Power Mac G4 dead battery ?

I am wondering if my battery is dead.
I had stored my G4 Dual 1.25 GHz MDD for about 5 months while I moved to a new location and built my new recording studio. Upon powering it up it ran fine the first day (only had it powered up for about 10 minutes). The second time (a few days later), it was fine for 10 minutes, then the displays went off on their own (they weren't set to sleep). They would come off and on intermittently. When they were on, sometimes I had use of the mouse and keyboard and sometimes I wouldn't. After a few minutes of this they would stay off. Once they were off, the power button did not respond like it usually does. If I held it down or 5 seconds trying to power off, it would not respond. It didn't matter how long I held it, it would never power off. The only way I could power off was to pull the plug. After doing that, I restarted and reset the PRAM. It powered up and I had to reset the date and time. It seemed like it was ok for a minute, then the monitors went dark again, went on and off 3 or 4 times, then stayed off. The power button again did not respond normally.
Is this all due to a dead battery, or is there another problem ?
In the new studio, I did set up the G4 on it's side.
I'm wondering if this had anything to do with it.
any help would be appreciated.
thanks
Steve
G4 Dual 1.25GHz MDD Mac OS X (10.3.8)

Thanks or your help, Tom.
I tried reseting the PRAM, and I also reset the PMU button.
I think there is something wrong with the logic board.
I will re-post with a new title.
The heat sync is extremely hot, and the larger fan that is directed at the heat sync is not working.
I just found this article when I did a search for power mac G4 fan: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=95038
in that article, it mentions 2 LED's that should be either both on or both off, and there is only one of these LED's that is light
<1. Power Macintosh G4 (PCI Graphics): Check LEDs DS7 and DS8 on the logic board. In a working unit, these LEDs should be in sync with each other: both on or both off. If one LED is on and the other is off, there is a problem.>
any idea what this means ?
thanks
Steve
www.SteveJankowski.com
G4 Dual 1.25GHz MDD Mac OS X (10.3.8)
G4 Dual 1.25GHz MDD Mac OS X (10.3.8)

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Power Mac G4 Dead?

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If you pulled the AC power cord out while you worked on it, your Mac may be suffering from a dead battery. It will tend to forget where the display is and what its resolution should be. It can also cause additional problems. I suggest you do a PMU Reset, and since your battery may be dead, to do it with the AC power cord installed.
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I am having issues very similar to this post: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=469582&tstart=0
I have tried a deep reset, reset the PRam, battery voltage is 3.6 volts, reseated the Ram, processor, and video card, unplugged anything extra and just left it as stock. (by the way the processor heat sink is cold when it usually gets quite warm)
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ENIGMACODE,
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i love this little guy.
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Hello Nicholas,
I recently retired my hard working 350 slot so I know how great the computer can be.
Unplugging for a moment should not have affected the battery.
I would respectfully suggest you start with the simple things such as:
1. - Make certain the power source is not on a switch and that it is good
2. - Be certain the power chord is fully seated in the back of the computer and wall socket.
3. - If trying to start from the keyboard button, try using the button on the face of the computer
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I always like to start with the simple things when I have a problem.
Now that the battery is removed it could cause a bit of a problem. I think I would install the battery
and check the above mentioned ideas. If still no power, then I would replace the battery.
It doesn;t seem logical that the power supply would just go as a result of the board.
I would try to get the computer up and running.
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boots so that I could back up to my external.
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Look at the suggestions I made on a similar post https://discussions.apple.com/message/15326853#15326853
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Hello
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Sometimes it just freezes. Other times it freezes and the computer fans go on high. It will finally get to a point where it shows the grey multi-language restart screen (where it says to hold down the button to shut it off and the restart).
It was frustrating because on my workbench it was running fine after I switched the video card, and it didn't freeze at all. When I moved it to our computer desk though, the problems returned. Tonight it was to the point where it didn't last 5 minutes.
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3. When it is heating up with use, something is expanding and not connecting any longer.
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Hi Curtis,
I'm not sure though if 80C is normal for a G5 or not. I noticed that when it was unplugged that it wouldn't retain the time
Nope, not normal, way too hot, above 70°C... If you have any temps in the 70°C/160°F range, that's likely it.
Have you blown the dust out of everything with high pressure air?\
1. Maybe All the RAM is bad
The Memory test can really only be trusted if it finds a problem, not if it doesn't find a problem.
Memtest OS X...
http://www.memtestosx.org/joomla/index.php
Rember is a freeware GUI for the memtest ...
http://tech.kateva.org/2005/10/rember-freeware-memory-test-utility.html
If you're sure the RAM is good, try the Hair Dryer trick...
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=13240047#13240047
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15223603#15223603
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15499912#15499912
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15613068#15613068
It can show on any G5, and even many other computers & electronic devices of the period.
http://www.macintouch.com/reliability/pmg5.html
http://lowendmac.com/ppc/power-macintosh-g5.html
2. Maybe the dead battery is messing it up?
Might be time to replace the PRAM Battery, 4 years is close to their lifespan, far less if ever without AC power, & can cause strange startup problems, thoigh not once vooted as a rule...
See which one your G5 has...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/CR2032/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/BAA36VPRAM/
3. When it is heating up with use, something is expanding and not connecting any longer.
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https://discussions.apple.com/message/16223700#16223700

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Hi, Toolshed4!
Third Party USB devices and USB PCI cards are notorious potential culprits for no wake from sleep issues so please follow japamac's lead and look at them as potential culprits. Disconnect the external peripherals and test sleep/wake. Swap a third party keyboard and/or mouse with your Apple one(s) and test. Remove any PCI cards, and test. (It's perhaps good practice to reset the PMU after you add or remove an internal component.)
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If the above didn't resolve things, please continue on...
Corrupt Energy Saver preferences are sometimes the cause. Quit System Preferences if it's opened and navigate to /Library/Preferences/System Configuration (folder) and delete the following preference files:
com.apple.PowerManagement.plist
com.apple.AutoWake.plist
(The AutoWake plist file may or may not be present, depending on whether or not you have/had scheduled sleep settings.)
Then navigate to ~/Library/Preferences and delete the com.apple.systemuiserver.plist preference file. Restart and test sleep again.
If your battery is old, it's a good idea to just get a new one. The worst that can happen is that you'll have a spare when you need it. They're about $5 online. If you go to Radio Shack with the one you have, they'll test it for you. Alternately, put a voltmeter on it and insure that you're reading at least 3.3 volts DC. New ones read 3.6 - 3.9 volts.
Gary
Message was edited by: Majordadusma

Power Mac G5 wont boot.

Hey everyone!
This is my first time posting here, but I get all my technical problems solved here, so thank you to everyone!
Anyway, getting on to my problem (which I cannot find a answer to)
My Power Mac decided the other day it wasnt going to boot up. All that would happen when I pressed the power button would be the red light (on the logic board) would flash while I can the button pressed it, I would hear 2 clicks like a relay, and that was it. Nothing, it would never boot.
So I switched the computer off at the wall, left it for 2/3 minutes, and all was fine, would boot and restart. But, if I shut down the computer, I would not be able to get it to turn back on, unless I switched it off at the wall again.
I do know that turning it off at the wall resets the SMU? So would there be a problem with my SMU or something? No idea if that is even possible!!
Can anyone shed some light on the problem? Just to let you know the computer was never droppped/banged/hit etc etc. I was on it, turn it off to pop out for a hour, came back and its been like that ever since
Any help will be much appriciated!
James

Hi James, and a warm welcome to the forums!
Not sure which Mac it is you have with the l essuseful new forums, but it sounds like the classic case of either a bad/low,/dead PRAM battery, or a leaking Capacitor.
Might be time to replace the PRAM Battery, 4 years is close to their lifespan, far less if ever without AC power, & if weak can cause really strange problems...
See which one your Mac has...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/CR2032/
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I have a Power MAC G5 dual 2ghz that has a peculiar problem. The monitor will not report until the machine is stopped and started 5 or 6 times. Once booted it will restart without problem if done so from the apple menu. Swapped out all hardware

My Power MAC G5 has a peculiar problem. The monitor fails to report until the machine is started and shut down 5 or 6 times. Once it has booted it can be restarted without incident from the Apple menu. I have swapped out all of the hardware. Monitor, Memmory,Video Card and reset the PRAM. After resetting the PRAM it booted on the first attempt and I thought it was solved. But the next day it was back to starting and stopping until the Monitor came on. Does anyone have a suggestion? Thanks

It could be a bad PRAM battery corrupting your PRAM. Typically when I have monitor issues on startup it is a bad PRAM battery.
Texas Mac Man's PRAM, battery, PMU tutorial - https://sites.google.com/site/macpram/mac-pram-nvram-cuda-pmu-battery-tutorial
Apple's PRAM reset directions - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
If you have a digital multimeter you can check the condition of your present battery. It should read at least 3.2V if it is the 3.6V half-AA battery type. A new battery provides 3.67 Volts DC. A bad battery provides under 3.2 Volts DC. Ideally this should be measured while the battery is under load; added recommendation from Hans777:
>I have recently found out that an exhausted battery will still indicate >3.6 V with a high internal resistance VM.
>
>Checking incircuit: powercord disconnected press PMU reset button for >about 5 sec before measuring.
>
>Checking outside: load the battery with a 1500 Ohm resistor when measuring.
Alternatively, test the battery while it is still in the computer.
If the battery is more than 5 years old, especially if you totally disconnect the computer from the power regularly, or have left it unplugged for several months at one time, it is likely the battery is dead.
Sometimes you have to do a more intensive reset of hardware management:
[Resetting Cuda/PMU on Power Mac G5, Power Mac G4, Power Macintosh G3|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1939]
[How to reset the SMU on a Power Mac G5 (Late 2004) or Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1436]
[iMac G5: How to Reset the SMU|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1767]

Power Mac 6100 and Mac IIsi Files rescue needed

I have a PowerMac 6100 and a Mac IIsi that I need to rescue the files I have on the hard drives. I haven't turned either of these babies on since 2000. Do you think I have a chance of rescuing them? When I shut down my PowerMac before I moved I couldn't rebuild the desktop anymore. The other Mac has all my Mom's files that she typed before she passed away. If you have any ideas of what I can do, I would appreciate the help.
PowerMac 6100 Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier MacIIsi

Aleki,
Start up the computers and see if they work. The 6100 will probably have a dead battery and need a little extra trick to get the monitor to start up. Push the power button in. After ten seconds, push the power button off then on quickly. This will wake up the monitor.
I had a total stranger drive up to the house and ask for a computer so I said "let's give this one a try for the fun of it." I grabbed an LC 580 that had been out in the pacific/inland northwest weather for over a year ( our storms come in from Portland) and the Mac started right up. I do not recommend leaving your computer out in the rain but if you forget one out in the yard, just dry it out and start it up. No moving parts - just blow the dust out of the disk drive. lol
You will need to put an IBM floppy disk into the drive, open files and save them as rtf files to the floppy for the most convenient file transfers.
Jim

Power Mac G4 dead battery ?

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