[X-Newbies] Re: Repair Manuals For eMacs

[Charles Martin]

> Looking at the instructions for taking apart an eMac I can see some  
> potential pitfalls that someone who is not very methodical may well  
> find very problematic, but the instructions are clear and so long  
> as obvious dangers such as electrical discharge are handled with  
> caution it all seems straight forward. (I am the sort to put screws  
> in labeled saucers etc, labeling parts, laying them all out in a  
> logical sequence on a table etc), so I usually have less difficulty  
> than many do when making home repairs to complex equipment.

Most people, in my experience, do not have the patience (or sometimes  
the comprehension skills) to actually read directions carefully and  
take ALL due safety precautions. Given that the eMac is a CRT-based  
Mac and thus there is a risk of DEATH if not handled properly, I urge  
non-professionals to avoid working with it.

> Having said that it does appear to be less simple than dismantling  
> the iBook.
>
> I am curious, considering your strong and obviously experienced  
> recommendation not to do this, why you think so.

In addition to the text above, I also know the eMac's "guts" very  
well and know that it's parts are VERY awkwardly-placed, difficult to  
access and hard to experience (ie thick) hands to get into without  
scraping skin against (sharp) metal. The illustrations in the manual  
do not cover ANY of that. I might add that the eMac, like the G4  
iBook, has a LOT of different-sized screws so you really can't get  
them mixed up.

In short, I don't think working on an eMac is impossible. I work on  
them, and I don't consider myself mechanically gifted. But I would  
NEVER do this stuff if I wasn't being paid handsomely to do it, it's  
very tedious and difficult and needs to be very carefully done in  
order to do it right. Most Apple products are not nearly as difficult  
as the G4 iBook and the eMac, which is something I don't think most  
people understand. You sound like Apple Tech material so you could  
probably find your way through all right: the vast majority of people  
reading this are NOT up to that level.

(not to even mention the scarcity of parts and the inability to order  
them: what do you do if you get deep inside the thing and find that  
some capacitors on the logic board are bulging? It's not like you can  
run down to the PC parts store and get a replacement!)

Finally, even as someone who has access to eMac parts, we have found  
that Apple's replacement parts have a VERY high rate of defect and  
are often DOA. I have on our bench RIGHT NOW about five eMacs which  
have been waiting about THREE MONTHS for replacement logic boards. We  
receive an average of one per month, and most of the ones we have  
gotten were dead on arrival and had to be sent back. And this is an  
Apple Authorised Repair Centre! The guy in his garage sure as heck  
isn't going to have better luck than we are!

> Or is it just that you have seen many sloppy workers who got one  
> half apart and then brought it to you to figure out the rest?

That too. :)