Powermac 9500 power issues

Phandalyon

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Jun 12, 2001
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Hey guys, my neighbor asked me if I would take a look at his old powermac 9500 for him since there are no Mac shops in town.

I know nothing about Macs.

I think it is a bad PSU. Can I test the PSU with a standard atx tester? The plug looks similar. I found a new PSU but I am worried that if I buy that and replace it the computer will still not work. There is some data they would like to get off this hard drive. They also have a Mac G4 if I need to use it for testing.

I am a 100% PC shop, so I doubt any of my equipment will help.

Any thoughts on ways to test and things to look for?
 
The PowerMac 9500 requires a connector similar to the +12V connector in PC's but is larger and with more pins in addition to the ATX-style connector. It will be cheaper to buy a new Mac than to replace this unless you can open it up and replace whatever component is burnt out.
 
I assume you have a multimeter? Check the logic board battery, on a machine this old I wouldnt be surprised if it's dead. Reset the logic board with the little button somewhere on it. Do you get absolutely nothing when pressing the power button? If so, I'd agree its probably a power supply. You could look on eBay or just pull the hard drive, which is SCSI, and back it up to a CD or two for their G4. Then tell them to buy a mini for $499 ;)
 
OK, finally figured out how to disassemble that beast. The little battery on the mobo is supposed to be 3.6V but is reading less than .5V on my new multimeter.

Can that battery stop the computer from having any power at all?

I will also reset the board, but I am not sure it is necessary since the battery is out.

Man that thing is a pain in the ass to trar apart.
 
HOw about pinouts on the PSU? I have searched around and I can't find the pinouts yet. I will keep looking, but if anyone has that handy so I can see if the PSU is generating power with my new multimeter that would be great.

Thanks.
 
Personal experiance: My 8500 and Performa 476 refused to power on when the PRAM battery (that's that purple battery) were too low. RadShack I know usually has them.

If you're interested, I have a spare 8500 (upgraded to a G3) that works perfectly I'd be willing to sell for parts.The G3 upgrade card is a Sonnet Crescendo and works in a 9500. I also have that purple battery :D.
 
The_Mage18 said:
Personal experiance: My 8500 and Performa 476 refused to power on when the PRAM battery (that's that purple battery) were too low. RadShack I know usually has them.

If you're interested, I have a spare 8500 (upgraded to a G3) that works perfectly I'd be willing to sell for parts.The G3 upgrade card is a Sonnet Crescendo and works in a 9500. I also have that purple battery :D.

I will keep your offer in mind. The computer actually belongs to a neighbor, so it would be up to him. But not a bad idea if this thing is going to have problems. Do you have an asking price in mind that I could pass along?

I think I will go grab a battery tomorrow or monday and see if that fixes it, if not I will be looking into power supplies.
 
Phandalyon said:
I will keep your offer in mind. The computer actually belongs to a neighbor, so it would be up to him. But not a bad idea if this thing is going to have problems. Do you have an asking price in mind that I could pass along?

I think I will go grab a battery tomorrow or monday and see if that fixes it, if not I will be looking into power supplies.

How does $120 shipped sound for the whole kit and caboodle? It has a 12X Apple CDROM, an HP 2X CD Burner that you could put in it's place, a 4GB and a 9GB drive, USB card, Twinturbo PCI video card (standard VGA connection) mouse and keyboard. I got it to use as a spare machine for my mother but she's getting a Mac Mini so it's a moot point for me.
 
The_Mage18 said:
How does $120 shipped sound for the whole kit and caboodle? It has a 12X Apple CDROM, an HP 2X CD Burner that you could put in it's place, a 4GB and a 9GB drive, USB card, Twinturbo PCI video card (standard VGA connection) mouse and keyboard. I got it to use as a spare machine for my mother but she's getting a Mac Mini so it's a moot point for me.

That sounds like a very good price. I will talk with my neighbor and see if he wants to go for it. It would be cheaper than buying a refurb PSU and a PRAM battery separately almost. I will talk to him and PM you to let you know.

Thanks for the offer.
 
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