Question for PowerBook "insiders"

[vicrock]

$0 - it was under applecare - last gasp which is why I insisted on a full diagnostic - they also replaced the keyboard (wear issues) and a hinge

[kap]

[quote vicrock]Since I just got my Powerbook 1.5 15" back from Apple for just that problem, yes, it may be the logic board.

I have replaced the power brick once for failure, and they tried to tell me that it was a brick failure again - I insisted that they look at the logic board/connector and it was replaced as well as the brick.

A new power adaptor MAY solve your problem - but the problem may be deeper.
Damn, I wish I was more persistent! I bought up the same issue with my G4 12 inch DVI powerbook and the Mac genius at the Pasadena, CA, Apple Store insisted that "that the way is it. It will not affect the overall functionality of the machine." Just to prove his point, he even pulled out his own 15 inch and jiggled its plug! Now that my Apple Care has long expired I have to be quite delicate with the plug. So far so good.

[RAMd®d]

I've got a PB12/1.33 and it's brick connection is fussy as well.

But it's not the charging but the power for the illuminated ring. The menu bar indicator shows the PB being charged, though the light doesn't always light up. So I search for and find the sweet spot, but as a guy, I'm used to that.

The power jack seems loose, as though the connection to the board has weakened. On the other hand, my iB12's jack is rock solid.

I don't know how the plug's pin get broken in the jack, but I've see several people here mention that, so I try to be very careful about plugging and unplugging the adapter.

The cable is getting frayed at the substandard strain relief of the plug, and I've been looking for non-Apple AC adapters for the PB. Lots of complaints about the $10 Kensington and the Macally adapters.

I may go for the NewerTech if it's up to the job. (The Kensington is *70W*!)

[Gareth]

[quote Dakota]I had to retire a perfectly good PB G3 just for this issue and it was not a loose plug. The problem literally went deeper than that.
Ah, but in the PB G3's, the power plug was on separate board (power/sound board), so it can be replaced independently from the logic board. Just in case you've left that PB G3 in the closet...

[olnacl]

[quote vicrock]$0 - it was under applecare - last gasp which is why I insisted on a full diagnostic - they also replaced the keyboard (wear issues) and a hinge
Well, in the words of Shrek "That's not gonna happen" in my case. I'll try the iBook PS if it's the same output and see if it works better and maybe queeze the connector gently as suggested above.on the one I have. If the logic board turns out to be toast, well, I guess I bought the farm on this one.

[RAMd®d]

Older iB power adapters have less current output (voltage is the same) than PB adapters.

They will charge a PB if it's not on, and it will take longer. If you're using the PB while on the adapter, it and the connector will run noticeably warmer, and may not charge the Book until you turn it off.

I see this when using an iB adapter with my PB12, so it will be more noticeable on a bigger PB.

[GGD]

[quote olnacl][quote vicrock]$0 - it was under applecare - last gasp which is why I insisted on a full diagnostic - they also replaced the keyboard (wear issues) and a hinge
Well, in the words of Shrek "That's not gonna happen" in my case. I'll try the iBook PS if it's the same output and see if it works better and maybe queeze the connector gently as suggested above.on the one I have. If the logic board turns out to be toast, well, I guess I bought the farm on this one.
Just swap the Power Adapters between the iBook and PowerBook as a test to see if the problem follows the Power Adapter, or stays with the PowerBook..

The iBook probably has a 45W adapter and the PowerBook 65W, but if the battery is reasonably charged you should be able to swap between them as a test. The PowerBook might not run with a 45W adapter without a charged battery installed.

BTW: I also have a power adapter that exhibits that problem, no matter what computer I plug it into.

[john-o]

For all of you with "iffy" AC adapter plugs, you really need to try squeezing the outer ring on the plug (to make it more oblong), and see if that makes it connect and charge more reliably. Those rings have a split at one spot, and tend to get splayed over time. Squeezing it to eliminate the splay will usually fix the problem.

Of course, as others have said, the issue could be a loose connection somewhere inside the laptop, involving the female part of the connection, and that's a bigger problem.

And as someone else said, be sure and do your squeezing on it while it's unplugged from the wall, and be careful as to how hard you squeeze (with pliers especially). You might very easily repair your problem though, so give it a shot!

[davester]

I'm one of those with an iffy power plug, and I've noticed that often the lighted ring around the plug goes out or flickers, but it doesn't seem to affect the charging (as shown on the menu bar). Are you basing your concern on the light or the charging indicator?

[olnacl]

[quote davester]I'm one of those with an iffy power plug, and I've noticed that often the lighted ring around the plug goes out or flickers, but it doesn't seem to affect the charging (as shown on the menu bar). Are you basing your concern on the light or the charging indicator?
I just picked up this machine last night and so far spent just a couple hours cleaning the PB itself and installing Tiger. I was moving the computer around while I was scrubbing it - I swear she kept it on the bottom shelf of her refrigerator or garbage disposal or maybe it was a dumpster dive find. Anyway, I could very well have moved the plug - what I noticed was the charging icon in the menu bar showed it as on battery power after I'd been charging it a while. The fact that the case is monkeyed up at the power plug and the seller (supposedly the brother of the owner) telling me how he always inserted it with the split uppermost makes me suspect a potential logic board issue. I'll see how it does after a couple days of use - I'm waiting for a replacement "Return" key cap before I start using it regularly.