Powerbook g4 will not charge

KnightIRD · 11-16-2012, 05:47 PM

Hi. My powerbook G4 will not charge its battery. I have the 45 and 65 watt power adapter, and a brand new battery and it wont charge. It is running OS X 10.5.8. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

DeltaMac · 11-16-2012, 06:10 PM

How much charge is on the battery now?
If it is MORE than 94%, then no charging will start.
Let it discharge to 94% charge or less.

If you plug in the power adapter, what color is the connector light?
Go to your System Profiler, click on the power tab from the list on the left.
What values are showing next to Cycle Count, and Full Charge Capacity?

Have you tried both a PRAM reset, and a power manager reset (also called PMU reset)?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

Which PowerBook G4 do you have? (screen size and CPU speed will be good)

KnightIRD · 11-16-2012, 07:08 PM

It has very little in it, because when I unplug it it turns off. When i push the battery indicator it flashes one light kind of fast. No i havent tried resetting the PRAM and the PMU I will try that. It is a 25 inch 1.25ghz. Thanks!

EDIT: Resetting PRAM and PMU Did not work.

DeltaMac · 11-16-2012, 10:04 PM

A fast blink when pressing the battery test button may mean either that the battery is almost completely discharged, or can mean that the battery is bad (even a new one can be bad)

That could also mean that your battery is simply not working to spec.
Apple doesn't sell new batteries for any PowerBook G4 now.
Where did you get your 'new' battery?

What do you see in your System Profiler?
Go to your Apple menu/About this Mac, then click on the More Info button
and, finally, click on the Power tab in the left column.
Tell us what it shows there for Full Charge Capacity, and also Cycle Count.

Try this:
Plug in your power adapter, and start your PowerBook, wait for it to get to the desktop.
Flip over the power book, and remove the battery. (Power is still on, so don't unplug the adapter)
Watch the battery icon in the menubar. With the battery removed, the icon should change to an "X", meaning the battery is not detected.
Put the battery back in place. The icon should show the battery icon again.
Wait for at least one minute. Does your power adapter plug ever change from green to orange?
The 65 watt adapter should be correct, but both should work to charge. Be sure to try with both.

roncross@cox.net · 11-17-2012, 05:51 PM

This happened to me once and it turned out to be a bad battery. I was able to test this by grabbing the old battery and proving that I could charge it. Once I did this and explained it to the supplier, they quickly took the old battery and sent me a new one.

KnightIRD · 11-19-2012, 08:07 PM

I got the new battery from eBay. In system profiler it says its good... So idk and the 65 watt adapter doesnt have the charge light on it. Thanks

The battery condition is: Good.
The Full Charge Capacity: 4439
The Cycle Count: 4

DeltaMac · 11-19-2012, 08:19 PM

I asked about some specific items, and "says its good" is not complete.
Tell us what System Profiler shows for Full Charge Capacity, and also Cycle Count.

While the power is on, remove the battery. Does the battery menubar icon change to an X?
Wait a minute to make sure that happens.
Then, reinsert the battery. Wait up to 10 minutes. Do you ever see the charging symbol, which is a lightning bolt instead of a battery icon.

What happened to your old battery? Does it charge at all. Even if it doesn't hold a charge - does the orange light appear on the power adapter plug? Be sure to try this with BOTH of your adapters. A 45-watt adapter will still charge, with the same indications, but will likely be warmer when charging - and it's just a test, anyway.

KnightIRD · 11-20-2012, 07:49 PM

I removed the battery. It does change to an X. I reinserted the battery and the lightning bolt did not appear, nor did the orange light appear. I tried with both adapters and it wont even power on with the 45 watt adapter

DeltaMac · 11-20-2012, 09:40 PM

Does your old battery work at all?

Is the connection solid with the 65W adapter? I mean, does the green light stay on steady if you try gentle movement of the plug?
If you can't power up with the 45W, then that won't help you at all...

Your charging circuit is not working too well, which could be:
Bad battery (but, the info that you gave about charge cycles, etc, may help rule that out - but it still could be a bad battery)
Bad DC-in connector (known as a Sound/DC-in board) - that's the internal plug where you attach your power adapter.
Battery connector could be bad - that's the internal connector for the battery to the logic board.
There's another couple of cables, and the logic board itself - but, the power adapter, battery, or the DC-in board are the usual suspects. I suggest that you try a different battery first.
That's the reason I asked about your old battery. Does it work at all? You may at least get an orange light on the power adapter connector, even if that old battery doesn't hold a charge now.

KnightIRD · 11-23-2012, 07:46 AM

Well I tried the old battery and no luck. So idk what to do anymore.

DeltaMac · 11-23-2012, 08:25 AM

Is the connection solid? The green light, when on, should not be intermittent when the connector is moved slightly.
I need more information about the old battery than just "no luck"
Is your OLD battery any good? You can tell in your System Profiler, with the same Full Charge capacity, and charge cycles.
If the old battery appears to be OK, but just doesn't charge (the light changes to amber/orange, not green) then you should try a different adapter (your model PowerBook needs the 65W adapter)

KnightIRD · 11-27-2012, 05:10 PM

The light is green all the time. Even when I twist it in its socket. And like I said my 65 watt adapter doesnt have the light indicator on the charger. My old battery is somewhere, i just have to find it. But in the System profiler the full charge was like 2% from my memory. But I will try to find it and give some information on it. Thanks

DeltaMac · 11-27-2012, 05:45 PM

And, that battery might actually charge, when the "new" one doesn't.
Of course, what you would look for is the light on the charger connector changing from green to amber.
But, then, an almost dead battery, that won't charge may not change to show a charge, but it's another test without trying to find another 65W adapter somewhere. THAT'S really your next step to try.

11-16-2012, 05:47 PM	#1
KnightIRD Prospect Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 14	Powerbook g4 will not charge Hi. My powerbook G4 will not charge its battery. I have the 45 and 65 watt power adapter, and a brand new battery and it wont charge. It is running OS X 10.5.8. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

11-16-2012, 07:08 PM	#3
KnightIRD Prospect Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 14	It has very little in it, because when I unplug it it turns off. When i push the battery indicator it flashes one light kind of fast. No i havent tried resetting the PRAM and the PMU I will try that. It is a 25 inch 1.25ghz. Thanks! EDIT: Resetting PRAM and PMU Did not work. Last edited by KnightIRD; 11-16-2012 at 07:38 PM.

11-17-2012, 05:51 PM	#5
roncross@cox.net MVP Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1,760	This happened to me once and it turned out to be a bad battery. I was able to test this by grabbing the old battery and proving that I could charge it. Once I did this and explained it to the supplier, they quickly took the old battery and sent me a new one. __________________ with warm regards Ronald Cross

11-19-2012, 08:07 PM	#6
KnightIRD Prospect Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 14	I got the new battery from eBay. In system profiler it says its good... So idk and the 65 watt adapter doesnt have the charge light on it. Thanks The battery condition is: Good. The Full Charge Capacity: 4439 The Cycle Count: 4 Last edited by KnightIRD; 11-19-2012 at 08:12 PM.

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11-16-2012, 06:10 PM	#2
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,958	How much charge is on the battery now? If it is MORE than 94%, then no charging will start. Let it discharge to 94% charge or less. If you plug in the power adapter, what color is the connector light? Go to your System Profiler, click on the power tab from the list on the left. What values are showing next to Cycle Count, and Full Charge Capacity? Have you tried both a PRAM reset, and a power manager reset (also called PMU reset)? http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379 Which PowerBook G4 do you have? (screen size and CPU speed will be good)

11-16-2012, 10:04 PM	#4
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,958	A fast blink when pressing the battery test button may mean either that the battery is almost completely discharged, or can mean that the battery is bad (even a new one can be bad) That could also mean that your battery is simply not working to spec. Apple doesn't sell new batteries for any PowerBook G4 now. Where did you get your 'new' battery? What do you see in your System Profiler? Go to your Apple menu/About this Mac, then click on the More Info button and, finally, click on the Power tab in the left column. Tell us what it shows there for Full Charge Capacity, and also Cycle Count. Try this: Plug in your power adapter, and start your PowerBook, wait for it to get to the desktop. Flip over the power book, and remove the battery. (Power is still on, so don't unplug the adapter) Watch the battery icon in the menubar. With the battery removed, the icon should change to an "X", meaning the battery is not detected. Put the battery back in place. The icon should show the battery icon again. Wait for at least one minute. Does your power adapter plug ever change from green to orange? The 65 watt adapter should be correct, but both should work to charge. Be sure to try with both.

11-19-2012, 08:19 PM	#7
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,958	I asked about some specific items, and "says its good" is not complete. Tell us what System Profiler shows for Full Charge Capacity, and also Cycle Count. While the power is on, remove the battery. Does the battery menubar icon change to an X? Wait a minute to make sure that happens. Then, reinsert the battery. Wait up to 10 minutes. Do you ever see the charging symbol, which is a lightning bolt instead of a battery icon. What happened to your old battery? Does it charge at all. Even if it doesn't hold a charge - does the orange light appear on the power adapter plug? Be sure to try this with BOTH of your adapters. A 45-watt adapter will still charge, with the same indications, but will likely be warmer when charging - and it's just a test, anyway.

11-20-2012, 07:49 PM	#8
KnightIRD Prospect Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 14	I removed the battery. It does change to an X. I reinserted the battery and the lightning bolt did not appear, nor did the orange light appear. I tried with both adapters and it wont even power on with the 45 watt adapter

11-20-2012, 09:40 PM	#9
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,958	Does your old battery work at all? Is the connection solid with the 65W adapter? I mean, does the green light stay on steady if you try gentle movement of the plug? If you can't power up with the 45W, then that won't help you at all... Your charging circuit is not working too well, which could be: Bad battery (but, the info that you gave about charge cycles, etc, may help rule that out - but it still could be a bad battery) Bad DC-in connector (known as a Sound/DC-in board) - that's the internal plug where you attach your power adapter. Battery connector could be bad - that's the internal connector for the battery to the logic board. There's another couple of cables, and the logic board itself - but, the power adapter, battery, or the DC-in board are the usual suspects. I suggest that you try a different battery first. That's the reason I asked about your old battery. Does it work at all? You may at least get an orange light on the power adapter connector, even if that old battery doesn't hold a charge now.

11-23-2012, 07:46 AM	#10
KnightIRD Prospect Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 14	Well I tried the old battery and no luck. So idk what to do anymore.

11-23-2012, 08:25 AM	#11
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,958	Is the connection solid? The green light, when on, should not be intermittent when the connector is moved slightly. I need more information about the old battery than just "no luck" Is your OLD battery any good? You can tell in your System Profiler, with the same Full Charge capacity, and charge cycles. If the old battery appears to be OK, but just doesn't charge (the light changes to amber/orange, not green) then you should try a different adapter (your model PowerBook needs the 65W adapter)

11-27-2012, 05:10 PM	#12
KnightIRD Prospect Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 14	The light is green all the time. Even when I twist it in its socket. And like I said my 65 watt adapter doesnt have the light indicator on the charger. My old battery is somewhere, i just have to find it. But in the System profiler the full charge was like 2% from my memory. But I will try to find it and give some information on it. Thanks

11-27-2012, 05:45 PM	#13
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,958	And, that battery might actually charge, when the "new" one doesn't. Of course, what you would look for is the light on the charger connector changing from green to amber. But, then, an almost dead battery, that won't charge may not change to show a charge, but it's another test without trying to find another 65W adapter somewhere. THAT'S really your next step to try.