01-11-2006, 02:59 PM

Ok, I tried to make the thread title as descriptive as possible for my first post in this forum. I have a really serious problem that seems easy to fix, but I need some practical advice on how to do so. So here is my problem, as I presented it to the fine folks at pb fixit. Sorry I'm too lazy to reformat it.

Ok, I'm not going to force you fine people to read through that garbage. Here's the long and short of it:

I was removing the upper case to my ibook G3. I slipped and tugged too hard on the blue and white power cable that connects the power button to the logic board. As a result, the female end of the connector became partially detached from the logic board and the computer will not power on after reassembly.

So do any of you have advice on how to fix it? I could solder it, or maybe slip some tinfoil between the board and the connector.
Could any of you link me to a resource about soldering to circuit boards?
Or do any of you know how to hotwire the computer to power on?

It is frustrating that such a little problem can render my machine so useless! Fortunately, I have an ibook g4, but the g3 was my trusty backup and I would hate to farm it out for parts.

I was using your guide to swap hard drives
> with my 12" G3 and 12"
> > g4 ibooks. While removing the upper case of the
> G3, I was tugging a
> > bit too hard to get the plastic free of the metal
> skeleton beneath and
> > when it came loose it jerked the blue and white
> power cable. When I
> > unhooked the power cable, I noticed that I had
> pulled one side of the
> > plastic piece that the power cable plugs in to OFF
> of the logic board!
> > So now, of course, the power button is broken and
> the computer will
> > not start up. Any tips on how I might solder it
> back on or hotwire it
> > so it works?
> > Any response would be appreciated- even if you just tell me its only good for parts now.


PB fixit reccomends I buy a new logic board from them :black:

Thank you in advance for reading this!

01-11-2006, 04:26 PM

if its just one of those quick disconnect connectors you can hit up your local electronic parts store and have them find a attachment that will work. Rewire it and you should be back up and running. sorry i wish i could give you more help. you might even be able to get the replacement cable from a apple service dealer. since your out of warrenty there shouldnt be a big deal with them just selling the part to you now.

01-11-2006, 06:42 PM

Oh that's a collosal bit of bad luck. I've done stuff like that and it was so infuriating I just wanted to slap myself to the ground.

If the wire is detatched from a solder point on the board it is possible to solder it back, but you have to be very very careful with temperature and solder running amok. Overheating can damage stuff and you have to have a super-steady hand to get the solder back on the exact spot while not making a solder ball. Especially if there are other solder points nearby. You might look in the phone book for a repair shop mac or just general electronic and call to see if they can sort that for you. Otherwise you'll want to practice a lot on something like an old pci card or something before you attempt the real thing.

Sorry I don't know any sites that would be good tutorials, and this reply probably doesn't help much, but seriously, good luck getting it working.

06-21-2007, 01:33 AM

I believe that you could use a old g3 keyboard with power buttons on them and it would let you power on and off. I know it's probably not the best fixes but it's a solder free solution.
Or maybe some mac guru has made a usb powerbutton?
Besides those you're left with solder it back or scrap it.
Good luck

06-21-2007, 01:37 AM

holy cow this is an old thread - i hope that guy had his issue fixed by now...