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!
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.