The ever popular iBook G4 Logic Board Issue...

Can you describe exactly wht happens when it stops working and all?

Essentially it just freezes and it sounds like the hard drive stops spinning (however I think the fan is still running). The video locks up and I have to power down, then wait a few seconds and reboot. It works for awhile after that as well, then the same problem occurs.

I did an experiment where I left the computer on all night long without doing anything on it. It went to sleep fine and woke up every single time without incident. After I start to run a program or do something else on the computer it locks up as described above.

Hope that is a better description. Thanks for all your help guys!

-D

Have you tried reseting the PRAM, and NVRAM? to reset NVRAM, when you hear the bong on bootup hold down command+option+o+f then type "reset-nvram" hit return then "set-defaults" hit return then "reset-all" and hit return. If that doesn't do it, when booting up and you haer the bong, hold command+option+p+r and continue holding it until the computer bongs another three times. If neiter of these work, try taking anuy extra RAM out of the iBook.

I will try it as soon as I get home. Called apple about this issue b/c I thought it might be the logic board. The tech stated that he was almost certain it was the RAM.

I will keep you updated!

-D

...about the ram sticks. but if it worked without problems before when the previous owner used it, it should work fine for you, shouldn't it???

otherwise, it could be that the seller missed to tell you some detail about the ibook... you know what i'm thinking of?

Yeah I tried all three suggestions and they didn't work. Thanks though! Should I try securing all the logic board screws? Any suggestions? Thanks.

-D

Yeah, he told me that the RAM just needed to be replaced. When asked why he just didn't do it he stated that he had a macbook and wasn't concerned with this machine anymore......

This is a very standard problem with ibooks that actually has a relatively easy fix. The GPU is a BGA that over time and flexing of the logic board from heat cycles, the solder balls break/crack and the connection w/the board is lost. Since it is a BGA, it cannot be re-soldered by hand, the entire board must be placed in a reflow oven. A great fix is to place a thin shim of copper between the GPU and the heat sink, and then crank down the heat sink screws. To test this, you can also place a shim between the metal shield and the plastic top case just below the left side option key. This will also place more pressure on the heat sink and therefore the GPU. good luck

so can anyone tell me why my other ibook will not wake from sleep?

I'm glad I found this tip. My iBook G4 14-inch 1.33GHz recently started playing dead in a big way and locking up whenever it was required to do anything graphical (like the login screen). Until I read about putting pressure on the GPU I thought it was a heat damage to the processor, so I assumed it was just dead like my previous logic board.

Since I had little to lose I wasn't even that careful with the fix! I just smeared both sides of a two-pence coin with artic silver compound and jammed it tightly between the heatsink and GPU.

Unbelievably it seems to have worked wonders. I ran the processor flat out for an hour or so and everything works perfectly now. Yay!

I tried the pressure fix and had no luck. What I did do was find a cheap functional logic board (that was a feat in itself) and swapped it out. Now it works perfectly. So my cheap ebay buy has turned out to be a good deal after a big headache. Thanks for all of your help guys!

I don't know whether my problem is fits into the logic board thread, but there are some similarities and I am at my wit's end. I booted up my computer yesterday, got the grey apple screen with the pin-wheel spinning, then when I expected to see the desktop I got a grey screen, then a blue screen, then a green screen, then a red screen. Every couple of minutes I would see a distorted flash of the desktop then back to the parade of greys, greens, reds and blues. Does anybody have an idea what has gone wrong here?

Many thanks

DT

Hi guys;
I found another unorthodox way to save my logicboard:
All the other suggestions did not work at all/partial.
So I assumed that Apple does use a technique that melts all components together at the same time.
That can only be done in an oven.
So I thougth: I also have a hot-air oven to bake Apple-Pie;
why not bake an Apple-Logicboard???
And I just did that. Had after all nothing to loose.
I Stripped everything I could to ensure that only the components that could take the amount of heat necasssary to melt the tin/led points underneath the Graphic Chip remained on the board. I Also removed the Battery with a soldering-gun.
I set the oven at 190 degrees Celcius (I am from Holland).
Put in the Apple-LogicPie and a smal stroke of tin, just to watch if it would melt. And waited.
At the time it reached the right temperature I waited another 3-4 minutes.
Then I opend the oven to cool things of and waited some more to ensure I would not burn my fingers.
Then I basically reconnected onle the essential parts to check the function of the logicboard (harddrive; display; power) en started the iBook…..
IT WORKED!!!!!
For the first time in weeks it did not stop at the “famous” Blue Screen!!
Right now I am downloading the latest upgrades of Tiger till 10.4.11 and it still works.
I have made a few pictures of it.
You can watch them at
http://tinyurl.com/6nhuum
http://tinyurl.com/5bes24
http://tinyurl.com/4t6hcs
http://tinyurl.com/3o5szz
If it still works after 1 week; I’ll put another picture here of my re-assembled iBook G4 14″ at the following place:
http://tinyurl.com/4qwj69
Greetings from the Netherlands!
macfan55

That is completely awesome. I've seen the toaster oven method described for SMD soldering, but it never occurred to me that you could fix the notorious BGA video problem that way. Of course!

Note for anyone who reads this thread and decides it's worth a crack: do some research! Search for toaster+oven+reflow+solder and/or surface-mount.