G4 15" Flashing Charger Light

Hi all,

I recently ordered a used PowerBook G4 from eBay. I haven't actually gotten it yet, but from the pictures it looks like it's in good condition with minimal scratches, although the very bottom is quite scratchy. I only paid $270 plus shipping, but it has some issues:

1.) The seller says the charging light at the end of the adapter is flashing between orange and green, and the battery holds next to no charge. He says the computer works fine on a/c power. I am thinking the light is flashing because the battery wont accept any charge. Even though that is the likely culprit, i am quite worried about this. Thoughts?

2.) The screen has weird light marks on it. I have read that this might've been because of the oils from someone's fingers, which apparently does something to the screen coating. Is there any way to fix this?

O, here's the link to the item on eBay so you can check out the pictures: Powerbook 15" 1.25GHz, 512MB RAM, 80G HD, WiFi, AS-IS - eBay (item 190338361293 end time Sep-30-09 18:14:45 PDT).

Did I get a good deal? I hope so. Even though I may have to buy a battery, I can probably come out ahead if i go to sell it.

thanks,

Justin

1 - This is a known problem, but there's a fix.

Your battery may not be completely "dead", your battery charger probably doesn't have enough power to give to your PB, so either it's a different adapter from the original one, or your adapter is on it's way "out".

Just get a second opinion before you go and buy a new one, but I'm quite sure that's the case when this "flickering" problem occurs.

2 - I have a Powerbook myself that has light spots on it, and believe me... there's nothing you can do.
It's probably from pinching too hard whilst holding it.

This is also a known problem, but it's not as disturbing a sight as you think.

I find myself not even noticing the spots, unless I look for them.
Here's a picture

PowerBook G4

Just saw your PBG4 posts (a little late to sell you one of mine)...as far as your ebay PB goes, the battery could be used up (~$100 for a decent new one), the power adapter the seller was using could be bad (~$35; you'll need one anyway), and/or the DC-in board could be failing (~$50-75). The blemishes on the LCD are pressure marks (as the seller mentioned) and cannot be fixed - you'd have to replace the LCD ($100) to get rid of them.

The price you paid is probably about right for a "Partially WORKING and AS-IS" 1.25GHz PBG4 with 512MB of RAM. I doubt you'd be able to get much more for it, unless you fixed some of the issues.

If you need an adapter, I have a few available (as well as other PBG4 parts). Photos, descriptions, etc. at

http://stingme.com/sale/

I've got lots of Apple hardware, software, and accessories - some items are not online yet but will be soon...if you are looking for something in particular feel free to drop me a line and I'll let you know what I have.

Good Luck!