DreadPirate_Roberts

Q: eMac Monitor Problem

Alright, I have an eMac G4, I think its 2nd or 3rd gen.  Recently it has been having some trouble with its screen.

 

It boots up fine, but after no more than 20 minutes, the screen goes off.  The light doesn't start pulsating and I can't turn it on again without turning off and on again, where I can have another 20 minutes TOPS.  This only works for about three to five cycles before it has to sit without power for about a day before I can see anything.  Booting in the normal OS (10.4.11) and its resore DVD(10.3.3) bolth have this problem.  However, the Hardware Test extended test will find no problem, and the screen will stay on for hours if it is booted from the Hardware Test partition on the restore DVD.  It has had this problem for a long time, but repairing permissions on the harddrive and removing/ replacing the backup battery seemed to work temporarily, until now.

 

When the screen goes off, I can still eject CDs, adjust volume, and it will play the error sound effect if I punch random keys.

 

I also have another eMac (first gen 700mhz) that works well except for its CD-RW drive.  If I can't get the newer eMac working, I would like to salvage as much as possible and upgrade the older one.  What all can be transfered? The whole logic board, RAM, HD, Superdrive?  Any Combination?  I am in need of a little more computing power, and been needing a new CD drive for years...

 

Thanks!

eMac G4, Mac OS X (10.3.x)

Posted on Sep 26, 2011 6:41 PM

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Q: eMac Monitor Problem

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  • by BDAqua,Helpful

    BDAqua BDAqua Sep 26, 2011 7:24 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts
    Level 10 (123,496 points)
    Sep 26, 2011 7:24 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts

    Hi,

     

    It sounds heat related, have you blown the dust out of it lately?

     

    As a test, Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), Does the Video last longer that way?

     

    What all can be transfered? The whole logic board, RAM, HD, Superdrive?  Any Combination?

    Depending on the 2nd version, I doubt the logic Board which contains the Video card, (and likely your problem), will fit from the USB2 models to the earlier ones without a lot of work.

     

    If the CPUs are in ZIF sockets they can be swapped, Hard Drive & CD/DVD should be fine, RAM depends on models.

     

    Sadly, I've lately seen the top of the line eMacs, the 1.42GHz/USB2 model going for $50 or less on eBay.

  • by K.S.,

    K.S. K.S. Sep 27, 2011 6:15 AM in response to BDAqua
    Level 4 (3,699 points)
    Sep 27, 2011 6:15 AM in response to BDAqua

    BDAqua wrote:

    Sadly, I've lately seen the top of the line eMacs, the 1.42GHz/USB2 model going for $50 or less on eBay.

    Shipping probably doubles that!

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Sep 27, 2011 12:13 PM in response to K.S.
    Level 10 (123,496 points)
    Sep 27, 2011 12:13 PM in response to K.S.

    Indeed, but if you can find one close enough, you might be able to pick it up yourself.

  • by DreadPirate_Roberts,

    DreadPirate_Roberts DreadPirate_Roberts Sep 27, 2011 6:49 PM in response to BDAqua
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 27, 2011 6:49 PM in response to BDAqua

    Hello!    

        

         I have opened it and blew it out with a small hair dryer a few weeks ago.  That caused no noticible improvement, but a lot of the dust seemed baked on pretty good and I didn't have a way of wiping it off very well.

     

         It is nice to know that I can upgrade a little.  Something I remember reading was that the CPUs were soldered in, but I will double-check.

     

         I will try safe mode when I get a chance and let know what happens.  If it still has the problem, I will probably yank it off the grid and let the capacitors start draining.

     

     

    Wish me luck!  Thanks for the helpful info!

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Sep 27, 2011 7:04 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts
    Level 10 (123,496 points)
    Sep 27, 2011 7:04 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts

    OK... Good Luck!

  • by DreadPirate_Roberts,

    DreadPirate_Roberts DreadPirate_Roberts Oct 2, 2011 3:19 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 2, 2011 3:19 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts

    OK, I did safe mode yesterday, and the screen happily stayed on for about 5 hours until I decided to turn it off.

     

    I also remembered (early in the problem) that we used to have on old iBook hooked up to it in firewire, using the laptop as an external screen.  The eMac's monitor stayed on for weeks with the target disk screen in that setup.

     

    How should I fix this heat problem?  Its normal environment is not enclosed, nothing is near the fan.  Is there some temperature thing that can be reset?  Take a leaf blower to it?

  • by BDAqua,Helpful

    BDAqua BDAqua Oct 2, 2011 3:58 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts
    Level 10 (123,496 points)
    Oct 2, 2011 3:58 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts

    Blowing the dust out generally requires a good Air Compressor, or $200 worth of canned air.

    The eMac's monitor stayed on for weeks with the target disk screen in that setup.

    Yes, that mode like Safe Mode doesn't use Quartz or all of the VRAM if I recall rightly, & a simple video driver.

     

    No temp think to reset, sorry.

  • by DreadPirate_Roberts,

    DreadPirate_Roberts DreadPirate_Roberts Oct 2, 2011 7:38 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 2, 2011 7:38 PM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts

    Thanks!  I think I am about ready to rip it apart now...

  • by Allan Jones,

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Oct 3, 2011 5:06 AM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts
    Level 8 (35,022 points)
    iPad
    Oct 3, 2011 5:06 AM in response to DreadPirate_Roberts

    DreadPirate_Roberts wrote:

     

    ...but a lot of the dust seemed baked on pretty good and I didn't have a way of wiping it off very well.

     

    The best gadget for stubborn dust deposits is a pastry brush. Make sure you get one with a wodden handle and natural bristles to avoid static isses. I have close to a dozen in various sizes and shapes in my computer kit.

     

    Be sure you know the exact version of the eMac you have before looking up take-down instructions. There are two variants: those with USB 1.1 logic boards and 700Mhz, 800Mhz, and 1Ghz processors; and those with a USB 2.0 logic board. The latter are mostl y1.25 and 1.42G processors but there are some uncataloged "edu-only" eMacs with the USB2 board but only a 1Ghz processor. That;s the version that leads be to this caution.

     

    The case take-apart is slightly different between the original 4,4 eMacs and the later 6,4 versions. Some people have broken the power switch while trying to use the older instructions to take about a newer eMac.

     

    The 4,4 and 6,4 codes come from System Profiler (Apple menu > About this Mac and then click the "More Info..." button). It the second line of the opening Profiler screen. A code of 4,4 on your computer means it's USB 1.1 and a code of 6,4 means it;s the later USB 2.0 version.