[Ti] firewire port appears to be dead

[Tarik Bilgin]

Dear Randy,

I had the same issue (it was a common issue, especially when powering 
devices via the firewire port) with my original Rev A 400 Mhz model, and had 
it fixed under warranty in 2001.With the Rev A Powerbook G4 the firewire 
logic was part of the main logic board so repairing it was costly and 
difficult, since the entire main board had to be changed. From what you 
describe it does sound like a fried firewire port, and you should first find 
out (try a website like lowendmac.com) if on your model the firewire is on a 
separate board or part of the main board.

If it's on a separate board (Eventually Apple made this change in the 
Powerbook Titaniums) a new board should not be too costly, and you could do 
the repair yourself with a "take apart" guide, or leave it to a professional 
to do for you. I would estimate the repair to take 1-2 hours.

If it's on the main board it's probably not worth replacing, unless you can 
get the main board replaced cheaply.

I am based in the UK and for Powerbook spares can recommend VIS Ltd. ( a 
company I used recently for Powerbook spare parts) as a source of parts. 
Their website is www.applemacparts.co.uk .

--
Tarik Bilgin