Is my power supply going bad?

Question

iBook G4 14" 933 MHz-1.33 GHz

Model A1055

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Josh Calvetti @josh

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Yan 22, 2010

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Is my power supply going bad?

Recently, I've discovered that if I plug my power supply into the wall, the tip lights up for about 5 seconds, then slowly fades. When this happens, the iBook suddenly stops charging. Am I looking at a bad power adapter or a bad DC-input jack? I notice that I can here a faint hum from the power supply- but I'm not sure if that's the natural hum or a bad one.

*UPDATE #1*

Okay, so here's an update- I found out that the power supply I receive with the machine is a 45W adapter. Apple's online kb articles say the iBook is supposed to have a 65W adapter. However, I've been using this power adapter for nearly a month, and it's never been problematic until just yesterday. Does my iBook need a higher wattage adapter to function?

**UPDATE #2**

Thanks to the comments below, I learned that either a 45W or 65W adapter will work. Having nothing to lose, I cracked open my power supply. I've found that my iBook will in fact charge with the cover off the adapter. When I press everything together, I hear a faint hum, and it turns off. I'm pretty sure that something somewhere is shorting out by touching something else when it's all put together.

Does anyone have any clue as to what could be shorting out?

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crwdns2944067:05crwdne2944067:0

Weird. I've never had a problem running any version of any size iBook with a 45-watt adapter. I know both power the machine fine, but I've run all iBooks with a 45-watt adapter with no issues. Could you link to the KB article so I can look at it?

crwdns2934271:0Yan 22, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 Ben Eisenman crwdne2934271:0

According to Mactracker all the iBooks G4 (12" & 14") and the 12" PB came with 45w AC adapters. The PB 15" and 17" were sold with the 65w adapter. Many web sites specify that Apple doesn't sell the 45w anymore and advise iBooks and PBs owners to use the 65w AC adapter.

crwdns2934271:0Yan 22, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 lemerise crwdne2934271:0

Here's the article.

crwdns2934271:0Yan 22, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 Josh Calvetti crwdne2934271:0

And how could you use an over wattage adapter? Does it have some kind of way of knowing whether a machine can take the power or not?

crwdns2934271:0Yan 22, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 Josh Calvetti crwdne2934271:0

Thanks for the article! It does look like they phased out the 45w and are using 65w for all non-MagSafe machines. After all, the G3 iBooks are listed as well needing the 65w adapter, and they certainly run off of 45w. But yeah, your machine definitely will run fine off 45w, and it looks like the adapter may be bad, as Mayer said. And those little adapters are amazing pieces of hardware! Their ability to supply the correct amount of wattage to the correct machine is awesome (they even work in European sockets just by replacing the adapter end that plugs into the wall)!

crwdns2934271:0Yan 23, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 Ben Eisenman crwdne2934271:0

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Weird. I've never had a problem running any version of any size iBook with a 45-watt adapter. I know both power the machine fine, but I've run all iBooks with a 45-watt adapter with no issues. Could you link to the KB article so I can look at it? — Ben Eisenman
According to Mactracker all the iBooks G4 (12" & 14") and the 12" PB came with 45w AC adapters. The PB 15" and 17" were sold with the 65w adapter. Many web sites specify that Apple doesn't sell the 45w anymore and advise iBooks and PBs owners to use the 65w AC adapter. — lemerise
And how could you use an over wattage adapter? Does it have some kind of way of knowing whether a machine can take the power or not? — Josh Calvetti
Thanks for the article! It does look like they phased out the 45w and are using 65w for all non-MagSafe machines. After all, the G3 iBooks are listed as well needing the 65w adapter, and they certainly run off of 45w. But yeah, your machine definitely will run fine off 45w, and it looks like the adapter may be bad, as Mayer said. And those little adapters are amazing pieces of hardware! Their ability to supply the correct amount of wattage to the correct machine is awesome (they even work in European sockets just by replacing the adapter end that plugs into the wall)! — Ben Eisenman

score 2 · Answer 1 · 2010-02-22T07:27:42-07:00

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mayer @mayer

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MacHale Enterprises

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Yan 22, 2010

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I'd say it's the power adapter. With a bad DC IN port you would still get a light.

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Drat. I have a spare DC board, but no spare adapter. I guess I'll be taking a trip to the Apple store...

crwdns2934271:0Yan 22, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 Josh Calvetti crwdne2934271:0

I've been able to run 65W machines off a 45W adapter but ti will usually not charge the battery.

crwdns2934271:0Yan 22, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 mayer crwdne2934271:0

Is the iBook included in that list of 65W machines? My 45W adapter charged my iBook just fine until this past week, when it refused to do anything.

crwdns2934271:0Yan 22, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 Josh Calvetti crwdne2934271:0

You can read reports on adapters till you don't know which way is up right here: http://alexking.org/blog/2006/05/23/MacB...

crwdns2934271:0Yan 22, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 mayer crwdne2934271:0

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dischercreative @dischercreative crwdns2934065:0crwdne2934065:0: 13 1 · Answer 2 · 2010-10-20T07:54:38-07:00

Hi. The power ratings on the power adaptors are their maximum capacity. They do not jam 45 or 65 watts of power into the laptop they just have that capacity. For instance, if any of you are outboard boat owners you know that when you are puttering in to the harbor your 80hp motor is not running at 80 horsepower. It just has the "capacity" to produce 80 horsepower, but you have it throttled down.

Now in the cast of power adaptors, if you were trying to run a 17" ibook off a 45watt power adaptor it likely will work but will be "flat out" trying to charge a larger battery and maybe supplying more power to the logic board.

Running a 65 watt power adaptor on smaller iBooks just means you will always be running the adaptor "under" its maximum rated power output. Power is a product of voltage x current. These adaptors are likely rated for what they draw out the the wall outlet and not what they put "into" the computer.

Power Jack issues can cause several problems, some include not seeing the battery, not charging the battery, and not being able to run the laptop at all. I also found breaks in the cables as well as non functional bi-color LED indicators in the "lighted" ring on the Apple OEM adaptors.

The best solution I have for diagnosing the problems is to use or borrow someone else's known working iBook for comparison tests. You can easily narrow down a power adaptor cable problem

when its symptoms move to another laptop along with it.

Ilir Bitici @ilirbitici crwdns2934065:0crwdne2934065:0: 1 · Answer 3 · 2010-04-23T11:54:18-07:00

Ilir Bitici @ilirbitici

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Dzi 23, 2010

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Same problem here and I'm using a brand new aftermarket 65w power adapter. I was having this problem for a long time and i had to turn and twist the input jack to get it in the right contact position to charge. I purchased a new power adapter hoping it would resolve my issue, although its a little better, it's still a problem because i have to set a heavy object on the end of the input cable so it keeps contact during charging.

The only thing it can be is a bad DC input jack, or the internal power supply. Does anyone know where I can purchase those parts with installation instructions?

Thx

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===UPDATE 2===

iBook G4 DC InBoard for sale

crwdns2934271:0Dzi 23, 2010crwdnd2934271:0 Ilir Bitici crwdne2934271:0

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