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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > New PowerBook G4 battery & fan issues

New PowerBook G4 battery & fan issues
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Pensacola, FL
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Mar 17, 2004, 02:24 PM
 
There are two annoying problems present in my three week old 12-inch PowerBook G4 1GHz:

1. The battery doesn't sit completely flush in the case. It protrudes about the thickness of a dime at the front-left, just under the screen latch.

2. The fans (or one fan) produces a slight flutter/buzzing noise when running at the lowest speed. It's not noticeable at all in a noisy environment, but it's very annoying in a quiet environment. This flutter/buzzing noise actually goes away when the fans ramp up to the next highest speed or higher. I find it much less annoying when they are spinning faster.

The fan noise is more of a flutter than a buzz. Imagine the fan blades slightly rubbing against a cable or other obstruction and you'll get the picture. The problem is somewhat subjective, but it's there! However, if you aren't in an extremely quiet environment, you won't hear it. Does Apple have any "quiet rooms" in their repair facility? ;-)

Are these issues common? I've read about the battery issue, but it seems like it's been a while.

Will I have any problems getting Apple to fix these problems? The battery seems like a no-brainer, but what about the fan? Like I mentioned, if it's diagnosed in a noisy facility, they won't notice a thing.

I'm a lifelong PC user trying a Mac for the first time. I must say that overall, my three week long experience has been great. Besides these minor issues, the notebook itself is phenomenal! The design and engineering of the PowerBook G4 is superb, and OS X has been a joy to use and learn.

Thanks!
     
Forum Regular
Join Date: Feb 2004
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Mar 17, 2004, 03:35 PM
 
Try resetting PMU for the fans or check power options and be sure processor usage is set to automatic and not highest performance. My battery definitely does not stick out that far from the chassis so I would take it back to apple about that problem. Good luck. This is my first mac too and I love it!
12.1" Powerbook G4
     
oturn  (op)
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Pensacola, FL
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Mar 18, 2004, 10:12 AM
 
Thanks, but the fans work fine -- other than the noise. They turn on and off as expected. It seems to be a physical problem.

Does anyone else with a newer PowerBook G4 have these problems?
     
   
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