Powerbook G4 Soundcard Jack Issue

Hello all,

I have a 17" Powerbook G4, and the headphone jack is only in mono unless I set a large bolt or some weight against the plug to hold it lightly to make the connection correct. I'm wondering if anyone has thoughts as to whether I can fix the jack, or if I should just get a new sound card.

Thank you!
Peter.

Macintaj said:

...or if I should just get a new sound card.

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I don't have a solution for the jack issue...but what I did want to mention is that there is not a separate "sound card".

To "replace" the audio jack...you would have to replace the entire logic board (a bit more of an expensive part). Luckily (depending what model 17" Powerbook G4 you have) because of it's age...a replacement logic board is not nearly as expensive as it is for newer MacBooks & MacBook Pro's.

- Nick

Hmmm. I see sound cards for sale for 17" powerbooks, so are these falsely advertised, or am I missing something?

You can verify what Nick told you by going to iFixit: The free repair manual and looking at the breakdown for the 17" Powerbook. You'll see that there is no separate sound card. The sound (audio) chipset is integrated on to the logic board.

Macintaj said:

Hmmm. I see sound cards for sale for 17" powerbooks, so are these falsely advertised, or am I missing something?

Click to expand...

I did a preliminary check from Powerbookmedic.com before I replied to your post. For most Apple laptop computers...two parts are available that are related to the ports:

- the logic board
- a DC-in board

To the best of my knowledge...there are no separate "sound cards" for Apple laptops.

But...since there are lots & lots & lots of different 17" Powerbook G4 models...we would need to know exactly what model you have before making a final determination.

- Nick

Macintaj said:

Hmmm. I see sound cards for sale for 17" powerbooks, so are these falsely advertised, or am I missing something?

Click to expand...

Can you please post a couple links to these "sound cards"?

Thanks,

- Nick

Hmmmm. I'm very confused now. I went to ifixit, and did not readily find a breakdown of the G4, but did find the instructional procedures available for several models listed of 17" powerbooks, and both show instructions on how to replace the sound cards! So.....

Installing PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz Sound Card - iFixit

PowerBook G4 17" Aluminum A1107 1 67GHz USB Sound Card Board 820 1733 A 1 67 | eBay

Macintaj said:

Hmmmm. I'm very confused now. I went to ifixit, and did not readily find a breakdown of the G4, but did find the instructional procedures available for several models listed of 17" powerbooks, and both show instructions on how to replace the sound cards! So.....

Click to expand...

Sorry man...my fault. I didn't realize the 17" Powerbook G4 models had a separate replaceable sound card! Usually Apple laptops only have the logic board & DC-in boards that have ports on them.

Man that's an expensive part at iFixit.com. If it helps...many of the sound boards for 17" Powerbook G4's are a lot less expensive at Powerbookmedic.com (I think that a used board for your laptop is about $14.95).

Sound Board 17" Powerbook G4 Aluminum - 922-5768 922-6062

Sorry again for the confusion. Hopefully the Powerbookmedic link helps!

- Nick

Looks like we both were wrong on that one Nick. I guess I got confused between the Powerbook and MacBook Pro 17" model where the audio chipset is integrated to the logic board. The ifixit instructions do show a separate sound card.

Thanks Nick, I understand! I just went to ebay and bought a new one for $8 incl shipping. Hopefully all will go well.

Macintaj said:

Thanks Nick, I understand! I just went to ebay and bought a new one for $8 incl shipping. Hopefully all will go well.

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I think that you will be in GREAT shape! $8.00 bucks is certainly a small price to pay to fix things.

Hopefully you don't mind doing the DIY replacement work. The iFixit.com procedure I believe mentioned that it was a "difficult" procedure. It doesn't really look that bad to me. I've done MUCH worse. At least the logic board does not need to be removed!

Good luck,

- Nick

chscag said:

Looks like we both were wrong on that one Nick. I guess I got confused between the Powerbook and MacBook Pro 17" model where the audio chipset is integrated to the logic board. The ifixit instructions do show a separate sound card.

Click to expand...

So many models...so many models...so many models...to keep all of the details straight sometimes! Especially 6+ years later after they have been discontinued...and we don't discuss Powerbook G4's nearly as often.

- Nick

No sweat. I've taken far too many things apart, and most of them have gone back together quite well and even worked!