iBook G4!

[Mars478]

Another Conquest here! (Sorry in advance since it is not really vintage, Judging by the conquest wars going on...)

Got me an iBook G4 from a family friend! Said he didn't need it anymore, and said he also has a TiBook that he needs to get data off of! Its a 1.07GHZ Model with 1.256 GB RAM Standard! 12 Incher, Missing 2 keys on the keyboard but its fine because I have MANY iBook Parts!!! Some general use is showing but nothing to serious! This will probably end up as my moms laptop.

 

[Strimkind]

Lucky! Those are one of the most reliable of iBooks.

What are your plans for the TiG4 when you get that?

 

[Mars478]

The TiBook will be my secondary Laptop, in case my MSI Wind Fails. Also may be my video editing machine if it is 867MHZ or higher. Don't know what model it is.

 

[Mars478]

I also fixed the KeyBoard by using keys from an old iBook G3 Keyboard. It is now like a hybrid clear and solid keyboard. Very cool. Kinda like Coius's PowerBook Bronze keyboard mod!

I am also pleased to announce that I have 3(!) Batteries for this machine!

 

[protocol7]

Congrats!

I love my G3 iBook. Has served me well for almost 7 years now and recently got a brand new battery.

 

[Strimkind]

Congrats!
I love my G3 iBook. Has served me well for almost 7 years now and recently got a brand new battery.

You are one of the lucky few. Right after I sold my iBook G4 1.2 to my old room mate, he had nothing but problems with it. Later on after the warranty finished, the HD died again (applecare fixed it the first time at the 1.2 year mark).

Most of the iBooks I have seen have not served their owners well. I did pickup one which still ran but looked like crap. It had scratches on the screen, bad keyboard, and bent hinge...yet it still booted no problem.

I guess there is always a few out there that will keep on going.

 

[Mars478]

I used to have a 1.33GHZ iBook, that was a champ and served me awesomley. Great laptops!

 

[Gil]

Congrats on the iBook! Hope yours fairs better than mine did...mine was plagued with problems since the start, and it finally failed a few months ago with the infamous GPU issue.

 

[Mars478]

Also as a personal touch for my mommy I modded the glowing apple and made it pink! Looks pretty awesome. Tiger runs on this thing like a champ. Looks brand new now except for 2 missing Rubber feets. }

Hope this machine will come back to me, as my mom never uses technology. I gave her my iPod Touch after I got my iPhone and 2 months later she gave it back to me, as it was "Too hard to understand, and useless for me"

Hehehehhehe

 

[iMac600]

Mine's on its last legs, it's fallen apart and the solder joints have fractured numerous times... it packed up again today. However I still love the computer for the times it did work like a dream, quite powerful and easy to lug about. I'll get another one again at some point, hopefully one that's in better shape than my old one.

I'll always love the iBooks though and look forward to the day when I finally have the resources to repair one. (I can do the BGA's on the GPU, just not that little sub-processor chip)

Can only imagine how great they would be with 1.25GB RAM... very nice.

 

[Mars478]

I'll always love the iBooks though and look forward to the day when I finally have the resources to repair one. (I can do the BGA's on the GPU, just not that little sub-processor chip)

Oh I have tried doing that on the G3's and it just did not work. How did you do it? My G3 Logic board is probably toast by now.

 

[iMac600]

I'll always love the iBooks though and look forward to the day when I finally have the resources to repair one. (I can do the BGA's on the GPU, just not that little sub-processor chip)

Oh I have tried doing that on the G3's and it just did not work. How did you do it? My G3 Logic board is probably toast by now.

I used a heat gun. I held it above the chip from 20cm on medium strength for about 15 seconds and then moved in to the 5cm range on high for a further 5 seconds or so, then gave it another 10 seconds on medium strength from 20cm. After that I let it cool, reassembled the machine and the problem's been gone ever since.

However this takes great precision and is definitely not recommended unless it's an absolute last ditch attempt on an already near dead machine. It took me about 5 tries to make it work successfully, and several practice tries on known dead circuit boards. All in all, it's not a task for the faint of heart and it's very easy to slip up in the process, potentially bridging the solder joints below the chip... if that happens, it's a goner.

 

[Mars478]

My school still uses some G3 iBooks and I see this hapenning to them VERY soon... And I'll have to arm up with a heat gun.

I was trying to fix the BGA by putting a small candle cup filled with alcohol and lighting it, then see if it worked. It would work for 15mins but then fail again.

 

[Mars478]

Piccies and some more infos

http://mars478.mine.nu/Mars478s_Site/iBook_G4.html

 

[Temetka]

I liked my iBook G3 while it worked.

The dreaded GPU issue is now showing it's ugly head. I thought about repairing the mobo, but the hinge is also bent. Being a G3 I will more than likely replace it with an iBook G4 12" if I can find a good unit for a good price. However that is months down the road as I have some other financial stuff I need to clear up before I can spend money on older toy computers.

 

[Mars478]

OK I posted a video of it to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JVcuPjgE2c