USB Port specification
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- Parent Category: FAQ
The iBook offers a supply voltage of 5 V and up to 500 mA power on the USB 1.1 port, which is not enough for power-hungry devices.
In the low-speed data transfer mode, 1.5Mbit per second are transmitted
In high-speed mode up to 12 Mbit (with shielded cables)
CD / DVD burners can only be operated at low burning speeds via USB.
Pin assignment of the USB port
Pin Signal Description
1VCC +5VDC
2 D Data
3 D+ Data+
4 GND Ground
Replace trackpad cable
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- Parent Category: FAQ
The most common accident that happens when disassembling the iBook involves the trackpad cable. If it is not freed from its clamping socket on the logic board in time, it will inevitably tear (at the end that is exposed in the picture).
Since it's hard to come by as a replacement part, you should get a full cover with a working trackpad on Ebay.
Unfortunately, a trackpad in the desired color is usually not available, but with a little skill the cable can be removed and reinstalled.
The trackpad cable can be exposed by carefully cutting open the thin metal cover on the inside with small nail scissors (green arrow) and bending the sides open a little until you can free the cable from its socket. The gaping gap can easily be closed later with a solid cloth tape.
keyboard keys no longer respond
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- Parent Category: FAQ
A common error that occurs after years of use is that one or more keys no longer respond, although everything mechanically seems to be in order. As a workaround, you can replace individual keys by pressing them with a Ctrl+x combination. For a long time after the BACKSPACE key failed, I continued to work with the key combination CTRL+H.
Unfortunately, this error cannot be repaired with justifiable effort, a replacement keyboard is due.
It is possible, with a little finesse, to switch keycaps if only one keyboard with a different language layout is available.
800x600 Display - End of the Story?
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- Parent Category: FAQ
The monitor resolution of the Clamshell iBook cannot be increased under MacOS, even when connecting an external monitor to the Second Edition models, a higher resolution cannot be selected, as only the output of the built-in display is mirrored. The only solution is to swap the display and us a Firmware hack.
The built-in ATI Rage graphics with 4MB VRAM in the 300s and 366s of the first edition is simply overwhelmed with higher resolutions. Theoretically, the 8MB graphics of the later models with FireWire could display higher resolutions (see G4 Powerbook Titanium 400/500 MHZ), but the native resolution of the displays installed in the iBook clamshell does not yet play along. The frequently used utility Screen Spanning Doctor is only suitable for later Ibook series.