Many thanks Simon, Clark and Jim for all the info - it thus seems that Ruby ain't broke, so I won't fix her. Cheers - peter
On 18 Dec 2008, at 20:21, Jim Scott wrote: > > > On Dec 18, 2008, at 11:04 AM, Clark Martin wrote: > >> >> Peter Mc Court wrote: >>> Learned ones, >>> >>> I just rescued a Ruby iMac (G3, 400MHz, 36GB HD, CD drive, 256MB >>> RAM, >>> OS9.2.1, Firmware 4.1.9) from the Uni skip. She (Ruby) is fully >>> functional, except that I need to use the power button on the box to >>> start her up. >>> >>> None of the keyboard power buttons for my other 3 iMacs (similar >>> vintage) can start Ruby up, but they all can shut her down. >>> >>> I see that Ruby's power button is sits more deeply in the bezel >>> than on >>> the other iMacs, so I guess she has been subject to some abuse. Is >>> there >>> an easy fix for this power button issue? I've read that one should >>> avoid >>> using the power button that sits on the iMac box. >> >> Don't believe everything you read (except this :). There is nothing >> wrong with using the button on the computer to power the computer up. >> It is not recommended to use it to turn the computer off, you should >> use >> a controlled shut down instead. >> >> If the button works to initiate a shut down then the button is okay. >> The difference is on power up the button sends a signal through the >> USB >> connection to start the computer. This was a non-standard >> implementation of USB and Apple eventually abandoned it. It's >> possible >> the iMac is "new" enough that it doesn't implement the keyboard power >> on, I don't know when things changed. >> >> Me, I wouldn't worry about it, just use the power button on the >> computer. >> > > What Clark said, plus this: > > Somewhere in the 400 MHz G3 iMac production run, probably fairly close > to startup of 450 MHz production, Apple stopped using power on from > the keyboard. I've seen some 400 MHz units that would power on from > the keyboard; others that wouldn't. I've also seen some early 400 MHz > units that wouldn't run Apple Hardware Test while later units will. So > it's clear to me that some major shifts in iMac G3s happened during > the 400 MHz run. I've not seen that many 450 MHz iMacs, but I don't > think any I saw would start from the keyboard. All 500 MHz G3 iMacs > (both those with Motorola processors and those with IBM processors) > will start only from the built-in power button. The same is true of > the IBM-only 600 and 700 MHz. > > Your built-in power button may have a weak return spring, which is why > it doesn't sit flush with the bezel. Or someone may have opened up the > unit, fiddled with the internal power button (yep, there are two -- > three actually -- the outer button pushes on the spring-loaded inner > button, which has a projection that pushes the actually power button), > broke something and jury rigged a fix. As long as yours works, I'd > leave it alone. > > HTH, > > Jim > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Low End Mac's iMac List, a group for those using G3, G4, G5, and Intel Core iMacs as well as Apple eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to imaclist-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist?hl=en Low End Mac RSS feed at feed://lowendmac.com/feed.xml -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
