What to do with an old Powerbook...

spencerkayespencerkaye
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Hi,



I have a broken 15" G4 Powerbook (1.5Ghz, 1GB RAM, 80GB HD, etc) that I got in April 2004. The only thing wrong with it is that the light from the screen isn't working (I'm using it now by placing a bright desk lamp behind it). I replaced the screen myself last summer (for around £250) after the laptop fell off my bed and only displayed jagged lines and random colours (I stupidly didn't take out AppleCare and was quoted over £1000 at my local Apple shop to fit a new screen). Anyway, it worked perfectly since then, but last week it suddenly started flashing and the next day stopped working completely. Most of the laptop is in good condition, apart from a few light scratches here and there from everyday use and it works fine in every other aspect.



So I was just wondering... what do you think the best thing for me to do with it is? I'm hoping to replace it with a Macbook soon, but I'd like to get some money from the Powerbook to go towards the cost. Do you think it's worth buying another screen and then fitting it and trying to sell it? I'm worried that if I do this I won't get much more than it would cost me to replace the screen and sell it. Or is it possible to sell it on Ebay or to an Apple technician broken, so they can use it for parts or whatever?



Thanks in advance for any advice.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    monkeyastronautmonkeyastronaut Posts: 1,343member
    what happens if you try to output to an external display?



    if you get a quality image out you could get a cheap CRT, a keyboard and a mouse and use it as a desktop machine, with the lid closed down. that's what i did with my powerbook g4.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    spencerkayespencerkaye Posts: 4member
    The image out works fine, I think it's just the screen lamp (or whatever it's called) that's broken. I would just use it as a desktop, but I need a portable machine, so I can't really do that.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    rbf817rbf817 Posts: 13member
    Strip it down and sell all the parts on ebay for spares. Should make good money, for a new laptop...
  • Reply 4 of 5
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    I'm not even sure if the bulb or bulb's driver circuitry is individually replaceable. You might try to open it up and see if the bulb is blackened. There may be ID numbers on the bulb to see if you can get just the bulb if you think that's the problem.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,326moderator
    I would do something like this:



    http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=207751



    I would probably sell it though and get a Macbook or MBP afterwards. Even the MB is much faster than an old powerbook.
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