Need to ID G4 part:socket came off logic board (blue & white power cable

Spud-- I'm going to use conductive epoxy; I don't have access to anyone with micro soldering skills.

re previous posts -- unfortunately the Search logic is not precise enough to ask about this particular connector. Any search containing "logic board" gets swamped with the famous failure issue.

I went to an electronics specialty store and they didn't have any connectors of that style, let alone size. I'd like to replace the socket so I can use the existing plug on the blue & white wire.

Last night I spend some hours surfing "connector" etc and didn't see any photos that matched it on any distributor/manufacturer sites. So I'm still wondering what the correct descriptive word is, as used in the trade.

My "backup" iBook G3/Panther is taking about 30 seconds to load an average web page though. Spinner locks it up while loading one at a time. Wonder if installing Tiger and a newer Safari would help? I just got a chip to max out the memory, still have to install it.

For those who haven't seen it, the plug is a solid rectangle with two holes; the socket has a rectangular single cavity with two prongs sticking up from the bottom. TINY, THIN prongs.

The socket bottom has no leads on it (anymore). They are broken off flush with the plastic on the bottom. I was thinking of using a dental burr to grind into them, creating a small cavity, and then using conductive epoxy. I don't know if the bottom plastic is thick enough; if I go too far then it would ruin the prongs sticking up in the cavity.

But I could epoxy a wire stub, as long as possible to still fit into the space above the board & below the top of the shield/case. Then epoxy each wire to the pad on the board. The pads are about 1 mm x 2 mm or less, and worse, the gap between them is under 1mm wide. I'll have to goop some insulating silicone putty in that gap before putting tiny dabs of epoxy on the pads.

I bought some larger socket/plugs at the store, the socket part has no leads in it though. These sockets are they type that use the wire lead of the style shown in your photo of the repaired plug. I also got some different ones with flat prongs.

I'd like to move the connection point from the board to under the case top -- the blue & white wire runs all the way from the other side of the case. I just need a thin enough connector. Worst case -- leave as much slack wire length as possible and solder a Western Union splice.

If I can epoxy leads to the board without shorting between the pads I can figure something out. Need to carefully estimate the space available. Or as you say, just make some prongs.

You say #26 is the right wire gauge -- that's vital data. I don't want to undersize the power leads !

I'm also going to paint non-conductive coating on the board around the pad area, so I can slop the epoxy without worrying about shorting a trace. I've had to do some scraping to remove the gummy gluey stuff -- I presume its silicone adhesive of some kind.

There is some sort of test connection right above this area, with two little prongs sticking up. Marked "J1." The traces look like they go to the socket. I wonder if they use that to use alligator clips to power up the board during assembly testing? That location is much, much larger than the pads for the socket.

Hmmm, another way to block the gap between the pads on the board would be to superglue a piece of non-conductive plastic sheet a couple mm tall.

What kind of plastic sheet though? It would have to be non-conductive and accept superglue. What about the white Polyethylene (?) model making sheet you can get at an ordinary hobby store?

And you said "ultra micro connector" -- is that a name the clerk at a model hobby store would recognize from the world of Radio Controlled airplanes etc?

Hmmm, somehow I didn't see Bard's items before posting.my previous post.

Glad to learn that the two big attachment points are only physical.

My female (on-board) connector looks different. It is enclosed, not open on one side. And it does not have any metal on the sides -- but that might be because it was left behind stuck to the board and then broken off. I think the physical attachment metal on mine must have been much thinner, too.

I have a G4 iBook 1.42 GHz, I guess the last/fastest board.

I epoxied it on, but it broke when trying to push in the plug. Probably because I had attached it backwards -- so its a good thing. Second round of epoxy is drying now overnight.

If I had read all the above first I would also have tacked some regular epoxy or superglue under the physical attachment points. But it seems to be pretty flat & stable on the board, so if I push vertically I don't think I'll break the epoxy bond.

I only hope I did not slop the epoxy too far sideways & create a short; I could not see as well with the connector in the correct orientation.

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My next option might be to cut a hole in the plastic cover so I can access the wires with everything put together. I would first epoxy a wire to the board, cut off the plug, and use the hole to epoxy the bare wires together & stuff them down the hole, covering it with tape.

I don't have a micro soldering iron or the skill, so I would use epoxy.

WRT photo:

http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll306/spudnuty/?action=view&current=Wiresonci rcuitboardpowersocket.jpg

My board does not have the two holes drilled thru it.

I like that you have carved out some depth into the board to make a furrow in which to epoxy a long enough length to make it strong.

How deep & wide? What size Dremel burr did you use? How deep would be TOO deep?

OK, no grinding the board 😟

But since the attachment pads are a "safe" place to word, I could bend the wire into an L shape and glue it securely to the board for strain relief.

Now I'm going to see if my 2nd epoxy job holds...

Ahhh, the sweet, sweet sound of the Apple Chime...

I guess I should call this topic "answered" but it would still be good to find a source for such little bits in case of breakages.

My socket came completely off, and the two wires on the rearward side of the case broke completely off. But those two are only for structural support.

I used conductive epoxy, and used a long enough "stripe" on each side to get a lot of contact between the socket and the board.

The critical thing is to keep the two "stripes" from touching each other and shorting it out. There is less than 1mm of gap between them.

I also sanded the sides of the plug to make it a bit smaller, so it does not fit quite as tightly. There is a bump molded inside the socket, but I could not sand it down because the two small wires sticking up are in the way.