DOA iMac

[Coolbrz]

Purchased an iMac online and the packing was terrible. It must have been dropped since the inner bezel around the monitor was a bit broken up, the seams were out of place and the rear plastic support was a bit busted. Received a full refund which is good but I have a DOA computer that I would like to see if I can get to work. Shipping cost more than the computer so don't want to put much money in it.

If I press the power button the hard drive does not spin up. I removed the bottom covers to expose the mother board and noticed a diode that lit up green when I pressed the power button. Bright green for 1/2 a second then a dim green that stays lit.

If I press and hold the power button a few seconds the power button light flashes for a moment then every thing is off again.

Since this is my first Mac I have a few questions.

The 3.6V battery is dead, is that just for date/time etc. memory or will it stop the computer from booting?

Is there a fuse on the power supply that may be the culprit? Could not figure out how to remove the upper cover to get a good look at the power supply and CRT. Any suggestions?

Do you know if I can hook a power plug from my PC to the Mac hard drive to see if it will spin up? Same voltage, plug type?

Any suggestions what to look for that may have become damaged or jarred loose?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Stretch]

I would call the company that you bought it from and tell them it is DOA. They should offer a free replacement. But do it before you take apart the whole computer.

 

[Coolbrz]

They gave me a full refund and I don't think they have any others. I can always buy another one on eBay but want to see if I can fix this one.

 

[gilesjuk]

Get a new lithium battery as some electronics go a bit loopy without a working battery.

These batteries are often used to preserve non-volatile memory or to keep the on-board real time clock working.

They're typically CR3032 coin cells.

I would check the PCB for cracks, if there's any damage then forget it, toss it in the bin or make an ornament out of it.

PCBs on modern electronics are multilayer and easily damaged.

 

[Coolbrz]

If the battery is not necessary to boot the computer I would rather wait to replace it. I'm not cheap but the computer only cost $36 and Batteries Plus has a replacment for $6. If it is not going to make a difference if the computer spins up the hard drive I would still rather wait.

It could be the motherboard but it looks like the weight of the CRT moved inside the case enough to just break some plastic. If the hit was enough to take out the hard drive that would be different.

If I can get the upper rear cover off I can do a better inspection.

Anybody know if there is a fuse on the power supply?