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[FdB]

“All these tubes and wires… I can’t find anything.”
       She Blinded Me With Science -Thomas Dolby

Picked up yet another Quicksilver (867MHz) recently (because of all the retail
OS packages that came with it). It’s got an “A” board, not a “B” and it’s painfully
slow booting. Boot ROM currently @ 4.2.5f2 while other QS’es here are 4.3.3f2
(“B” boards) and I know that I have a Firmware updater ‘round here somewhere,
but my memory and search efforts fail me and I have Googled extensively,
all to no avail (thus far).

Anybody lay their hands on a updater copy, easily?
Or does this even apply to the good ol’ “A” board?

Signed,
Looked… but lazy

[AlphaMac]

Newbie here looking for help and advice on restoring an old G4 for audio production. I'm not that computer literate but I think I'll get through this. I'm hoping to quite this unit a bit and speed up the drive space.

Specs: G4 Power Mac, 733Mhz, QuickSilver, Gigabit, 2001

Questions

1. Is it worth replacing the PSU fan?
2. What SSD is compatible for my G4? I think it will only read up to 120GB, but that's fine for me.
3. Are they any other mods or improvements I should know about outside of the PSU and fans?
4. What is the most suitable case fan and processor fan?

That's all for starters. Any info will help. Thanks

-AlphaMac

 

[Mardeec]

I can't help with the power supply and fan questions, but take a look at Other World Computing for a selection of SSDs.

https://eshop.macsales.com/upgrades/

Look under "Legacy" and follow the menus for your model.

I have the same model Quicksilver, and I thought it was somewhat quieter than the MDD models, but probably still too noisy for any serious recording.  Good luck with your restoration! 

[AlphaMac]

Thanks Mardeec.

OWC is my first choice but now I need to know if a 250GB drive will work on my system, or at least read 120GB. I just want to make sure before I buy it. They've sold out of 120GB, yet the 250GB is around the same price. Seems like a waste of space to buy 250GB.

Q: Am I limited to 120GB for my entire system or 120GB per drive?
Q: If it's 120GB per drive are there other 120GB drives at half the price (or cheaper than OWC's 250GB) so I can install two 120GB drives?

Any feedback is welcome.

P.S. Yes it's a noisy unit for audio recording, but it's worked fine since the first day I bought it. I plan to use it in a other room with an Apogee Track2 converter.

-AlphaMac

[Mardeec]

AlphaMac,

I haven't done this with any of my G4s, but take a look at DieHard's post on using large hard drives:

http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php/topic,2765.msg17150.html#msg17150

Especially the section IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE A HARD DRIVE GREATER THAN 128 GB USE Mac OS 9.2.2

Fortunately, the Quicksilver 733 is one of the models with the correct specs to handle this.  As I understand it, as long as you keep the partitions under 190Gb, it's possible to use very large drives.

[DieHard]

Thanks Mardeec.

OWC is my first choice but now I need to know if a 250GB drive will work on my system, or at least read 120GB. I just want to make sure before I buy it. They've sold out of 120GB, yet the 250GB is around the same price. Seems like a waste of space to buy 250GB.

Q: Am I limited to 120GB for my entire system or 120GB per drive?
Q: If it's 120GB per drive are there other 120GB drives at half the price (or cheaper than OWC's 250GB) so I can install two 120GB drives?

Any feedback is welcome.

P.S. Yes it's a noisy unit for audio recording, but it's worked fine since the first day I bought it. I plan to use it in a other room with an Apogee Track2 converter.

-AlphaMac

It will depend on your Logic Board if you can see over 128GB, there is a ton of info here on the forum

also... this is from our main site...

If you intend to use hard drives larger than 128GB under OS 9, then be aware that you will need a Mac with an IDE controller that is 48-bit LBA compliant. What the hell is that, you ask? Well, it is the ability of the Mac to see the total number of heads, cylinders, and sectors of large hard drives. We have tested the following Macs and they can see hard drives of up to 500GB within Mac OS 9.2.2: Power Mac G4 QuickSilver 733, 800, Dual 800, 867, 933, and Dual 1 GHz with logic board 820-1342-B (QS logic board 820-1276-A will NOT work and peak out at 128 GB)

[AlphaMac]

Thanks I'll look into this. How can I tell what model logic board I have? It's not powered up right now and I'm waiting for a new PSU.

I was playing around with the CPU fan today. I had it out of the board running on a 12V adapter. I was moving the fan (with the rubber case) in its position and noticed that when pressed into position the vibration of the steel case alone increases some noise. It there's a way to isolate or suspend the fan that alone would reduce some noise.

I've been looking at this brand for fans: NB-Multiframe M8-S3 80mm x 25mm Ultra Silent Fan - 2200 RPM - 19 dBA http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8399/fan-515/Noiseblocker_NB-Multiframe_M8-S3_80mm_x_25mm_Ultra_Silent_Fan_-_2200_RPM_-_19_dBA.html?tl=g33c165s356#blank

The specs are a little lower than the original fans but I plan to compensate some airflow with something. I'm not worried about cosmetics. I'll drill some holes if I have to.

-AlphaMac

[AlphaMac]

Would this work for the the case fan? I know opinions will vary but I'm betting the soft material will be less noisy from the original without sacrificing CFM flow.

Noiseblocker NB-eLoop B12-4 120mmx25mm Ultra Silent Bionic Blade Fan - 2400 RPM - 34.29 dBA http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16919/fan-1049/Noiseblocker_NB-eLoop_B12-4_120mmx25mm_Ultra_Silent_Bionic_Blade_Fan_-_2400_RPM_-_3429_dBA_.html?tl=g33c165s358#blank

3 Pin to 2 Pin Adapter Cable http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7748/cab-127/3_Pin_to_2_Pin_Adapter_Cable_-_Type_A.html?tl=g2c251s634

Any issues with converting 3-to-2 pin? Sorry for the basic questions.

-AlphaMac

[DieHard]

Thanks I'll look into this. How can I tell what model logic board I have

The part Number described is literally stamped on the top of board, no need to remove or power up, just look (google location if you cannot find it)

As far as fan mods, search the forum, we have covered much of this many times... changing fans from 3 wire to 2 wire configurations, usually result in them running non-variable (full speed only)

[AlphaMac]

Got it. Thanks. I posted an image for layman's like me.



I'm drilling larger holes right now on the steel grill frame for the fan case. I seen the post on making an outter grill on the plastic case. I might try that. It makes sense to get more hot air out of the unit.

[AlphaMac]

Here's the steel case grill drilled out with larger holes. The drill bit size as 9/32. I used a vacuum pressing up against the grill from the inside to catch the shavings while drilling from the opposite side. This kept the grill from bending while I was pushing against it with the drill.

One thing I noticed while half way complete was the noise of the vacuum when pressed against the larger holes compared to the old sized holes. The old holes would screech at a high pitch while the larger holes were drastically less noisy. Obviously there's less obstruction for air to flow now.

I might attempt the plastic casing now. Not sure yet.

[refinery]

i dont think you would need to add any vent holes to the plastic case. there's an air-gap in the bottom where it meets the metal frame which allows it to vent, probably more than sufficient for your needs. plus, why ugly up the case?

also have you considered widening the inlet holes toward the front of the case? Especially if you're increasing the air output, there's a potential that there may not be enough ventilation to pull in cool air in which case the effort of the new exhaust is wasted.

you might, if you're feeling daring, want to replace the fan in the PSU. ive found those are usually the worst culprits. but, if you're buying a new PSU, it may not be an issue.

[DieHard]

Got it. Thanks. I posted an image for layman's like me.

So for your unit, use hard drives that are 120GB and smaller, it will NOT see large drives

[AlphaMac]

@refinery I'm just doing some minor enchantments until I understand the airflow dynamics of this unit. I'll check out the inlet holes you're talking about.


@DieHard Thanks. I figured. But does that mean 120GB per drive or throughout my entire chain? I couldn't find anything specifying that. I'd still be happy with a fast 120GB SSD drive since I transfer everything to my main computer anyways. But if I can get two 120GB going that would be great.


I got my PSU today. What's the best way to test the PSU out of the box? I seen the paperclip test but I don't want to try it until I know for sure.

[DieHard]

I figured. But does that mean 120GB per drive or throughout my entire chain?

128GB Max PER DRIVE... So, you can do (2) on the main Controller and an additional drive under the CD ROM (instead of a Zip); (3) Hard drives @ 120GB Each

[AlphaMac]

@DieHard That's good enough for me. Now I have to get this thing actually running.

I did some basic tests with a multimeter on the new PSU and I can't get a voltage reading across the pins. The seller said it was tested and power cable is fine. Could it be the fuse?

I might need a backup plan here cause I need to get this unit running asap. Can anyone recommend someone who can rebuild a G4 to spec? Or has a refurbished one for sale.

-AlphaMac

[FdB]

Where (in-the-world) are you... located?

[AlphaMac]

@FdB Toronto, Canada.

[AlphaMac]

Ok I've made numerous attempts to get a voltage reading across the PSU pins and no luck. I tried to jump the pins as a last attempt and no luck either. Before I conclude this is a dead unit is there anything I should try? I haven't installed it yet. Would it matter? Does anything on the logic board affect or turn something on to get the power going? Any advice is welcome.

-AlphaMac

[FdB]

How reliable is the source of the PSU? Can you return it easily?

If you take your time and carefully install it and still
it does not work… then return it. If the PSU is dead,
it won’t hurt your QS and you may then know for certain
that the PSU is completely deceased. AND make certain
that your onboard battery is good / fresh (& if not, removed.)

*Even though some have reported no-boot status without the battery.

Once you install the PSU, take note of exactly what the machine does,
even if it does not completely boot with the new (used) PSU.
Or, even if it does absolutely nothing.