It's become somewhat of a tradition that I name my conquest threads anything but the thing i've actually acquired. This one is no exception.
In a nutshell, i've come across a Power Macintosh G5. Single Processor 1.6GHz. 1GB RAM. No Drives. Free, because it doesn't start. When I hit the button on the front the machine powers up just fine, but never completes the POST. Instead the LED on the front flashes three times in a never ending loop. If I reseat the memory on the inner slots, sometimes I can get a successful chime and the machine will run. However it's only a short span of time before the machine reverts to its non-functioning state.
I'm suspecting at this stage that one of the inner memory slots has a bad solder joint. It was a common issue with the early G5s (RoHS strikes again) but one that shouldn't be difficult to fix if my diagnosis is correct. A reflow job will be in order once I receive the necessary tools. Powerbook Medic has replacement G5 Logic Boards for $89 USD at the moment, so even in the worst case scenario I can't see it being difficult to make this G5 run again should I choose to take that path.
The Power Mac G5 has been a collectors target that i've had for quite a while, regardless of its Single Processor base-model status, so I don't intend to let this one slip without a fight.
In addition i've also picked up an LG Flatron 17" LCD display. It only has a VGA input and it is missing its stand, but it is a working display with a maximum resolution of 1280x1024 and certainly nothing to be scoffed at. I've been running it continuously for the last 8 hours without fault. Nice display for testing and running some older hardware, and it means I can finally retire my last CRT.
The image sucks, I know. There's only so many ways to photograph a flat black panel and have it look interesting.
The fun now begins in resurrecting the G5. We'll see how this plays out.
Cheers,
- M.
In a nutshell, i've come across a Power Macintosh G5. Single Processor 1.6GHz. 1GB RAM. No Drives. Free, because it doesn't start. When I hit the button on the front the machine powers up just fine, but never completes the POST. Instead the LED on the front flashes three times in a never ending loop. If I reseat the memory on the inner slots, sometimes I can get a successful chime and the machine will run. However it's only a short span of time before the machine reverts to its non-functioning state.
I'm suspecting at this stage that one of the inner memory slots has a bad solder joint. It was a common issue with the early G5s (RoHS strikes again) but one that shouldn't be difficult to fix if my diagnosis is correct. A reflow job will be in order once I receive the necessary tools. Powerbook Medic has replacement G5 Logic Boards for $89 USD at the moment, so even in the worst case scenario I can't see it being difficult to make this G5 run again should I choose to take that path.
The Power Mac G5 has been a collectors target that i've had for quite a while, regardless of its Single Processor base-model status, so I don't intend to let this one slip without a fight.
In addition i've also picked up an LG Flatron 17" LCD display. It only has a VGA input and it is missing its stand, but it is a working display with a maximum resolution of 1280x1024 and certainly nothing to be scoffed at. I've been running it continuously for the last 8 hours without fault. Nice display for testing and running some older hardware, and it means I can finally retire my last CRT.
The image sucks, I know. There's only so many ways to photograph a flat black panel and have it look interesting.
The fun now begins in resurrecting the G5. We'll see how this plays out.
Cheers,
- M.