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The Macintosh Collector

Q: Powerbook 1400cs/166 starts up if adapter inserted, restarts again & again

Hello,

I wanted to play with my powerbook 1400 (the battery was off course dead) so I plugged my adapter in. The Powerbook started up without a single button. So after some hours I needed to turn it off. That's no problem. Special > Shut Down... And I heard the boot chime again. I thought I accidently clicked Restart, so I clicked on Shut Down again. And it still boots, so I turned Password Protection on, and I clicked Shut Down again. so I plugged out the adapter and clicked Cancel really fast. So after 30 minutes I heard some fast repeating click-sound. Yea, it should be a door. So I listen to that sound. Nope, that was a sound to long to be a door. I looked at the Powerbook and the clicking sound was coming from there! So I plugged the battery out and the clicking sound was away. What is this?

Powerbook 1400cs/166, Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier

Posted on Jan 5, 2010 9:43 PM

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Q: Powerbook 1400cs/166 starts up if adapter inserted, restarts again & again

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  • by snaggerdogg2,

    snaggerdogg2 snaggerdogg2 Jan 6, 2010 12:54 AM in response to The Macintosh Collector
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jan 6, 2010 12:54 AM in response to The Macintosh Collector
    think that you may have the wrong person as I'm a luddite, learning as I go. Good luck though
    Regards
    Ian
  • by jpl,Helpful

    jpl jpl Jan 6, 2010 8:30 AM in response to The Macintosh Collector
    Level 7 (28,285 points)
    Jan 6, 2010 8:30 AM in response to The Macintosh Collector
    Collector,

    I believe resetting either the power manager and/or PRAM will correct the problem. Try the power manager first, then follow with the PRAM if necessary.

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1781?viewlocale=en_US

    Edit: Correct wrong URL

    Message was edited by: jpl
  • by The Macintosh Collector,

    The Macintosh Collector The Macintosh Collector Jan 7, 2010 12:20 PM in response to jpl
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 7, 2010 12:20 PM in response to jpl
    Thanks, the restart problem is solved! But I still have a problem: the clicking sound still appears after ~30 minutes. When I remove the battery, the power light burns (weak).
  • by jpl,

    jpl jpl Jan 8, 2010 8:08 AM in response to The Macintosh Collector
    Level 7 (28,285 points)
    Jan 8, 2010 8:08 AM in response to The Macintosh Collector
    Collector,

    The clicking sound is caused by a corrupted power manager. Even though the auto-restart issue was solved, please try resetting the power manager again with the battery removed and power adapter disconnected. Press/hold the reset button between the ADB and serial ports for 30 seconds, then connect just the power adapter and start up. On the 1400, you may have to press the power manager button to start.

    Since your 1400 is seldom used and is probably disconnected from a power source, these issues arise when the power manager becomes corrupted due to loss of all power. No harm is done, but the above steps may be required again after a period of storage.
  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Jan 8, 2010 8:33 AM in response to jpl
    Level 9 (53,926 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 8, 2010 8:33 AM in response to jpl
    I have no idea about this as regards to a 1400 but on some laptops there is a separate PRAM battery. If a computer is left unplugged for a long time this will totally discharge and even if you charge the main battery you may still experience startup issues. I'm sure somebody can tell you if this is the case with a 1400.