Quicksilver 867mhz Dead After 9600 XT 8x AGP card inserted into 4x AGP slot

[supernova777]

ok i feel really really stupid right about now
i think i just ruined my quicksilver 867mhz mac ;(

by trying to cut traces instead of taping pins on the 9600 XT and starting up my QS with it in the 4x agp slot..
the mac wont start up now.. and ive removed the card and insert the old card.. (which is a geforce2 mx)
wow man..... the computer was working fine.. and i ruined it just to try to get a measly video speed upgrade
i think i am done with trying to upgrade things;(
wowwww unbelievable
maybe ill unplug it and see if itll boot up ..
its possible it could be a bad PSU?
maybe the PSU died just now?
i just hope i didnt ruin the logic board;(

[supernova777]

yep pretty sure i just ruined my quicksilver...
do yourself a favour and dont try to put a 8x agp in a 4x agp slot

i really wish i didnt read that these posts saying the 9600 XT was totally compatible and working great for over a year blah blah blah
my quicksilver is ready for the scrap heap now..
and i had just installed the g4port.. and gotten a new 80gb sata drive for it

wow. i just cant believe this.. i would never have tried to do that if i knew there was chance of this happening.

[supernova777]

ok thinking about this rationally.. it has been acting strange when turning it on, like the power button would 'flutter'
and then stumble before comijng on 100% the last few days.. so i think it may be the power supply. i just was about to swap it for a b&w g3 psu but its not the same pinout + its incompatible:S

so yes to be cleear. i press the power button. it lights p..
i hear the fan start to spin inside.. and then it stops..
and nothing comes on..
thats it.
no bong. no nothing.
i sure hope its just the psu and not the agp port/motherboard thats broken

[Protools5LEGuy]

First calm down!
My DA had made me episodes of what you feel now and it survived all.
First Reset PRAM
If nothing, take the battery off the mac and reset pram again
If nothing unplug the power supply from the AC
Press power on button and hear if sound a electric discharge.
Let the mac unplugged with the PSU 20-24 cable ATX off the motherboardout at least 4-24 hours to discharge.
Put the 20 conector on again, the battery and the AC.
Press button and the mac should be back in.
I think you should have and old graphic card to test.
Later, look if the new latest powerfull card had the 3 and 11 gold fingers covered correctly and try again.

[Protools5LEGuy]

Try with the G3 B&W  pci. Maybe just the AGP conector is damaged, but I dont think so.
Mac rejects new hardware sometimes.
Tomorrow, try first only with the rage or the graphic from the G3 and later with the new one and take the rest of the PCIs out (SATA, SCSI included). When it works (hopefully) you will add the rest of the pci.

[supernova777]

ok i took the battery out + left it unplugged

i feel really shitty about this...

[supernova777]

in the event that it is determined to be the PSU..
ive jus found this!

http://atxg4.com/
http://atxg4.com/order.html

this guy makes adapters for ATX PC PSU's to convert to G4 pinout!!!
awesome nondestructive solution!

[Protools5LEGuy]

You think is the PSU as I thougt when I tried to put AGPx8 before
http://themacelite.wikidot.com/pins-3-and-11
You covered them?

[supernova777]

no i tried to cut the traces..
and i put the card in.. and tried to start it up and it did what its doing now..
its starting up and then turning itself off
before the bong
it doesnt even power on fully
thats why i think it could be the psu
because even if it was the logic board it should at least stay on?

[Protools5LEGuy]

...
thats why i think it could be the psu
because even if it was the logic board it should at least stay on?

Take all pci cards out (AGP included) and try with the one from the B&W

[supernova777]

ive just tried again and its definately dead.. i took everything out and it does the same thing..
fan starts to spin and then it turns istelf off
i had the battery out for like 30min to 1 hr and unplugged

its toast man:(
i feel horrible that i did this
i was just about to realy use this thing!!!!!! waste of time + money .bah

[supernova777]

now that i think of it.. i think the power supply was failing.. and its just failed..
it was having some trouble turning on..
I think i also saw a spark on the back when i plugged in the cable the last time.. connecting the cable to the psu..
i hope its jus the power supply....
i didnt do any trauma to the logic board other then to insert the 9600 XT 8x AGP card..
perhaps this card does work and its just a fluke that the psu died at this time?

[supernova777]

http://resale.headgap.com/g4powersupply/

omg these guys are charging 219$ for a psu..
wow.

[supernova777]

i swapped batteries with my mdd mobo..
no change..

tried a different power cable..
no change

no memory or cards in.. wont power up
wont error
wont bong
wont do jack squat
;/

[Protools5LEGuy]

I will try to explain it better...
Every time you change ANYTHING on a mac (more/less ram, graphics card, etc) is good to press P+R+Apple+Alt until it bongs for at least 4 times the cycle. That is called reset parameter ram or reset PRAM.
1 Reset Pram
If it dont bong or the battery is empty, or the ram had broke or a card had broken or the motherboard.
2 Empty the mac (no pcis and let 1 or 2 memories be there) and try with another know working card (the one from the B&W). It should work.
3 If still no bong, unplug the computer from the outlet,  the motherboard from the PSU and the battery (good momment to test the battery with a multimeter) and let the mac unplugged one day.
4 Still no bong? Swap the memories you left behind in step 2 with the ones in the G4.
5 Tripple check the cables from the PSU, maybe some cable is naked (no plastic around) and it make a short-circuit, turning down the Mac
6 Still no bong? Install a MacOs9/MacOsX in a harddrive with VNC (to make headless) with the G3 (preferable a ATA disk) and swap that drive in the G4.
Explanation. Sometimes PRAM corrupts itself when swapping parts. This thing happened to me 3-4 times before, when installing usb nec cards, sonnet tempo, ram and "pc supposed to work"graphics card. Once it broke my Ata33 channel, and other my Ata66 channel. And other times making the "I wanna bong but I turn off before" other times. After some tears and the G4 feeling sad unplugged it repairs itself alone (?)

[supernova777]

at this point in time i think it was caused by a cheap power supply causing a surge or shock
ive just tested this with a win98 pIII box and it made this tiny shock/sound when u connect the power
i saw this happen a few times when plugging in the quicksilver lately i just didnt think anything of it.. (stupid)
anyways when i replaced the powerbar strip this shock is not happening any longer..
so i think this has damaged the psu and/or the logic boar.. hopefully not my peripherals, sound cards+ video cards +ram + g4port

i had this small light there on my desk and the light was changing in brightness alot..
and being strange -- i really think this is all caused by this faulty power bar strip... i think someone had tripped over it or stepped on it and damaged it
somehow... because ive cahnged this powerstrip now and the light is constant + Stable from this mini lamp too now

hmm maybe this is why people opt for "power conditioners" to ensure proper stream of power to equipment.
like "Furman power conditioners" etc

[supernova777]

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/BAA36VPRAM/

maybe i should grab a new battery for $4 just in case that has something to do with it
i read some post earlier about a guy keeping the battery warm in his hand for baout 30min and then the battery miraculously made his g4 boot..
when he was having the same issues im having......

and theres countless articles talking about remvoing the battery and then adding it back in and presto! the mac boots..?
strange

[supernova777]

ah well i guess i have to look on the bright side this thing only cost me 45$ lolol but tbh that low price + vintageness is what makes it so cool;D what u can accomplish with something so cheap;) anyway..
cant get too upset about it...... get some new parts or new quicksilver and move on.....  
how much was a quicksilver when they were first released?

Original Price:    US$2499 

[Protools5LEGuy]

Given your DIY capabilities I cant recommend you to buy a PMG4DA and put the cpu there (what I would do if 100% is broken "something"). You could later mod your DA having QS parts, but just forget about it.
One can't always make it perfect every swap of a part. Nothing happens if you screw part 5 to 10 times in your whole life after 500 changes. It is something "normal", "plausible".
If you screw EVERY swap you made (as a friend I have) let this thing a I.T. guy do it for you.
With time you learn from every mistake. Never do same again. I had broke (with my rudeness) 3 Pentium 4 Heatsink holders, 2 motherboards, and 3 graphics cards in 18 years of hacking. I consider myself as "skillfull"
I have the determination that NO ONE is going to make a mod with more care, love and patience that myself, but this only after I saw the average knowledge of medium IT guys here in Spain.

Be positive, your G4 is with Steve Jobs now.

[DieHard]

As ProToolsLEGuy mentioned... The 3 to 4 chime rule is very important... each cycle wipes out more non-volitile RAM info. and thus clears more settings in the PRAM (Think of a G4 as a PC with multiple BIOS zones...each zap chime clears values in a zone). Some of the more significant things that are stored in PRAM are network settings, monitor settings, mouse speed, highlight color, the startup disk, and a bunch of Apple secret stuff... including information about when your computer was first powered on and how long your Mac has been in use (Apple odometer)... now remember, we said monitor settings... so as mentioned, always zap it if you are changing video cards.

As the G4 MB battery dies... the PRAM can't sustain its values... so always make sure your MB battery is running at 3.6 Volts (easy test with a Voltmeter... usually don't even have to remove it)... Corrupted values in the PRAM from a battery on its way out can also cause a list of issues.

I bought literally dozens of Pismo Powerbooks from ebay that were stone dead (won't power on at all), sellers said they had bad MBs.... I changed the internal PRAM battery, reset the back button, and the PRAM and BAM.... like brand new   i loved that trick... was worth a lot of bucks in the day.


.