Chosen Solution
Hey guys! I’m working on reviving an iMac G5 17" Model A1144 and I’ve come across some roadblocks. The primary issue is that recently during normal use it randomly powered off a few times and then stopped being able to be powered on entirely. I know it’s old, but I’ve seen Macs last well beyond this! So far, I’ve replaced the power inlet, the power supply, the DC-DC board, and the logic board with no change in symptoms. None of the LED indicators have lit up throughout this entire process. That means I’ve replaced all but two internal components that deal with powering up the iMac (I believe I took everything else into account, so correct me if I’m wrong). Those two components are the DC cable (connecting the DC-DC board to the logic board) and the power button. I’ve purchased both of those components and am waiting for their arrival. Does anyone have any advice for removing the power button switch board in this model iMac (I plan to test the new one before removing the old one, incase it’s a destructive swap) or any other ideas on how to bring this iMac back with all the work I’ve put into it? Am I not seeing something obvious? Thank you in advance, iFixit self-repair community!
The #1 LED should at least light - even before you power on. That it doesn’t points to the power supply and it’s connections to the logic board. I think you need to look backward, not forward for the source of your problem. The other LED’s should also light in sequence as the machine powers on. IMHO swapping components after the power supply is useless until you know the power supply is working. If this answer is acceptable please remember to return and mark it.
