PowerBook G3 (Bronze Keyboard) won't power on even after resetting PMU

Welcome to Apple Discussions, Adam245!

Have you tried booting from the original install disks?

Message was edited by: Sagesse

You may need to do that power reset drill multiple times to get anywhere. If still no success, try removing the battery and try multiple times.

If still no success, try leaving it on the charger at least overnight and start the whole process again.

You may be able get it to boot from a "Full Retail" 8.6 or later System/Install CD, and it may boot but not install using CDs for another Mac.

Message was edited by: Grant Bennet-Alder

Even if the Hard Drive was removed or caught fire, it still should chime, draw the gray screen, round the corners, and put up the question mark alternating with a diskette or folder Icon.

A donated system may have a been off the charger so long that its rechargeable PRAM Backup battery is dead. That can make starting up difficult, as it may think it should be using Hardware that has no hope of being present, and shuts down in under a second. Leaving it on the Charger overnight or better can sometimes get enough charge into the PRAM battery that it can remember some parameters.

These are the desperation moves used before disassembly. When you are ready for the ones that include disassembly, just ask.

Message was edited by: Grant Bennet-Alder

A bad keyboard will keep it from starting up. A USB keyboard can be used instead, but you may lose the key combo to do the Reset.

A bad PRAM Battery can keep it from starting up. On that model, I think you can disconnect the battery without major surgery once you lift or remove the keyboard. Most Macs will start up without a PRAM battery, but it is inconvenient for day-to-day use \[great for debugging, though].

There are some really good free photo-illustrated take-apart instructions posted at ifixit. They hope to attract you to their site to buy their parts, but there is no obligation.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/PowerBook-G3-Lombard/31

Message was edited by: Grant Bennet-Alder

Age per se is not a problem. Some guys have 128 Macs that still work.

The Lombard (Bronze Keyboard) G3 uses some of the same internal chips as the Blue & White G3, and is supported up through 10.3 Panther, and can be extended to 10.4 Tiger with third-party cheater programs.

Bad batteries, corrosion, bad components, broken charger inlets -- those can be problems. Speaking of which, do the charger plug and socket mate firmly, or is the socket "wiggly". A sharp blow to the power inlet socket or charger plug while inserted can fracture the wires inside the charger inlet. When the battery runs down, nothing works because there's no power getting inside.

They still seem to be making them in the Far East. And eBay has new and used ones shipped from foreign and domestic sources. I think the ones for your PowerBook have the translucent computer plug. There is another very similar model that has a slightly smaller plug that is opaque black. Both units appear to carry the same part number on the yo-yo part.

Your school should have a closet full of them, or the black brick-shaped ones -- they were used on all the early G3 PowerBooks and clamshell iBooks. The later iBooks use the similar model with the black plug.

Message was edited by: Grant Bennet-Alder