Powerbook Power Supply woes
I've pulled out the 12" Powerbook and pressed it into use again. I'm currently running Lightroom Beta 4.1 on it for testing and perhaps tutorial purposes. So to aid with that I've referenced all the file in the Originals folder of my iPhoto library on this machine, just to have a testbed of images. Or at least that was my plan until I went to recharge it tonight. On plugging in the PSU the light didn't come on. Within seconds I could smell electrical burning. Oh Oh I thought and grabbed for the plug.I found the problem instantly: the DC cable coming out was worn and in fact was rotten looking where it had corroded.
This kind of thing doesn't bother me. It's well out of warranty so my first thought is to open the PSU and simply cut and resolder the cable. I looked around the brick and poked into a few times with a screwdriver, but I couldn't see signs of clips holding the sides together. Glued I figured. I googled just to check and found this site which details the same problem. Judging from the comments, it's not a rare issue. Now being 5am when I started this (I only got home from work at 3:30am), I went outside to hammer the case open with a screwdriver. It was quick and painless for me, but not for the case. Anyway. It's all back together and working charging away.
I suspect the problem may have initally started a long time ago. Why? Because I'm not getting tiny shocks off of it anymore. About 4 months after I got the Powerbook it started giving out little shocks. Nothing bad, no sparks or anything. Just like a feeling of electricity in the case. The earth cable must have been already worn and shorting slightly. My body made the earth more effective. I thought it was due to a reported USB power issue charging the case. Nope. Well fixing the PSU has removed the issue and (fingers crossed) all's well that ends well.
