IMac 27" Power supply problems?

I'm on my second power supply on my iMac 27" about 6 months old. Wouldn't wake up from sleep (twice now). Luckily, it's still under warranty, but I'm wondering if anyone else is having the same problem or if I got a "lemon" iMac? It's a bummer being without a machine for a week every few months. Will Apple replace it or do I have to go through this every few months?

If you haven't already I would STRONGLY recommend buying Apple Care. On a computer that is covered by AppleCare if the same thing happens 3x Apple will replace the computer. If you aren't familiar with AppleCare it:
1. Extends the one year warranty to 3 total years from original date of purchase.
2. Offers AppleCare telephone support. This can be very useful if you are new to OS X or Macs.
You can buy AppleCare directly from Apple or you can frequently find it discounted from authorized Apple Resellers such as Amazon or LA Computer Company.
Also I don't know how good the power is to your area of the islands. If the machine is plugged into the wall or inexpensive power strip power fluctuations could be damaging the computer. I would recommend getting a UPS which will provide emergency power in the event of a full power loss, enough to do an orderly shutdown. It will also provide consistent power and finally almost all come with insurance in the event your machine is damaged by a power related problem while connected. In other words it offers another layer of peace of mind. Personally I have had good luck with APC products, you can find those at your local Costco, Office Supply store or computer store.

Similar Messages

Power supply problem a little better after unplugging imac for 24 hours

Hello,
I'm currently having power supply problems (at least I hope it's the power supply and not the mother board), similar to many others I've seen on these boards. What I've noticed is that if I unplug my iMac for about 24 hours I can get it to run again for a little while. Unplugging it for a few minutes (or even 8 hours) doesn't seem to help. My iMac won't get much further than the starting chime before it loses power. But it seems to me that unplugging it for 24 hours has gotten me between 5 days to 5 hours of use before I unexpectedly lose power.
Is there anything to account for this or am I just imagining things? Ultimately, I don't think the answer will help me much, but I am curious to know. I'm taking my iMac to a Mac Genius tomorrow to see if they can help diagnose the problem. I saw a little hit in my video today, which was a first, so I suspect the problem may be getting worse. I'll probably be buying a new power supply soon.

I'm having the same problem. They say to restart you have to unplug the power, wait 10 seconds and then plug it back in but apparently it's not enough. I have to unplug for about 30 seconds, plug back in, and wait anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours before it'll start up again properly. The last time I had this issue was in october '06- when I had a new logic board and power supply put in. Now I'm worried because my applecare is expired by about 3 months. I bought the computer in feb. '05. I hope a new board doesn't cost more than what the computer itself is worth but I'm afraid that'll be the case...

1st gen. iMac G5 power supply failure

Hi, all!
My 20" iMac G5 here at work collapsed and died on me about a week ago. The computer just deactivated abruptly; I actually had thought that I had kicked the plug or stepped on the power bar by mistake. I restarted it, and it worked for twenty minutes before dying again. Now it's entirely unresponsive. Having read up on the matter here and in the Mac support pages, I'm quite sure the power supply has failed. I'm in the process of finding out whether the computer is still covered under Apple's Repair Extension Program. (http://www.apple.com/support/imac/repairextensionprogram/ - I know the iMac model is correct, my serial number matches the range, I'm just not sure if the computer is less than three years old.)
Anyway, the important thing for me is the hard drive, not the machine itself. We're entirely Mac-based here at work, so there is no shortage of machines for me to work on (I've already replaced my old machine with a much newer Intel-based iMac), but I would very much like to retrieve my data from my old hard disk. I've downloaded the DIY guide for opening the 20" iMac G5 and removing the hard drive, but I need some advice on the best plan of action. Should I then open another, working G5, remove its hard drive, insert my old hard drive and transfer my files off to my new iMac through our company server? Or is there another way to approach it? Is the hard drive on my 20" first gen G5 compatible with newer mac models, or am I going to run into problems with connectors, physical disk size, etc.? Or, should I just leave well enough alone and leave the entire operation to a Mac Genius?
This will be my first time opening an iMac. I believe that I can open the machines and remove-replace the hard drives without voiding any warranties, correct?
Thanks so much in advance for your help and advice!
Adam

I am on the phone right now with a product specialist about my iMac G5 power supply issues. Kind of ***** because he has, in so many words, said that the Genius is the Alpha and Omega and can extend the 3 year coverage. For me that is great except that the Apple store is over an hour away. I don't understand why the dude on the phone can't pull the switch and make it happen as well.
Factor in:
Unplugging iMac G5 and all peripherals
Loading it in the car
Driving an hour
Carrying it into the Mall (apple store)
Waiting for my Genius appointment
More than likely getting it fixed for free (from the sounds of things)
Driving back after it is fixed
Doing everything listed in reverse.
Would it just be easier to pay the $108 for a new power supply, wait a few days, undo some screws, and BAM! it works again?
Update. Off the phone now. The product specialist flexed his muscles, back handed the Genius to gain authority, and basically stated that they WILL DEFINITELY repair either the power supply or the logic board or both if needed. I have already had them replace the logic board once. BUT, I still have to load it up and take it to the Apple Store. Boo.

Ask your question.MC508LL/A power supply problems, Ask your question.MC508LL/A power supply problems, Ask your question.MC508LL/A power supply problems

I have just replaced my older IMac with a new one because of a cronic power supply problem. Now I see this one is doing the same thing. Is anyone else having the same issues with their MC508LL/A.

I'm with babowa there ... I would suspect the power souce, not the PSU. Where you live could be an issue depending on how reliable and 'clean' the electricity is to your home. If that is ok then it could be the wiring in your house ... if it were mine, I'd need an electrician to check it out.
Personally, I've had computers hooked to my electric service since 1995 and no UPS (despite recommendations) and never encountered a problem with the computers ... many electrical issues (brown outs, outages, etc), just been fortunate they didn't affect my machines.

Replacing Power Supply Problems

Apple Care had kindly sent me a new power supply. It is a self servicing part, i.e. I have to install it myself. Tried for 2 hours yesterday to get the old one out...didn't work.
The problems:
1. Middle screw on back of power supply does not get loose [the screw close to the power cord connector]. I tried to pull the power supply up while loosening screw...no success. Did anybody run in the same problem...how did you get this screw unstuck?
2. Middle case screw [the one at the bottom of the computer] needs to be turned to the right...which is in contradiction to the downloadable manual...but the front ot the screw still touches the power supply...and possibly holds it in.
How easy should the power supply come out...how much force can I apply without breaking the computer's case?
3. Ambient light sensor connector: comes as separate cable. Since I have not gotten the old power supply out, I do not know how to connect the cable to the new one. There does not appear to be a designated hole on the power supply.
Experiences welcome!
Thanks
Jurgen

hi Jurgen.... i just get a new imac g5 and it presents power supply problems the very first day they bring it... so the retalier took it for a repair..i been wating for two months and no sings of a solution... i am looking for help but i can't reach anyone at apple .... so i need some tips here... what should i do?? i tried the chat agent but they are closed..and the retailer refuse tho give enough info to check out about the repair status..they keep saying that the frabric respond very slow and then that the new part they recieved from apple was defectous... well.. if anyone can give me some tip would be very nice and usefull.. i really don,t now what to do... some email to inform apple the situation ?.... thanks for read this... Fernando

IMacs G3 power supply compatiblity question

I have an original Bondi blue iMac G3. Power supply works OK.
I have a flower power iMac G3 but the power supply is defunct.
Can I swop the Bondi 's iMac power supply to the flower power iMac?
Thanks.

Unfortunately the answer is no. I just checked Mactracker & the Bondi Blue iMac uses a 80 watt power supply. The Flower Power iMac uses a 150 watt power supply. So if you tried to use the Bondi Blue iMac's power supply it probably wouldn't provide enough wattage for the iMac to work properly. I would recommend looking on eBay for a replacement power supply. Some vendors might have one or more in stock.

[PT880-Neo LSR]Power supply problem

Hello,
We've installed the new motherboard today, it model is PT880 Neo LSR. Well we've got everything plugged in, but when we try to turn on our computer it doesn't turn on.
There is a case switch, but when turn on, the fans work for like 1 second then it stop.
I've tried the Troubleshooting guide on the website, and studying the Manual, but I could not find a way to fix this.
Can anyone help us fix this power supply problem please?
Thanks

Quote
Originally posted by DarkDuelist
yea, it comes with the 4-pin atx1 connector and 20-pin atx2 connector.
But i just exchanged another mainboard, and still not work. the first time i test it, i only plug the 4-pin and 20-pin connector into the mainboard and it worked. i thought the problem was solved. so i put everything else in (cpu, hdd, cd-rom, dvd-rom...) then test it again. I only heard a sound psssst, and nothing run. I tested it many time and it still not work. Then I UNPLUG the 4-pin connector from the power supply to the mainboard, and test again, this time, only all the fan RUN except the the fan in the power supply DID NOT run. Is it because that the power supply got problem? I used another power supply 420w to test but nothing run either.
MATSONIC motherboard MS9087C
DDR 400
Intel celeron 2gh 400 fsb
Macron 350w power supply
The psssst sound----sounds like something shorted out. Pull everything out and put it back in with a different PSU.
Don't put a hard drive or floppy in-----just CPU, RAM mobo, vid card, fans, PSU-----see if it will post.

Asus power supply problems

I am considering a new Asus netbook but have been reading a lot of failure issues on their power supplies going clear back to Sept. Even as soon as December I find people saying they cannot get them replaced because Asus says they are still out of stock. Has anyone got any updated information on this?

As I said I am considering purchasing a new Asus netbook. I do not have one yet. If you look at even the Best Buy customer ratings you will see several with the power supply problem. The internet is full of these complaints on other web sites.

IMac G5 bluetooth + airport + power supply problems - oh and the dvd drive

Yeah, seems like a lot is going wrong with my mac lately. I bought the iMac G5(no isight) model last year around july. I had some power issues (i.e. leaving the house with it turned on to come home and find it off) For the last year though that was all that was wrong. Once I had to reinstall OS X because it would not find the OS X harddrive during one of these power losses, but that was it.
Then about two weeks ago, I came home to a turned off iMac. I thought the power had gone out in my apartment, but the clocks were all right, and to my surprise the iMac would not turned on. Because I am not under warranty I searched online and found an extended exchange program for my emc model. (http://www.apple.com/support/imac/powersupply/repairextension/) I made an appt at the apple store and they replaced the power supply.
I got the machine back two nights ago and my bluetooth hardware wasn't recognized. And I now had a new "ink" system preference panel in the hardware section which aparently is some sort of handwriting recognition tablet. It ticked me off, but I just wanted to use my computer.
Well today I came home from work and my computer was acting funny. Everywhere I clicked brought up dashboard. This had never happened before and I had no choice but to force a shutdown. Powered it back up and poof, there goes my airport card. No hardware recognized. Now I have a 25 ft cable running the floor of my apartment. This was cause enough to call apple. I was told to make another apointment to bring the computer in. The guy made it sound like it was no big deal to lug a 30 lb bulky computer 40 miles and through a crowded mall. He also made no promises that the repairs would be covered under the exchange program.
I just wanted to hear any suggestions before I decide whether or not its worth it to bring in the computer. Nothing shows up in system profiler under bluetooth or airport. Should I just lie to the "genius" and tell them that my computer still shuts down randomly? I think that way they would at least replace the logic board (which I think is the problem) before telling me to sell my kidney and pay for repairs. I've tried reseting the SMU, and I looked at the bluetooth and airport cards to see if they had been accidently disconnected during the PS replacement. They are actually screwed into the logic board so I think their connections are efficient.
Oh and about the DVD drive. I have to use two cd's in order to burn a single disc. The first disc I put in the drive NEVER works. It spins for about 30 seconds then starts buzzing like blender and spits the cd back out. The second blank disc I put in USUALLY works, but sometimes it takes three discs. This problem has always been there since day 1, but I don't burn enough cd's for it to be an issue.
Thank you for listening to my gripes. I really don't think I'll make the mistake of buying the first issue of a model.
iBook G4 900mghz, iMac G5 20" 2.0 ghz Mac OS X (10.4.8)

OK, first thing -to restore your bluetooth, shut down, unplug for a few minutes and then reboot. Thay usually brings the BT back. You should also repair permissions. Reset your SMU nd your PRAM as well.
Try those four things and please post back,
Miriam

IMac G5 20" power supply problem

The power supply on my 20" G5 recently fried. Somehow I had the activity monitor showing that the "FaxJobMgr" was using about 70% of my cpu. I had had that problem before and the computer was very warm. I quit that process but shortly after that there was an acrid smell that I ultimately found was coming from the power supply. When I re-started everything came up to the desktop but then it shut down just as if the plug were pulled. I see that there were many issues with the power supply on this first generation G5. I took it to the Apple Store and they say it is the power supply AND there appears to also be damage to the logic board. $734. I'm wondering if maybe its only the power supply and they are just being cautious that there might be damage to the logic board so just replace it or buy a new computer. I thought I might try to replace the power supply only, but then that seems to be about a $120 that might be gone. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Generally speaking, the defects which affect a logic board and power supply in that family of products are similar, but there typically exists no causal link between them. It is possible to have a logic board affected by the defective electrolytic capacitor issue, a defective power supply, or both.
You can readily determine if the logic board is defective by examining the clusters of capacitors on the logic board for bloating, distended tops or leakage. If they exhibit such symptoms, your logic board can be repaired for $ 189.00 by contacting this company.
You may also need to replace the power supply, thought that determination is best made once the logic board as been verified as good or bad, and replaced, if you elect to do so. Power supplies for this product family generally cost roughly $ 139.00, and are user replaceable. Replacing the supply in a unit which exhibits the defective capacitor issue will not correct the logic board related problem, and may—under relatively rare circumstances—cause the eventual failure of the replacement supply.
*I may receive compensation as a result of parts or services being ordered by users specified at the link shown in this message.

Wired Keyboard USB Power Supply Problem

Hello,
I'm a proud owner of an iMac 27" which I ordered with the Apple Wired Keyboard because it was equipped with two additional USB Ports.
I'm using the Astro Gaming Astro A40 with their Mixamp and it works perfectly fine if I plug it into the keyboard.
Now I installed Bootcamp with Windows 7 Professional and it tells me the power supply in the keyboard is to low for my headset and my Mixamp.
Does anybody know a solution for that problem?
Why does Windows cry about that while Mac is perfectly fine with this.
I hope somebody can help me. Thank You
With best regards
ChickenDuy

From
Support FAQ - Astro Gaming
For PC Users: Much like discrete graphics, audio, or physics hardware free up CPU cycles and make our games run faster, the USB drivers built into the MixAmp provide a simple plug and play solution to offloading communication and music duties to the MixAmp.
My guess would be that these drivers are not loaded in OSX. When you run Windows via bootcamp, these drivers are loaded. Based on the function described, they draw more power from your USB bus than they would in the OS X environment. Yet the machine is still only willing to supply 500 mA to the particular hub. I think, therein lies the problem. Or, atleast, a theory.

IMac broken, Power Supply replacement?

My 13 months iMac G5 20" 2GHz shut down all the time.. mostly within 10 minutes after booting.
A friend of mine had the same problem 2 months ago. Apple replaced his Power Supply for free since the guaranty is 12 months.
My machine is one month past guaranty, 13 months old and therefor Apple wants $200 to fix my computer!!
As I can see my iMac ain't covered by the iMac Repair & Extentionprogram since mine is a 2GHz.. My seriealnumber starts with W8519XXXXXX..
Does W8435xxxxxx - W8522xxxxxx mean that all serialnumbers between these two are convered by this program?
http://www.apple.com/support/imac/repairextensionprogram/
How can Apple charge me $200 for a obious production fault?!
iMac G5, 2GHz, 20" Mac OS X (10.4.7)

All serial numbers within the numbers listed should be covered, and your number seems to fall in that category. However, if yours is not a Rev A , Apple may feel that your problem is not the one they are dealing with. They do specifically state:
"Some second generation iMac G5 computers have serial numbers that fall within the upper band of the ranges listed below. Only first generation iMac G5 computers are affected by this program."
I would call them again and try, politely, to point out that not only did your warranty just expire, but that your serial number is among the affected ones and your problem is one of the ones the extension program addresses.
Good luck,
Miriam
Rev A 20" iMac G5, 15"iMac G4, 15"iMac G3 DVD Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Help with kernel and possible power supply problem

From 2 days after getting my imac I had my first Kernel restart. Since then I have done everything apple has asked. Ram resets and removing everything from the imac itself To find that it still had a kernel problem. The error messages are Plugnplay or spinlock usually but have also been various ones such as Kerneltask. I have done a full reinstall of the operating system and only installed official apps from apple store, adobe flash and silverlight and next day was a kernel error for plugnplay.
The imac is currently in the shop for a look at but 2 phonecalls back saying they have had no evidence of errors. In fact its perfect for them. The kernel is usually a few hours from turning it on but can go all day fine But they have had the imac almost a week.
So the only thing I can think of is if it works great for them is either they are really lucky or have a different electricity supply/cable. So this leaves me thinking as stupidly as if it is working perfect for them then could it be a surge protector or power supply causing the random crashes? Even something to do with the power lead itself? I am really pulling at strings and going crazy because the only other thing I have been told to do is spend a week at a time just adding one thing at a time till the error shows itself so could be months and months.
i know kernel issues are historically hard to diagnose but any help would be great. At the moment i have a £3000 paperweight on my desk thats only turned on a few hours a day because I have no faith in it.

Hi Joel,
For the external drive issue try resetting your firewire ports.
To do this, shutdown and disconnect the firewire devices from your computer and from each other if there is a chain of them. Now disconnect the power cords from both your computer and from the firewire devices. Wait fifteen minutes. Connect up again and see what happens. The FW ports on Macs have a 'self re-setting fuse" that requires all power to be removed for a period of time for re-activation.
You may also want to try a PRAM reset if that doesn't resolve the issue. Sometimes this can also be implicated in FW problems. Shut down. Hold down the command option p r keys. Now start up, keeping the keys mentioned depressed until the chimes have sounded three times.
Cheers
Rod

IMac 233 power supply issue

My bondi iMac died several years ago and I've been trying to resurrect it. The AV board was replaced professionally some time back and everything was great until it abruptly would not start. I just replaced the power supply board but all I get is a persistent ticking sound. After mucking around a bit I discovered that if I unplugged the grey cable bundle (with one blue wire) from the power supply board at P908, which connects to the AV board at P505, the computer boots normally but without video. Can anyone identify this cable? Can it go bad? I've tried every suggestion from every forum but nothing else has any impact whatsoever, just tick tick tick....I know I could probably connect an external monitor but I don't have an old one or an adaptor. Besides, that solution lacks elegance. It's too pretty to stick in a beige box.
I love this computer and hate to trash it, so thanks to anyone who can help!

My guess is that it is not a problem with the cable. The problem may be that the power supply board is becoming faulty (weaker). Therefore, when it is not powering up the video subsystem (which probably draws at least half the overall power), the power supply is able to power the rest of the system.
It is also possible that the PAV board has gone bad for the second time. That would explain why it does not work when it is connected. Quite possible. Even replacement parts are old, and even if was not previously used.
Fortunately, it seems like you know how to take that iMac apart all the away, which is not easy (be careful with the high voltage in the backside of the CRT - it's there even when the iMac is disconnected). If the problem is the power supply board, they usually do not go bad, so it should be possible to find a good replacement on eBay or elsewhere. If the problem is the PAV board again, you know the deal...

MSI KT3 Ultra-ARU power supply problem

Hello !
I am a lucky owner of MSI KT3 Ultra-ARU motherboard but have one problem. My power supply Fortron (FSP Group) 300-GT 300W seems to have some kind of incompatibility with this motherboard. In my case, the computer can't be shutted down by software. With BIOS version 2.5 it was impossible to shut it down with button too. With 2.6 it is possible to turn the computer off by button but software shutdown still don't work. PSU is working on ALL other boards I have tested so far normally. Somewhere in discussions (not in this forums) I discovered that also some kind of weird sounds occurs with Fortron supply on this board and that it is incompatible. Have anyone some clues to solve this PSU problem ? I am not able momentally to buy some other kind of PSU because Fortron is the only brand from higher category to obtain, so I would be like to solve this.....
Thanks for any info !

Voltage readings from sensors (current data):
w83697hf-isa-0290
Adapter: ISA adapter
Algorithm: ISA algorithm
VCore: +1.76 V (min = +0.00 V, max = +0.00 V)
+3.3V: +3.34 V (min = +2.97 V, max = +3.63 V)
+5V: +4.89 V (min = +4.50 V, max = +5.48 V)
+12V: +11.89 V (min = +10.79 V, max = +13.11 V)
-12V: -12.44 V (min = -13.21 V, max = -10.90 V)
-5V: -5.01 V (min = -5.51 V, max = -4.51 V)
V5SB: +5.51 V (min = +4.50 V, max = +5.48 V)
VBat: +3.42 V (min = +2.70 V, max = +3.29 V)
fan1: 4560 RPM (min = 1500 RPM, div = 4)
fan2: 2033 RPM (min = 1500 RPM, div = 4)
temp1: +40°C (limit = +60°C) sensor = thermistor
temp2: +44.5°C (limit = +60°C, hysteresis = +50°C) sensor = thermistor
PSU is powering Athlon XP 1700+ processor, the other big power consumer is GeForce4 Ti 4200 GPU. I am not able read currents for specific voltage outputs, so I am not able to measure whole power consumption. Computer is working normally, it is NOT overclocked (but it is stable overclocked too) and the only problem is PSU shutdown by software (win & linux, both of them has this problem). From BIOS v2.6 it is possible to shutdown the computer by power button. If it is tried by software, computer resets itself and three beeps occurs.

IMac 27" Power supply problems?

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