Dead Pismo

Hello I have a 500 MHz PB G3 Pismo model that won't power up at all. Its been sitting for a couple of months, so I tried all of the suggestions on the board (particularly jpl's posts) as fas as using the reset switch, disconnecting the PRAM battery, main battery and just booting with the AC adapter, disconnecting the keyboard, but none have help resolve the issue. Odd thing that happens also, it that after I hit the power button, and I check the keyboard for any type of activity by hitting the caps lock key, I see that the green LED on the caps key will light. Can anyone provide some more troubleshooting or ideas?
Thanks, Tom
powebook G3 pismo Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Tom,
The minimum bus speed for memory for the Pismo is PC100. Faster memory like the PC133 you have installed is backwards-compatible with PC100...it will just run at the slower bus speed. I have never read of a problem on the Pismo with mixing memory speeds nor do memory vendors specifically prohibit it.
Here is the PC100 and PC133 RAM that OWC sells:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iBooks-PowerBooks/G3-Pismo/
Regarding the intermittent startup: When it fails to boot, does pressing the reset button on the back panel make any difference. If so, it can indicate a failed backside L2 cache or a problem with the CPU or logic board. If you have the Apple Hardware Test CD that came with new Pismos, give it a run. If you have ANY bootable Classic CD or 9.x installed on the HD, cold start, not a restart, to 9.x and see if you get any kind of a warning about hardware.
You may also have a hairline crack in one of the many circuit boards that opens a circuit when the 'book is torqued or gets hot. There have been many posts on these boards over the years where a user has a similar problem, completely disassembles/cleans his 'book, then reassembles, and the 'book runs fine for a period of time, then won't start or freezes constantly. You have a very hard problem to diagnose.

Similar Messages

Dead Pismo Firewire Powerbook

My Pismo has been not used for 6 months. At that time I charged the two batteries (I used two and stored the CD drive) fully and there was no problem. Now I can not get it to boot up with the power cord, w/o the power cord, with the two batteries, w/o the batteries. I have tried reseting it, and no luck. Just no power.
I have seen from several posts the discussion of a PRAM battery. And the removal of it. iFixit has a nice roadmap for removal of this. But this PRAM battery does not seem to be available to buy and replace.
Is the PRAM battery needed? Some of the discussions sound like by just removing this they are able to boot up. But... I do not want to go thru the process of removing it, if the only way to fix it is to replace the PRAM battery. I better find a new one first.
Any advise???? Any help would be appreciated!

{quote:title=cornelius wrote:}
Tom:
Not sure who would be silly enough to want it.
I should be offended by that statement, although I know what you mean.
{quote}
Well, I've been trying to get rid of a lot of old Macs. I've got 4 x PowerMac G4 computers that just wouldn't quit. Built to last.
An original iMac that also wouldn't quit, plus a second one that runs 24x7 as my PhoneValet server, music machine, browser, etc. Just keeps working.
Two Lombards and one Pizmo.
One Lombard has replaced my PowerMac 7100/66av that was sitting at my electrical panel running my X-10 home automation system 24x7. That AV computer should be a collector's item. It could put video on the desktop behind other apps back in 1994 with OS 7(?).
I fondly remember rebroadcasting (shh!) the 1994 Atlanta Olympics from my home to work by hooking up a VCR tuner to the 7100, connecting through my ISDN line (the only one in town at that time) directly to the work network at Nortel (may God have mercy on its soul) and then to a Sun OS based workstation running a CU-SeeMe video reflector. I had 15 people watching the Olympics at work. Now, I need to find it a home or it goes to the recycling center.
The laptops have really earned their keep but they've been replaced with two MacBooks and a MacBook Pro just before the latest revisions. The old laptop batteries are all dead and it's not worth buying replacements.
I'm waiting for an updated Mac Mini so I can replace the PhoneValet iMac and a PC dedicated to running my weather station software, and maybe even my X-10 system. The Mac Mini is WAY overdue for an update.
Yes, it's going to be tough to get rid of the old workhorses, but I think my wife and I really don't need to have a PowerMac G5, two MacBooks, four G4s, two original iMacs, two Lombards, a Pizmo, a 7100, and an ancient PC (14 computers).

Dead Pismo with prior issues

I have a Pismo that I had been using as a second computer and recently as an internet gaming device for my daughter. For the past two years it has had a shut down issue. No matter how I tried to shut it down it would only restart. Most of the time I kept it in sleep mode and this was not an issue. Lately my daughter has been using it and when she was done would unplug it. When repowered it would cheerily respond. Every once in a while throughout this period it would not reboot but would instantly respond to the reset button.
Now it is dead. It does not respond to the reset button (which now feels like it is not clicking in) The battery has long since passed on, so I usually run it off the power adapter. I have swapped a power adapter from another working Pismo with no luck. I have unplugged the PRAM battery and even unplugged the keyboard. Nothing seems to rouse it.
Is there anything else I can do to further a diagnosis ? Does the sequence of symptoms point to any particular part(s) ? Is it worthwhile having it diagnosed at a shop?
Thanks for any insights...Carol
G4 TiBook Mac OS X (10.3.9) G3 FireWire PowerBook

Carol,
The symptoms of restarting when you want to shut down and also automatically starting up when you plug in the power adapter is usually caused by corrupted PRAM. The article below does not mention the newer black G3s so it may not apply.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=19155
If a PRAM and power manager reset do not solve the issue, some hardware component has failed. I can only recall one example of this and the logic board was replaced.
There are many software conflicts that can prevent the powerbook from shutting down but these would not cause the powerbook to start up when you connected the power adapter.
I only have a few more suggestions which you may want to try...
- Strip the 'book down to its essentials: Disconnect the keyboard, remove main battery and optical drive, and disconnect any peripherals.
- Apply firm upward pressure on the power adapter plug at the rear of the 'book while pressing the power button. If the solder joint has failed at the power port, you can sometimes make a temporary contact in this manner.
- If no success, remove the microprocessor card and the memory module on the bottom side, then reinstall the microprocessor card. If bad memory is the problem, removing the RAM should at least give you one of these sounds:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58442
- If you do get a response after removing the RAM, try each module in the upper slot.
Do NOT remove the heat tube from the top of the microprocessor; remove the microprocessor card and heat tube as one unit.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=50028
- If still no success, remove the HD and HD ribbon cable and see if it will start up to the flashing '?'.
Message was edited by: jpl

Perfectly dead pismo

last week i did a DIY upgrade on my pismo by adding a new 100GB hard drive found here:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822146052
i have an external on which i keep a bootable back up and which was successfully cloned onto the new internal hard drive of my powerbook running tiger. i used the computer beautifully for two days. it was left on until the battery power ran out and when i went to plug it in and power it up i got no response. the only sign of life i can get from the computer is the lights on the battery and the keyboard lights behind the caps and num luck buttons, and to get them to not respond i have to hold down the power key for 6 seconds. i get no chime, no screen activity, nothing other than the lights and some warmth from the unit, so it is obviously pulling power. i tried booting from the external by holding down the option key while pressing the power button, and booting in target disk mode from my iMac, both with no luck. i've tried replacing my new hard drive back with the older one which gives me the same scenario.
can someone please help me with a trouble shooting or process of elimination list to figure out what may be the culprit?

i took the book into an apple store and luckily there was a tech who actually has a pismo as well. he gave it some tender care and came to the conclusion that i would be needing a new processor, possibly a new logic board as well, but that was a big maybe. i was looking to upgrade to a G4 processor anyhow but not as soon as this has forced me to. for a new processor, the tech directed me to:
PowerBook Medic ($399; DIY)
http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Pismo-G4-550MHZ-Processor-Upgrade-Without-Trade-In -p-16291.html
and also newertech.com, but it doesn't seem that they make their G4 processors for laptops anymore and i'm having a hard time finding one somewhere else.
when i was looking on my own i had been considering:
Wegner Media ($199; DIY)
http://www.wegenermedia.com/pg4550.htm
Daystar Technology ($325; full service only)
http://daystar-store.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=47
anyone have luck with/input on any of these?

Pismo Upgrades Worth It?

I posted a while back about the same Pismo. It now sits on the table lifeless. When pressing the power button, nothing happens, no ding, ping or grunts. It acted strange for a few days prior to its current state. It would suddenly have the screen go blank like a hot key was used to make it do so. Then it was random whether it would recover from that blank screen. Finally it simply stopped working in the midst of use. The battery is fully charged and was showing AC power as the source when it died. Any ideas on where to start and if it's worth it? I has 10-4-11 installed and a 120 Gig hard drive. had to revert back to the 400 board as the 500 died a while back. 1 GB of RAM. Have had this for almost a decade and truly would like to keep it going. Rumor has it a new aluminum is on the way for Christmas, but still would like the Pismo as backup. Thanks for any input.

Richard,
Intrigued by your question I went to eBay and just put in Pismo in the search bar. I had to change the display order to "Price + Shipping Highest first" in order to get past the batteries and panoply of pismo related items and get to what I really wanted to know. How much are people asking for upgraded pismos? Well, it looks like around $650 for a g4 550 pismo with a large hard drive and airport and dvd burner. That is more than I expected frankly. Considering that I recently bought a 2 year old Macbook Pro for $911 it seems like a stretch to ask so much for a computer that, even though it is pretty cool, is still 8 years old!
That being said, I love my pismo and would probably ask more than I should if I were to sell it.
So, I guess the question comes back to you, how badly to you want your pismo back? You can probably get it to run again with a $30 logic board. If you look on that same list I found you can find the whole bottom case for $64 and a whole new display for $34! That's a $100 pismo (excluding shipping of course). You might consider putting in a bid on a working machine and swapping out parts until you get the one you like.
Two years ago I had a dead pismo, it would light up the caps lock and number lock but that was it. It was the logic board and I was lucky to find one for as low as $65. Now they're half that amount, "TESTED!".
I knew I was going to the third world and wanted a tough machine that didn't have a lot of street value so I opted to fix it and upgrade it via Daystar. They did the logic board swap and the g4 upgrade and also gave me a nice flannel keyboard cover that I'm still using 2 years later! It was, all said and done, around $500 at the time.
Now you can go to Wegenermedia.com and order a g4 550 daughter card for $200 (after you get a core refund for sending in your old one, I wonder if you could get more for sending in the 500mhz and the 400mhz!?). Of course you could send yours in and get it done for $239 (plus shipping both ways).
So, assuming you have a decent display and hard drive, optical drive etc you could have a hot rod pismo for about
Logic board ($40) + Upgrade ($200). That is assuming we are right about the logic board. I did read our friend's post from Australia who votes for replacing your power control board. I saw those on ebay ranging from $10 - $30 plus shipping.
Again, this is assuming you do all the work yourself. If you pay someone else to do it then you're in for more but you get a guaranteed working machine (well, at least a warranteed machine!)
Hope this helps you put things into perspective.
John

G3 Pismo processor replacement - no heat sink bracket???

Hi there
This is kind of related to a previous and still running thread to do with my dead pismo but I thought I would start a separate thread for this problem. I just got a replacement processor for my Pismo but there doesnt seem to be anywhere to screw the two screws in from the heat sink that will sit above it - i have seen in other photos that there is usually a round plastic bracket with two screw holes that sits on top of the processor? Any advice? or is different for certain processors?
thanks

troy:
are any of the later G4 Powerbook processors interchangable with the Pismo?
Unfortunately, no Would have been nice, though.
a G4 processor and a gig of RAM I know the Pis would be a great back-up
There are several threads in this forum which discuss processor upgrade. This one traces my own decision making process. As you will note in the thread, this is not an inexpensive upgrade. In my case it was an easy decision since this is my primary computer. I recommend getting your computer going and see it runs for you. At later stage, if you decide to go this route, you can research the different threads, and, maybe, even post one of your own. There are many Pismo owners who have upgraded and would love to share their stories.
can you recommend G4 processors available for the Pismo
Mine is by Wegenermedia, and although it works fine and my experience with Wegener was not bad, others have had very negative experiences. I hesitate to recommend Wegener. Look at the others mentioned in the thread. Give yourself some time to research and think about it.
Good luck.
cornelius

Pismo Resurrection

Hi I have a Pismo with a Powerlogix 900Mhz in, it's all but dead but I'm determined to get it working again. Please look at the thread below which I posted a while back - I'm through logic board replacement and sound/dc replacement. I'm narrowing my options - next could be power card, battery, CPU - if anyone can help I'd be really grateful.
Thanks
Elliot
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8499072#8499072

Cornelius/Kenichi
Thanks for these tips. I guess in a way I'm lucky because I have two Pismos, one 400 MHz and one 900 MHz I've stripped them both down to the bottom casing on several occasions when things have died on me. Over the past 8 (almost 9) years I've managed to keep them both going with replacements here and there. I had already tried the swap - no luck. I've tried the PMU reset and NVRAM/PRAM and everything else I could think of. One thing I have noticed with the Pismo which originally had the 900 MHz cpu in it (now the 400 is in there) is that although it doesn't power on I get a light on the caps and num lock buttons. This is true of the original logic board and the new replacement I recently put in it. I can't recall this being normal and the other pismo (originally 400MHz) doesn't do it. I've also tried pulling the PRAM connector - no luck either. I agree too, I have had battery related problems in the past and they still worked when connected to the mains.
The 900 started to shut itself off intermittently and sometimes the HDD would power up but nothing else, then often with commandctrlpower on (force shut-down/restart) it would boot up again. I noted that with just holding the power button(when the HDD had powered without anything else) that it would shutdown but a force restart would only get it going again. Then it would sometimes work for hours. On a good day I backed-up,wiped and reinstalled but this didn't help. Decided to get a new logic board - this didn't help either. Somehow - at which point exactly I forget but while I was still optimistic that the logic board was going to solve my problem - I put a brand new,out-of-the-packet, replacement HDD 120GB/7200 - which I had bought a while before to put in that same pismo. At this point it was still powering erratically as before -but gave me enough time to install from an Emac in target disk mode- the software install went okay. But eventually this all made little difference. With the logic board and OSX variables eliminated, I concluded it must be power-related.
I put an old (but working when pulled) DC/sound board in it. Now I get the lit up num and caps lock but no power up at all. Since then I have swapped the CPUs - no difference either. I'm really hoping it's not the CPU at least not the 900MHz because they are really hard to get hold of. The fact that the 400 doesn't work in there either gives me a bit of hope.
With regard to the 400 - that was working fine. But it stood for ages without being used - the battery was really weak anyhow. So when I came to changing things around and testing stuff between the two, I am effectively working with two dead pismos. The 400 is only half as tragic as the 900 - I'll just be really happy if I get that one going- the 400 became the backup so to speak.
So in my limited knowledge I'm thinking - power card? In the 900 I noticed some small green deposits around the DC in socket on the sound board and the battery connector under the power card.
I've never touched a power card before- obviously they have something to do with the expansion bays and power and obviously the track pad too. One thing - apart from the fact that there is little else to try- that leads me to the power card is that the trackpad would behave erratically too - really blocky and would sometimes hang a bit with significant delay. DVD player would make it do this for example.
Once again thanks for everything so far - any help after this info would be great.
Elliot

I need help reviving a dead G3 Pismo

Hello folks!
I am trying to help a friend revive a Powerbook G3 Pismo. I have read many of the threads here, but thought it would be helpful to start a fresh one to address my particular problem.
Here's the deal: When you press the power button, absolutely nothing happens. No sounds, no lights, no nothing. My first throught was maybe that the power adapter was dead -- so I bought one on eBay -- same result, so I think we can rule that out.
I pulled out the processor board and then reseated that along with the RAM. No difference. So I am wondering what to do next? First question: Could a dead battery cause this? I have no idea of the condition of the battery -- should it be able to power up even with NO battery installed?
If someone can give me a list of things to try, and in what order, it would really be a great help.
Thanks!

vj,
1. Remove the main battery, optical drive, and any peripherals.
2. With just the power adapter connected, press the reset button on the back panel to reset the power manager, wait a few seconds, then see if it will start.
3. Lift off the keyboard but leave it connected...just lay it face down on the palm rest. You will see the brown, circular backup batteries in a black case next to the HD. There is a red/white/black pigtail running to the logic board; carefully pull up on the white connector to disconnect it (needlenose pliers work well)...this allows the power manager to fully clear. Also, a malfunctioning battery can prevent startup. Since your 'book does power up, this should not be the issue but leave it disconnected for the troubleshooting. Enlarge the top picture:
http://www.pbfixit.com/Guide/6.4.4.html
Now connect the power adapter and try starting.
4. If no success, disconnect power adapter, remove the aluminum heat sink (be SURE to use the correct size tools) and remove the top memory module if present. Now press down very hard on the right side of the microprocessor card next to the HD and also next to the palm rest...this is where the multipin connector lies on the underside...a poorly seated microprocessor card can cause your symptoms. Now connect the power adapter and try starting.
5. If still no start, lift out the microprocessor card (do NOT remove the heat tube from the microprocessor...lift out the whole unit) flip it over and remove the lower slot memory module. Now reseat the microprocessor card, connect the power adapter and try starting. I am not sure if it will throw up a firmware dialog stating no good memory modules are present but give it a try.
6. Disconnect power adapter and place the memory module from the lower slot in the top slot, connect the power adapter and try starting.
7. If still no success, carefully disconnect the keyboard ribbon cable from the logic board, then try starting.
8. Remove the HD, then try starting; if the HD is the problem, it should boot to the gray secreen with a flashing '?'.
The instructions below show a step-by-step disassembly; there is no need to remove parts other than what I described for this troubleshooting. Use the correct tools and use good anti-static practices and you should be fine.
http://www.pbfixit.com/Guide/6.0.0.html

Is my Powerbook G3 Pismo dead?

I had a collection of old Macs that I've now sold - apart from one - a beloved Powerbook G3 400ghz laptop with the gold keyboard. But I was horrified to find a few days ago that it wouldn't power up - I've tried with two different chargers and nothing. It's been in the attic for about 3-4 years but it was wrapped up nicely and presumed it'd be ok.
Does anyone have a clue what's happened? Or how to resurrect it? Or should I just sell it for spare parts?
Many thanks.

You probably hae a dead PRAM battery. An old trick for non-responsive Pismos is to disconnect the internal backup, or PRAM, battery, You can access the connector through the keyboard without having to do a full teardown.
Tee illustrated guide here:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/PowerBook+G3+Pismo+PRAM+Battery+Replacement/21
shows how it looks inside. In one image that show disconnecting the battery, you can see its position is revealed when you simply lift the keyboard out.
If it starts with the PRAM battery disconnected, that is a good indication that the battery os dead. You can get a new PRAM battery here:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/PRAMPBG3LP/

Pismo G3 400 Dead....help please

My Pismo is dead, but hoping that it is only temporary. Removed battery, removed CMOS battery, did a PMU reset, but to no avail. Applecare has run out, is my Pismo reduced to spare parts?
PB G4 15" 1.5 Mac OS X (10.3.9) iMac, Pismo, PB 1400cs, Apple ][+

Greg,
Did your Pismo show any signs of distress the last time it was working?
When the power adapter and/or battery is connected, do you get any response when resetting the power manager, e.g. the sleep light blinks?
Here are a few possibilities:
1. Try another power adapter regardless of the charge of the battery. The PB1400/3400/any G3/clamshell iBook adapters are interchangeable.
2. When connected, does the power adapter plug at the rear of the powerbook feel loose or wiggle?
3. A poorly seated microprocessor card: Remove the upper RAM module, then push down firmly on the right side of the card next to the HD and closest to the palm rest where the multi-pin connector resides on the underside. Do not be shy...press down very hard...you may even hear a snap as it fully seats. Reading the instructions for adding RAM to the lower slot on the microprocessor card may be helpful:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=50028
4. Disconnect the keyboard ribbon cable from the logic board, then try starting. A bad keyboard can cause a no-start.

Replaced hard drive - my pismo is dead

I very carefully replaced the hard drive in my pismo laptop today. I put it all back together and boom - nothing happens when I try to launch it.
The battery lights are on and the caps lock light and num lock light go on, but no system sound, no nothing.
Any suggestions? I have another laptop to initialize it while having connected to it as a slave drive - but I tried this too and still nothing.
I hope I haven't trashed it. Ideas?

Hi,
My Powerbook Firewire seemed to be dead after I checked into whether there was any RAM in the lower slot (there was) and had put everything back together. My problem, the reason my computer wouldn't start up after I put thing back together was that I hadn't seated the processor module! Your instructions to "don't be shy" made all the difference. I pushed down on the processor and heard a snap. Voila, the processor had seated itself, something it hadn't done before. I didn't know how hard it needed to be pushed.
I have since bought a new machine (15" 1.67ghz G4) but am glad I have revived my old machine. I can now recover my data and clean things up.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUGGESTING THAT THAT MODULE NEEDED TO BE SEATED FIRMLY! The Mac "expert" I paid to look at it didn't know how hard it had to be seated. (I can also cancel the next appointment with someone else who was going to try again and look into getting an external drive, if it could be salvaged, which it can!!!)
Hallelujah!
Cheers,
John L

My Pismo's microphone is dead

Hi out there,
a few days ago the internal microphone of my Pismo ceased service from one to the other second. So I bought a new one including the control PCB and replaced the damaged one. But I can't get a signal from it...
Can anyone tell me what else could be wrong/damaged inside my Pismo?
Regards from Germany
Ansgar
MacBook Pro 17", 2.16 GHz Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.9) 100 GByte SATA HD, 1 GByte RAM, 256 MByte VRAM

Hi juhi854,
If you are having microphone issues with your iPhone, you may find the following article helpful:
iPhone: Microphone issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts5183
Regards,
- Brenden

Pismo almost dead after part replacement!

Hi everybody! This is my first post in the Apple Discussion forums. I have a Pismo 400mhz running Xubuntu Dapper. It's battery has refused to work since I got it, so I got a replacement for Christmas. This battery, however, also refused to work. After doing some research, I ended up replacing the power card (the one that also has the mouse button). I took it apart and removed the old card, and replaced it with the new one when it arrived 3 days later.
Now, the Pismo refuses to finish booting unless I reset the PMU each time, if I don't it does it's chime and I can can hear the hard drive spin up, but nothing appears on the monitor, and I have to shut it off. If I reset it and it starts up, Xubuntu gets stuck saying "Waiting for the root filesystem", and several minutes later gives me several lines of "Segmentation Fault", followed by a shell prompt.
So, I'm pretty sure it's a RAM problem, but it has two modules, and I've tried each one separately in both slots. It seems highly unlikely to me that both could go bad at the same time. Any thoughts?
I've tried running the Apple Hardware Test CD, either button takes half a second to complete instead of actually running. The hardware info tab freezes the computer instantly.
Sorry that went on so long!
SphereCat1

SphereCat1:
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
Unfortunately, I am totally unfamiliar with Xubuntu, and anything that has to do with it is beyond my sphere of familiarity. However, we can try to deal with the hardware side of your issue. First some questions for clarification:
battery has refused to work since I got it, so I got a replacement for Christmas.
By new do you mean a brand new battery, or a new used battery?
replacing the power card (the one that also has the mouse button)
The trackpad button is housed in the upper case and is connected via cable to the I/O logic board. Are you saying that you removed and replaced the logic board? If so, what indicated that that was necessary?
it does it's chime and I can can hear the hard drive spin up, but nothing appears on the monitor, and I have to shut it off.
The issue may be related to the internal HDD. You have apparently been able to boot from the optical drive using the AHT disk. Startup issues of this type are usually software based issues. Since the computer starts up and chimes and starts booting the OS, it appears that the hardware is doing what it should. Again, unfortunately, I am completely at sea with the software issue.
I'm pretty sure it's a RAM problem, but it has two modules, and I've tried each one separately in both slots.
What is the basis of your being "pretty sure it's a RAM problem"? The Pismo will support 2 - PC-100 3.3V 144-pin SO-DIMM modules up to 512 MB each. Be sure that the RAM modules you have meet those specs. Even though it seems unlikely, it is possible that you have two bad modules. You may want to try a different one if you are convinced the issue is with the RAM modules.
cornelius

Pismo Firewire Ports Dead

My firewire ports are no longer working. They do not show up in the About This Mac. Any suggestions where to begin troubleshooting?
ELM

ELM,
You might try these resets in the order presented; disconnect all peripherals first.
- Reset the PRAM...allow three startup chimes before releasing keys, then test:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
- Reset the Open Firmware, then test:
Boot into Open Firmware by holding down the 'Command-Option-O-F' keys from a cold start while the chime is being played. You will see a command-line screen...enter these commands:
1. At the Open Firmware prompt, type: reset-nvram
2. Press Return.
3. At the Open Firmware prompt, type: reset-all
4. Press Return.
Example:
0 > reset-nvram
Press Return
0 > reset-all
Press Return
The reset-all command should cause the computer to restart. If this occurs, you have successfully reset the Open Firmware settings.
- If still no success, run the Hardware Test CD (after the resets) that came bundled with new Pismos if you have it.
- If you boot into 9.x, do the ports appear and can you mount the drive? If 9.x is not on the HD, boot to your 9.x CD, then see if the drive will mount.
- Can you test your FireWire device on another Mac to verify its integrity?
If all fails, you can buy an inexpensive FireWire CardBus PC card for the PCMCIA card slot. However, if your FireWire device(s) does not have its own power supply, it will not work via the FW PC card. Built-in FireWire ports supply bus power for devices like a FireWire 2.5" HD, but FW PC cards do not supply bus power. You can, however, buy a FW PC card that also has a separate power supply so that bus-powered devices will work.

How Do I Upgrade My PowerBook G3 Pismo?

(First off, let me just say that this forum has been extremely helpful throughout the years. Thanks to everyone! And, I hope this post (and responses) continues to help those like me in the future!)
I want to upgrade my PowerBook G3 Pismo.
I already have a G4 PowerBook, yet can't tear myself away from my G3 just yet. However, my Pismo needs a huge overhaul. Right now it's running on 192MB of memory, a 6G hard drive, and a 400MHz processor. (I'm running OS 10.3.9, since I don't have enough hard drive space to install 10.4.) (Even most websites have gotten too advanced for my little G3 to view at a reasonable speed.)
Let me also say, I am not a do-it-yourself kinda guy really, so I'm hoping the answers I receive here are easy to follow for the average Joe.
From reading the other posts, I understand the three biggest upgrades to a G3, in order of impact and ease, are:
1) Memory
2) Hard Drive
3) Processor
I would also like to include another relevant element:
4) Battery Replacement (my battery is completely dead, as you can imagine)
(Another aim for this post is to have one place where people can easily see how to upgrade these things, rather than dig around for each topic.)
Rather than deal with the multitudes of justifications (whether or not I should, etc.), my questions for each of the four items above are simple:
A) How can I maximize each option? (i.e. - What is the maximum amount of memory I can buy for it? How big of a hard drive can my G3 accommodate and utilize? What is the fastest processor I can use?)
B) Where is the easiest/best place to purchase each item? (I know that's a bit subjective, but I'm sure there's a general consensus as to where the best, tried-and-true replacement batteries are sold, etc. (At least, I hope so.))
C) How do I do-it-myself? (i.e. - Is there a specific URL or post that tells me how to physically replace the memory and hard drive, etc.?)
Again, thanks very much to all of you who help out in the posting of answers to all of us who are less technically advanced!

Hollywood Guy:
You have hit upon a favorite topic around here, as you have already noticed.
The place to begin your upgrade is with RAM. The Pismo will support a total of 1 GB of RAM. 2 - PC 100 3.3v 144-pin SO-DIMM. You will find comparative prices of popular brands at ramseeker. You will also get good prices at Kahlon. The Pismo is not very picky about RAM and most manufacturers warranty their RAM for life.
The next upgrade that will give the biggest bang for the buck is the Hard Disk Drive. As noted previously, your computer will support up to a 120 GB HDD natively. (The BootROM will actually see 128 GB, but most manufactuers standardize the size to 120 GB). It is possible to install a larger HDD with the help of SpeedTools. However, I have not used the product, so I cannot vouch for it. Here is a list of available HDDs available for your Pismo at OWC
In terms of a processor upgrade, this is the most expensive upgrade and unless one really loves the Pismo, it may not be cost effective in the long run. I have done it myself, but then Pismo is my primary computer and I use it constantly and extensively for all my computing needs. Although we Pismo aficionados love our machines, we are also aware of it's limitations. If one would like to run any OS beyond Tiger, for example, you will need a minimum of a G with 867 MB processor, and even with a processor upgrade the Pismo will not make the cut.
So while I recommend the first two upgrades without qualification or reservation, the processor upgrade is different. If you decide that you really want to do it after careful consideration, I suggest that you peruse this thread for a full exploration of the subject. Several vendors are mentioned in the thread. My G4/550 processor upgrade is a Wegenermedia, but I hesistate to recommend them, as, since my installation I have learned of several users who have had difficulty with their service and products.
Please do post back with specific questions on any of the topics mentioned.
Cheers
cornelius

Dead Pismo

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