PowerBook G4 (Titanium) General Maintenance

Apple's exploded view of the first Titanium model (Service Source, PDF p. 96)

Care and disassembly of the PowerBook G4 (Titanium), from Apple's Service Sources for its four models and from owners' repair reports. Fault-finding is on PowerBook G4 (Titanium) Troubleshooting.

Before opening the machine

• Shut down, disconnect the adapter and remove the battery by sliding the latch on the underside. Apple warns that the inside may be hot and to wait 30 minutes after use.
• Touch the grey composite inner framework to discharge static before touching anything inside, and do not walk around until the job is finished.
• The display cables are the most easily damaged part of the machine. Apple calls the LVDS cable and connector "extremely delicate", and if any cable attached to the display is damaged the whole display module must be replaced.

Keyboard

Apple's procedure, for memory and AirPort Card access:

1. Make sure the keyboard locking screw is not locked.
2. Pull down the release tabs to the left of F1 and F9, then lift the top of the keyboard towards the display to free the tabs along its bottom edge.
3. Lay the keyboard face down on the palm rest and trackpad.
4. Disconnect its cable from the logic board if the keyboard is to come out, noting where it connects.

The DVI and 1 GHz models have their power manager reset button under the keyboard, in a recess just left of the power button.

Bottom case

Apple's procedure for the first model:

1. Lay a towel over the table edge, open the display past 90 degrees, and turn the machine over so the display hangs over the edge and rests on your lap.
2. Remove the battery and push the latch fully back.
3. Remove the eight Phillips screws in Apple's order, keeping the driver tip from slipping out of the heads.
4. Release the case at the left and right sides by pushing it slightly up and away just above the display hinges, then pivot it forward to free the clip near the optical drive slot. Do not push on the rubber feet.

Memory

There are two SO-DIMM slots, one above the other, and no memory on the logic board; the factory fits the lower slot. Apple specifies 1.5-inch-tall PC-100 modules for the first model and 1.25-inch PC-133 modules for the DVI and 1 GHz models, with up to 512 MB in each slot. One beep at power-on means no memory was found, two means EDO memory is fitted, and three means no bank passed.

Backup battery

On the first model the backup battery is four circular cells held between two plastic sheets, stuck to the inner top case with adhesive, and plugged into the PMU card. Its cable and the wireless antenna cable are held down with orange Kapton tape, which Apple reuses; the battery cable has to leave its connector at about 90 degrees. Remove all old adhesive without solvents before fitting a new cell.

Apple's test: set the clock, shut down, remove the battery and adapter for ten minutes, and see whether the time was kept. To recharge it, leave the machine on the adapter with the main battery out for at least five hours; with a flat main battery fitted it can take up to 48 hours. Owners report that a dead backup battery can stop the first model starting, and that unplugging it lets the machine run. See Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage if an old cell has leaked.

Power adapters

Adapters named in Apple's charts

Model	Adapter	Identification
PowerBook G4 (DVI)	922-5164	Last three characters of the serial number under the plug: MKC, MKD, MDK, MKE, MKF, MKG, MKH, MKJ or MKK
PowerBook G4 (1GHz/867MHz)	661-1798	Marked 65W, with a metal securing stud on the plug connector

Apple's specification page lists a 45 W adapter for the Gigabit Ethernet model. On the DVI and 1 GHz models the DC plug lights when power reaches it; if it stays dark with a known-good adapter, Apple replaces the DC-in board.

Hinges

• Do not force a stiff lid. greystash's 1 GHz model would not close until it had cooled, and jeremywork freed his hinges with a little PB B'laster penetrating oil, keeping paper towels over the screen and keyboard and turning the machine on each side so the oil ran away from the components.
• On the DVI and 1 GHz models the hinges are fixed to the display casing and the bezel is glued, so replacing a hinge means opening a glued display or fitting a whole display assembly; s_pupp found that bezels rarely survived removal.
• matthew28845 repaired a snapped left hinge with JB Weld, setting it in the open position and holding it with tape while it cured; s_pupp's attempts with CA glue and epoxy were not strong enough.
• When rebuilding hinges, route the display cables exactly as they were. Da Penguin twisted them the wrong way during a rebuild and got a striped picture.

Case and paint

The titanium skin is painted and the paint chips; the panels are also glued to plastic frames, and Mighty Jabba reglued two machines whose panels had come loose. Wikipedia reports that early models suffered paint discolouration, bubbling and peeling around the palm rest and behind the hinges.

Cooling

Whenever the heat exchanger is separated from the processor, Apple requires new thermal transfer material on the processor. Keep the vents clear and do not run the machine on a soft surface; Apple's chart for intermittent shut-downs checks both, then the fan and the heat exchanger seating.

Preventive checklist

1. Check the backup battery with Apple's ten-minute test; unplug it if the machine will not start.
2. Use the correct adapter for the model.
3. Exercise stiff hinges gently before they seize.
4. Leave the display cables alone unless the job needs them disturbed.

Related pages

• PowerBook G4 (Titanium)
• PowerBook G4 (Titanium) Troubleshooting
• PowerBook G4 (Titanium) Documentation