Please Help... PowerBook G3 (firewire) battery refuses to charge
I hope someone can help me with this issue....
I have a PowerBook G3 computer (firewire, 640 MB RAM, 400 MHZ, OS X 10.1.5). I have rarely used my battery since buying the computer, but recently I need to use it. My first attempt to use the battery on my computer gave me about 3 hrs of power. It charged just fine (so I thought at the time...), but on my next attempt using it, the battery lasted like only 2 hours. Now, it will not charge at all. I have read through Apple's support pages until I became suicidal. It seems every PowerBook, even within the G3 series, has different ways to reset and check issues with a battery.
I have tried:
-zapping the PRAM (1,2,3,and 4 chimes before restart)
-resetting the Power Manager (by removing the battery and AC adapter...then holding the little reset button on the back of the machine for like 30 secs)
-booting into OS 9 to see if it might be a system related problem
-Following Apple's advice of a low charge battery (and feeling like an idiot) They say to remove battery for like a minute, and then you push it back into the computer for 30 secs (repeat until you want to throw computer, battery and all out window).
-I tried placing the battery in the other slot (where my DVD drive is normally...) This attempt did get the green lights on the side of the battert to flash, and now the lights flash when I press the idicator button on the battery. Howver, this sign is the only sign of life my battery displays now.
Honestly, I am starting to feel like I'm molesting my poor computer, and the battery is still dead.
I do not have access to another battery, unfortunately, and I do not have a seperate charger. I know the battery could be dead, period, but I have hardly used it since buying the computer. So I know it is not from over use.
Any ideas or advice would be appreciated a lot. I really need my battery now, and go figure, it will not work at all.
I have a PowerBook G3 computer (firewire, 640 MB RAM, 400 MHZ, OS X 10.1.5). I have rarely used my battery since buying the computer, but recently I need to use it. My first attempt to use the battery on my computer gave me about 3 hrs of power. It charged just fine (so I thought at the time...), but on my next attempt using it, the battery lasted like only 2 hours. Now, it will not charge at all. I have read through Apple's support pages until I became suicidal. It seems every PowerBook, even within the G3 series, has different ways to reset and check issues with a battery.
I have tried:
-zapping the PRAM (1,2,3,and 4 chimes before restart)
-resetting the Power Manager (by removing the battery and AC adapter...then holding the little reset button on the back of the machine for like 30 secs)
-booting into OS 9 to see if it might be a system related problem
-Following Apple's advice of a low charge battery (and feeling like an idiot) They say to remove battery for like a minute, and then you push it back into the computer for 30 secs (repeat until you want to throw computer, battery and all out window).
-I tried placing the battery in the other slot (where my DVD drive is normally...) This attempt did get the green lights on the side of the battert to flash, and now the lights flash when I press the idicator button on the battery. Howver, this sign is the only sign of life my battery displays now.
Honestly, I am starting to feel like I'm molesting my poor computer, and the battery is still dead.
I do not have access to another battery, unfortunately, and I do not have a seperate charger. I know the battery could be dead, period, but I have hardly used it since buying the computer. So I know it is not from over use.
Any ideas or advice would be appreciated a lot. I really need my battery now, and go figure, it will not work at all.
Comments
flashing lights would be a sign of a problem with the battery, i've never seen the battery on my old g3 powerbook do that.
if they light up and stay green, that's better.
otherwise i don't know what to tell you.
it sounds like it's charging. it sounds like that battery then holds the charge, just not for very long.
could it just be that the battery has gotten old and won't hold a charge for very long now? it's got to be at least 3 years old now, right?
I took the battery out of my computer (do not wanna damage the computer by my forcing it to try to use a bad battery), and now I push the button to see nothing at all. No lights...nothing...
I guess the computer series could have ended three years ago. I believe mine is approaching 2 years old (come November...). I bought it cheaper before the release of the new Titanium PowerBook through the student promotion that Apple offered at the time.
I think it is dead too...*sighs* But I never really used it at all. Could not using the battery kill it?
actually, now that i think about it, the one light might flash if it has 0 juice left. if it's not charging in either slot i'd try and find someone with a similar model and see if it charges there. then at least you'd know if it was the battery or the PB.
If you get any use of the battery it is most likely just a dieing battery. But know that it may be a Power Management module problem and not a battery problem. Checking it with a borrowed battery, as indicated earlier, is a good idea before spending $200 on a battery that may not work either.
Good luck