Chardagha

Q: What gives with my PB G4 USB port charging ability?

Hello group,
I recently purchased an IPod 32GB 4th Gen. and it will not charge correctly from either of my PB G4's. My laptop is 1 GHz w/ 10.5.8, and yesterday, I put the IPod on to charge at 1/2 battery life. 8 hrs. later, the IPod was drained to 20%! The day before, th IPod charged, but when I first disconnected it from the laptpo USB port, it showed 20% charge, then the screen went to grey with a small Apple logo in the bottom right corner, then it rebooted itself and showed full charge. What gives? Are my USB ports not working properly on either computer, or are they not capable of charging an external device? Any help would be appreciated.

Powerbook G4 12", Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Jan 23, 2011 8:04 AM

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Q: What gives with my PB G4 USB port charging ability?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by TeenTitan,

    TeenTitan TeenTitan Jan 23, 2011 12:21 PM in response to Chardagha
    Level 4 (2,531 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 23, 2011 12:21 PM in response to Chardagha
    Hi Chardagha,

    I couldn't find a 4th gen ipod with 32 GB. Using Identifying iPod models I'm guessing you might be talking about an iPod Touch 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation witch shipped with 32GB. Is this correct?

    If your ipod is an ipod touch. The iPod Touch 1-st Generation technical specifications lists USB 2.0 as a system requirement. Have you checked to see if your computer has USB 2.0? (apple menu, about this mac, more info... button. When system profiler opens, click on USB from the left hand list, it's under hardware) see if it shows USB 1.0 or 2.0.
  • by eww,

    eww eww Jan 23, 2011 5:03 PM in response to Chardagha
    Level 9 (52,994 points)
    Jan 23, 2011 5:03 PM in response to Chardagha
    Make sure your Powerbook's AC adapter is connected and working properly before trying to charge an iPod from the PB.
  • by Chardagha,

    Chardagha Chardagha Jan 25, 2011 4:45 AM in response to Chardagha
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 25, 2011 4:45 AM in response to Chardagha
    Than you for the responses. I do have a 4th generation IPod Touch...it is the newest iteration with a camera and FaceTime capability. It requires OS 10.5 to operate and my laptops both have USB 2.0, as they are 1 and 1.33 GHz, respectively. As I said, the IPod charged one time and discharged the next. Any other ideas? Is there a way to test my USB output?
  • by Chardagha,

    Chardagha Chardagha Feb 10, 2011 5:40 PM in response to Chardagha
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 10, 2011 5:40 PM in response to Chardagha
    Hello Group...again,
    Well, I read your responses and still was not able to resolve my problem. I have, however, figured out how my computer charging output works; When the laptop screen is open and the system is charging, my IPod will charge through the USB port. As soon as I close the screen, whether or not I put the laptop to sleep, the charge output quits and will actually discharge my IPod.
    Is this a normal condition? Is there a way I can force the computer to charge while it is being charged, but put to sleep? Any responses welcome, thank you.
  • by BGreg,

    BGreg BGreg Feb 13, 2011 8:10 AM in response to Chardagha
    Level 6 (17,522 points)
    Feb 13, 2011 8:10 AM in response to Chardagha
    I've noticed this behavior too and just charge my iPod when I'm using the system. One thing you can do in System Preferences, however, is to set the screen to turn off after, say, 5 minutes of inactivity, and set the system to never sleep.