Help stop child/mac abuse
My ever wonderful son engaged in some Mac abuse and I need some help to avoid child abuse. (j/k)
You see previously my son had, without anyone looking flexed the lid on my Powerbook in some fashion to cause first one and then later two to three non-working verticle lines to appear across the face of LCD on my Powerbook G4@500. Now he has done something even worse, he snapped the HINGE!
The right hand hinge is now snapped and has sheared into one of the wires so the backlight is no longer working!
I've started browsing ebay for basically replacement lcd's/lids but something tells me this is going to end up easier said than bought/done.
Anyone else had a powerbook damage issue they have had take care of in some manner? This powerbook has about had it between my use and my evil 2 year old son.
Nick
You see previously my son had, without anyone looking flexed the lid on my Powerbook in some fashion to cause first one and then later two to three non-working verticle lines to appear across the face of LCD on my Powerbook G4@500. Now he has done something even worse, he snapped the HINGE!
The right hand hinge is now snapped and has sheared into one of the wires so the backlight is no longer working!
I've started browsing ebay for basically replacement lcd's/lids but something tells me this is going to end up easier said than bought/done.
Anyone else had a powerbook damage issue they have had take care of in some manner? This powerbook has about had it between my use and my evil 2 year old son.
Nick
Comments
take the money and buy a new one. the internal apple docs. actually discuss how fragile the video cable is on these models. it's a problem that's likely to happen again.
Originally posted by Luca
Whatever you do, after you fix it, put the PowerBook in a place where your kid can't reach it. Don't let him use it until he's four or five - that was about the age I was when I started using a computer. And I was using a bulletproof IIcx desktop, not a delicate laptop.
Oh Luca, Luca, Luca... to be so young again.
Whatever would make you think I granted a two year old access to a laptop computer or even make you think I left it some place where he could get it.
My son has cobbled together stacks of whatever is necessary to take items 6 feet off the ground. (keys that had a flashlight he wanted to play with for example) In this instance he did it in the middle of the night when he had awoken and everyone else was asleep.
I watched my other son routinely use a rake/branch/broom/whatever he could find to pop open the latch on a gate that was about 5 and a half feet off the ground. He did this of course so he could strip off his diaper and run into the street.
In short, let me sum up every child developmental study ever done in all of history in one short sentence. They're not as dumb as we thought they were.
As for giving them a II cx, I would give the 4 year old that, but he would sneer at it since it doesn't have wireless access to the internet like his current computer,
Someday you will see Luca, someday... start feeding the kids beer and chips to solve the problem... as in lead paint chips, not potato.
Nick
Originally posted by segovius
I haven't had to use it (touch wood) but I hear Powerbook Parts is a good site for spares.
Worst I've had so far was when my 4 year old daughter tipped wine all over my Pro keyboard but I managed to dissassemble it, get it cleaned and have it back working.
If I was in your position, I'd justify a substantial upgrade out of this though
I was thinking of justifying the upgrade. But then Apple would actually have to UPDATE their current offerings. I'm not going to buy 10 months after the last update and then watch them introduce a new laptop a week later.
Originally posted by alcimedes
fix the hinge yourself if you're tech savvy. then sell it on e-bay.
It would still have the verticle lines though. I'd probably make as some parting it out I would think. Good keyboard, dvd-rom, airport card, ac cord, hard drive, 256 SO-DIMM, motherboard, etc.
Nick
Originally posted by trumptman
Oh Luca, Luca, Luca... to be so young again.
Whatever would make you think I granted a two year old access to a laptop computer or even make you think I left it some place where he could get it.
My son has cobbled together stacks of whatever is necessary to take items 6 feet off the ground. (keys that had a flashlight he wanted to play with for example) In this instance he did it in the middle of the night when he had awoken and everyone else was asleep.
(etc)
Come to think of it, I recall pictures my parents took of me after I climbed up on top of the fridge, threw down a bag full of bread crumbs, and then climbed down and licked them off the floor. I guess it's lucky my parents never had a laptop when I was growing up
Anyway, if you can find a service manual (I have most of them, in PDF format), and a replacement part, you might just be able to fix this thing yourself. eBay may well have some semi-dead or for-parts PowerBooks available, and www.pbparts.com is also a possibility if you can't find what you need on eBay. In this case, I think buying from eBay would probably be fine, because I doubt someone would try to scam people on a broken PowerBook. Otherwise, you might want to try something like www.powerbookresq.com to get it fixed. They charge $400 for you to send it in, get the hinge replaced, and send it back out. That's kinda steep, but probably better than what Apple would charge you for the same thing.
Funny that your two-year-old is so discriminating about what computer he uses. I guess he wants the one his dad uses. Is he already learning how to type?
Originally posted by trumptman
It would still have the verticle lines though. I'd probably make as some parting it out I would think. Good keyboard, dvd-rom, airport card, ac cord, hard drive, 256 SO-DIMM, motherboard, etc.
Nick
You might be able to get a few hundred bucks for it if you sold it intact, but with the broken screen. That's one thing you can find on eBay but not many other places - broken screen laptops. They almost always get plenty of bids because they hold a certain appeal as a portable desktop that can fit in a keyboard tray. You just hook up an external monitor and use it like you would any other desktop. So consider selling it on eBay with the broken screen, and you'll probably get a decent price for it. Do wait until an update, though... it's been quite a long time. Last time it took 11 months, so if it takes just as long this time, you'll have to wait until August. I don't think it'll take that long though (let's hope...).
sorry 'bout the note book
<after thought>
if you are looking to sell, how much would you take for it broken? (I have a few monitors arround and would be willing to try and fix it if I wanted a truely mobile mac), I am just looking for something to cut my teeeth on osx
The only thing to do is to buy him his own PowerBook. That way he will learn how to treat things with care.
I recommend the PowerBook 17". He'll be less able to move it and throw it, it's so heavy. And if he does, most of the screen will still be usable. Plus the hinge is a bit stronger, so it's more likely that it will survive if he, say, puts the PowerBook face down to make a little tent for the cat.
But make sure you keep plenty of oven mitts handy in your kitchen. If he decides to use the PowerBook 17" as a cookie sheet, you don't want him to burn his hands on it. That would be irresponsible.
So, bottom line, no amount of money is "too much" to let your child the discover the wonders of computers and industrial design.
P.S.
My joke depends on you not having the 17.
Re: abuse. A sack of sweet valenica oranges...
13 bids, $230, and he's charging $40 for shipping? And that's just for a 400 MHz!
That way the new G5 pBooks will be released and then I can upgrade
Originally posted by ShawnJ
I paid $670 to get my powerbook hinge fixed.
Yikes! How did it get broken... commiserate with me.
Where is the crying uncontrollably large tears smilie?
Nick
Originally posted by ShawnJ
Here's what happened...
It just fell out of my bag one day getting of my car. Unfortunately, I didn't spring $15 for the flap-cover on my WF Designs sleevecase- and guess where it landed? Right on the exposed part, of course. Well, it cracked off one of the hinges. (one of the flaws in the original tibook design, mind you: delicate, exposed hinges. granted, titanium is never supposed to shake hands with asphalt...)
Apple charged me according to their Tiered Repair Pricing. (Tier 2 for plastics)
That sucks. Doesn't stop me from still lusting after another Powerbook, but it sucks.
Apple is a love/hate evil curse sort of relationship.
Nick