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Dead PowerBook 17" 1.67 DLSD - common failure points?
Posted by: Byrd on 2023-01-25 01:13:47
Hi all,

I've 2 x 17" PowerBooks, the "final revision" 1.67Ghz, DLSD units with DDR2 RAM. Both came from random sources and both exhibit exactly the same issue - both can charge a battery, but won't power on unless you reset the Power Manager, they turn on with no chime, fans at full speed and dead display.

I've pulled both units down to find no damage (switched motherboards to see if DC board issue), changed RAM, cleaned RAM slots ... the usual troubleshooting. Am querying what might be a common failure point between these - the Radeon 9700, BGA RAM, RAM slots?

I've a 17" PowerBook 1.67 with DDR RAM which doesn't miss a beat. I'm tempted to switch LCDs over however the LCD is flawless so won't bother.

Thanks,

JB
Posted by: 3lectr1cPPC on 2023-01-25 06:06:54
I've heard that the RAM slots can have issues on these, so that could certainly be it. In general the DLSDs seem to be unreliable really. Main failure point is the LCDs from what I've heard, they can get lines and such but that's not the issue here. Sounds like it could be a GPU issue but I've never heard of the 9700s failing like say, the 7500s in iBook G3s.

A DLSD display will work flawlessly on other 17" G4s though, so you could absolutely swap the assembly over (with the right cable) and get an upgrade assuming that one of your screens works. Swap the Dual-Layer SuperDrive that the DLSD is named after and you've basically got a fully working one, besides not having the DDR2 RAM. I'll bet that you'd never notice the difference in use though.
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