DC-in board replacement; battery is finicky on its charge

The DC-in boards on the iBooks are one of the more-common parts that fail, especially if the iBook is moved frequently and the power cord is often unplugged and replugged. As I understand it, the issue is that the connections between the power adapter & the DC-in board get warped over time, causing some, or all, of the connections to be lost.

Replacing the DC-in board should fix things for you.

Good luck!

~Lyssa

Good luck--let me know how it goes!

~Lyssa

Ive had pretty extensive experience with DC board on the Ibooks since my 12 year old twin girls have 'pounded' them pretty hard (they are actually careful with them, but they are 12!!)

Look carefully on the power cord right at the hard plastic shell connector and see if the strain relief on the cord is cracked ..if it is it may well be the cord is broken here. This is tough to fix - I have a 50 percent success rate with these. I did successfully fix one by setting it up on the Ibook so that it was charging, and then making an epoxy block to 'freeze' it into shape.

I did buy some aftermarket AC adapters at about 1/2 price of the Mac version and these have worked well. The one downside is you dont get the LED amber/green indicator so its harder to tell if they are charging.

having a small bend on the metal shell on the power cord is NOT a big deal - I confess I have stepped on a couple of these and bent them horrendously, bent them back into shape with pliers and they still work. If they even vaguely resemble the original shape and slide in, Ive found they make a decent ground connection and will charge. You might find they make more interference on your TV though.

If you do replace the DC board, push the screws through paper in the pattern in which they come off to keep them straight - especially if you have cats in the house who like to help with projects.

-stephen

I have what may be a DC in board issue as well. My battery wont charge and when I unplug the laptop it shuts off.

Heres the battery info. Im 99 percent sure that theres been cylces on the battery so Im a little confused by the info.

Battery Information:

Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 2391
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3189
Health Information:
Cycle count: 0
Condition: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 16878

System Power Settings:

AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Dynamic Power Step: Yes
Reduce Processor Speed: No
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Wake On Modem Ring: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 2
Dynamic Power Step: Yes
Reduce Processor Speed: No
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On Modem Ring: No
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes


Should I start with the battery? I've messed around with it and my best guess is the DC in board. Is that a somewhat easy fix for a handy guy?

THanks

Message was edited by: Tmilless

Tmilless

Try resetting your PMU first,before you dive in. To do this, you will need to know your exact model of Ibook since the procedure is a little different for the various models - on some you push a hardware switch, others a keyboard combo.

If you have been inside computers before, the Ibook DC board replacement isnt hard to do (See Ifixit.com for details and parts!) I did my last one in about 45 minutes start to finish - thats probably pretty fast (third time Ive done it.)

Oh ok, Its the 1.33 14" model.

But if its anything aside from the battery or power cord would your guess be the DC in board? Wouldnt be anything more serious would it?

Thanks again

Yeah, I would guess DC board. Pretty cheap on Ifixit

Resetting PMU is here...from support pages. You should confirm your Ibook type before you do this though, I dont know them all by heart....

iBook (16 VRAM)
iBook (14.1 LCD 16 VRAM)
iBook (14.1 LCD 32 VRAM)
iBook (32 VRAM)
iBook (Opaque 16 VRAM)
iBook (Early 2003)
iBook (800 MHz 32 VRAM)
iBook (900 MHz 32 VRAM)
iBook (14.1 LCD 900 MHz 32 VRAM)
iBook G4
iBook G4 (Early 2004)
iBook G4 (Late 2004)
iBook G4 (Mid 2005)
For iBook (16 VRAM) and later models of iBook, there is no physical reset button.

If the computer is on, turn it off.
Reset the power manager by simultaneously pressing and then releasing Shift-Control-Option-Power on the keyboard. Do not press the fn (Function) key while using this combination of keystrokes.
Wait 5 seconds.
Press the Power button to restart the iBook computer.