Power Mac G5 issues

Hey guys, i might have buggered my mac 5 opening it up. Since u guys are mac users i want to check with you.

In case this forum is sensitive about out of topic topics, can anyone at least point me in the right direction of a G5 mac users forum?


Basically, i thought i'd examine the contents of the G5, since im gonna eventually install 2 new hard drives.

I touched the top metal part several times (as per instructions to discharge 'static')

Opened up the metal side plating, took out the air deflector, i then just peered observantly at the hard drives. Plucked out the power cable to see how it fitted into the drive, then put it back (correctly i believe, it had some words on the power plug, reading 'something ex', it seemed to fit back). I also just pulled the spare data cable (which had been tucked safely under a metal slot) to understand how it would plug into a 2nd ata hard drive.

Qn. I only appeared to observe a 2nd power plug (which is actually attached to the power plug of the 1st system Ata hard drive), and a 2nd data cable. But there is no 3rd power plug or 3rd data cable. So how would i install a 3rd hard drive in the 3rd spare splot?


Next.. i just wiped away some dust on the air deflector, and on a part of the metal interior, the area where it says G5 in big letters, and the area on top of that.

I did not TOUCH any components at all, other than the hard drives as i said earlier.


Then i closed up everything, air deflector doesn't seem to have a lock btw.. Unlike the metal side casing.

Finally i shifted the computer to the other side of the office. Plugged everything in. Here's the problem:

The mac and monitor switches on. Cept i see NO picture at all on the screen. And after a short while, my G5 is no longer as quiet as it was before, i heard a loud blowing noise.

i sent it into diagnostics. Today they'll get back to me in a week

Wtf could I have done wrong?

When the system loses its mind, it goes into emergency self preservation mode. The vent fans go full on when this happens. Its no secret. It sounds like a jet taking off when it does this.

You can't plug the hard drive power in backwards, but are you sure you got it back on all the way?

I've had our G5s apart and cleaned several times. I don't think you can get the parts back in the wrong order or backwards. You do have to get them all back in tho. Air management is a big deal inside the G5.

Koz

Charles--

I don't know what to tell you. Unless there was static involved, everything you said sounds like nothing should be wrong.

I just did a very similar thing last week, trying to swap out my current Tiger and FCP drive for my previous system to get at some data I hadn't archived yet. I unplugged the two cables you mentioned, and put them back when I realized I don't have the fingertip strength to get the drives out. I put it back together and it works fine.

Unless there was a huge amount of dust, and you disturbed it and forced it into the fans, I don't seen anything you told us here that would cause the problem. And that wouldn't account for the monitor losing signal.

I think it's maybe just a coincidence. It may have been heading toward the problem anyway.

1) there is no place to mount a 3rd SATA drive inside the G5 and there is no power connection for a 3rd drive inside the G5.

To mount a 3rd drive inside your G5 you need a PCI or PCIexpress (depending on the model of your G5) SATA controller card and an adapter to connect the power to the internal Molex power connection at the CD/DVD drive.
YOu also need a mounting adapter that can accomodate an additional drive.

I have 5 drive total mounted in my G5 Quad that is PCIexpress and I have one drive in second stock slot below the factory installed drive and three drives in the front of the CPU bay. I also adapted an external power supply just for those four drives as they are Seagates and are power hungry. The internal supply probably won't last long with those 4 additional drives connected internally.

The high fan levels are caused when the computer "thinks" the airflow plastic adapter is missing, and it knows when it is installed by the reflective tab on the bottom - rightmost tab of the plastic air deflector as installed. If that tab falls off, you will get constantly running fans at high speed.

Check out [www.maxupgrades.com] for mounting ideas.

i wonder if you dislodged the drive connectors when you pulled the secondary cables from under the "stowing area" i installed a second drive in my g5 this weekend and i was surprised at how hard i had to pull to get enough slack to reach the drive. to be safe i re-plugged the cables to their source just in case id slightly disconnected something...

<<You can't plug the hard drive power in backwards>>

I'm sorry to tell you that "you can". I was installing a drive one day (on a PC, but power plugs seem to be universal) and had to put the power plug in "blind" (i.e., by feel, because I couldn't see it as I did it), and figured that the little cut-off corner thing would prevent me from putting it in wrong. I gave it a push and it seated, so it must have been the right way. And when I turned it on, it smoked, and sure enough the power plug was in backward, against its protection. Without much resistance. Good-bye drive, as you guessed.

To amend the instruction, visually it is VERY CLEAR which way the power plug plugs in, use your eyes to confrim.

Scott

Yeah Scott, i remember that the hard drive power plug had some words onit.. might have been

"caltex" or "something-ex". I just remember reading it properly (ENGLISH WORDS) in left to right... not HSILGNE... so i think i definitely put back the power plug correctly.

Well guys, the Apple service centre just called. Said I can collect my G5 anytime, no charge, since it's under warranty.. which means they think I didn't break my comp lol.

The girl did read from the report that they gave me a new vga card or something, and that it is covered.

My only worry is that these natives, (if they can get stuff wrong at immigration; like telling me that British citizens need not be conscripted into their local army when in fact the do... and they did conscript me), being... not very clear.. could have made a mistake with something as simple as reading out a report to me.

So i fear that when I actually go to the shop tomorrow, their gonna tell me.. "oh who told you that? You staticked the thing to crap.. ur gonna have to cough up $45 thousand for a new mother board" or some nonsense like that.
Lol

But overall.. i think im cool.

Just need to get my g5 back, and add on more hard drives.

Off topic...

What country are you in Charles? Conscripted into the local army! Cor Blimey Guv'nor Oi dant fink oil be emmigratin wherever you is...

I'm from Bristol in the UK by the way - whe har all verry pawsh hyar yoo new.

GL with the new GFX card.

Ben





For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]