can charge and that the computer is charging it, but that it can only charge to about 2% or so. I would love to see it in someone else's iBook to see what it could do.
My Goal
I want to get this battery charging again within the next month. I don't want to have to replace the capacitor since I don't have proper desoldering equipment and don't feel like opening up the computer, so I'm hoping some other method will work.
I'm thinking of finding a beater clamshell that can at least charge a battery. Anyone got one and want to swap it with me for something? I'd gladly trade my Mac II (needs batteries but looks OK otherwise) for it!!
I'm willing to give away some of the parts I have listed in my sale thread for free if it means getting the means to fix this iBook. This computer is pretty special to me and I would love to be able to use it off a battery for the first time in forever!!
Please read this carefully so you don't miss any details.
The Original Power Adapter Dies (Batteries Worked Fine)
I bought my clamshell iBook in 2000. At the time, I had two batteries for it.
Five years later, the original yo-yo power adapter shorted out. This happened on the cord, as was common for Apple products of that time period (I had the same thing happen to a ProMouse).
Both batteries had a lot of load cycles by then but were still charging and holding power up until the adapter shorted out, meaning I couldn't charge them any further simply because I no longer had an adapter.
It took me a month to acquire a replacement power adapter, which was a generic one from MacWarehouse or someone similar (one of those black ones with the rectangular midsection). Neither battery charged on this new adapter, but the computer itself ran off wall power.
Of course, these batteries were five years old and had been without charge for a long time--one for a month, one for several months.
Symptoms
I run OS 9 on this iBook. The battery icon in the menu bar had a red X on it.
In the control strip, the battery gauge appeared for a while, then disappeared and was replaced by a picture of a wall outlet.
Unplugging the adapter would cause the computer to abruptly turn off.
Revival Attempt Begins
Five years ago, I bought a new battery from Newer. I also sourced a replacement yo-yo power adapter. (I do still have my original one, should I try to fix it someday).
My goals? Ruling out a bad power adapter and getting a battery to charge.
The battery didn't work. It wouldn't charge or be recognized by the computer. However, it did solve one problem: if the power adapter was unplugged, the computer would keep a charge for about ten seconds before going to sleep.
Another item I picked up--a VST iBook battery charger. The old batteries didn't charge (keep in mind they were ten years old by this point and hadn't been charged in five years) but the new one did.
The charger did charge the battery, but the iBook didn't recognize the charge.
Going Through the Usual Routines (don't ask me to try them because I already have)
I did the "reset-nvram" and "reset-all" in the open firmware mode. I tried it about a dozen times--no luck.
I downloaded the Battery Reset 2.0, which installed the Battery Update extension. That didn't do a thing. The reason I know? That darn plug is still in the control strip, and the red X shows up on the battery in the menu bar.
I figured I'd try Battery Update for Firewire iBooks, but it wouldn't install, since my iBook is the original model.
The Ring Thing
Here's what happens with the ring:
When booting the computer, it's always green until the "Welcome to Macintosh" (well, the Mac OS screen, but you know what I mean) appears, in which case the ring does turn orange. It will remain orange when the computer is on or in sleep mode.
It's like it's trying to charge the battery but can't recognize what sort of charge it has. It doesn't matter if the battery is fully charged or 50% charged; it can't process how much charge is in it.
The question--is it actually charging?
Can We Rule Out the PRAM Capacitor?
I'm going to have to say maybe on this. It worked absolutely fine in August 2005 when I could still mess with the yo-yo's cord and get it to charge.
I doubt that PRAM capacitor would go bad in the span of a few weeks, especially since I had zero charging problems until that power adapter ceased to work.
The OS X Solution
Someone proposed a solution about booting into OS X. However, I have had no luck with this. I have a Cheetah disc, and it did nothing. Of course, it is Cheetah, so maybe that version doesn't do the trick.
I have a set of Jaguar discs, but they produce funny white lines on the screen and crash the Mac at startup.
I don't have Panther on CD-ROM; if someone has a copy they'd be willing to swap me for a small part or whatever that would be great if you think it could work!!
Still, I know the main goal here is to produce the orange ring, which I can get with OS 9. (It's 9.0.4 for those curious, and yes, I have reinstalled it three times since 2005).
Some Things I've Thought Of...
Could the replacement adapter have fried some circuit somewhere? Only way I'd know is to find another clamshell that can charge a battery and go from there.
Could I have received a battery with some defect?
What if I tried a battery that was known to work on another clamshell?
I sort of think this battery can charge and that the computer is charging it, but that it can only charge to about 2% or so. I would love to see it in someone else's iBook to see what it could do.
My Goal
I want to get this battery charging again within the next month. I don't want to have to replace the capacitor since I don't have proper desoldering equipment and don't feel like opening up the computer, so I'm hoping some other method will work.
I'm thinking of finding a beater clamshell that can at least charge a battery. Anyone got one and want to swap it with me for something? I'd gladly trade my Mac II (needs batteries but looks OK otherwise) for it!!
I'm willing to give away some of the parts I have listed in my sale thread for free if it means getting the means to fix this iBook. This computer is pretty special to me and I would love to be able to use it off a battery for the first time in forever!!