Powerbook 65W AC Adapter Repair
Apple engineers are some of the most imaginative and pioneering in the technology industry. But they missed the boat on the design of my 65W Powerbook G4 adapter.
About one year after I bought my $3900 Powerbook, the power supply started to short out. Of course this event occurred after the warranty had expired. The smaller white cable coming out of the supply takes on a ton of stress through daily use. Eventually this thin cable weakened and shorted out completely. It shorted out to the point of actually sparking and melting the plastic. I’m lucky I didn’t have to sue Apple for my house burning to the ground.
When my first power supply shorted out I looked at it for a bit to see if I could fix it. But the white casing was pretty much permanent and I didn’t want to destroy it. So I ponied up the big bucks and bought a new one.
This week my 2nd adapter shorted out completely. And since my battery only lasts about 7 minutes I was dead in the water. I really didn’t want to fork out more bucks on another new supply so I decided to crack it open. I was able to fix the problem and put it back together, just like new….sort of.
First I had to crack open the casing. The supply was obviously designed to be disposable and the casing had no latches or screws holding it together. I had to hammer a thin screwdriver around the edges and eventually cracked the egg open.
The short in the cable was at the weak point where the cable goes into the casing. So I cut off about 2 inches of the cable, twisted it back together, soldered it and covered it with electrical tape. I tested it out before I put the case back together and it was good to go.
I then put the casing back together and used some gaffer’s tape to attach the casing’s shells back together. As you can see in the final pic, the case looks just like new….sort of. I didn’t want to use glue or epoxy, as I figured I’ll have to do this repair again. So I used Gaffer’s tape because it can easily come off to do the repair again.
I saved myself at least $80 this time. I only wish I would have done it the first time.
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There is some talk about this on the apple discussion boards. Also, you should really look into getting applecare, its really worth it.
AppleCare wouldn’t help in this situation-at least mine didn’t. They just want to sell a new power cord. However, I did the same thing on my old one and glued it back together.
You could always look into third-party AC adapters that are half the cost and more of a traditional design, but usually use heavier wiring.
It is good to fix things though…
Are u shure apple dont cover thhis as i know they gets really scared when things melt and stuff like that try and see what happens if you call them about it. I would like to know the result if u call.
I recently had my second power supply short out on me. The first time, a local Apple authorized repairer replaced it free of charge under the original warranty. The second time I called Apple and they sent out a new power supply two days later under AppleCare.
First though, they took a credit card and told me that if I didn’t return the broken adapter, I’d get charged for the new power supply. Returning was pretty easy, take new adapter out of box, put broken in, tape box box up, tear off top label, hand back to delivery person or drop in Airborne/DHL box.
Since I mentioned shorting, burn smell, and smoke, Apple did send me through an extended questioning to determine how much of a hazard the power supply was. They do indeed seem to worry about this.
I agree with others, this shouldn’t happen in the first place. I now have on power supply left at home and another that travels with me. Hopefully, I’ll not have another shorting issue for a while.
These things aren’t supposed to happen, so AppleCare or not, I’d expect a replacement.
And how come they are certified if they break down this easily?
Well, mine had lasted about two years before it did it, but when I went to Apple store all they were willing to do was sell me a new one.
I had the same thing happen to me… does anyone know why, my 17″ power doesn’t go to sleep when my power is low… it just shut’s off…
Anyone know how to fix the other end? The power supply -> laptop connector has been trying to pull off on me for 6 months or so. Thus far, repeated tapings have held it together, but I know the day is inevitable.
Nice one, my power supply looks exactly the same, with a bit more gaffer tape holding it together after the hot glue failed to keep it together.
Apple has a 1 year warranty on the power bricks. I had a friend who had one catch fire (out of warranty, natch) and had to buy a new one. The new one died after a month. Apple sent him a replacement no questions asked after verifying the information on his receipt.
When I had one die, I bought a replacement at CompUSA, and got their replacement plan thing. It, of course, died in less than a year due to cable fraying. I walked in to CompUSA with the dead one and walked back out in less than 5 minutes with a brand new one in the box.
The newer Apple ones have more reinforcing in some places than the original ones, at least on the adaptor side. Of course, mine died at the PowerBook plug side, so the reinforcement wouldn’t have helped.
Nick:
If you’re talking about the the connecter going into the laptop, I had the same problem a few months back. It’s probably worth it just to buy a third party adapter but if you’re in the mood for an electrical hack, here’s what I did. Find an airplane to Powerbook adapter somewhere online. They can be had for less than 15 dollars with a little looking because they often do not include a voltage regulator. (Sorry, I can’t locate the shop where I purchased mine). Cut off the failing connector off your Apple supply, cut the airplane connecter of the new adapter and splice the wires. if I recall, the outside shield is ground and the inner conductor is V+. VERIFY THIS WITH A VOLTMETER. Double and tripple check the polarity and you should be good to go! Good luck.
why not use the warranty and receipt for the first power supply you bought to get warranty on the second one that died. i have done this twice now with no hassles and would certainly not be chiseling open and repairing anything that could burn down my house ( as one nearly did!)
jas
Wait for one of these: http://www.madsonline.com/index.html?acadapter.html~mainFrame
Or get the iJuice Go whatever it’s called from Radio Shack (or Maplin in the UK).
Don’t bother splicing cords from 3rd party to the original – the Apple power brick is Broken As Designed. The internals are abysmal and run too hot. It only gained a strain relief sleeve after I suggested it to them a couple of years ago. Just shows how incapable their engineers are and how strong Ives’s Pretty Looks department is. It’s a PSU! It doesn’t need to look like a sexy piece of yoghurty soap!
The Madson bricks look really nice, but unless you really care about the appearance of your power adapters you’d be crazy to pay $70-80 for that when you can buy this for just $25:
http://macally.com/spec/specialties/accessories/psac4.html
I have one and it works fairly well. The only problem is that if your battery dies you have to let it charge for a couple of minutes after plugging it in before the machine will power back on. I assume this is because the wattage is a bit lower than the factory adapter.
Nice work! But next time use the white tape for better looking results: http://doityourself.com/store/6894935.htm (I have a couple of rolls hanging around just in case)
George…. I could have used white tape but I thought the black looked much better :-) I think it enhances the “effect” of being an apple do it yourself repair.
The problem on the original Power Supplies is with the insulation.
The copper strands are actually reinforced with kevlar fibres, so these will hardly break. (you can probably tow a tank with it) But the insulation between the inner and outer conductors is too thin and too weak.
Also, the copper strands are quite thick and therefore they break when bent sharply
So, if you own a new supply, this is what helps:
Do NOT bend the cable sharply, therefore do NOT wind it around the supplied hooks that flip out. Always just easily turn the cable around your hand and just let that loose coil sit beside the case during transport.
If you can provide shrink-wrap tube, then put some of it around the ends of the cable to stiffen them at the points where they are bent the most.
If you have to repair a cable:
Microphone cable is sometimes available in the same dimensions and its copper fibres are much finer stranded than the original. Although these are not reinforces with kevlar.
On the plug side of the cord, the wires go through a HF-arrestor, thats a ferrite beed where the wires are slung through by 1,5 turns each. It is a good idea to reuse this ferrite block, although it is quite a fiddle work to do it.
The casing of the plug will slip off with a little force and bending: put a breakfast knife between the litten up ring and the sleeve and apply force, trying to turn it against its innards. Once the outer shell is off, you are able to do the soldering and reinstalling the ferrite block.
When everything is apart, this is the moment to put on the stiffening shrink wrap tube onto the cable.
Do NOT try to undertake this if you are not really experienced with fine solder work. You will need a lens to do it properly. And do not forget to prove the proper polarity!
happy repairing!
WiLi
do you know where to get the male plug for this power supply that connects to the G4 power book??
The plug on my power cable needs to be replaced. I have found the name called “S-cpin” connector but no source to buy a placement.
Thanks
Jess
Hey is anyone around? I spilled some water on my 65W AC G4 power adpter about 2 hours ago. It won’t work. Is it dead for good or do I just need to let it dry?
You may have shot yourself in the foot by plugging it back in. At this point, I’d recommend letting it dry for a good 24 hours or so and trying again. Odds are, by plugging it in wet you’ve hurt some of the circuitry inside, but one can always hope! What part of the adapter did you spill on?
I managed to crack open the the small piece that plugs into the laptop. I very carefully sliced the hard plastic open with a small utility knife, cut and retinned the wires, soldered them back on, and sealed it with shrink tubing. It works!
Hi Nick, Thanks for your response.
I didn’t even think about it when I plugged it back in while it was wet. I let it dry for 24 hours and it still doesn’t work. I guess I’m gonna have to buy another one. Damn me.
Agent
Sounds familiar. First power supply broke within a year, wire broke right next to S-Cpin. Apple store would not replace it, said it was excessive user abuse, and not covered. I told them it was poor design. I bought a new one, brought it home and noticed the new one had a slightly thicked cord. (maybe it’s the design) Second one broke same place in about another year (ok I travel with it and use it everyday, but I was much more careful with the second one). I took the S-Cpin off old power supply cut it open and shortened the cord. It worked fine, until this morning when the end of the S-Cpin broke off. Maybe it’s the design. Maybe it’s me, but I’ve had other laptops and never had this problem.
Anyone knows where to just get the S-Cpin, please post it! Thanks.
Acually this adaptor was originally dseigned as a 50W back in 2001, I know I was the PS development engineer on it. Yes the case is ultra sonic welded for safety reasons, not throw away. I really don’t know how Apple can pass safety requirements at 65W other than specify its’ use and conditions, and lower the life expectancy. In addition, the cable, well it’s thin yes for egonomics and the internal gromet was extensively tested as in October of 2001 this was the very last hurdel. It used to not break but was expensive so perhaps a cost savings was put in place.
The orginal 50W chargere was a fine product! Too bad!
Oh yes! Mine broke at the psu end inside the 1 year warranty. I had to crack it open to fix it as I couldn’t wait upto 2 weeks for a replacement to be sent. When I pushed for a warranty replacement I was asked to send the faulty one in – some how I managed to convince the nice lady that it was really broken and they would save money by just sending one out to me and not having a return courier fee! Since then I’ve used the old power cable to double the length of the new cable after it’s plug got damaged! Now I’ve just popped the cover off the plug to do another solder repair at the plug end. My 3rd party incar 12v psu isn’t giving these problems. Maybe another $1 in the manufacturing cost would be worth it?
Hi Tony,
Had the same problem. Thanks for you directions. The ‘repair’ worked great!!
– rob –
Glad to help. If I replaced every one of these that went bad I’d be out over $200 now.
Heh… congratulations. I’m sure you had just as much fun getting the power adapter open as I did, when I repaired one for a friend.
I think my version’s a bit more colorful, though.
(This was on one of the old adapters where the cord goes into the funnel-shaped area, not the new ones with the external rubber strain relief that fails to inspire confidence.)
I also have a faulty adaptor, less than 3 weeks after the Powerbook arrived! I am going to send it back to Apple and demand a new one. I’m really pissed at how shoddy Apple’s power adaptors are.
Does anyone know if one can use a third power 65W AC adaptor with the Powerbook ?
If you are looking for an after market power adaptor for a G4 laptop go to:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/APLN2M/
The company is called “Other World Computing” it is a great place for getting apple parts
They sell a unit made by Newer technologies. It works ok but the plug tends not to stay pluged into the power book as good as the origional apple C-spin mail plug. It is rated at 65 watts.
Would be nice if Apple provided a contact name, e-mail, phone number, one can wish.
Madsonline also has replacement cords- used in their new lucille adapter (got one for backup, plus like the usb port for charging Ipods). I’ll be use using 12$ cord with right angle plug to replace the white apple cord as the new kitten (now at 15 months) has nearly severed it. Silver may not match but I think it will be better than all the electrical tape now holding the cord together.
My powerbookG4 Titanium adapter failed during the warranty(luckily)apple retailer exchanged it by a new one.But the problem came back soon,the light indicator kept bending and falling apart,they siliconed it and the light indicator became short.(I needed to move it by hand to see if it’s green or orange!!)I removed the silicon …so I ended with two bare wires and a rounded chip . Can anybody tell me if I can still repair it at home.Because in my country a new adapter costs $130
Cezar:
I had a similar issue. Actually the best thing to use is a glue like, “super glue”. It’s most similar to the actual glue Apple uses. The round housing is plastic with a coated metalized film. It’s not supposed to short and probably isn’t. When you see the light coming on and off when you move it, probably the contact on the prong not making good contact. (Apple went to cheap vendor with loose tolerances).
What you should verify is that when the charge light does appear off, that the charge icon in the upper right 1/3 menu bar appears as a, “plug symbol”.
If your icon isn’t enabled go to, System Preferences -> Show Battery Status In Menu Bar at the bottom of the dialog box. Make sure the box is checked for display.
If then you only see a battery symbol with a level indication (running off battery operation), well then you have a bad connection either the laptop or the charger plug (probably the plug).
In any event a fully discharged battery will charge in 1 hour or so if you aren’t using the computer. So you really don’t need the green-amber indication, though it’s a nice , Apple” touch that Steve liked.
FYI:
This adaptor was my EE project at Apple in 2001, so I know some of the issues way more than I want.
EA:
Now I have a bare wire and I couldn’t rejoin it with the ending that enters th laptop (it contains a green rounded chip).My powerbook is dead since a month,and I’m using my brother’s windows pc instead,because repairing the adapter and the ill battery(30min!!)at the apple retailer costs the price of a new pc in Lebanon!!
Thanks in advance.
ess Says:
September 13th, 2005 at 10:15 am
If you are looking for an after market power adaptor for a G4 laptop go to:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/APLN2M/
The company is called “Other World Computing” it is a great place for getting apple parts
They sell a unit made by Newer technologies. It works ok but the plug tends not to stay pluged into the power book as good as the origional apple C-spin mail plug. It is rated at 65 watts.
The problem with all of these suggestions for adapters is… are they grounded? I know that the MacAlly one is not and I don’t believe the Newer one is either. We had troublel with our titanium laptops before they had grounded adapters and I’ll only buy and use grounded adapters since.
Thanks Tony – you gave me the courage to go ahead and crack open my power supply. Good news – my PB is charging . . . Bad news – I ripped my hand opening the case (drip, drip).
i just pluged my power book adapter in and it imediatly flashed inside (shorted) and wont work.
is it dead? since i probably have to buy a new one anyway i might as well do a post mortom on this one-is this flashing inside a symtom of the problem listed above?
Well, mine flashed badly just before it ceased to work – probably the cable shorting. Follow instructions above as you have nothing to lose. Be careful though, the case is glued together and hard to crack
Hi
I heard a pop and smelled capacitor toast when I plugged my Mac 65W AC adapter into the wall. I realized I was holding a 512MB SanDisk in my left hand, and it touch the tip and ring of the plug that goes into the computer. The SanDisk is fine, but the power adapter is hosed. I am taking it apart.
Here are a few pics.
http://homepage.mac.com/morganreid/Menu2.html
Hi Guys,
I just finished an operation on the plug going into the computer. I took the plug completely apart and much to my surprise was able to put it back together in working order. Having to buuy a new adapter is really offside. Let me know if anyone is interested in a description of the full operation.
Rob-
Yeah, hook us up. That is exactly where mine is coming apart. I’d love to know what you did and how difficult it was.
Hi Nickolas,
My first adapter was replaced by apple when it gave up the goast. Unfortunately the replacement adapter soon started to show signs of impending death. Not being an expert fixer upper, but being aggressively cheap, I timed my moment perfectly. I waited until I really had to work the cord to get power, called the local apple shop and made sure they had a power adapter in stock…. then got out the knife!
Using a utility knife and a small screw driver, you can seperate the plug jacket from the meat of the plug. I then cut open the plastic packing around the cord, and unsoldered the wires connected to the plug. I made two little marks where the old wires were soldered (two colours) and made a diagram to ensure I put the wires back on the right terminals (i also took photos). I cut back the wires to before the short, rethread the wires through a plastic anchor that was lodged in the packing, put that back in the cut packing and resoldered the wires to the plug. One of the wires was actually a sheathing that was wrapped around the second wire.
After putting it back together, I put some white heat shrink wrap over the plug and melted it on for support. Knowing where these supplies tend to break, I am quite confident that the shrink wrap will really protect the plug from future breaks. Being white, it does not look like a fix!
I had a bit of a problem getting the power charging light to work again as it had a tendency to sat li after I put the plug back together but eventually by playing with it I got it to work.
In hind sight I would have tried to use heat wrap over the sheathing wire prior to rethreading it trhough the anchor. but as i did not have any that would cover a wire that small, i charged ahead without it (perhaps that was responsible for the light issue.
The soldering was dicy, (I am not expert) but if you are careful, I am proof that it can be done. It is not readily evident but there are small groves on the side of the plug where the wires are soldered. I just tinned the wires, pressed them against the respective grooves, and as the old solder melted and the grooves opened, I put on a touch more solder and that was all it took. I used a file to get rid of the excess solder and wire on the side of the plug after the soldering was done.
The key to ensuing this does not happen again is to use the swrink wrap. I used two sizes. 1/4 inch that i placed on the cord prior to putting the plug back together, and 1/2 in that i slipped over the plug after I had shrunk the smaller wrap over the cord and excess packing that comes out of the end of the plug. The wrap gives the cord much more support where it comes out of the plug. If anyone is reading this and you power adaptor is not broken…. I would still melt 1/2 in swrink wrap vover the plug and wire because if it is not broken now….it will be soon.
Finally ignorance is bliss. I probably could have blown up the computer had I got things wrong but luck was with me!
Presto… no flickering… or need to purchase an expensive power supply.
Hope that helps!
Thanks for the repair info on the Apple charger. This article came up as about the third hit on a yahoo search for ‘apple adapter repair 65w’.
I chiselled mine apart and suspected an open circuit on a wire appearing fatigued as it came off the circuit board power pin. I bipassed the ‘broken’ wire and . . . no luck! I thought I had just wasted a couple of hrs and would still have to spend $80 for a new charger. I noticed that there was a spark when I attached the charger wire to the supply. I thought it was just the expected drain from the computer, but . . . was due to a short between conductors in the low voltage power cord. This occurred at the strain relief at the adapter where the wire is wrapped around the strain relief.
Unfortunately, they made a poor choice of wire and the insulation is very thin internally and appears to fatigue and result in shorts between the conductors.
Another poor choice is the plug that goes into the computer itself. I frequently have to twist it to get it to enter the socket on the computer. This problem occurs on other charges I have as well.
So, I plugged mine in and . . . works great. Have photos if you need.
Thanks again,
David Jackson
Dallas
dejswa@yahoo.com
thanx for the heads up. i just had to do this to my wife’s powerbook
Does anyone have experience re-splicing the wires in the thin cord that goes from the white power cube to the computer? Our puppy chewed through my cord and I would love to take a stab at fixing it. Thanks!
Eirik
eirikanders@yahoo.com
Re. chewed wire – It could be spliced. Depends on how good you are with a soldering iron and those skills. Problem is that Apple uses really crummy wire. The cable is a two conductor, shielded cable. The outer conductor is a braided shield and the inner is a very fine (like 25 ga) wire with a flimsy teflon-like insulator.
I was about to tell you to just replace the wire all the way back to the power supply, but you’d still have to splice the wires in order to use the proprietary connector / plug.
So, I’d say – just carefully dissect the conductors and then solder them together and use heat shrink tubing to protect the solder joints and perhaps a third piece of heatshrink to provide strain relief to the new splice.
dj
Yo thanks man just fix’d my charger and now it works saved me $79 you ROCK!
ian buzzzzzzzzzz
Glad it worked out for you! I only wish I’d have done it the first time.
Thanks for the info. It’s my second one and I will try fixing it instead of buying a new one.
Thanks for this great post. You’ve got some really good info in your blog. If you get a chance, you can check out my blog on power supplies at http://www.powersuppliescenter.com.
Frank Gonzalez
http://www.powersuppliescenter.com
Hi everyone,
My power supply just get down. I don’t think it’s a cord matter… I am living in Viet Nam and power voltage “variation” are quite usefull. Two days ago, I get my VCR, my DVD and my washing machine “broken” just after a guy from the power company made some maintenance. On the two first, it’s just a fuse. On the power machine I didn’t fix it yet…
Can anyone tell me if there is a kind of fuse inside the power supply box ?
I will try to open it, but some experience could be great…
Thanks by advance,
Yannick (Can Tho, Viet Nam).
I work with chainsaws all day and never have I cut myself as bad nor as many times as I have trying to crack this power adapter open :P
Still haven’t managed to get it apart completely – it’s making a ticking sound when plugged in, hoping it’s just a short.
Re. the above comment about the ‘ticking’ of the power supply. This indicates a short circuit of the output of the supply (mine did that and was shorted) as it shorts, then resets over and over again.
That is a good thing as the solution is to REPLACE the shorted wire. Apple used such cheap wire in those supplies and you will find it shorted where it wraps around the internal strain relief. Best to REMOVE the wire completely from its solder site on the PC board and replace it with another (better) wire. I just used 20 ga twin conductor speaker wire to get the power out of the case, then I spliced and heat shrinked the speaker wire to the original white wire that has the computer connector on it.
Then I just wrapped the whole thing in electrical tape to keep it back together and included the wire in the wrapping for add’l strain relief.
I also got rid of the cheap plug that never works on those power supplies. Just get a regular plug that will plug into the supply (is a standard sort).
Good luck.
(agreed – hard to open supply – best to take a dremel cut-off tool and cut around the entire thing in the seam the pry off – then just tape back)
dj
Great Site! My power supply died the other day and with the help of this site, i had it working again in an hour. Thanks for the help.
Excellent information about the repair of your 65W Powerbook G4 power supply adapter. I wish it would be that easy for me. The problem is that the stress on mine occurs to the computer end of the adapter, specifically at the neck of the connector. Although I was previously able to prolong its life by cutting away the worn insulation and cleaning up and resoldering the wires, now the break has occured inside the connector itself. This situation has left me with no wire to work with. My questions are: can i get that particular connector somewhere? Is it for sale? If not, can I use something else, perhaps a stereo jack? Does there exist a wiring diagram for this connector? Is it a 3 contact or 4? What’s the outer metal sleeve for? Should I attempt to hack through the center of the white plastic on the connetor to get what little wire I can find? Any suggestions? Thanks.
I have a little insight into the connector, although I cannot recall the exact details since it has been a while since I have tested it.
A while back, I had a bad wire within the power supply as noted in earlier comments. In checking things on a good power supply, I noted that of the three conductors on the plug that goes into the computer, one is ( )supply, one is (-) supply and the other is a passive input from the computer to light the LED the appropriate color.
Two conductors are (as I recall) sort of a mini phono plug-type and the other conductor is the outer shell. Dont’ recall which is which, but I recall that it is not what I expected. Something like the outer shell being the passive terminal.
This would lead me to believe that one could find the size of the inner ‘plug’ which will be some sort of standard (maybe a mini-phono plug). You could identify the polarity and perhaps just substitute a new plug and the thing might work, of course without the fancy light – you’ll just have to look at the battery status on the computer screen.
DJ
Hy …my 65W Powerbook G4 adapter has explode(inside only) …like a bomb…i open it …and it looks like hel …black everywere….i took some photos…
who can help me to repair …?
thanks…
…i alsoo wana by bad 65W Powerbook G4 adapter…you can contact me at oto_electronics@yahoo.com if you are near to Romania-Europe
I have at least 3 old power supplies for the powerbook G4 that have had cord failures at the base of the plug that goes into the Mac. There isnt enough cord left for a conventional repair. Does anyone have a part number or source for a replacement cord/plug that could just be attached to the power supply once the case is cracked? Thanks.
There may be a third issue with the power supplies. My daughter’s powerbook started requiring her to spin the male connector in the edge receptacle before it would light up. Eventually even this technique failed. I checked the end for frayed wiring by cutting the plug open and carefully examining under a magnifying glass. No luck. Looked good but assumed that some of the tiny electronics embedded in the male connector had failed.
Then purchased a 3rd party power supply. This worked for awhile but also required spinning the male connector.
Finally figured out that the female receptacle in the powerbook was “pushed in” a millimeter or so. This was causing the connector to just barely make or not make contact.
The fix was pretty easy. Removed screws holding the keyboard in place, lefted up the left-hand corner of keyboard cover (not removing it) just enough to get a flatblade screwdriver in there. Using the hinge mount for leverage, twisted the screwdriver just a bit against the back of the male connector. Problem solved without paying $300 or so to send off for repair. Lucked out.
Hi Guys, I have a Powerbook G4, problem is that my power supply unit has been misplaced. I have an alternate power supply with the same ratings.
My Question : Can i use an RCA or Mono-jack plug as the connection into the laptop ?
How many voltages are at the pin prior to entering the laptop ?
Thanx
I sugest you to buy a new one …you risk to destroy your computer if you try to use jack rca …if you do not respect the polarity and they have diffrent diameter then the original
…aboute this you can find information at :
http://developer.apple.com/qa/qa2001/qa1266.html
…and with an alternarive power supply you can destsroy your powerbook battery …because the original is specialy made to recharge only apple powerbook battery …believe me that i try and I know …buy an new one …pls.
fuck oll you neards
do you know what you call a guy with no arm and no legs in a swimming pool?
Thanks for the informative post.
My adapter started to fry during a job, the images and info supplied help me get through it a OK.
Good Darts !
D
My iBook G4 adapter stopped working recently. After 1.5 years. I have Power adapters that I still use from the 80′s for other electronics, but oh well. That’s quality.
I found that the problem was in the connection to the computer. Using a multimeter, I found that the resistances across male plug were screwwy, so there was a short. The solder had become disconnected from the bronze pin, although it was apparently barely soldered on to begin with. I managed to reapply (or not as sloppily apply) the solder by a few strokes of soldering iron. Might want to look into this before trying to cut open the power supply box.
However, LEDs no longer work. Will be replacing the power adapter. Just looking for a good third party adapter with a ground. Suggestions would be appreciated.
I refuse to give Apple any more money. I like the Apple, but if I had to buy again, I’d probably just get another Dell. Treated me better as a customer, and I never had any problems with parts like this.
Oh My Gosh,
I thought it was just happening to me. Guess when mine broke?… No go on guess…
Well the first one broke a week after the warrenty (what a suprise), then a year later after falking out £80 (about 110 USD or more), I am on business in Spain (I live in the UK), half way through a seminar my battery runs out. I ran to the back of the room, plugged the adapter in the wall and BAMM a blue flash.
I could not believe this happened again. All I could think was [my boss will kill me], he said pen and paper. I was missing the seminar, sitting on the floor in despair.
Its not all that bad though, the seminar lasts for two days, I will find another shop and buy another one, work can pay. NO a 250 mile drive to the nearest mac retailer.
I got back today 1/8/06, called mac, was transfered through 8 departments before I was handed to tech support, and what did they say…. “your warrenty finished yesterday”. Oh what a suprise, am I the only one who believes this is unreal, and that they should believe in their products as much as we do and put the warrenty to 18 months… Is it too much to ask.
Well I have got that off my chest…. AAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Just got my first powerbook from a friend and bought a new power adapter from a apple retail store and with in 3 days the adapter stoped working. This is not a good way to start off with macs. I guess I can’t be to upset with PC’s where lucky if the power cord is the only thing that breaks. Other than this I am an apple fan.
ive been having a problem with my powerbook adapter but mines with the little flip out prongs. after hanging on the wall for about 5 months theyve gotten loose and now when i plug it in the connection isnt good and it has to be taped to the wall to keep it from falling out or wiggling around. any suggestions on how to fix this without paying for a new adapter?
Sara. My flip out prongs broke in the first couple months. I switched to the long cord. Too hard to fix the little thing.
I have had problems with my powersupply two times in six months, the first powersupply blew up within three days, it was litterally burned and I did not got a new powersupply from the local apple boys in Thailand. So I bought a new one, and one of my dogs did not saw the powercord and ruined the jack. I was going to get a new powecord again, till I saw this website: http://www.macopinion.com/columns/roadwarrior/06/06/13/index.html
I replaced the jack for just 10 dollar cents and a few dollars for the chap attaching it. It might help you. There is also a description of numerous third party blocks.
my adaptor plugs in but doesn’t turn green and doesn’t charge the laptop anymore. it turns orange but no green. these things are expensive
I’m having nearly the same problem as James. I was running low on battery and went to plug the adaptor into my laptop, and NOTHING! No green, no orange, and the battery died before I could burn my project to disc. EEEk!! I’ve tested the outlets and connections and everything, and still no luck…and my adaptor is (or so I thought) in good, almost new condition! My laptop’s not even a year old!
hey all,
my second i-book power supply is fraying at the end where the cord plugs into the computer. again! stupid apple.
so, the rubber outer bits (where the cord meets the pluggy part) are pretty much severed, but the wires appear to be intact — I’m sure they won’t stay that way. what can i do to re-inforce the weak spot, without endagering myself? i’m no wiring expert, so I’m wondering if i can use hot glue to sort of cover up the break? or some kind of silicone caulking? what’s this shrink wrap that some folks mentioned?
I’m about to buy a new apple macbook (i know — a masochist), and hopefully their new magnetic design for attaching the power cord to the computer will lessen the occurance of my particular problem. of course, I’m probably dreaming.
thanks in advance for your advice!
I need my 15′ Titanium repaired, any one ?
The screen works very well but I opened it too much and the hinges snapped.
I need to replace the hinges.
Does anyone know where in UK I can do this ?
Cheers,
Ric
I have a couple Titanium 15″ that I bought used. One is 400MHz the other 550MHz. I bought the second one when the pixels in the screen of the first started to die. The 550 came with OS X. It took me over 100 hours to figure out how to get classic to work. But that’s another story. The 550MHx has stopped recognizing the battery, so every time the power connector losses contact in the back of the computer the whole system shuts off… and I have to reset the date when I turn it back on.
Also, does anyone know what parts might be interchangeable between the two models… maybe I could cobble one together that works.
I enjoyed all the info on power supplies. I have a G3 and the two G4s and they all have power connection problems, but to me it seemed like it might be in the female plug on the powerbook.
I’d appreciate any thoughts or suggestion….. and if anyone wants to know how to get Classic installed on a computer with just OS X… let me know. No one at Apple or local stores seemed to have a clue…. how can that be?
any suggestions for fixing the power cord’s male connection prong that inserts into the receptacle on the pwoerbok g4 housing. the tip of mine broke off (and we no longer have it)–is there a way to solder on another type of conductive metal to make the connection work?
thanks for any advice.
I have a 12″ powerbook G4 laptop. I have basically always had a minor problem in which the indicator light the adaptor doesnt work (it took apple three repair attempts and the replacement of a lot of parts to eventually determine that the initial problem was teh socket the AC adaptor plugs in to)
Now however, my battery has gone to 0% and isnt charging at all. There is an X on the battery icon and it says no battery available. I have a new battery and new adaptor en route to me now, but I am concerned the problem could be something else (inconvenient as I am leaving the country in a 10 days). Has anyone seen this problem before?
Also, a couple days ago I briefly plugged my laptop into the adaptor of a 15″, thinking the adaptors were the same. Could this have cause any problem?
Plugging into the other notebook computer would not harm the power supply. They can be short circuited indefinitely without damage.
DJ
I have one of these that has almost certainly condcutor broken just where it enters the plug that goes into the Powerbook. I tried pulling the plug apart and the middle prong pulled out so I have broke that. Does anyone know anywhere where I might get another lead or plug (UK)?
regards
Brian
Hey, everyone, I know no one has spoken on this for a while, but I just found out that my local AppleStore doesn’t sell the 65 W adapters anymore. I drove a half an hour out of my way to be greeted by some nerdy, smelly guy with an attitude problem telling me in his, “I’m holier than thou,” tone that I’d have to buy it online :( So, save your time, call ahead. Does anyone have suggestions for a different computer? This is my fourth chord, and I’ve had so many problems with this damn computer.
Thanks for this info. A couple of days ago my power supply failed at the weak point, and smoke kept pouring out as the cable slowly melted.
I bit the bullet, and with the info here I cracked open my power supply, cut the cable and resoldered it (I’m not exactly a solder king!) and it’s up and running again! (Phew!)
Thanks all!
Does anybody know of a good way to reshape the metal connector sleeve that surrounds the male tip on the powerbook end of these adapters? The connector is loose in the powerbooks input, but my adapter otherwise is fine. Another adapter fits in the PB tightly, so I just want to reshape this one, but just using pliers does not seem to be the way to go. I was hoping someone make something like the paramount pc tip conditioner we use for photographic strobe cable tips…
thanks,
J-man
Hi guys,
this is all so cool.
my problem is the that phono male plug jack on the adaptor of the G4. the tip broke.. and wondered if anyone knows where I can get just that head. or if you have a broken charger with that head and cable end intact. to put it up for offer. London.UK.
any advice will be apraciated coz my powerbook is my life-line. and now have a flat batery…
What I just cannot believe is that this sort of conversation is going on about Apple product and they are not responding in a positive way. I have been a loyal, and rather smug Apple customer for 20 years, and cannot believe what crap for customer service I have gotten regarding this failed power adapter. 1st when it failed (frayed and smoking at the computer end) the Apple store didn’t have any in stock to replace it, and yes, I too would have to order online pay $80 and wait 3-4 weeks. It is not like this is a serplufluos peice of equipment – it is the power supply – “for crying out loud!” The Apple salesperson recommended that I should buy a Kensington power adpater for $90 in order to have power. I did. Within a week it was already showing signs of wear – the metal piece that goes into the computer was bending. And at three weeks the tip broke off in the computer. Now I couldn’t get any power with out a repair. I do have Apple Care protection but that does not cover the external damage (I doubled checked with Apple on that.) The “genius” insisted it was caused by jarring, dropping or tripping over the cord. I am positive that did not happen as I was alone with my computer all day. In any case I had to pay $150 to have the tip removed and then somehow – miraculously – a replacement adpater was there for me within 3 hours for $65. I have contacted Kensington am sending a damage claim to them, it sounds like they may pay the repair fee, or part of it anyhow, fingers crossed.
But if Apple would have given me the flippin’ $65 part in the beginning I wouldn’t be so completely disappointed and disillusioned about the company they once were.
Tony, Many thanks for putting your instructions and pics on the web – I found you right away, followed the same steps and got my adaptor fixed in about half and hour. THANKS – and we will know each other when we see the sign of the black tape on our bricks!
After my g4 adapter died (the thin white wire broke at the point where it connects with the brick) I couldn’t fathom paying Apple huge bucks for their punishing design. I ended up buying a 3rd party adapter (“hipower” AO218-456), in fact 2 since they were about $25 each + s/h was mostly on the first item. As soon as I saw them I was relieved to see they looked much sturdier than apple’s and after a year, the one I use regularly is showing no wear.
The other one, I recently discovered – and have no idea when it started having this problem or even if it came this way, seems to gradually stop charging. The green power-indicator light starts to fade minutes after it’s plugged in.
Tho tonight, after reading an online comment, I’m testing how it does plugged directly into the wall as opposed to into a power strip (the same power strip, btw, the other adapter works fine with). So far an hour later, the green light is still on.
The web address for the store in case you want to check it out is http://stores.ebay.com/Laptops-Power. Warranty is 6 mo’s.
In case you thought this might be over with the advent of the Macbook Pros.. You’re wrong. I still have a Powerbook 12 lying around despite having a MBP 15 and an intel iMac. I never sold the PB because the DVD drive went. Worth more than the money it would fetch. Today it was acting funny. I turned it on for the first time since… August. My wife has been using it a little all along though. It didn’t power up this morning so I jigged the mains plug because I thought it wasn’t in right. It worked then. It was fine again this evening so I wasn’t aware of the issue. Tonight it needed a recharge-I’m testing software, so I’m on a few machines. No power and that wonderful electrical burning smell. Instant unplug. I spy the worn DC cable immediately. Being already online and not seeing signs of clips internally, I searched and found the site. Out with hammer and screwdriver. (It’s 6am now). Outside for a few taps. Inside and solder. All good.
is the conecting stik which have 3 parts in the g4 power book have the same voltage each one as 24v
i mean the conecting part of the adapter to mac laptop
I’m having the same problem as #89 J-man, of reshaping the tip. Or also fixing the male part of the connector. (S-tip?) that attaches to the laptop itself. Possibly another similar piece that could be soldered on?
Failing that, if anyone can recommend some good 3rd party alternatives? (here it costs $155 US to get a new charger!) Thanks so much!
This is an absolute joke – my ibook’s charger meted inside the laptop so I had to replace the dc-in board and today my powerbooks one almost caught on fire after becoming slightly loose. I hate apple for stuff like this, especially when the replacement charger is so ridiculously expensive. It always happens past the warrenty of course. It just isn’t that normal for appliances to be so badly made that they catch on fire, I don’t see how Apple get away with it. Anyway, I think the fact that almost every shop that sells these chargers in central London is sold out demonstrates how bad this situation is.
This guide is listed at the Repair4Laptop laptop and notebook repair and upgrade guides survey (Apple/Macintosh).
I FIXED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey guys,
I had the same problem for quite a long time. The wire that comes out of the supply was breaking. When finally it started short and give smoke, i decided to buy new one. Something generic and less expensive. At the same time, I decided to give it a try. I didn’t wanted to break the case right away. I thought, may be if i work around the wire and be able to pull out a little more, i can fix it.
First, it cut the wire from where it was giving out smoke. I started to cut the little hard rubber thing that comes out of the case and hold the wire in position, very carefully with one those knife used for surgery with thin tip, called scalpel. After carefully and patiently removing little by little piece of rubber, i was able to take it all, leaving just the white wire coming out of hole. The wire had a knot right inside, giving me a $79 orgasm. That’s all i needed; a little bit of more wire from inside the case. I untied the knot and started pealing, about an inch of, white wire carefully. Inside was a net of thin wires, and another tiny white wire wrapped in those thin wires. I separated those wires and started to peel the inside white wire, making sure not break them. I did the same with the other piece of long wire that goes in into G4. I connected both the wire separately (the outer wire to outer wire and inner wire to inner wire). Wrapped it up nicely with insulating tape, and tied a little piece of wire around the adapter flanges (I don’t’ what is it called; it’s thing you wrap the wire around), so that there is no mobility to the wires inside. And VOILA, it works like new.
My adaptor stopped working today too. It’s about 6mths off the warranty. I asked the apple guys whether this was a common problem – they all said, “never heard of it ever. Here. We can give you a new one though for AUD $129.” That’s more expensive than the iPod Shuffle! If they’re going to make disposable supplies that can’t be fixed and just add to the rest of the junk covering earth that was poorly made, at least they could make its replacement a little more affordable. I bought a new one anyway. Hopefully the $129 goes towards Apple research into making power supplies as good as those from 20 years ago that never wear out.
Anyone knows if I can fix my Powerbook’s power brick (I had to cut the DC cable after it shorted just at the exit point from the brick) by soldering the two layers of wiring again for a fresh connection? Basically I had to cut the cable, and now I am wondering if I can solder the inner core wire, tape it, then solder the outside wire mesh, then tape the whole bundle together. Or do you think I am going to alter the DC current after the soldered point and perhaps damage my Powerbook?
I did as you did. I broke it apart and fixed it. Thanks for the encouragement.
Thank you for your inside information. Opening the case wasn’t that easy but trying to open the case from three sides eventually worked. Be sure never drive the screwdriver inwards, but keep it parallel, so you will not touch the delicate components. The only difference I found was that the inside has been filled with that strange white thermal compound. The compound was also on the wire knot and around. So that makes it less easy (almost impossible) to get the wire out without breaking the case (see comment #99). I also used a kind of duck tape to close the case. But I think using a few tie rips around will do the job also.
I had a similar problem, i plugged in the adapter and the LED would come on for a few seconds then off, everytime i plug it in, the same thing. After cracking it open and just moving the wires around it now works good, although it looks like crap since apple made the case to be completely inacessable as possible. Anyway. thanks for the advice, works good so far and from what ive read on the reviews on this product at apple.com i will likely have to open it again.
What a piece of junk from a company that typically does good work.
I had a similar experience, only I knocked the screwdriver a little too hard, whacked a whole in the in one of the transistor thingies and had to toss it. Apple delivered a new one ($79) to my front door. I’m looking after it like a baby. Nobody is allowed to touch it.
My problem with these chargers has always been the male connector. I have had 6 (SIX!) connectors break off inside the powerbook. The first time I shelled out $300 for a replaced logic board. After it happened the 2nd time in 3 wks. I used a tiny pair of tweezers to pull the pin out of the powerbook. You have to hold the PB up vertically so the power hole is on the bottom, shake it a little to get the pin towards the front, then grab it with the tweezers. Pain in the ASS!!!! But it will save you $300 each time. BTW Apple refused to do anything about this – said it was excessive force that caused it or some other crap
Hi – today is 29 March 2007 and now my adapter broke too! Here in Indonesia Datascript charge me USD105 for a new adapter IF I give my old one with computer serial number. If I want to keep my old adapter it cost USD150!! So i was thankful I saw this site how to fix the adapter.
UNFORTUNATELY… While I hammer the screwdriver into the casing, in one part I hammer too hard and it break something that look like a battery and the clear liquid came out. So I gave up. That case is bloody hard to open…hahahahaha… so i send this warning to tell people be careful when open the case, take your time…
good luck (now I am USD105 more poor….
03/30/07
I just got back from the apple store purchasing a new AC power adapter for my G4 Powerbook. My computer has been giving me problems for 2 years now, shorting out. Last night I noticed the cord (which is always plugged in) was too hot to touch. Unplugged it immediately– it was burning from the inside, and the wire was exposed.
Apple has to know of this problem, because the new cord I just purchased is slightly bigger in diameter.
I’m really disappointed that there isn’t a recall…that was a fire seconds from starting. And now after seeing this blog, I’m afraid to use the new one.
I have a perfectly good power adapter (casing), but my wire is broken. Does anyone know where I can buy just the wire and plug part? If I can find that, I can open the case and put the new wire into it and I will have a complete working unit.
Thanks,
Jeff
well, i had a similar issue, the tip of my original power adapter broke off inside the port. I dis-assembled the powerbook (with the help of ifixit.com’s guide section), removed the DC-in board, took that apart, fixed it, put it back together, put the laptop back together, then used my new power supply… and the new supply shorted. So I call Apple, 90 minutes and 5 people later, they are shipping my a new power supply… And, because I said I didn’t have a CC, they aren’t requiring me to return the old one. And all i have to do to prevent another short, I figured out, is plug it into the laptop before plugging it into the power.
I bought the Applecare package when I bought my G4 a year ago. This week, my powercord had frayed from general stress. When I took it into Applecare, they proceeded to tool around for an hour and a half with trying to find a used one before trying to sell me a new $80. The excuse was that since I couldn’t prove it wasn’t owner caused, it was not covered under applecare warranty… thank you for the pics & advice… I figure gaffing tape + $20 on ebay is the unfortunate solution!
After a shortcut in my powerbook G4 adapter I decided to buy me a MacAlly adapter for 50 euro instead of Apple’s 80 euro. But within a few months it didn’t work anymore. I returned to the store, after two weeks they finally gave me a new one since it was still under warranty, but now, 1 year and 4 months after date of original pursue the second one broke down again and of course, warranty only lasts one year… MacAlly isn’t that good a brand either.
Fortunately I didn’t throw away the burned Apple adapter so this weekend I’m going to buy a solderer and hope that I can repair it myself with all your explanations.
I had no reason for 3+ years to seek out this blog until today…I caught a whiff of the [possible] beginnings of an electrical fire and quickly yanked the adapter cord out of the wall. It was clear that it had reached the end of it’s [pretty] days. There was a clear break in the insulation and black marks where the cord enters into the adapter casing…there had been sparks. I wasn’t going to risk plugging it in again which meant that my Powerbook was going to be out of commission for a few days – an eternity to me. After a short episode of breathlessness [just kidding], I calmed myself down and resolved to immediately purchase a new one from the Apple store before my battery drained…It was a good idea until I saw the price [ouch]; scratch that.
Plan B was to purchase a third party product for about half the price but it would take a couple of days…[wheeze]. If plan A and B involved purchasing a new one, plan C meant that I had to fix it myself right away…or at least try, then still totally destroy it and be forced to implement plan B.
It was quickly apparent that the adapter casing wasn’t sealed like the classic ipods which could be popped open with ease and I nearly destroyed it with the added help of a hammer and butter knife. It finally cracked open, I snipped off the problem area, exposed enough of the intact wires on the cord and twisted them together with the wires on the adapter end to complete the broken links…I used some tape to insulate the exposed areas, put the casing back together with clear tape and plugged it in enabling me to compose this rambling blog entry. I’ll have to borrow a friend’s soldering tool later to make it a more permanent link but it works. In short, I just fixed my adapter in less than a half hour, saved some money but it’s now just as pretty as the one in the photo above. I’m utterly pissed at the poor design, and my only consolation is that I was planning to trade my PowerBook in for the MacBook Pro anyway. Well, not really trade in, but complement.
I hope everything works out for those who choose to take the DIY route.
My 65W power cord was (is) having issues where the cord joins the brick. It’s about two to two and a half years old. I called Apple, said I had to position it precariously or my computer wouldn’t charge. Without further ado, they said it was covered under AppleCare and they would send a new one out. They took a credit card number and said they would charge a “re-stocking fee” of $72 if I didn’t return the old one. Too bad. I would have liked to try the home repairs described above.
i just a bought a new adapter after 3 weeks its not working the green light wont turn on what can i do?
I’m on my 5th adapter supply for my PowerBook and it’s only 2-3 years old. I’ve used the one year warranty on the adapter replacement to get a new adapter each time. It is a pain but I haven’t gotten any hassle yet about all the replacements. It is LAME that they can’t do something about this….mine fizzled again last night and now I can’t power up to check email or anything. Now I have to find the time to take it in and then it takes a day or two to get the plug in. Arggghhh!!!!
Hey mine broke too, thanks for the tips!!
Apple better learn from this, i think a lot of their customers are pissed…
Does anybody knows what is the name of the internal piece where the where the power adapter is plugged to a powerbook g4? I need to fix-it/get-it because it doesn’t seem to work, the adapter is working, so is the battery…
Thanks for your help/
Cao.
Same thing happened to my macbook pro adaptor. I was carrying it in my backpack and something stripped the wire casing on the thin cable. I have applecare but they said this wasn’t covered as it’s “physical damage”. I sent out for a new one, and they sent it to me, but I sent it right back after reading the find print that said “if we determine this isn’t covered we’ll charge you” and I know it’s technically not, so I didn’t risk it. My roommate, however, works at the Apple store, so he said he’d change it out for me, even though I’ve already dropped 80 bucks on a new one.
Just to say that I had a scare this morning when my power cable sparked at the end and smoke came from the end and it stopped working. This is my second cable, I was prepared to splash out #55 for a new one and range the Apple Store, to ask if they had one in stock. To my surprise (after telling them why I wanted a new one), they said it sounded dangerous they tranferred me to technical services, who said they would send me a new one FREE! I did not expect that. So a happy day for me…Until it goes again!
Arrgh, I don’t know how to solder! I’ve had my G4 for a little more than 3 years so I’m more than ready for a new laptop. Still with the cost of a new one ranging from $2000-$3000, I ‘ve been holding out as long as I can.
My adapter has been on the fritz for about three months but with a lot of patience and even more jiggling, I’ve been able to get that pretty orange light to glow for me. Still 10-15 minutes of jiggling can get old real fast. I was sure I was ready to cave and purchase a brand new adapter until I read all your comments. Now it seems like a futile effort. Looks like buying anything new will get me back to square one real quick. Why, O why didn’t I ever learn how to solder?
Hey, I did a similar repair to the Magsafe power adapter and posted pictures which might give further insight to cracking the egg as you put it, here at
http://unclebagel.com/2007/05/08/60w-magsafe-power-adapter-repair
It’s a problematic and expensive adapter. I now have several.
My powerbook adapter sparked and caught fire a few days ago. Apple customer service sent me to the Tier 2 powerbook specialist, who asked me dozens of very detailed questions, including if I took photographs of the incident before or afterwards, and whether the fire department had to be called.
My sense is that they were sniffing out for potential lawsuits. In the end, if you can believe it, they refused to replace the unit, even though it could have burnt down my house.
I think I’ll consider suing… from the sounds of things on this board, can anybody say: class action lawsuit, or product recall??
My apple 65W power adaptor nearly caught fire after 2years, for some reason the heat generatored from the unit started to consentrate on the cord connection. This unit is a poor design/unsafe.
I decided to find an alternative to the Apple power adaptor with success i must say. I found a website selling one for $33 australian dollars, had this for 3 week so far this unit is a better design ( not white who cares) its small and the heat generated from it is half the one of the Apple adaptor.
Hey
thanks for this
i tried my own way to dissassemble the charger because my dog decided to break in her new puppy teeth on the base of the adapted side of the cord, this left me unable to re-solder the cord.
I FOUND A NEW WAY TO UNDO THE CHARGER
the clips which you wrap the cord around are removable, pulling in a certain (not remembered) direction releases them, and if you then put a screw driver in the small seal where the cord comes from and push hard..and lever it around, the case pops off. You may need to put a screw driver in each side and push rather heavily on the screw driver.
This allows the case to be re-used, a small amount of tape may be required though nothing like the initial amount
Hope this helps
The powerbook end of the power lead has pinouts as described here:
http://pinouts.ru/Power/apple_tibookpower_pinout.shtml
It’s a 2.5mm stereo jack plug surrounded by a 7.6mm phono-style metal sleeve. You can make do without the sleeve, but don’t plug it into the headphone or mic socket by mistake, you’ll fry your powerbook.
The tip is the sense connector – connect this to ground through a 400k resistor. The middle sleeve is ground. The sleeve nearest the body of the plug is +24v. Don’t blame me if you blow it up.
Maplin in the UK supply a 120W PSU meant to operate from a car cigar lighter socket, which works OK – there’s a powerbook adapter, no green/orange LED, no connection to the tip, might not charge the battery. Mine seems to show a LONG time remaining to charge, if using with a flat battery – I guess the mac assumes no sense resistor = minimum possible PSU so despite being twice the capacity of the original PSU, it ain’t gonna charge any time soon.
I have two of the mains bricks – one is a PowerBook Ti one with a silver plug, the other a white-plug one from an iBook. My GF has an iBook one, too. The latter seem to have thicker cables. The ones I have access to are all labelled 24v/1.875A (45W), the Chinese made one has the sunken grommet at the “brick” end, the Japanese ones have a rubber strain relief (which frays). They all run pretty hot when charging.
Similar ridiculous price here in the UK for a clearly shortly-lived bit of kit.
Incidentally AppleCare seems patchy at best. GF bought a MacBook for her sis, who’s a film-maker and fairly clued-up. Applecare couldn’t have been less helpful (re: a query about Apple software) had they tried. My entirely personal impression is that it’s a waste of money.
Correction: The above pinout seems to be wrong c.f. the apple developer forum link:
http://developer.apple.com/qa/qa2001/qa1266.html
Hi, I do these professionally. ( HRDW support for a School of Architecture.)
Saw the cases apart with a dremel tool. careful not to go to deep. Easy repair after that.
Half of the Apple stuff I fix is silly design mistakes, often lack of cable relief. Apple should send its HDWR guys to take an electronics 101 course.
(The best computers in the world deserve a bit of attention to HRDW details.)
my charger just shorted out in the exact same spot, but i took it to the tech guys and they gave me a new one cuz it’s covered under applecare.
and for the battery problem that the threadstarter has, maybe you have a re-called battery like i did. once i talked to the tech guys, they gave me a brand new battery for free.
Thanks alot mate, i did a search on google to find alternative none apple replacement adaptors and your website poped up. Thanks to you i have saved myself £55 + vat. i followed what you did and it worked just fine.
Brilliant, you just saved me a bunch of time and, without doubt, hard earned cash. Many thanks.
try mobiletechpower.com. they carry all types of adapters and understand the pin issues.
Thank you.
Just today my adaptor flaked out in a spark and puffs of smoke (literally). Having developed the exact same frayed wire problem in the same spot described in this post.
So rather than spending $80 on a new adaptor I spent $8 on a soldering iron and solder, cracked the thing open, and it’s now working like a charm.
One Note: The Apple power cord is actually two wires, one wrapped around the outside of the other. Both of these must be connected for the power to work. So I peeled back the outer wire and casing, soldered the inner wire, wrapped it in electrical tape, then soldered the outer wire.
I had a similar problem with the power cord that I had to rotate the S-cpin (male connector to laptop) a lot to get one optimum position where the LED light will come on. I had to even mark with a pen on the connector to always attach at that point. But then it was growing more finicky.After disassembling PB G4 15″ 1.25 Ghz (which is a complete PITA for a beginner but now it is becoming second nature to me; happy about that), I figured the problem wasn’t in the female connector.
A few days ago, when the rotation excercise was still in its early stages, the S-cpin got heated like hell and got stuck inside (like welded) and I had to pull it out with much force :) I didn’t see any repitition of that later; so I thought problem definitely is in the S-cpin.So here is what i did. With a metal scraper (like the one that comes with nail cure things), I scraped off the rust from the phono type pluggy, there are three rings, outside one (dont know if it is + or -), the next one, and the last I guess is just passive. That solved a problem little, so it seemed but not much; it was still finicky. Then I figured it is perhaps the outer cylinderical metal ring that is little loose (which although it seemed to snugly fit the female connector when I had the laptop open). So carefully with tweezers, I squeezed the metal ring from all sides equally. Also the three metal grooves on this ring, I tried to push them further in so that they make a better contact. Sure enough that worked and now the power supply is awesome.
I just saved a bunch of money by coming to “theappleblog”. :))
Wealth of information here. Thanks everyone. I’m going to replace my 45W Powerbook G4 adapter with a third party because it is overheating and the connector is bent. Does anyone have any experience/advice about the following
1. MadsonLine AC65
2. Lind Technologies 65W PROEM-00006
3. Macally PS-AC4
4. iGo juice70
5. Newer Technology 65W Power Adapter
6. Kensington 120 Watt Notebook AC/DC Power Adapter
7. MacWizards G4 AC-Adapter
These seems to be all the options as far as I can tell.
I bought the Newer Technology because it had a 3 year warranty. Because I’m moving my laptop a lot, the wires always break at the plug. They replaced it… took about a week, so keep a backup charger. In my experience all the charges crap out after a year or so, so at least I won’t have to pay for another one for 3 years.
I don’t know why they don’t put a 90 degree plug on chargers.
IF YOU AHVE A PROBLEM WITH AC ADPTER THE PROBLEM WITH APPLE CHARGER IS THE WAY TO BUILD FOR EASY REPAIR ONLY CUT THE CORD WITH THE MALE CONNECTOR OF YOUR OLD DAMAGE AC APPLE ADPTER AND BUY ANY 20 VOLTS 3 AMP OF AC ADAPTER AND JOIN THE APPLE CABLE THE WHITE COLOR IS THE POSITIVE TERMIANL AND THE SHIEL IS THE NEG TERMINAL AND YOU CAN USE YOUR APPLE AGGAIN WITH MORE SECURITY THAN THE OTHER APPLE AC ADAPTER WE USE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AND IS WORKING NORMALLY.
THANK YOU ALL THE WORK MUST BE DONE BY QUALIFFIICCADDED TECHNICIAN
I am feeling totally stupid for shelling out another $86.00 for one of these laptop 65w power cords. This is the second cord in three years that weakened and broke connection at the computer. The manager here in Seattle gave me a spiel that she never saw this sort of thing happen. At the counter the kid that took my money said he sees it all the time. Interesting and very disappointing.
I’ve got a new power adapter now. Any suggestions out there on the best way to minimize the strain on the cable end that connects to the PB?
I used shrinkwrap tubing so the wire won’t break at the plug…. but then it broke at the end of the shrinkwrap. My best solution was to buy one with a 3 year warranty and then send it back every year when it craps out.
I really tried this fix! I did! With the hammer, the tape and all the tools. I did manage a fantastic fireworks show, but not a working charger.
Great tutorial! Thanks a LOT :)
Regards
ps. Where can I buy a new one?
Jose, see my post #135 above.
Thanks – my husband just fixed my adapter! The cord was failing from being bent too much. Now I’ll know better. I’m only 4 days away from the end of my 1 year warranty but I doubt they would have given me a new one since (I guess) I was rough with it (altho, most of the time I did not wrap the cord, just coiled it).
Same issues as #134. I’ve become an expert at the “spin technique,” but eventually the connection fails no matter what you do. I’ve been through no less than seven power cords in five years. Absolutely shameful that Apple allows this situation to perpetuate.
the magnetic tip of my 85w magsafe adapter just came off inside my macbook pro. apple refuses to replace it, and its $110 where i am. i know its palindromic, and i think i can see where the little tabs were stuck into the moulded plastic on the inside of the housing.
does anyone have any suggestions for how i should fix this? so far my plan is to line up the pins and shove it back in with some crazy glue on the edges… but i really cant afford to wreck my entire laptop. eek
I have a 65W power supply for the G4 Powerbook 12″ screen. The connector that plugs into the notebook is loose and about to break off. If anyone has pics on how to resolder the correct wires to the correct terminal I would be thankful and possibly a source to buy the plug that plugs into the notebook. Thanks
No one answered my #146 I need the correct wiring to the circuit board for the adapter that plugs into the powerbook (male Plug). I have a black wire and a braided wire and the circular pc board inside the male plug is about 1/4 inch rounded. Please any help. email me at biojoe@comcast.net Thanks!!!!!!
In response to the discussion of sense voltage from #126. First of all, according to http://developer.apple.com/qa/qa2001/qa1266.html, which applies to the 12″ and 17″ G4 powerbooks, it’s not the tip that provides the sense voltage. It’s the connector shield that provides sense voltage. In those machines at least, the tip is not used. Make the mistake of grounding the sense voltage and you will find that the battery doesn’t charge. As described, if sense voltage is allowed to float it seems to default to assuming the 45W power supply, and estimates for charging time are very long. Slightly more difficult to determine is whether the difference in charging time estimate reflects behavior of the PMU. Does it actually take longer to recharge, or does it just say it will do so. Is it just making an estimate for the purpose of forecasting charging time, or does it actually limit power consumption. I think it’s just an estimate. Here are two more excellent links on this topic: http://repair4laptop.org/contrib/apple_ibook/ibook_charger_plug_repair.html and http://www.screaminglight.com/pbg4-powerplug.html. The first shows a way to recover the complete functionality of the damaged power adapter. The second shows a way to modify the powerbook so it can take a conventional plug. However, the poster doesn’t seem to realize the sense voltage issue exists, and allows it to float.
The exact same thing just happened to me!!!!! I called apple and they are sending me a new one, and I have an old G4. This is a BIG design flaw. VERY dangerous!!!!
Knowing Apple as I do, if there were instances of smoke, as in a safety issue, Apple would jump on this in about 1uS.
Does anybody know of smoke, safety issue. I won’t say more, need I?
In my case, there was smoke and sparks coming from the damn thing. I hope Apple jumps on this problem ASAP. So far, I haven’t heard of them issuing a recall. Does someone’s house need to burn down before they take this issue seriously?
Hi Tony
Thanks for your tip my PowerbookG4 has just celebrated it’s third birthday by having the AC adaptor die on me.
A bit hard to prise open with a srewdriver but a mini hacksaw did the trick
Many thanks for you most useful tip
You lucky cats, you. I just read through this and tried to crack open mine to see why it’s not working…. it’s FRIED!! Go check out the pictures of this thing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24806232@N02/2467549116/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24806232@N02/2467549114/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24806232@N02/2467549108/
I could smell it after it went out and knew that it was pretty damn burned, but read this sight and got pumped about maybe fixing it….. yeah, right.
Unfortunately, I’m in Korea right now, and no one wants to even sell me one. The Apple stores don’t carry any trash for Powerbooks, so now I can shell out over USD150 for a new one shipped from the States or no Powerbook! I’ve already ‘replaced’ my book with a Vaio that I bought used off of a friend, but 1- Microsoft is all in Korean (not that it would be much better in English) 2- It’s not an Apple.
Anybody who wants to go after Apple, feel free to use these pics and email me: james.p.clark.us@gmail.com!!!! Perhaps I can get them to cover freight to get it to me….
James….
My computer just ate my first response. Try the following site:
They stood by their warranty when the first one broke where the wire goes into the PowerBook socket.
Now the socket in my PowerBook has shorted so any movement crashes the whole computer instantly. Now I have to use it on a docking unit to hold it steady. I’ve also taped the adapter cord together with the ethernet cable and USB cable to stabilize then all and minimize twisting.
Maybe someone more informed that me could tell you the range of amperage that will work and maybe if there is some way you could connect your current PowerBook plug to a different, more readily available adapter. Good Luck…. jhaems
I just saw that they bleeped out the URL I sent you. Try it this way
http://www.newertech.com/products/products_65w_adapter.php
THanks, I’ve actually found some a little bit cheaper than that, however, the problem is that shipping to me is a pain in the a$$. I’ve tried to find a similar power supply, but it runs 65W with 21.5V… which is a pretty high wattage and I’m not sure how easily I’ll find that (Also, it’s all written in Korean here!). I think the main reason it blew so hard when it did blow was that I’m on a 210 volt system, so when it shorted, it blew some nasty trash. I’ll live, though, but I thank you for your help!
How about a refund?
http://theappleblog.com/2008/05/09/refunds-for-those-firebomb-power-adapters/
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-apple9-2008may09,1,7640101.story
Interesting…. do you know of a hotline or any specific way of contacting them about this? I think I bought mine in 2003 and luckily have my receipt with me here in Korea. I’ll search around a little on the internet to get my money from them, but if you know of a direct way of contacting them about this issue, I would definitely appreciate the information.
I had the same problem, but on the other end of it! Here’s my mod: http://gottimenomoney.blogspot.com/2008/05/apples-magsafe-my-style.html
Right, basically the same thing has happened with my Macbook adapter. I have tried a bit of DIY but nothing seems to be working, but it is definitely just where the weak wire meets the adapter. Would anybody be willing to describe it in slow, simple steps? lol
UPDATE:
So, utilizing that info, I called up Apple while I was wearing a bit of a steel skin. I told them about my problem, informed them that I was aware of a recall on these, and was promptly told that my computer doesn’t apply to that warranty (I’m pretty sure my Powerbook is included… but anyways). I stayed calm, and informed the rep that the thing is TOASTED with burn marks and a clearly small fire had occurred. He called some part of the engineering department and came back on (about 15 minutes later) and informed me that they would be willing to give me a brand new one! SO, I pushed my luck and asked if they ship to Korea…. to no avail. I sent my old one back to my parents, and my parents will be receiving and doing the swap for me. Soon enough, I won’t have to deal with my ‘replacement’ VAIO with all of it’s XP pop-up errors (which to make matters worse, are in Korean, so I have no idea what Windows is doing to me….)
Call Apple and tell them about your problem, they MIGHT be able to work with you. Mine was actually a 6 year old purchase that they’re willing to take care of!
Apple PowerBook G4 A1021 65W AC Power Adapter
Input: AC 110-240V 50-60Hz
Output: DC 24.5V 2.65A 65W
Models: A1021,M8943LL/A
Condition: new
M8983 APPLE PowerBook G4 17-inch Laptop Battery specification:
Battery Type : Li-ion
Voltage : 10.80V
Capacity : 5400mAh
Color : Silver
Dimension : 157.10 x 113.50 x 13.35 mm
Weight : 422.41g
M8665Apple iBook G3 G4 Battery
M8244PowerBook G4 Battery
PowerBook G4 Series (15.2″ TFT Screen),
PowerBook G4 Series (15-inch Titanium),
PowerBook G4 Series (DVI),
PowerBook G4 Series (Gigabit Ethernet),
PowerBook G4 Series (Titanium)
Thank you Tony! I wouldn’t have had the nerve to try fixing my son’s power supply brick if I hadn’t found your instructions. (This was the second one that shorted out due to cable strain, and you saved me a second $80.00.) Some notes on how my fix went:
My attempt to crack the case with a screwdriver wasn’t going well, so I put the brick in a bench vise and sawed the joints down. I used a wood chisel for the final split.
The shorted section of cable charred the conductors right up to the strain relief fitting, so I cut the fitting out. This operation leaves about 1 inch of cable coming off the circuit board. This was just enough to strip carefully. I used surgical scissors to slice open the outer insulation; wire cutters (light touch!) to strip the inner conductor. Soldered the conductors; insulated with shrink tube and electrical tape. Taped the case closed with duct tape, and used electrical tape covered with duct tape to tape down the cable along one edge. That fixes it in position so it won’t be strained where it enters the brick.
I instructed my son to treat the cable gently from now on. (Too bad Apple made it flimsy in the first place.) With luck it’ll last until he gets a new computer next year.
First let me say that i have gone through the proper[legal] routes
to replace broken hardware due to failing chinese Shitmansship.In the past every single one of my requests for a ”break” on a replacement adapter ends up as 100% my problem after its all said and done.
Apple isnt the only co that has punished me for loving their products.So what i have done is returned to the fist fights with guns
,then returned to the gun fights with bombs [if you will].
Thus, im breaking laws and taking whats[should be] mine by deception.
Directions for 1 adapter are 1.Buy replacement with your hard earned cash
a.steam open box
b.Take out the part that you need.
c.put your failed part in box just as new ones are placed.Your putting in exact part thats not working to make the weight jive just in case retailer puts it on a scale.
d.Replace previously sealed
spots on box with glue,let dry then return it with receipt same day un opened [no restocking B.S]Tell the macgenius or whom ever you bought it for
a friend in pakistan but just found out his house no longer exists
Thus your returning the un opened un sent adapter for a full refund!
Go to this website:
http://www.gordonvapple.rosenthalco.com/index.html
Maybe you can get some cash back if your equipment qualifies.
I used mine until it was sparking and smoking – and at one point it was quite literally on fire at the fray point. I was gonna just buy a new one but stumbled on this website, borrowed a soldering iron, and did the deed. Sweet! Works like a charm.
check this site for a quick cheap repair for you powerbook adapter
http://www.madsonline.com/peripherals.html
APPLE 12 inch PowerBook G4 M8760 Battery
nice, thank you
Nice ,but i like universal ac adapter if it do not go overheat and burn users
whatever ,it is easy and convenient
via http://www.sourcingmap.com/laptop-adapters-c-1355_1758.html
you will like it
Thanks a lot I did the same procedure, in this case for a Macbook power Ac adapter , it broke down this afternoon, I cracked it open, I twisted the cables back together, soldered them and covered them with electrical tape. Now it´s up and running on charge !!!
It saved me the $80 box, at least for a while..
Thanks man !!!
This is awesome. It totally works. I’m on my third power supply, always the same problem. The one that just broke was only a few months old. Now I decided to just fix it, and I’m convinced it’s better working and better looking than before. And I have apple care, but they don’t want to cover it and driving downtown and talking to them costs money and time. This was way more fun. Thanks!!!
Superb stuff! My Titanium adaptor nearly burned my house down in a similar manner, and annoyingly the cheaper third-party adaptor I replaced it with dumped a load of noise onto the mains – seeing as I use my Macs for music this was something of a problem!! Broke the old one open, re-soldered, patched up with duct tape, works like a charm, thanks.
I have tried a bit, but it is definitely just where the weak wire meets the adapter. Please describe it in simple steps. Laptop Repair NYC, Poweradapter
I have a powerbook g4 and my power adapter’s cord ripped at the very edge and it doesnt work anymore. wat should i do?
I just had my second Powerbook brick start to smoke, shoot out sparks, and catch fire.
Both bricks I’ve gotten for this computer have lasted roughly 2 years before shorting out, and both have been handled carefully by an adult.
What’s so frustrating to me is that EVEN AFTER THE RECALL they still haven’t redesigned the power bricks sufficiently enough to solve this problem, and they still have those ridiculous winding flaps on the new Powerbook bricks even though being overwound is the #1 reason why these power bricks short out.
I love Apple’s OS, but it’s frustrating that they refuse to acknowledge faults in their hardware and they refuse to take responsibility when their poor design causes problems for their users.
I had to do the same thing with my G4 AC adapter. It’s a challenge to get it open, but it’s really not too hard to fix the short circuits. It’s a heck lot better than spending $30+ on a new one.
All I have to tell you geeks is we smoked a bunch of Meth and figured this shit out right away. We completed our repair with only items found locked with us in our bedroom. Trust me this baby is custom.
It seems you got a great fun during repair. Nice tip, but actually, if this adapter haven’t specific specification, univercail adapter might be a good choice.
thanks for sharing!
thanks for sharing!ed_hardy
in disassembling… its much better using a striping knife or cutter rather small screwdriver, hammering it with care using screw driver butt all the way the line… and put it back together with instant glue.. works for me , its clean as stock, and free from electrical tapes..
anyway thanks for this topic…
Thanks for the pointers. Just fixed one for my wife’s macbook. I did however do a number on it getting it open. Lots of electrical tape holding it together now but at least it works. Cheers!
I don’t think it’s that bad when a charger turns faulty after 4 years of heavy handling and use. Mine’s got a problem with the cable as it exits the adapter. So I’ll pry the box open and reconnect the cable. Thanks so much for the help and discussions.
Thanks to Amol K. (#99). Saved myself from breaking the unit apart. Got the cable knot moulded in that soft plastic plug at exit. cheers
Thanks everyone, especially Tony for starting this blog. i suffered exactly the same symptoms as you lot, intermittent power, smoke and sparks leading to eventual total failure and semi-panic. These psu’s are not easy things to find these days, in Europe (France) -people want to sell you replacements sure, but only the modern units: “what…you’re still running a 5 year old laptop, are you mad?” Well no i don’t think so, just not made of money, and not mad enough to waste it on faulty products if i did have it…thank you.
So you all gave me encouragement to try a self-fix. And it wasn’t that tricky once the box is cracked, but then it still didn’t work. Yup…you guessed it, the cable at the connector end into the computer had gone the same way…at the same time!
Now those funky connectors are a bugger to strip and the wires require nifty micro-soldering onto a pcb within the plug, probably to drive the led ring. This whole deal is disastrous design with obvious penny pinching in favour of “look” over component durability.
Fer chrissakes Apple, if anything is going to tarnish thy holy hard-worked for image, it’s this kind of stuff. i now have a heavily taped-up, non-aesthetic looking, repaired power supply which i just know is going to last longer than the original, and love it.
Thanks again
Firstly, thank you all for your input on everyone’s questions. I have a slightly new one. I broke the male plug bit on my MacBook AC adapter, and have used an alternate power cord for it like this: Here. This has been working. But today I get home, and the rest of the widget is not working. I have tried assorted outlets which I know to work. I have tried other two-prong cords which I know to work. I can detect no fault in the cord joints, but it’s hard to be sure, with those plastic sleeves, and I don’t want to break the thing further by digging into it.
Considering going to the Applestore and bitching a bit, I heard if there is no apparent damage that they may replace the thing for you. But it was working with that radio cord. Would they accept it as non-accidental damage if the problem lies with something other than the different cord? (Perhaps if I try it on another adapter and it works, it’ll prove that.)
After reading this, I think I should get active with repairing stuffs even though I don’t know what I am doing.
I have two adapters, both of which broke/shorted just behind the plug that goes into the laptop. One, I amazingly got replaced for free by Apple even though it was out of warranty. The other I cut into trying to repair but mangled it. SO, I have a good brick that would just need to have the laptop plug spliced onto the cord if anyone is interested in it.
Eric
You know, I followed your advice, and in the end I got my adapter working! Thanks for the pics. You may want to add something though. The first time I was fixing it I neglected to unplug it from the wall, and I caught fire! After my burns healed, I tried again and suceeded. Please mention to people that they *have* to unplug the adapter from the wall before they start the fix! Thanks again!
Wacko (comment #192), you’re a nut.
So I purchased another adapter after mine started smoking and sparking. I don’t think mine’s fixable.
However, I noted that this new adapter doesn’t get as warm, and isn’t exactly like my old 65W adapter.
My old apple branded adapter that came with my Powerbook G4 1.25 GHz, says it’s made by Celetron and has the following markings:
Apple Japan Input: AC 100-240V 50/60 Hz
1.5A Output: 24.5V — 2.65A
This new adapter that I purchased is made by Delta Electronics (Thailand) Public and has the following markings:
Apple Japan Input: AC 100-240V 50-60 Hz
127-182VA Output: 24.5V — 2.65A
AC Input: 1.5A ADP-65GB V85
The two adapters are similar size and shape, however the new one has a two prong plug for the outlet in the wall (the old one had a three prong plug), and the cord that leads to the computer doesn’t have a stress relief cover, rather the cord is thinner and just snakes out of a hole in the adapter. I feel that this is the weakest point of the adapter (it’s the part that came apart on my old one.
Is there some way to fix this ahead of time, like adding some kind of stress relief to the cord itself so it has less of a chance of the insulation breaking? I probably won’t use the flip up tabs and wind the cord around them since this probably generates more stress to the cord over time.
Hopefully this adapter won’t go like the other one, a puff of smoke and sparks. Does anyone know of the history of these adapters (like when Apple switched companies/makers)?
Thanks for the site.
This happened to me only last weekend. I was lucky not to have burned the house down, especially as I’ve had the adapter plugged in all the time since I got the Mac second hand from my friend and it’s been sat on the carpet under my desk. Months back I had a spark fly out of the mains socket (UK 240v) whilst I was plugging the adapter in but I thought it was fine as it still worked. Later, I noticed some kind of loose connection (which was actually a short circuit as I now know) near the adapter as I wasn’t getting any power from it. I was going to buy a new adaptor anyway, but thought this was safe in the mean time. Oh how wrong! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbUxBI8-flY That’s not me, but some guy who’s obviously not scared of tempting fate. Shows you how dangerous they can be.
Anyway, got on of these – http://www.amazon.co.uk/65W-Apple-Replacement-including-PowerBook/dp/B0018QSQ06 – which is working fine. However, I have heard that unofficial PSUs can screw your battery up. Is this true? At any rate, it seems this £17 one is much safer than the official one at £32.
“…just like new, sort of…” LOL!! I just bought a used replacement off Craigslist for $40! Woohoo! Now i’m going to try to crack the old one open and solder some ish together!! Wish me luck.
I just purchased my first MacBook. I plugged it in following apple’s directive in the book that comes with it (I’ve had a used StinkPad for years, so I just wanted the novelty of reading what they recommend for plugging in) and it states to plug into the outlet first, and the machine second. That said, the first thing that happened was it sparked at the wall/prongs. This laptop is 2 WEEKS old!! Battery is fresh out, so I need to power up but I’m terrified of the thing. I am not electrically-minded at all, so should i just get a new one, under warranty? This forum starts in 2005-ish. Is now mid-2009. Can anyone tell me if these white psu’s have improved at all in the last four years? Should I just always use the (very odd) three-pronged, grounded cable extender that came with the machine as a “safer” option? Even so, I’d still need the brick in the wall. Love the machines, hate the power supply.
Yesterday my second Apple PSU took a dump (which I only had for 4 weeks, the first one I was fortunate enough to have it for 5 years until I noticed smoke and sparks).
Living in Europe you pay an arm and a leg as well and then some from one of the “authorized” Apple stores, so my girlfriend found this blog and I decided to give it a shot and crack open the first one. The short was just below the casing, and with no electrical experience, no soldering tool, and desperate to get back online, we decided NOT to take any chances with the same damaged unit (if it was repaired by me). It would just happen again eventually and worse scenario, possibly fry my G4 PB or burn the house down. So we figured best to just look for a replacement.
She found a wholesaler online next day selling laptop adapters and luckily they sold Apple replacement units with stronger cables. They were nearby and I just went to pick it up. It’s similar to this one I found below which I hope might be helpful to those in the states, or you can just Google search something like, “Apple laptop adapter 65w replacement”. This one sells for $21.95:
http://www.usa-battery.net/apple-powerbookibook-g4-ac-power-adapter-65w-a1021-p-498.html
Save yourself the hassle and just pay less for a replacement. Just make sure it’s the correct adapter for your type of laptop. Good luck ;)
Going back to my replacement adapter – there is one problem with it, it doesn’t have enough RF interference suppression, so screws any chance of listening to weak radio stations on FM radio whilst using it. I haven’t had any problems with it killing my battery yet though, that might be because I unplug it once charged and don’t reconnect until the battery is in the red.
I wouldn’t recommend anyone to use these aftermarket power supplies for your G4 Powerbook Aluminium as the original supply is 24.5v yet the aftermarket ones all seem to be 24v the voltage of the original G3 Powerbook. This small fact could potentially cause an even bigger problem internally, leaving you with a problem that’s even harder to fix. Better to follow the authors advice and repair your own. Cheaper too!..
Please go into more deatail. You are correct, mine is only 24v. However, it’s still going strong and so is my laptop.
I bought a 65w charger from ebay for 13.86 from Hong Kong (free shipping). It took 15 days to arrive, but the darn thing was EXACTLY Apples replacement part with Apple logos, copyrights, etc…! Either he has a connection with the chinese manufacturer or he makes a great knock off. The bad part was that the port on the powerbook was dented/bent… and the charger wouldn’t work. I suspected that the plug wasn’t going in deep enough so I cut off the clear plastic ring on the plug (the part that lights up). This allowed the plug to penetrate about 1/16″ deeper and IT WORKS!
I’ve had two chargers short out and fry on me, sparks and smoke and all, and with a simple phone call to Apple explaining my problem they sent me out a new part free of charge. It is a problem and while they are aware of it and should fix it, they do replace parts that are flawed to this degree of danger without hassle.
There are sparks, and there are sparks.
One spark, possibly with a loud pop, at the A.C. prongs when plugged in: Normal. Power surge as the supply meets at or near the peak of the powerline sine wave.
One or many sparks anywhere from where the output cable leaves the adapter case to where it enters the Mac, or ongoing sparking/popping anywhere: Bad. Needs replacing or fixing.
Great article and excellent comments… everyone’s efforts are appreciated!
))Sonic((
Mac tech, EE, and hardware kinda guy
I didnt realise Apple sold such low quality at such high prices…
HAHAHA you morons. quit them.
i was going to say that the OP should have wrapped 5 layers of pvc tape, tapering in thickness from the base of the wire to a couple of inches in, to make a nice smoth curve with no fraying.
5 years after this article as written, the power adaptor problem is the same.
Mine just got the cord broken right where it joins the box.
I can easily fix that, but of course… there is no way I can open the white box.
They want me to pay 79 for a new one. I’ll try to fix it.
Robby-
Check it out. If there happened to be any sparks, melting wires, smoke…right around where the cord meets the box, and you call Apple and tell them this and emphasize that you are aware that this is an on going problem and a hazard, maybe you even got shocked a little…they will send you a new one for free. It’s happened to me twice and they didn’t even ask for the old one to be returned. If everyone knew about this maybe Apple would be forced to fix the problem instead of having to give away replacement cords.
Just opened mine up, and was holding the metal casing inside, and then decided to insert the plug adaptor bit. I forgot that it was still connected to the mains. I’m just glad I’m still alive! I think I’ll just go out and buy a new adaptor!
Hi everyone, just to inform that I had my AC power since end of 2006. Had the same problem with the wiring, was working without a problem, but I think that due to the problem was affecting the charging not sure. After checking this info decided to open it up. Thinking for a while. Just did it and all looks great. Thanks for placing this great info. Let’s see how long will last until the next problem.
Hi everyone! could you possibly help me with my problem. I have an iBook G4 bought around 2004. Since my first charger blow up, I bought another one last 2006. Now I’m having a problem again, the JACK seems to have a problem, It doesnt light up and my charger doesnt charge the battery. I’ve been trying to find an article which would give me the exact solution to my problem if I can fix it myself. I am not planning to buy another charger for this. I did looked up a reply posted around 2006 but its link is not found anymore.
Plz anyone could help me with my problem, since my ibook seems to worth of use for now for me.
Thanks.
again any help would be much appreciated. Im using my ibook for somewhat part time work related job. and its been helping me ever since.
thanks again.
Last week, my MBP Magsafe wire was cut near the magnet. IThe was a silent recall from 2009 to exchange it for a new one.
Went to the Apple Store 5th avenue NY; they gave me a new one and told me to throw out the old one…
I’m going to repair the old one
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With mine is the main fuse , 3.15AT blown up and some places are burnd black near the fuse, after cleaning the board an replacing the fuse a smd resistor starts smoking and the value .Its seems to be impossible to repair corse of the white silicone with fixex all the components….
Hi. I had my mbp 15 for 3 years now. Has always been treated carefully. Today when i plugged the 85w magsafe adapter to the wall i suddenly smell a strong fry smell. Didnt hear anything or see sparks. I looked at the LED light on the cable tip and its not lit. I quickly removed it from the wall. Now it doesnt work at all. I went to apple dealer store and they said its out of warranty and they also dont have spareparts for maintenance. Im not going to open the brick because i cant fix electronics!! Any solution?
my adapter out lasted my G4 powerbook. I replaced the powerbook when the dvi port stopped working. Use common sense man, obviously the cable will break if you excessively stress it. it comes with the long AC cable for a reason, so that you can maintain reasonable slack on the dc line to the computer. Maybe you should get a dell.