Talk:iBook logic board

From Mac Guides

A possible solution to the iBook g4 logic board issue involves applying pressure to the bottom of the iBook case, in the bottom left hand corner of the laptop. Some people are using clamps to do this; others are removing the bottom case and taping or inserting a 1.5 - 2mm shim inside which, when the case is assembled again, places the required pressure on the logic board. There is uncertainty about why this works, but it is possible that soldering on the board, which has come undone due to wear and tear and flexing of the laptop, is reconnected by the pressure of the clamp or shim.

My story: I purchased a refurbished iBook G4 800 Mhz from Apple in August of 2004. Seven months beyond my warranty, the laptop froze completely.

I restarted. It froze at a blue screen. Restarted again. Froze. Again. Froze. I waited 30 minutes. It worked for 15 minutes...and then froze. I booted from a CD. Worked and then froze. I waited 24 hours, booted from a CD, reinstalled part of OS X. Froze again. I was like: if it's the hard drive, why did it freeze while booting of the CD? If it's the CD, then why freeze with the hard drive? Maybe it's the RAM! Nope. I removed the RAM. Still froze. Internet search, googling resulted in knowledge that many of these iBook G4's have logic board issues. I saw a posting that suggested the "clamp" method. IT WORKED!!!!!!!

However, the clamp is, as you might expect, annoying, and renders the trackpad button unuseable. A more elegant solution was needed.

Thinking that the pressure of the clamp on the bottom of the case, on the bottom left hand corner, was what was necessary, I removed the bottom plastic case of the computer. I taped together 2mm of playing cards and stuck them to that corner of the bottom case with double-sided tape. With the plastic case pressing on the cards pressing on the logic board, problem solved, with no clamp. As I write, my computer is working as normal, with no problems. This kind of fix seems better suited to an air-conditioner or other, less complex machine, not a computer, but it works nonetheless.

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