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PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement

What you need

  1. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement, Battery: step 1, image 1 of 1
    • Orient the computer so that the side with the line of screws on it is away from you.

    • Use your thumbs to push both battery release tabs away so that the edge of the battery lifts up.

    • Lift the battery out of the computer.

  2. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement, Upper Case: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the three identical Phillips screws from the memory door.

  3. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the memory door up enough so that you can get a grip on it, and slide it toward you, pulling it away from the casing.

  4. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • Release the tabs on each side of the RAM chip at the same time. These tabs lock the chip in place and releasing them will cause the chip to "pop" up.

    • Pull the chip directly out from its connectors. If there is a second RAM chip installed, pop it out in the same manner.

    • This is a diagram of the trackpad ribbon clamp connector you will disconnect in the next step.

    • 1) With your fingernails, grasp the locking bar on either side slide it a small amount (about 1/16" or 2 mm) towards the battery.

    • 2) After disengaging the locking bar, slide the cable out of the connector.

  5. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 1
    • For this step, you only need to move the connector about 2 mm. Pulling too hard or too far will damage the connector.

    • Loosen the trackpad connector by pulling the locking bar toward the battery housing, using the tips of your fingers.

    • Slide the trackpad cable out of the loosened connector.

    • When reattaching the trackpad ribbon cable, make sure that the orange cable is slid into the connector above the locking bar.

    • Note: When reassembling the case, the trackpad cable can get stuck below the slot to the motherboard. It's possible to nudge it out slowly by gently prodding it on either side with a small screwdriver. You don't need to use much force to do this. Eventually it will just pop back out and you can reconnect as per the instructions above. Also, note that the locking bar comes loose so if you see a little piece of plastic lying around when reassembling, that's what it is. :)

  6. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following 10 screws from the bottom case:

    • Three 1.7 mm Phillips from the front edge of the battery compartment.

    • One 3.9 mm T8 Torx to the right of the memory card.

    • One 6.9 mm T8 Torx at the left edge of the memory compartment.

    • Three 12.4 mm fully threaded Phillips from the center of the row of screws along the back edge of the case.

    • Two 15.1 mm 2.5 mm threaded Phillips, one from either end of the row of screws along the back edge of the case.

    • Turn the computer over and rotate it so that the DVI port faces you.

    • Remove the four identical Phillips screws spread along this edge of the case.

    • Turn the computer 180 degrees so that the power receptacle faces you, and remove the four Phillips screws (identical to those in the last step).

  7. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 1
    • Open the computer and turn it so that the screen faces you.

    • Pull the upper case off, lifting from the back, and working around the edges.

  8. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 11, image 1 of 1
    • Use a spudger to loosen the casing if it sticks.

    • Once the casing is entirely free, lift it off of the computer.

  9. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement, Bluetooth: step 12, image 1 of 1
    • Use the method described in the step for disconnecting the keyboard ribbon to loosen the connector on the DC-In board.

    • Pull the cable free of the loosened connector.

  10. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 13, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the single Phillips screw from the Bluetooth board.

  11. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the Bluetooth board partially out of the computer and disconnect the attached antenna cable.

  12. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement, DC-In Board: step 15, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the black speaker cable from the sound board.

  13. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 16, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the single T8 Torx screw from the left speaker assembly.

  14. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 17, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the orange DC-In cable from the logic board.

  15. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 18, image 1 of 1
    • Deroute the cables from the right side of the speaker and lift it off of the logic board.

  16. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 19, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the rainbow power cable from the DC-In board.

  17. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 20, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the black and white RJ-11 cable from the top, right corner of the modem.

  18. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 21, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two identical T8 Torx screws from the DC-In board.

  19. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 22, image 1 of 1
    • Slide the DC-In board to the right and lift it out of the computer.

    • If the DC-In board sticks, you may need to remove the T8 screw next to the DC-In board to free it.

  20. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement, RJ-11 Board: step 23, image 1 of 1
    • Your laptop should look approximately like this.

  21. PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" 1-1.67 GHz RJ-11 Board Replacement: step 24, image 1 of 1
    • Use your thumbs to slide the RJ-11 board away from the sound card. This is your chance to get out some aggression, as the board will most likely be very tight and require a good deal of force to remove. Don't get carried away though - don't torque the ambient light sensor and don't put too much actual force on the card itself.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Attached Documents

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