constant sleep mode

Hi, ghtr, and welcome to Apple Discussions. If the problem persisted as before when you started up from your OS X installer disc, then it's hardware-based and will probably need professional diagnosis and repair. I don't recall ever seeing this particular problem reported in 2.5 years of reading every post in theTibook forums.

As for your files, they are still there on your Tibook's internal hard drive, which can easily be removed. The files can then be copied to another Mac, either by connecting the bare drive to a USB2-equipped Mac with this nifty $14 device, or by purchasing a FireWire enclosure to mount the drive in and connecting it to a FireWire-equipped Mac.

I also have a similar problem.
I've had this powerbook for 5 years and it's just started doing a similar thing. It won't startup at all. It preceded this sudden death with a few days of randomly repeatedly asking if I wanted to shutdown/restart. I have tried several different power supplies (I have 3). The battery is now fully discharged (one lone led blinks on its underside) and two days ago would run while 'unplugged', it now will not charge, and the power supply plug does not switch from green to orange as it should if it were charging the battery like it needs. The powerbook will not startup with or without the battery.
I reset the PMU and it fooled me into thinking it would start up after all, but immediately went to 'sleep' halfway through the startup routine before the login screen. Now nothing works. I'll leave it disconnected overnight with the battery removed to see if it will start up once more.
Now what? I'm pretty savvy, but I'm stumped. This is my first post. I've had a Mac since my parents bought our first one- a 128- in 1984. I still have it and it still works.
Thanks for any advice.

G4 TiBook, 20"iMac, G3 Kanga, 7100/80, 270Duo, 160c, 6100/66 pc card, II ci, SE/30, SE, 128 upgraded in 1986 to 512! Mac OS X (10.4.8) too many macs to count, OS X all the way back to system 3

Hi, proscrastin8, and welcome to Apple Discussions. If you've tried three different AC adapters, at least one of which is known to be good, and none of them charges your battery, you have an internal hardware problem in your Powerbook that needs repair.

Your Powerbook won't start up because whatever is wrong prevents it from being powered by the AC adapter, just as it prevents the battery from being charged. When the Powerbook seems to be trying to start up, then abruptly goes to sleep, it's because your nearly-dead main battery has just enough juice left (probably after some rest time) to begin the startup process, but not nearly enough to see it through.

You can hope the problem is a bad DC-in card or a bad connection from that card to the logic board, if you have one of the Tibook models in which that card is separate from the logic board. The card is easy to replace in those models, and relatively cheap. If that isn't it, you're probably facing a logic board replacement, which may or may not be worth doing. Which Tibook model do you have?

I tried the "wait overnight" trick with the battery out and the powerbook unplugged, but it still is comatose. Rats.
Jeez, it's one of the first TiBooks that came out. Based upon what is in the link you give, I believe it's a gigabit ethernet powerbook. The rear door has vents, and the keyboard is as pictured at the bottom of the 15" entry. Mine has a model number (M8407) with a 2001 copyright date on the bottom cover. I can't recall what processor speed it has, but want to say 400 MHz. I found a link to the iFixit website and they have a wonderful how-to page describing replacement of the PMU card (if that is indeed the problem) but that they are out of stock of this item!
So, I will do some surgery and remove the hard drive and retrieve its contents via one of those handy-dandy IDE-USB widgets and at the same time expose the guts and dig out the PMU card to see if anything is obvious.
Thank you for the quick response-it confirms what I suspected was going on with the power in the computer (kinda like the analog board problems I had with my old SE/30). I just found it odd that it asked to shutdown/restart/etc. beforehand. Call it foreshadowing...

Thanks again, and I will write back with any findings.

Now the bad news: if what you have is indeed the Gigabit Ethernet or "Onyx" model, neither the PMU nor the DC-in port and related circuitry is on a separate card: they're on the logic board. So before you order any parts, go back to the article I linked for you and make sure of which model you have. The article should leave no doubt about that.

To price logic boards or other parts, in addition to iFixit you can check the other specialty vendors listed below and, of course, Ebay. Personally, I wouldn't consider buying a LB on Ebay from anyone but a long-established vendor of used Macs and parts with an unblemished Ebay reputation who warrants the part. Too many private-individual Ebay sellers of Mac parts don't even know what they're selling, never mind what condition it's in.

Powerbook parts vendors in addition to iFixit:

http://www.pbparts.com (parts and repair work)
http://www.dttservice.com (parts and repair work)
http://www.powerbookresq.com (parts and repair work)
http://www.powerbookmedic.com (parts and repair work)
http://www.tekserve.com (parts and repair work)
http://www.powerbooktech.com (parts only)

After some research, you are indeed correct. It is the Onyx model, running at 550MHz.
Darn, logic board it is.
$299 at iFixit & pbparts, $245 + core charge at dttservice, etc. I plan on doing repairs myself (should I go that route...) as I consider myself fairly capable. It would be a shame to not revive this computer- my wife is very attached to it and it is a wonderful piece of engineering. However, "while I'm at it" (the four most expensive words ever) I could go up to a 667 MHz logic board for a couple extra bucks and add ram. Maybe a larger hard drive, too. We'd get three more years out of this machine easily. Heck, I squeezed nine years out of a 7100/66. Sad to say, purchasing a new MacBook, however drool-worthy, is not in the family budget for some time.
Thank you again for your kind input and I'll post whatever decisions are made and their eventual results.

I have exact same problem. I used my powerbook about a year. And it just started constantly back on sleep mode. it really frustrated actually. Apparently it's not just one or two people have a same problem which regarding hardware failure. Can anyone suggest anything so apple going to do something about it??? I think we need compensation. this laptop is not cheap. But we didn't get the quality that worth the price.

Well, this ends with a long story.
I ended up purchasing a logic board from PowerbookTech.com and when it arrived more than three weeks later ⚠ upon visual inspection it was faulty- fried components, discolored electric-shock tracery, etc. I would not even attempt installing this bad board for fear of getting a "so sorry, it must've occurred due to your careless handling" reply, and wrote to the vendor telling them such that very night. I waited several days and, hearing nothing, wrote again. Five days later I was told I could return it for a refund as they had no others to send. Three more weeks after mailing it via insured US mail I had not heard anything as to its receipt, neither from the postal service nor PowerbookTech. Finally, two months after my payment was first accepted, I got my refund. Communication with this vendor was painfully slow and disappointing. Payment was accepted immediately but product was not shipped until three weeks later. Refund was not given until almost a full month after I mailed back the product.
During all this waiting for a refund (and contemplating contacting my credit card company to request a chargeback), I gave in and bought a replacement 667MHz board through a vendor on eBay for less than I paid PowerbookTech. I received the eBay product in two days and on inspection appeared without flaw. After installation, I crossed my fingers and pushed the power button. Yay!
So, the bad news: I hate to give anybody a bad rap but the communication with PowerbookTech was horrible, they were quick to take money and reluctant to relinquish it (though they did, but not with my shipping costs as promised) and tested my patience. I have a lot of patience. This whole ordeal took two months and a day. I could not recommend them as a vendor to anyone.
The good news: The TiBook works like new now and I have redeemed myself in my wife's eyes, but the time it took to resolve this bad board has still left a bitter taste in my mouth. The actual repair took very little time, just patience and a steady hand. The computer works, I got to take apart and reassemble a fine piece of engineering, and life is back to normal.

Hi procrastin8. I'm glad you're back in business, and very sorry that PowerbookTech served you so badly. I'll delete them from my list of parts vendors.