Power Supply problems? how to replace

i think my power supply started making a buzzing noise tonight. i opened my mac up and vacuumed it out, ran the apple hardware test, and the noise is still there. it is not loud, and it sounds like it is coming from the back bottom corner where the power supply sits.
i checked http://www.apple.com/support/powermac/powersupply/repairextension/ and my serial # is in the range that might have faulty power supplies.
the problem is apple won't replace it until it fails completely. i want to avoid that, so how do i know for sure it's the power supply making noise? if so, where do i buy a new one? the apple store doesn't seem to sell them.

that's a bummer that yours died completely. mine made that noise for 2 days, then the noise went away. in the past week it did it again, for about 12 hours.
i'm out of luck with the 3 year deal. i called apple store to see if i can order a replacement power supply and they had no idea what i was talking about. the guy pretended he did, then told me it would cost $40 to get a new cable to "plug my mac in". they didn't even know what a power supply was.
so do you have to send your computer in to apple to have it "repaired" or is it just dead? i'm curious because i wonder how much apple charges to replace the power supply, or if i can purchase one somewhere else and replace it myself.

Similar Messages

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

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.

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.

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...

K8T Neo FSR Unusual Power Supply Problem

Hi folks! I've been using my Neo mobo for a couple years now. Recently I noticed the 3.3V line was dropping. It steadily over a week's time went from 3.3 to 2.6. At 2.6 I was getting constant artifacts and instability. Thinking of course that it was the power supply's fault, I replaced it. This one lasted two months, but just like the other, started off fine, then 3.3 slowly dropped to 2.6.
Is there anyway this can be something other than the power supply? I'm utterly confused; two power supplys shouldn't die slowy on the exact same line.
Thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thx!
Edit:
Realized y'all need more info :P
athlon 64 3000+
radeon 9800pro
two harddrives
one optical
sound blaster audigy
K8T Neo FSR mobo
1st PSU: Aspire 550W, 34A on 12v and 28A on 3.3v
2nd PSU: Generic 500W, 28A on 12v and 26A on 3.3v
Edit 2: Just a note, ALL other voltages were stable. It was ONLY the 3.3v line that droped.

Quote from: Bas on 30-January-06, 05:16:17
The onlything that could cause that is bad-connection between the connectors....ergo like not pushed in far enough....
(could be because of fluids too, but I find that rather unlikely)
Both those cases seem unlikely...I know for a fact there were no fluids, and I'm 99.9% sure the cable was inserted properly. Doesn't it mean something that it was ONLY the 3.3v cables that were burned?
BTW, what makes you think it's the video card? Since it's getting power from a molex that only has 5v and 12v lines, why would it need 3.3?

[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.

I had an Intel-iMac fried by lightening. UPS, surge protectors but it happened as I was reaching to unplug. Cold now. Could it just be the power supply? Can I replace that myself?

This is the full question since I couldn't get it all in the box.
I have some complex questions regarding an iMac, a Time-Machine backup, and iTunes on an iPod.
I live about halfway up an extinct volcano about 12 miles north of San Jose Costa Rica. Some months ago, we had a thunderstorm and as I reached to unplug my computers lightening struck about 50 meters from my house. I had an iMac with a 3-Tb external backup drive, a PC laptop and a laser printer on the same power strip. There was a definite surge and the light brighten and then power was lost for a few minutes.
When power was restored, the PC and the laser printer seemed to work fine but the iMac was cold.
First questions: Is is possible that the power supply was fried and not other essential parts? Would it be worthwhile to replace the power supply? Can I, with limited experience and tools do it or need I take it to a technician? My concern is that if the hard-drive is good, there is personal information on it that I don't want to risk.
Next question: Do I need to replace the hard-drive before taking it for service? How hard is that, can I do it? I have seen videos of the drive replacement on-line.
Those are my iMac questions, now the questions about backup restoration.
If there is a saving grace with this it is that the Time-Machine backup seems fine although I have only accessed the data through Finder. I replaced the iMac with a Macbook Air with significantly less mass storage and I can't just move files to the Macbook. My problem is that I have an iTunes library of some 10,000 songs on the backup and until recently on a 160 Gb iPod which was old and it crashed. I have replaced the iPod but have not tried to restore the iTunes library to it because of my confusion about how to do that. Can anyone tell me how I might do that or give me any insight into the process?
Thanks for any help you can give.

Is is possible that the power supply was fried and not other essential parts? Would it be worthwhile to replace the power supply? Can I, with limited experience and tools do it or need I take it to a technician? My concern is that if the hard-drive is good, there is personal information on it that I don't want to risk
Quite possible, but working on iMacs is not easy, & PSU might be prohibitive.
Hopefully the Drive might have info on it, but even pulling that out can be a chore.
If you don't know the model, find the Serial# & use it on one of these sites, but don't post the Serial# here...
http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html
http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php
How to find the serial number of your Apple hardware product...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1349
I have replaced the iPod but have not tried to restore the iTunes library to it because of my confusion about how to do that. Can anyone tell me how I might do that or give me any insight into the process?
I'd get an external drive & restore the whole works to it, then boot from the External drive.

External Drive - Power Supply Problem

Hi All,
I have a problem with my Lacie External HD, i know it's not an Apple product but it is used with my Apple machines and formatted for Apple OS. Also the folks here are very knowledgeable.
I have a Lacie D2 Triple Interface http://salestores.com/stores/images/images_747/301146U.jpg
The drive is not powering up, I have read online that they are know to have Power supply issues since mine went down. I have used the D2's power cable to power up my other external Lacie Mini drive and it is fine. So i can rule the power cable out the equation.
The tiny green light on the power supply is flickering when plugged into the D2 drive.
No blue light on the drive either.
I am prepared to open the drive up and try to fix the power supply, but is there any online guide to doing this? I can't find anything!
Any advice / help is appreciated.
cheers

First thing to try is see if LaCie will replace the power brick, and that is what most people mean by "power supply" issues.
The other is how LaCie products tend to disrupt FW ports and cause problems, which is something that they are also prone to, should not, and don't find with others.
There use to be more attention to hot-swapping FW cable and Isolate brand or feature to prevent a FW port or device from being 'fried' by hot-swapping or plugging in a hot cable.
I'd move my drives to either another Firewire product, or more to native SATA.
http://www.macsales.com/firewire/
Also, the ability to use USB/FW/eSATA (quad interface) means there is a bridge, and that in itself can impose a limit on I/O and how well a drive can talk to the other end. Drives today are faster than even FW800 can deliver.

Trackpad, warped casing, & power supply problems...

macbook ultimate:
I've been having trouble with the trackpad (and its not software settings such as accidental input etc) but the very centre of the pad is less sensitive and the pointer skips across it. I downloaded sidetrack, and the problem becomes even more pronounced as you can change the velocity curve of the movement.
On top of this, there's a problem with the power supply. When it's been on for a while, there's a high pitched electrical noise coming off it, and sometimes the fan goes into super overdrive for half an hour. (I tried updating firmware, but it tells me I already have the update.
Another ! problem is that the casing isn't fixed onto the laptop properly on the left (it creaks and moves). Anyone else had his problem?
I can live with it for a while as I'm travelling around alot, but was wondering if I can exchange the whole lot for a new one. Its all poorly manufactured in a rush. Quality control is non-apparent.
How long can I leave it before getting it replaced by Apple?
cheers folks
George W.

There is nothing obligating them to replace the machine after whatever initial perid (usually 15-30 days) they specify where you bought it. Their promise is to fix any problems, which they will make good on, eventually. It might take 2 or 3 or 4 trips back to the AppleCare depot, with 1 or 2 or 3 weeks delay each time, but they will take care of any problems. I share your frustration, having waited 3 weeks and gotten my machine back with a new problem (warped/loose bezel).

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.

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.

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

Sudden Power Supply Problem

Hello. My 17" PowerBook G4 is just over 1 year old. It's been working great until now. Suddenly the battery went dead. When I plugged in the charger, the "charging" light is blinking green. There doesn't appear to be any damage to the charger, plugs, sockets etc. If I "reset" the charger it continues to behave the same. Any ideas?

I'm sorry to say that after playing mix and match with my buddies Powerbook/Battery/PowerSupply for an evening, we pretty much isolated the problem to the PowerBrick. Don't know why it went bad, but it did. I'm going to have to agree with all the reviews/comments that say the PowerBrick is too fragile. On a personal note, I am very dissappointed with Apple for having such a weak link in their chain.
I have replaced the brick with a Kensington A0532 70Watt universal power supply for Apple Laptops and iPods. It works like a charm, and cost the same as a brick, $80. It is white, and comes with 2 different sized laptop plugs, and an adaptor to charge an iPod directly. It has a very long DC cord, but a very very short (1 inch?) AC cord. It works well for my purposes.
A friend of mine has a Targus 90Watt adaptor for the Mac (A14US?) which he loves. His was $120 but came with DC in plugs for the car and airplane.

Mega 180 Pro Power Supply Bad - How do I order a new one? | SPLIT

Good evening.
I look for a moderator.
I have a problem that I bought it it ebay-en single MSI Mega 865 Pro Media Center PC. But not good his power-supply unit. In Hungary there is not a power-supply unit to it.
How I can obtain a good one

Quote from: gnctiger on 17-July-10, 07:45:57
Good evening.
I am a Hungarian citizen.
There is distributor in Hungary though here at us, but they do not have a component to it already. Nearly MSI centre it is in Germany
Well, call them back and ask where to ask for such since they don't have it,.
Or to tell the PSU specifications
Quote from: gnctiger on 17-July-10, 07:56:05
Good evening.
Stupid question, but I ask it.
Is not for somebody into a machine like this his power-supply unit for sale?
Buy/trade/sale is not allowed in a forum.
You can try e-bay or such instead

Power Supply problems? how to replace

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