The other day while my daughter was using our old 266 G3 imac, the 'screen went blank' and now the machine no longer will power up. I have spent hours working on this machine to get the OS right and now it is kaput! Is there any way we can resurrect it? I have a dead 400mhz Imac with no CPU. If it is a power supply problem, can I take the PS from the newer machine and put it in the older one? Are there any websites which would guide me (an imac novice) through such a process?

Ta
Deb

as far as i know, g3/266 and g3/400 are different, with no swapable parts.

this link here is something that you can try yourself:
is it flyback transformer?

only God can make the dead live again...


No, but seriously, look at the back of the iMac. Is there a screen plug on your model? If so you could plug in an external screen just to check if its the screen or the computer that's dead.

And if you fell like putting your hands inside, check André Sterpin's site (in english and french). There's plenty of useful stuff to repair/upgrade old and new macs.

On the original iMac you'll need to gain access to the motherboard to get to the monitor connector, by removing the bottom plastic cover.

Oh, it's an Apple monitor connector - the wide one - but you can use an adaptor to get it to connect to a normal VGA monitor.

JB

Apple recently discontinued support for these imacs so you will not be able to source any parts you need though them.

I have a 350MHz G3 iMac that was about to be given the unkindest cut. I just didn't have the heart to throw it out.
It works fine.
Do you want it?

Thanks, Mykie - you're a saint! I looked up the websites above and found that the problem is flyback transformer, so it's basically dead. Your imac would be great. I'll PM you about the details,

Deb

Yeah,

The iMac's are notorious for failing flyback transformers, and the power supply is an all-in-one unit meaning the rest won't work either.

actually, if you have the time and resources, you could turn it into a headless server.

what you need is some kind of case, an "infidel" atx power supply, and that "preacher" to convert a mac vga port into "normal" vga port.

google is your friend. here is an idea.

Why don't you get a 400mHz CPU and use the other iMac ? Depends on your tech knowhow and time I guess.
Stewie

... because the CPU on later CRT iMacs is soldered on, unlike the early iMac 233/266/333 models that have a removable CPU (along the lines of that from a Wallstreet PB, but I'm pretty sure they're not compatible).

JB

Ahh . Thanks for that Byrd. I knew some of them were soldered on but couldn't remember which ones.I thought it was some of the early ones . Oh well new MB +CPU then ;-) I would imagine these would still be cheap to buy though given the popularity of the G3 iMacs ?
Stewie

Yeah iMac mobos are really cheap stewie; partly because most others have dead analog boards/transformers too

JB

That imac server in a box idea is truly groovy, sdien. I doubt my kids would appreciate it as it should be appreciated though....

Where does one buy a used imac motherboard? I have been watching ebay to no avail. Anyway, there is no guarantee that the 400mhz imac would work even then, as it was a dud purchase on ebay (complete rip-off more like it) and I have not been able to test any of it. given the state of the case (someone has mauled it to get the board out) and the missing board, it is most likely dead too. It only has a HD and CD drive left - I have posted pics of it in another post.

So was the flyback transformer thing a problem on all G3 imacs or just the first ones? Do the newer LCD models have the same problem? I would like to avoid this when buying 2nd hand in future.

Thanks for your help yet again,
Deb

Personally I'd just buy a new one, considering you can get them with half decent specs for $100-$200 these days (cheaper than buying a new mobo, installing it etc). if you're worried about possible hardware issues, perhaps investigate a place like MicroSeconds that has a 3 months limited warranty on these machines...

You take risks purchasing second hand machines, as you can never fully know whats happened to them, where they've come from etc - most people lie, when asked about the history of a machine!