[scubasteve657]

I took me 3 tries to get it right, and once made it worse, but this solution seems to work quite well!

A few notes: I used the high heat setting on my heat gun. (450) I know the forum said to use low, but after 20 minutes that did nothing so I risked using high. It took about 10 minutes. I used a small hunk of solder on top of the gpu to gauge the process. I held the heat for a count of 45 after the solder melted.

And it worked!

[jonsaw]

seanc:

Some iBook G4s suffer from the same loose graphics chip problem as the iBook G3s, as I stated in my prior messages. Is the redesign of the iBook G4 that you're referring to, the introduction of a heat sink clamped to the top of the graphics chip, applying pressure to the chip? If so, that doesn't always do the job, and it can't prevent the ball grid solder joints under the iBook G4's graphics chip from coming loose. Re-read my posts from Feb 2 and Feb 5. You're right that many of the iBook G4s suffer from bad solder joints on the memory controller chip on the underside of the logic board, and that these solder joints can be easily resoldered without using a heat gun, or just shimmed, but the ease with which this problem can be fixed using a hand soldering iron, which makes it a permanent repair, makes the shim approach less desirable since it doesn't always last.

[jonsaw]

Interesting, Macfan55--I never thought of heating the whole logic board in an oven. I wonder if there would be a difference in success rate, between using the type of oven you used, a hot-air/convection oven, and a regular oven?

[Idkfawin32]

Wow....
This thread has been alive since: Apr 22, 2004 , 05:20 AM
Thats 4 years ago today in about 7-8 hours ago. Does that break any world records?

Ill celebrate this 4th anniversary by fixing my logic board on my iBook. But I have a different problem. Instead of video problems my problems are more "Battery Problems". YOuve probably heard it before.

Ok heres the details...
-iBook G3 800mhz 32vRam
-new Dc-in board
-new battery
-new power adapter
-zapped pram, nvram, and reset pmu.

Battery has 3 dots displayed when I press the button on it.

My iBook will not recognize it. It will not power on without being plugged in. I've tried everything. What should I do.

P.S - I don't have any apple stores near me..

[jonsaw]

Idkfawin32:

Yes, this thread's had a pretty good lifespan. Hopefully people will keep adding to it as they discover new things.

Resolder the battery connector's joints on the logic board. If that doesn't do it, the circuitry that interfaces the battery to the logic board may be fried. It might be possible to fix this, but you'd need to identify which parts are bad, and replace them. I don't have any info on identifying or buying these parts.

[Guy Kuo]

Originally Posted by jonsaw 

Idkfawin32:

Yes, this thread's had a pretty good lifespan. Hopefully people will keep adding to it as they discover new things.

Not a bad thread.

[jamesclancy]

hi i have an ibook g4 1.2 ghz and it died last thursday after reading up on the net i diagnosed the problem and inserted a shim and its fixed . What i want to know is how long this fix has lasted for other people ??

[wei]

Anyone have any idea does the PowerBook 12" 1.5Ghz suffer the same problem like the iBooks? I'm going to pick up a PowerBook that have video problem (scan lines and scrambled). Wonder if it can be fixed with same method.

[David Balkwill]

Hello all,

The 14inch G4 I repaired is still working fine, so well in fact that my wife has pinched it. So I now have a problem with a G3 dual usb 500mhz.

It got dropped. Nothing broke, but the screen is now displaying a flickering, distorted image, just like quite a few of the photos on here. So this would point to the GPU chip, but if I connect it to an external monitor the image is fine.

So I thought about the display cable, and changed that, but no difference. I'm not sure if the replacement one is good though.

Any ideas anyone. Pressing on chips on the board makes no difference, and neither does wiggling the cable and connector.

David

[Solid smudger]

Has anyone, in light of the findings of the Danish Consumer Complaints Commission - mediamac.comon.dk - Danish Consumer Complaints Board rules against Apple
had any contact with Apple regarding replacement of failling logic boards regardless of waranty and age of the machine?

[CleanEnergy]

Holy S***!!!!!!

I can't believe it worked! It actually worked!

I used a heat gun that I borrowed from work, I slowly heated the ATI chip over - maybe - 10 minutes (I had a piece of solder on the chip, so I stopped heating it about one minute after the solder melted), I let the iBook cool for about an hour, then I put it back together and turned it on. At first, nothing different happened and I was sure that my efforts had failed (as they usually do - at least for these sorts of things), but a few seconds after the start up chime... THE SCREEN CAME ON!!!

I couldn't believe it: it worked! After more than a year of sitting in a dark drawer, I can use my iBook again!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you....

Thank you!

[Guy Kuo]

Originally Posted by CleanEnergy 

....
I can't believe it worked! It actually worked!

Not always, but it very nice when it does work. I thought it a long shot when I first did it, but had nothing to lose. Mine STILL works four years later ..... and it was also first transparent iBook way back in its day.

[computer_b]

hi folks,,,,decided i was feed up with the wobbly bottom with all the cardboard rammed in to keep the pressure on the video chip.
so lit the butane soldering iron with the blower attachment on it,,,,stripped the ibook down and set a 2 pence piece on the chip..lit up the burner and let her lit on the 2p for 10 mins,,,,,,also said wat to ell,,i give a few bursts under the video chip,,,had a cpl of bits of solder on top of the chip...they melted so i knew there was plenty of heat at my disposal,, touch wood all is fine and no cardboard now

So if u have nothing to loose u never know u may have a lot to gain from just takin the chance

CB

Originally Posted by ghporter 

EEEKKKKKK! BGAs are BAD to mess with!!!! Of course you guys didn't have a lot to lose with computers that didn't work properly, were out of warranty, and were not covered by logic board replacement programs, but oh my!

Just the thought of a heat gun on a circuit board gives me chills. A PROPANE TORCH??? Holy COW!

[cjunod]

Hi riders of the flame

IBook A1007 G3 700 (14.1"). Blank screen. There is no visible backlight. With a strong lamp at the back: also nothing visible on the LCD. My oscilloscope shows no output at the inverter (but there are some voltages at some input pins). Think it should output something like a 90 volt squarewave. Could it be that the inverter has to be triggered by the graphic chip which is not working? I tried to connect a Samtron 71s LCD monitor thru the mini VGA to VGA-Adapter but to no avail. The Samtron goes blank as soon as I connect the loose adapter to its cable (allready before connecting the adapter itself to the IBook) and same when adapter + monitor connected. As I suspect that this monitor, with its 1280 x 1024 resolution, is not compatible with the adapter's internal wiring, so I cannot use the monitor to check the functioning of the chip. Also unsuccesfully tried an old VGA CRT-monitor.
Would you advise to replace the inverter first or go on with reflowing?

[seanc]

Go on with the reflowing. If the graphics chip isn't working then you'll get no display, no backlight and no output to an external monitor.

[cjunod]

My IBook G3 700Mhz is back to life

Using a Steinel 1810 hot air blower and following this temperature profile ...

Originally Posted by nitronick 

From page 1

... reflowing succeded at first try.
I took the logic print off, leaving the cooling plate on the CPU (1 screw to the board). Masked everything with aluminum foil around the GPU. Put a 0 - 300 centigrades mercury thermometer hovering above the GPU so it just touched the casing without applying pressure to it. Marked the 150, 180 and 220C with a marker on the thermometer. First practiced on an old piece of scrap board to get the feeling for distances and timing.
Have three questions:
1. The now working GPU's casing gets little over 40C at the open air. Is that OK?
2. I managed to peel the thermo foam off quite well before reflowing. With what can I stick it back or shoul I buy some new selfadhesive foam to replace.
3. Would you advise to built some copper cooling bridge on top as somebody suggested in a former post?
Thanks to all folks who participate to this thread and helped me save USD 995 for the repair here in Switzerland!

[Sparky9292]

Saw this on the blog comments:

http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/...20board-repair

You can toss your blowtorch back into the toolbox. Basically take a large coin (the british 2 pound one) and heat it up to 250 F in your oven. Remove it with plyers and set it on the GPU until it cools back to room temp.

That's it! Many people are posting successes with this method.

[Sparky9292]

Selling my iBook G3 900Mhz. I press under where the chip is, and the screen works fine. However, i'm an absolute clutz and don't even own a soldering iron.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=110288761153

I'll remove this when it is sold.

[gto47]

Hey guys, i just attempted a reflow on a G3 900 and was unsuccessful. Now it won't even bong. When i hit the power button i hear the cd and hard drive spool but then it loses power. I'm guessing there's a short in the BGA now. I used a 1500 watt heat gun on high very briefly and did cover the board well with ceramic tiles and steel plating. I'm thinking the next step may be to send it in and have it reballed. Anybody else have this problem?

[seanc]

Originally Posted by gto47 

Hey guys, i just attempted a reflow on a G3 900 and was unsuccessful. Now it won't even bong. When i hit the power button i hear the cd and hard drive spool but then it loses power. I'm guessing there's a short in the BGA now. I used a 1500 watt heat gun on high very briefly and did cover the board well with ceramic tiles and steel plating. I'm thinking the next step may be to send it in and have it reballed. Anybody else have this problem?

I did that to mine. I nudged the BGA chip - fubared.

[gto47]

I just talked to firstphase on the phone. They quoted me $75 for a reball. Not bad considering it has to be reballed by hand.