After waiting patiently in our closet, the $300 Powerbook I bought a few months ago finally got some attention this week.

To recap, I bought a G4 Powerbook off Craigslist with a very wobbly display knowing I’d probably have to do some work to it, but not soon after I got it home the display completely crapped out. After doing a bunch of research, I found the parts I needed and an english PDF of the Apple Service Guide on a German website after a lengthy Google search.

I replaced the DC power board, the display inverter, and the display cable in May, but the problem still persisted, and my budget for parts was depleted. So we put it on the shelf and waited. Later, my MacBook Pro had a similar problem, and the Apple Store replaced my LCD under warranty. I knew the only thing I hadn’t replaced was the culprit.

In the meantime, I got a call from a client who needed a larger drive in their Powerbook, which turned out to be an identical model. So, having dissected one laptop, I had plenty of experience opening another, and I used the fee for that job to pay for a new LCD.

After two hours’ work this evening (I’m getting faster as I go) I had the new LCD in place and tested out, and after buttoning up the top case, she was ready to go.