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Full Version: iBook G4 won't charge at all, and battery/DC-in/charger seems to be OK.
InsanelyMac Forum > Apple World > Apple Computers and Hardware
Michu Neo
Hey
I'm asking you guys because maybe you can help me - I've already don't know what to do...

I've got the latest iBook G4 1,33 GHz 12". I've noticed a weird issue some time ago - when I was plugging the DC I could notice the orange light, but the battery wasn't charging. The iBook was still working, but of course battery life was limited. First I thought it's the charger, so I went to the store and the seller let me checked three other chargers, no one were working. Then I thought it must be a DC-in board problem, because whole laptop was running fine, graphics, RAM, etc (except for non-charging and my battery, which had less and less energy). So I bought the new DC-in board on ebay, with warranty; and installed it today. I got the same issue.

The issue:
*iBook is not starting. At all, nor with battery or without it.
*After the issue iBook was still working, until my battery ran out of energy (so I don't think it's like bad graphics etc).
*When DC cable is plugged in iBook slightly, I see green light; when I put it "to the max" I see orange light (and this happens when I run with or without battery!) This issue is very weird for me.
*Now my battery is 1 or 0% so I can't run iBook no more. I can't reset it and so on. The battery status on coconutBattery last time I checked it was like 87%, so the battery can't be dead I suppose.
*Charger is working, DC-in board is working.

You think it's something with logicboard? I'm afraid it is (it would be the end of my lovely iBook...) but I'm still curious how the laptop could ran perfectly fine on a broken logicboard when I still had got some battery power.

Thanks in advance for all your help...
tayklor
Sounds like the logic board. Check the connector from the DC-in board. You could build a DC-clip sort of thing that power the computer through the battery input. 12v DC and 3v DC. I had a G3 iBook with the same problem and I did this.
Michu Neo
Thank you for the tip, Tayklor. I will soon "undress" my iBook and it's the final time to play with some connectors, I still hope it may be some cable. Then I will really think about some homemade charger, as you said, because it's indeed the only way that the power is going through right now.
Anyway thanks again for the tip.
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