Thread
Bondi Blue iMac Power Issue
Hi everyone! 
When I was younger the main computer in my family was a tray loading Bondi iMac running 8.6. It was used for hours each day for at least ten years (that's a conservative guess, it was very probably longer). A couple years ago it started having a minor issue. The power button needed to be pressed two or three times to get it to boot. Other than that everything was working great.
One morning I got up and heard from a sad family member that the iMac wouldn't start up at all. No chime, no lights... nothing.
It's currently sitting in my cold, lonely closet, and after reading what some of the people on here can do/have done I'd like to take it out and try to revive it.
Given the computer's history my suspicion (what I thought when it died too) is that the power button broke. I don't have access to a keyboard with a power button so I can't test that for sure.
My question is, how does one replace an iMac power button? And, if that doesn't work, would the next logical idea be looking at the power supply itself? Is there something I don't know that I should know?
Thanks!
When I was younger the main computer in my family was a tray loading Bondi iMac running 8.6. It was used for hours each day for at least ten years (that's a conservative guess, it was very probably longer). A couple years ago it started having a minor issue. The power button needed to be pressed two or three times to get it to boot. Other than that everything was working great.
One morning I got up and heard from a sad family member that the iMac wouldn't start up at all. No chime, no lights... nothing.
It's currently sitting in my cold, lonely closet, and after reading what some of the people on here can do/have done I'd like to take it out and try to revive it.Given the computer's history my suspicion (what I thought when it died too) is that the power button broke. I don't have access to a keyboard with a power button so I can't test that for sure.
My question is, how does one replace an iMac power button? And, if that doesn't work, would the next logical idea be looking at the power supply itself? Is there something I don't know that I should know?
Thanks!
Hi Everyone! I'm new here, I've been a member of 68KMLA for awhile. I have quite a few G3s, G4s, and iMacs that I need to sell. I feel the need to introduce myself. I'm Nick, 23, and have been with macs for roughly 15 years. Anyway, right now I'm under some household pressure to get rid of these iMacs and they'd be tickled to death if the G3's & G4's went. So here's what I have.
There are 15 Indigo iMacs ranging from 350MHz up to 500MHz. I have tested these and all powered on and were restored to factory. I did bump them to 256 megs of RAM and some of them have Airport cards.
There are 2 Bondi iMacs. Both are 233MHz. They powered on, but that is the extent of what I know. I didn't do anything else with them yet.
There are 3 Graphite iMacs. They powered on and were also restored. I believe they were also bumped up to 256 megs of RAM.
There is 1 BlueBerry slot load at 350MHz. It works, was restored, and I believe also has 256 megs of RAM.
I would like to sell them for $10 a piece. I can provide pictures of anything if interested. I will also go through and test to be sure everything is still working fine.
I have 7 B&W G3's. They are as follow:
5 - 300MHz
1 - 400MHz
1 - 450MHz
I have not had a chance to do much other than a visual inspection of these. One has a broken handle and the rest appear fine. I will be powering these up tomorrow to check them and see what works & what doesn't. Most have SCSI. Pictures can be provided upon request. I would like to sell these for $10 a piece.
There are 17 G4 towers. They are as follows:
9 - 350MHz
5 - 400MHz
1 - 733MHz
2 - QuickSilvers (one 800MHz the other is 933MHz)
Again, I only did a visual inspection of these. One case is missing two handles off of the case. Most have SCSI cards. I will be testing these tomorrow to see what works and what doesn't. I'm not sure what's going on with the QuickSilvers yet (I might keep those), but everything else is available.
The 350's & 400's I would like $20 a piece for them
The 733MHz I'd like to get $40 for it.
Once I test everything out tomorrow I'll be able to give you all a better idea of what is here. I will ship, but local pickup is preferred. I'm at 43947 which is roughly an hour and a half from Pittsburgh. I can provide pictures of anything upon request. I have some older PowerMacs also.
61XX, two or three of them
7100 - two, I believe
6400 - two, one has a 5500 logic board in it
I also might be able to get some 7300/7500/7600 is anyone is interested in them.
I think I have a beige G3 desktop somewhere also.
If there are any questions, please feel free to message me. Again, I am open on pricing and I can do some trading also (preferably smaller items). I wish that my first post wasn't a FS post, but I'd like to be able to save these iMacs from having to go to the recycling center.
Thanks very much for everything!
-Nick
There are 15 Indigo iMacs ranging from 350MHz up to 500MHz. I have tested these and all powered on and were restored to factory. I did bump them to 256 megs of RAM and some of them have Airport cards.
There are 2 Bondi iMacs. Both are 233MHz. They powered on, but that is the extent of what I know. I didn't do anything else with them yet.
There are 3 Graphite iMacs. They powered on and were also restored. I believe they were also bumped up to 256 megs of RAM.
There is 1 BlueBerry slot load at 350MHz. It works, was restored, and I believe also has 256 megs of RAM.
I would like to sell them for $10 a piece. I can provide pictures of anything if interested. I will also go through and test to be sure everything is still working fine.
I have 7 B&W G3's. They are as follow:
5 - 300MHz
1 - 400MHz
1 - 450MHz
I have not had a chance to do much other than a visual inspection of these. One has a broken handle and the rest appear fine. I will be powering these up tomorrow to check them and see what works & what doesn't. Most have SCSI. Pictures can be provided upon request. I would like to sell these for $10 a piece.
There are 17 G4 towers. They are as follows:
9 - 350MHz
5 - 400MHz
1 - 733MHz
2 - QuickSilvers (one 800MHz the other is 933MHz)
Again, I only did a visual inspection of these. One case is missing two handles off of the case. Most have SCSI cards. I will be testing these tomorrow to see what works and what doesn't. I'm not sure what's going on with the QuickSilvers yet (I might keep those), but everything else is available.
The 350's & 400's I would like $20 a piece for them
The 733MHz I'd like to get $40 for it.
Once I test everything out tomorrow I'll be able to give you all a better idea of what is here. I will ship, but local pickup is preferred. I'm at 43947 which is roughly an hour and a half from Pittsburgh. I can provide pictures of anything upon request. I have some older PowerMacs also.
61XX, two or three of them
7100 - two, I believe
6400 - two, one has a 5500 logic board in it
I also might be able to get some 7300/7500/7600 is anyone is interested in them.
I think I have a beige G3 desktop somewhere also.
If there are any questions, please feel free to message me. Again, I am open on pricing and I can do some trading also (preferably smaller items). I wish that my first post wasn't a FS post, but I'd like to be able to save these iMacs from having to go to the recycling center.
Thanks very much for everything!
-Nick
Sorry that I can't help you, but I'd be interested too! One of my 11 iMac G3s doesn't want to boot, like yours (the "Snow" one in my profile pic, actually! ^^).
Hope that someone can help!
Nicolas
Hope that someone can help!
Nicolas
time for a recap. alot of those had a run of bad capacitors that love to go pop in the power supply unit.
Is there a guide or something to do that safely? I'm pretty clumsy so I'm afraid of breaking something.
you could always send the board to someone here on the forums if you don't want to do it yourself
It's the type of thing I'd like to learn how to do, maybe not with a board as important to me as this one (may send the ones I have to someone once I get more money, still thinking on it).
just start taking it apart… i am thinking the bad caps will present them selves.
dome at the top or broke vent is a tell tale sign.
i have a garage with over 80 G3 iMacs… when i loaded them in.. they would all power on and run.
233 - 500mhz I bet my self a steak dinner if i went out there to power them up… half would need something.
dome at the top or broke vent is a tell tale sign.
i have a garage with over 80 G3 iMacs… when i loaded them in.. they would all power on and run.
233 - 500mhz I bet my self a steak dinner if i went out there to power them up… half would need something.
I think bad PSUs on the iMac G3 are not so common, if you treat your Macs well... I've only one (600 Mhz) that has a similar problem. But it does make a strange "electrical" noise when I plus it in and try to power it up.
Juliet said that the power button needs / needed to be pressed more than once to boot it. Maybe it's really stuck (OK, I don't know why it should, but it seems to be! ^^)
I'd try first a keyboard with a power button, before you tear it apart for nothing. Take any old G3/G4 keyboard, a "coloured" one I mean. Later clear Apple Pro Keyboards don't have a button. (I think that a keyboard with button from the first Slot Loading iMac G3 series should also work, and so should a B&W Power Mac G3 Keyboard, etc.)
Juliet said that the power button needs / needed to be pressed more than once to boot it. Maybe it's really stuck (OK, I don't know why it should, but it seems to be! ^^)
I'd try first a keyboard with a power button, before you tear it apart for nothing. Take any old G3/G4 keyboard, a "coloured" one I mean. Later clear Apple Pro Keyboards don't have a button. (I think that a keyboard with button from the first Slot Loading iMac G3 series should also work, and so should a B&W Power Mac G3 Keyboard, etc.)
You know, some years ago you could pick up dozens at the same time for 2-5 bucks each, in the best case (sometimes school that changed all their computers) ^^
Yeah, it makes sense! I guess it begs another question... if Uni's got 80 iMacs in his garage... how many of everything ELSE does he have in his garage
I will live vicariously through him... I don't even have a garage.
I will live vicariously through him... I don't even have a garage.
And people around here call me crazy for keeping the four vintage computers I have! That's the nice thing about the internet, you can talk to people across the world, not just in your backyard. 
There was a time when the Salvation Army here had the occasional vintage Mac (that's where my Plus came from). I don't recall any times when you could find more than two at once though... the joys of living in a small town in the middle of nowhere! At one point, when I was maybe ten years old, I had picked up another vintage Mac, but it didn't work so I took it apart to make jewelry out of the components. :-/ At least I got something out of it.
I'll look for a keyboard with a power button to see if that really is the problem. I have a feeling it won't be that easy, but it's worth a shot.
There was a time when the Salvation Army here had the occasional vintage Mac (that's where my Plus came from). I don't recall any times when you could find more than two at once though... the joys of living in a small town in the middle of nowhere! At one point, when I was maybe ten years old, I had picked up another vintage Mac, but it didn't work so I took it apart to make jewelry out of the components. :-/ At least I got something out of it.I'll look for a keyboard with a power button to see if that really is the problem. I have a feeling it won't be that easy, but it's worth a shot.
Crazier things have happened.
People often find collecting habits odd, especially Macs. I'm likewise in a small town, that's largely been a rural farming community for its entire life, and where I never expect to find anything, but odd things have happened.
Professor friend of mine had an older gentleman bring in a mint IIc a few weeks back with a 12" monitor (pretty sure it's the RGB monitor) and he just gave it to him. And I actually found a pair of Sega Saturns at a yard sale for $15 a few months back.
Still, nice to see you appreciate the Bondi iMac. They're cute, I'll get one one day as I remember the day I went into the computer lab at school and they had boxes of them stacked up. Teacher said "just wait until next week".
People often find collecting habits odd, especially Macs. I'm likewise in a small town, that's largely been a rural farming community for its entire life, and where I never expect to find anything, but odd things have happened.
Professor friend of mine had an older gentleman bring in a mint IIc a few weeks back with a 12" monitor (pretty sure it's the RGB monitor) and he just gave it to him. And I actually found a pair of Sega Saturns at a yard sale for $15 a few months back.
Still, nice to see you appreciate the Bondi iMac. They're cute, I'll get one one day as I remember the day I went into the computer lab at school and they had boxes of them stacked up. Teacher said "just wait until next week".
Yeah, they definitely are cute. I have a blueberry iMac in the basement that runs OS 9.something - I used that one for my Bugdom addiction as a kid. Maybe it's still installed, will have to check sometime. Bet I've forgotten all of the cheats though. 
I talked to the person who first told me the Bondi had died, she said that the keyboard we were using at the time had a power button and she remembered that it didn't work. xx( Couldn't find the keyboard to test for sure, but from what I can tell there's no dice. :-/
Where should I go from now? I'm thinking of finding a way to practice soldering before trying to recap anything. By the way, what do you all think is the worst thing that could go wrong during a recap (in terms of accidentally breaking hardware) and would it be repairable? I'm accident prone and hope that someone who's more skilled than I am could help me out if I mess up and make something worse.
I have a blueberry iMac in the basement that runs OS 9.something - I used that one for my Bugdom addiction as a kid. Maybe it's still installed, will have to check sometime. Bet I've forgotten all of the cheats though. I talked to the person who first told me the Bondi had died, she said that the keyboard we were using at the time had a power button and she remembered that it didn't work. xx( Couldn't find the keyboard to test for sure, but from what I can tell there's no dice. :-/
Where should I go from now? I'm thinking of finding a way to practice soldering before trying to recap anything. By the way, what do you all think is the worst thing that could go wrong during a recap (in terms of accidentally breaking hardware) and would it be repairable? I'm accident prone and hope that someone who's more skilled than I am could help me out if I mess up and make something worse.
So the keyboard's power button didn't work even when the mac was still working? Bad luck...
Oh yeah, if you can manage find another keyboard and if you want the original colour, be careful to not buy a blueberry one (sometimes ebay pictures are not so good...). If you want an original keyboard in bondi blue, you'll maybe have to search some time, but if any colour is ok, you should be able to find one...
Or maybe you know someone who was one for a test?
Oh yeah, if you can manage find another keyboard and if you want the original colour, be careful to not buy a blueberry one (sometimes ebay pictures are not so good...). If you want an original keyboard in bondi blue, you'll maybe have to search some time, but if any colour is ok, you should be able to find one...
Or maybe you know someone who was one for a test?
Borrowed a keyboard from a good friend today... and nothing. It's still just sitting there looking pretty (though it does a good job at that ).
).Just an idea – but I really don't know it:
If the power button was stuck in "on" position (you mentioned that it was stuck, or almost) and if you plugged the iMac in, should it boot? I mean, is it possible that the power button already is in the "on" position and therefore doesn't "recognize" the power-on-command by the keyboard? We should try to plug in a working iMac G3 while having pressed the power button – but I don't know if this would be bad for the PSU? :-/
If the power button was stuck in "on" position (you mentioned that it was stuck, or almost) and if you plugged the iMac in, should it boot? I mean, is it possible that the power button already is in the "on" position and therefore doesn't "recognize" the power-on-command by the keyboard? We should try to plug in a working iMac G3 while having pressed the power button – but I don't know if this would be bad for the PSU? :-/
That would definitely be interesting to try! I would do it with my working iMac, but the power cord is at an extremely awkward angle so I wouldn't be able to reach it and the power button. If it ever gets moved somewhere more convenient, though...
You have a Rev. A or a Rev. B; I tried it on a Rev. D (still a tray loading iMac G3, the last tray-loading generation): pressed the button (on the mac itself) and plugged it in –––> boots after 1 or 2 seconds.
So forget about my idea. :–/
So forget about my idea. :–/
I had a feeling that's what would happen. If the power button were stuck in the on position it would make more sense for the computer to have problems shutting down.
A couple days ago I did a quick Google search for instructions on how to take apart one of these Macs. It looks doable, though seems a bit complicated to a person who's never done it before. Can anyone point me to a recap and/or soldering tutorial or something for someone who's never done it before?
A couple days ago I did a quick Google search for instructions on how to take apart one of these Macs. It looks doable, though seems a bit complicated to a person who's never done it before. Can anyone point me to a recap and/or soldering tutorial or something for someone who's never done it before?
Don't know if you've already found that: http://jbdkz.hubpages.com/hub/replacing-the-power-supply-in-an-imac-g3-333mhz-tray-loading-computer
I'd also be interested for soldering tutorial or explanation, one never knows.....
I'd also be interested for soldering tutorial or explanation, one never knows.....
That's one of the ones I looked at. The pictures were pretty helpful, though it seems like a lot of work.
Well, it's true that you need some space, time and nobody disturbing you! ^^
Do you think you'll do it anyway?
Do you think you'll do it anyway?
I'm seriously considering it, though I can't decide what all I want to do once I have the Mac taken apart. It seemed to be in pretty good condition when it died (other than the power issue that killed it) so I don't know if I should do any maintenance/etc. or not.
Hi Juliet!
What's up? Is the iMac still not working?
What's up? Is the iMac still not working?
i suggest you read the troubleshooting part of this document at http://mrjcd.com/tray-load_iMac_repair/imac.pdf. There's a step by step guide in there that can help you troubleshoot the power problem like the one you have.
I have the same issue with my iMac g3 233mhz bondi blue that wont power on. I plug in the AC, press the power button or keyboard power button and nothing happens. Next morning i was gonna open it but when i turn it on again it powered on just fine with the usual chime sound and all.
I have the same issue with my iMac g3 233mhz bondi blue that wont power on. I plug in the AC, press the power button or keyboard power button and nothing happens. Next morning i was gonna open it but when i turn it on again it powered on just fine with the usual chime sound and all.
Thank you!!! It was hard to find the relevant part, but it made a lot of sense once I found it. Next time I can get the right tools I'll take a look (though I'll admit I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to electricity, LOL). And that's great luck with your Mac, is it still working well?i suggest you read the troubleshooting part of this document at http://mrjcd.com/tray-load_iMac_repair/imac.pdf. There's a step by step guide in there that can help you troubleshoot the power problem like the one you have.
I have the same issue with my iMac g3 233mhz bondi blue that wont power on. I plug in the AC, press the power button or keyboard power button and nothing happens. Next morning i was gonna open it but when i turn it on again it powered on just fine with the usual chime sound and all.
Don't forget to discharge the CRT carefully before you work on it.
My main computer for many years was a first generation iMac, but I was given the motherboard without any other parts, so I built it in to a Tonka truck. Although you lose the aesthetics of the iMac, the form factor makes it easy to build an iMac motherboard in to all sorts of things. Any standard power supply will put out more power than the iMac needs.
http://www.ziaspace.com/hosting/tonka/
My main computer for many years was a first generation iMac, but I was given the motherboard without any other parts, so I built it in to a Tonka truck. Although you lose the aesthetics of the iMac, the form factor makes it easy to build an iMac motherboard in to all sorts of things. Any standard power supply will put out more power than the iMac needs.
http://www.ziaspace.com/hosting/tonka/
Well, since I don't have a working Bondi keyboard or mouse a family member bought me both on eBay. We're hoping that the power button on this keyboard works, since the keyboard (and mouse) that originally came with the iMac died before the computer did. If everything goes the way we want it to we'll be able to start the iMac with the new-to-us keyboard. If not... at least we'll have a complete set (computer, mouse and keyboard) again!
How do you discharge a CRT? Last (and only) time I tried I did something wrong and got shocked. It obviously didn't kill me, but it hurt!
How do you discharge a CRT? Last (and only) time I tried I did something wrong and got shocked. It obviously didn't kill me, but it hurt!
Yep, he ones I used to manage in my senior years at high school got thrown away in about 2008... not even sold, just dumped. My brother got hold of a bunch of slotloads. I got the trayloads a few years before by tender.... picked em up for between 5-20 bucks in various conditions. I have restored a few now, as I always loved them when new... my graphite build thread is somewhere in the Conquest section actually.
But yes things certainly have changed a bit... in 2000 i bought a 2 and a half year old 5500 AIO for $250 when the school retired them and replaced them with iMacs. Fast forward 15 years years and now you can get G5's for that.As an aside... have you replaced the PRAM battery? iMac's, Powerbooks and Powermacs alike from this era can be a little fickle about this and refuse to boot with a dead or missing PRAM battery.
Take an insulated wire, connect one end to the grounded metal frame where the screws hold the CRT in to the plastic, then carefully insert the other end under the suction cup-looking rubber that covers the hole where the flyback wire goes in to the CRT. If it has a charge, you'll hear the discharge and may see the spark.
This was actually still on the Apple repair certification tests until just a few years ago...
To the above I shall ad, it is a good idea to unground yourself as you do it... stand in a plastic tote box or something or wear rubber soles. That way the easiest way to earth for that 20,000+ volts is definitely not going to be you lol
IT LIVES!!! Kinda.
The new-to-us keyboard we bought arrived last night, and today we took the iMac out of the closet and plugged it in. When we pressed the button it chimed and started making noise!
The monitor took its sweet time to turn on - when it finally did the computer was already halfway through a startup Disk First Aid check. Apparently the last time it was turned on before it died it crashed.
After I got to the desktop I started looking around in various folders. Everything was working well... and then it randomly shut down. The screen distorted for a second before the crash.
And now it won't turn on again, even with the new keyboard. :'(
The monitor was a bit dimmer than I remember it being before it died the first time (though it was years ago so my memory might be faulty), and the entire time it was on I could smell that unused electronic dust smell. So, my question is... what now? We know that the iMac has the potential for life, but it's obviously still very sick. A thorough dusting is definitely in its future, that much I've decided for sure.
If anyone's interested, I was able to record the extensions popping up on the bottom of the screen and a bit of the desktop. The video is here. (Yes, I was crying a little bit at the end. This small glimmer of life was so wonderful to see after all these years!)
The new-to-us keyboard we bought arrived last night, and today we took the iMac out of the closet and plugged it in. When we pressed the button it chimed and started making noise!
The monitor took its sweet time to turn on - when it finally did the computer was already halfway through a startup Disk First Aid check. Apparently the last time it was turned on before it died it crashed.
After I got to the desktop I started looking around in various folders. Everything was working well... and then it randomly shut down.
The screen distorted for a second before the crash.And now it won't turn on again, even with the new keyboard. :'(
The monitor was a bit dimmer than I remember it being before it died the first time (though it was years ago so my memory might be faulty), and the entire time it was on I could smell that unused electronic dust smell. So, my question is... what now? We know that the iMac has the potential for life, but it's obviously still very sick. A thorough dusting is definitely in its future, that much I've decided for sure.
If anyone's interested, I was able to record the extensions popping up on the bottom of the screen and a bit of the desktop. The video is here.
(Yes, I was crying a little bit at the end. This small glimmer of life was so wonderful to see after all these years!)It kinda sounds like an analog board/PSU problem.
From what I've read, the tray loading iMacs were prone to flyback transformer failure (which could explain the dimmer than usual screen with the distortion). If I remember though, the more common failure mode is starting up normally, and then shutting down with a loud zapping sound when it tries to engage the CRT, never making it to the desktop.
c
From what I've read, the tray loading iMacs were prone to flyback transformer failure (which could explain the dimmer than usual screen with the distortion). If I remember though, the more common failure mode is starting up normally, and then shutting down with a loud zapping sound when it tries to engage the CRT, never making it to the desktop.
c
Whilst it is very common for flyback transformers to fail in trayload (and even slotload, but they usually fail elsewhere before the fbt has a chance) iMacs, the symptoms you decribe would sound more like failure of the PSU itself. The more common behaviour when the flyback transformer and/or associated caps have blown is for the machine to surge and shut off as soon as the CRT is powered up, sometimes on the sly or sometimes with a loudish zap and a flash even.
The dimness and distortion of the screen prior to the complete failure would seem like a product of insufficient current or voltage to the CRT, which could be explained by a failing power supply given it now fails to boot. That said, there is still a possibility that the analogue video circutry is at fault and that something was drawing excess power or shorted and blew a fuse or other component in the power supply creating the secondary issue. But the intermittent startup issues would point more to an actual power supply issue.
The dimness and distortion of the screen prior to the complete failure would seem like a product of insufficient current or voltage to the CRT, which could be explained by a failing power supply given it now fails to boot. That said, there is still a possibility that the analogue video circutry is at fault and that something was drawing excess power or shorted and blew a fuse or other component in the power supply creating the secondary issue. But the intermittent startup issues would point more to an actual power supply issue.
I'll replace the power supply when I get a chance, and check caps also. I'm thinking of taking some pics to show y'all, maybe you'll see something I missed.
For quite a while before the computer died the first time it was taking several pushes of the power button before turning on normally (which is why the button was a suspect), but I do vaguely remember the screen barely shrinking being the first noticeable symptom. Mind you, I was 12-14 when that started so I could be misremembering. The poor thing sat in my closet for five years before I brought it out to resurrect it. I had to put it back after trying the experiment with a borrowed keyboard a while ago.
Speaking of keyboards, does anyone else find it strange that a keyboard we bought on eBay was able to start the computer when a known working keyboard couldn't? 8-o
The CRT did have some issues when I turned the iMac on two days ago - about a minute between the startup chime and the CRT actually turning on, and when it did work the screen was dim. The only noticeable distortion, however, was right before the computer shut off. And the entire screen changed shape. (I should try to recreate it with Photoshop, it actually looked pretty cool.)
Edit: What type of power supply should I look for? A quick Google search did nothing but confuse me... LOL
For quite a while before the computer died the first time it was taking several pushes of the power button before turning on normally (which is why the button was a suspect), but I do vaguely remember the screen barely shrinking being the first noticeable symptom. Mind you, I was 12-14 when that started so I could be misremembering. The poor thing sat in my closet for five years before I brought it out to resurrect it.
I had to put it back after trying the experiment with a borrowed keyboard a while ago.Speaking of keyboards, does anyone else find it strange that a keyboard we bought on eBay was able to start the computer when a known working keyboard couldn't? 8-o
The CRT did have some issues when I turned the iMac on two days ago - about a minute between the startup chime and the CRT actually turning on, and when it did work the screen was dim. The only noticeable distortion, however, was right before the computer shut off. And the entire screen changed shape. (I should try to recreate it with Photoshop, it actually looked pretty cool.)
Edit: What type of power supply should I look for? A quick Google search did nothing but confuse me... LOL
I beleive Revision's A though D iMac power supplies and analogue boards are intercompatible. It is rather an involved task to remove it, requiring you to take the top shell off the machine, and requires extreme care as there are components in the analogue board/power supply area that can hold a very nasty residual charge, not the least of which is the CRT. If you have a look on my blog you will find a detailed teardown procedure for a slotload iMac... Whilst they are a fairly different ballpark, I assume they sort of go together the same way discounting the lower section, but probably with some screws in different places.
As it stand, if you are tearing it apart down to that level where you have the high voltage side exposed anyway, it may very well be worth having a detailed look at the analogue and PSU board for burnt components, swollen or burst caps, split rectifiers, resistors or diodes etc... with the symptoms you describe, I would expect to see a popped cap somewhere. If you find ones with the ends bulged instead of flat, leaking, or burst, then you have quite possible sourced the problem. If the issue is glaringly obvious, a recap might be the better alternative, as a secondhand board is probably going to be a game of Russian roulette in itself. As it stands, in either case you need to remove the high voltage board/s for replacement or repair, so it doesnt hurt to give the current items a good look over and see if you can spot a repairable problem
Anyway, I look forward to some good news.
As it stand, if you are tearing it apart down to that level where you have the high voltage side exposed anyway, it may very well be worth having a detailed look at the analogue and PSU board for burnt components, swollen or burst caps, split rectifiers, resistors or diodes etc... with the symptoms you describe, I would expect to see a popped cap somewhere. If you find ones with the ends bulged instead of flat, leaking, or burst, then you have quite possible sourced the problem. If the issue is glaringly obvious, a recap might be the better alternative, as a secondhand board is probably going to be a game of Russian roulette in itself. As it stands, in either case you need to remove the high voltage board/s for replacement or repair, so it doesnt hurt to give the current items a good look over and see if you can spot a repairable problem
Anyway, I look forward to some good news.
Ouch... did a more thorough Google search and a G3 power supply isn't cheap! 8-o I'll say something in the Trading Post soon, but at the moment I don't have all the tools for a teardown handy and need to find out more about how to be safe around high voltage. I'm a bit paranoid after some less than pleasant experiences around CRTs.