You may have to take the computer back to those who performed the earlier
service, and have them check over the power circuitry, (charge, DC-in board,
battery) as well as the logic board and components on that board that may be
the cause of this kind of issue. Was the battery fully re-charged for 8-12 hours?
Which model iBook G4 series do you have? Helpful info may include CPU, display
and other specification. Some of these were more prone to failure, to include the
graphic processor, and other defects. Of those, the heat/cool effect over years of
use may also affect solder joints on the logic board; so a re-ball solder is one kind
of repair some shops are equipped to perform if there is a defect on the logic board.
Depending on where you are located, or what your budget on repair or replacement
may sustain, you could have an independent Apple trained/authorized specialist who
still works on older computers, restore & repair the computer; after thorough testing.
Some of these companies may also have repaired older models in stock, as they fix
many and offer some to the public via their web site, with a guarantee. One such
specialist company that seems to have a good record, repairs products in-house, is
wegenermedia.com; their inventory of repaired product varies. + They can fix most
Apple portables, since they have an extensive in-house parts inventory & skills.
In general parts may be limited to the service specialists who repair older model hardware.
As they'd be the ones who retain the skills and methods to fix most models,
The online repair guides may be helpful to see what usually is a most difficult task; since iBook
& PowerBook series were not of the most easily repaired or internally accessible of designs.
•iFixit.com offers four guides to help repair each of iBook G4 series models:
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iBook_G4
Hopefully this may be of some help in making a choice on which way to consider. A repair
could be practical, if the problem isn't too great. Some shops give a good estimate to fix.
Others in the repair business tend to have some available inventory, so it may be possible
to get a working computer for a reasonable cost, including shipping.
If you let the computer charge up for 12 hours, the battery and the capacitor on the logic board
may both be dead; without those charged up, the computer will not budge. If the iBook does
not charge up after a lengthy period, try the PRAM reset since you can do it without booting.
(Or should; I seldom reset the PMU or PRAM on my Mid-2005 iBook G4)
•Resetting PowerBook and iBook Power Management Unit (PMU) - Apple Support
•Apple Portables: Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance - Apple Support
The battery may be weak, or other component of the charging system may be at fault. Or in
a worse-case scenario the logic board may have a defect that may keep it from starting up.
An old battery doesn't need much to decide to fail. There still are quality replacements for
sale out there, companies such as macsales.com have some new replacements at times.
So the matter may be a few (more) simple steps to try, before revisiting the repair shop.
Since I am unaware of who did the work, or their expertise, anything weak in the
iBook may have found a moment to be disconnected, during other parts exchange.
Could be something on the edge of failure was startled into coincidental failure...
This is part of the reason why someone using a service repair guide without any
previous experience, could make a problem worse. A reputable authorized service
provider usually would thoroughly test the unit before & after a repair, and also offer
a limited guarantee on the unit, not just on the single part they may have swapped.
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂
