Power Mac G4 Cube
 | |
| Power Mac G4 Cube. Photo: Binarysequence, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Small-form-factor personal computer |
| Released | 19 July 2000 (Low End Mac) |
| Discontinued | 3 July 2001 (Low End Mac) |
| CPU | PowerPC G4 at 450 or 500 MHz; 1 MB backside L2 cache; 100 MHz bus |
| Memory | 64 or 128 MB PC100 SDRAM; three DIMM slots; 1.5 GB maximum |
| Storage | 20, 40 or 60 GB Ultra ATA/66 hard drive |
| Display | — |
| Sound | USB-powered Harman Kardon speakers with digital amplifier, 20 W total |
| Graphics | ATI Rage 128 Pro, 16 MB, in an AGP 2X slot; ADC and VGA ports |
| Media | Slot-loading DVD-ROM or CD-RW |
| Ports / interface | Two USB, two FireWire, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, ADC and VGA |
| Expansion | No PCI slots; AirPort card slot; internal 56K modem |
| Power | External power adapter; 115 or 230 V AC; 205 W maximum continuous (Apple) |
| Dimensions | 9.8 × 7.7 × 7.7 in (24.8 × 19.5 × 19.5 cm) |
| Weight | About 14 lb (6.4 kg) |
| OS / Firmware | Mac OS 9.0.4; supported to Mac OS X 10.4 (Low End Mac) |
The Power Mac G4 Cube is a small Macintosh whose working parts hang inside a clear plastic enclosure about 7.7 inches square and 9.8 inches tall. It has a 450 or 500 MHz PowerPC G4, a slot-loading optical drive in the top, its ports on the underside, and an external power adapter.[1] Low End Mac dates its introduction 19 July 2000, at US$1,799 for 450 MHz and US$2,299 for 500 MHz, and records that Apple "suspended production" on 3 July 2001 after about 150,000 had been sold. It has no fan and is cooled by convection.[2]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Processor | PowerPC G4 at 450 MHz (500 MHz option) on a processor card; 1 MB backside L2 cache at 225 MHz; 100 MHz system bus |
| Memory | 128 MB PC100 SDRAM (Apple's later standard); three DIMM slots, 1.5 GB maximum; DIMMs no taller than 1.38 in (35 mm) |
| Graphics | ATI Rage 128 Pro, 16 MB, in an AGP 2X slot, on a video riser card; ADC and VGA ports; up to 1920 × 1200 |
| Storage | 20 GB Ultra ATA/66 (40 or 60 GB options); slot-loading CD-RW or DVD-ROM |
| Communications | 10/100BASE-T Ethernet; 56K modem; AirPort card slot and antenna |
| Ports | Two USB and two FireWire (12 W total for FireWire); USB-powered Harman Kardon speakers |
| Electrical | External power adapter; 115 or 230 V AC, 47–63 Hz; 205 W maximum continuous |
| Size and weight | 9.8 × 7.7 × 7.7 in (24.8 × 19.5 × 19.5 cm); about 14 lb (6.4 kg) |
Source: Apple's specification page.[1] Low End Mac says the Cube first shipped with 64 MB and a DVD-ROM drive, with CD-RW available from February 2001.[2]
Construction
[edit | edit source]The Cube is serviced by turning it upside down, pressing the latch in the base and drawing the whole "core" out of the enclosure. The core holds the logic board, processor card, video riser and graphics card, DC-to-DC power board, hard drive, optical drive, modem and AirPort card; the power button is a touch-sensitive proximity switch on a board under the top plate (pp. 4–6, 23–31, 61–76).[3] A green LED on the DC-to-DC board shows that the adapter is working, and the board's J2 connector carries 5 V and 12 V to the drives. A separate 28.5-volt cable from J11 on the logic board to J3 on the video riser card supplies the voltage for ADC displays (pp. 48, 53–56, 105–106, 111, 114).[3]
Known problems
[edit | edit source]Power button
[edit | edit source]The touch-sensitive power button gives two kinds of trouble that Apple's service manual addresses (pp. 112–113):[3]
- A button that lights while touched but goes out on release, with no start-up, is a DC-to-DC board that has moved in its connector, which Apple attributes to shipping. Reseat the board.
- A Cube that turns itself on or off, or sleeps and wakes at random, is checked by serial number: machines with year-and-week codes 036 to 039 get a replacement power button gasket, and those from 040 on get a strip of Kapton tape under the proximity switch plate. Top plates marked 805-2807 need a new plate or EMI gasket.
Macworld's review, as summarised by Wikipedia, found the button so sensitive that the reviewer put the machine to sleep by accident regularly.[4]
Enclosure marks
[edit | edit source]Wikipedia records that early buyers found cracks in the clear enclosure caused by the injection-moulding process, and that this became a negative public relations story for Apple.[4] Apple's service manual has a procedure for fitting a new plastic shell to the enclosure's grille and liner, with the caution that the power button gasket must be level and centred or the computer may not power up (pp. 19–22).[3]
Memory, sound and video
[edit | edit source]- Memory must be PC100 SDRAM, and Apple's related article is titled "Power Mac G4 Cube: Must Use 35 mm RAM DIMMs" (p. 115).
- With an Apple Studio Display or Cinema Display (ADC) attached and music playing at full volume, the Cube's speakers can go silent and USB devices plugged into the display stop responding. Connect the speakers to the Cube, not the display, and turn the volume down (p. 114).
- An ADC display with no picture, when a VGA monitor works: check the cable at J3 on the video riser card, which carries the ADC voltage (p. 114).
Source: service manual.[3] All of Apple's charts are on Power Mac G4 Cube Troubleshooting.
Power adapter
[edit | edit source]To start, the logic board needs a 28 V "trickle" from the external adapter. A lit green LED on the DC-to-DC board is a good sign; the full check is 28 V (+0.5 V, −1 V) at J3 on the video riser card. If it fails after a PMU reset, Apple replaces the adapter (pp. 105–106, 110).[3] An iFixit Answers contributor gives the adapter's Apple part number as 661-2455, rated 205 W.[5]
Maintenance and repair
[edit | edit source]- Power Mac G4 Cube General Maintenance: removing the core, battery, memory, PMU reset and module removal
- Power Mac G4 Cube Troubleshooting: power adapter verification, power-on self test and Apple's symptom charts
Documentation
[edit | edit source]
Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Apple, "Power Mac G4 (Cube) - Technical Specifications". 450 MHz PowerPC G4 (500 MHz option); 1 MB backside L2 at 225 MHz; 100 MHz bus; 128 MB PC100 SDRAM; three DIMM slots to 1.5 GB using DIMMs up to 1.38 in (35 mm) tall; 20 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/66 (40 and 60 GB options); slot-loading CD-RW (DVD-ROM option); ATI Rage 128 Pro 16 MB in AGP 2X (GeForce2 MX and Radeon options); ADC and VGA; 10/100BASE-T; 56K modem; AirPort optional; two FireWire (12 W total), two USB; Harman Kardon speakers, 20 W total, 80 Hz–20 kHz, power and audio over one USB cable; line voltage 115 V AC (90–132 V) or 230 V AC (180–264 V), 47–63 Hz; 205 W maximum continuous; 9.8 × 7.7 × 7.7 in; about 14 lb (6.4 kg).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Low End Mac, "Power Mac G4 Cube" (LEM Staff). Introduced 19 July 2000 at US$1,799 (450 MHz) and US$2,299 (500 MHz); shipped 12 August 2000; discontinued 3 July 2001; about 150,000 sold; fanless, convection cooled; external power supply; model M7886; 64 MB standard; CD-RW from 22 February 2001; 500 MHz model moved to the cooler PowerPC 7410 in April 2001; firmware 4.1.9; Mac OS 9.0.4 to 10.4; PRAM battery 3.6 V half-AA.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Apple Computer, Service Source: Power Mac G4 Cube (updated June 2003), File:Power Mac G4 Cube Service Source (2003).pdf; see Power Mac G4 Cube Service Source. Page numbers are PDF pages.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wikipedia, "Power Mac G4 Cube". Touch-sensitive power button found too sensitive in Macworld's review; early buyers noticed cracks caused by the injection-moulding process; about 150,000 sold.
- ↑ iFixit Answers, "How to open, inspect, and repair G4 cube power supply", answer by mayer (6 February 2017): "Power Mac G4 Cube Power Adapter 205W ... Manufacturer Part Number: 661-2455". Community source.