Lesson 1. Reference Materials

Reference Files

Mac Pro (macpro.pdf)

Apple General Troubleshooting Flowchart (AGTFwithNotes.pdf)

iMac (24-inch) (imac_24in.pdf)

Time

This lesson takes approximately 2 hours to complete.

Goals

Locate all the charts, part numbers, images, and safety/troubleshooting information for a specified Apple product

Familiarize yourself with the service and user’s manuals

Identify which Apple reference will produce the most informative results

Motivated people—ready and eager to get into the details of hardware repair and maintenance—might be tempted to skip a lesson called “Reference Materials.” Do not succumb to that temptation! Even the most self-reliant, self-starting individual needs the right tools for the job. Just as you wouldn’t send your adventure video game character into a cave without a magic health potion, you shouldn’t pick up your screwdriver or don your electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap without the information that will save you time and frustration as you service and support Apple products.

This lesson describes some Apple technical and troubleshooting materials, including the Knowledge Base, diagnostic software, service manuals, discussion forums, hot issues, product specifications, and compatibility notes.

Some of these materials are available only to certified Apple technicians, students in the Apple Technician Training (ATT) program, and technicians associated with an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP). If you are not in one of those groups, you will not have full access to the sites or be able to complete some of the exercises in this lesson. However, you will still get a good overview of the available materials. To help you gain familiarity with many of the processes, the companion website for this book (www.peachpit.com/ats.deskport3) contains Apple proprietary diagnostic software, service manuals, and other technical materials for several Macintosh models that are used as examples throughout the book.

One-Stop Shopping

Apple Service Source is the starting point for many useful reference materials for Apple Authorized Service Providers and for students in Apple Technician Training.

The Service Source home page links to information on all the service-oriented Apple products and programs. As of this book’s publication date, the main categories include Macs, Mac Pro, Power Mac & Xserve, MacBook Pro & PowerBook, MacBook & iBook, Displays, Other Products (AirPort, iPod, and iSight), Service Programs, and Service Training. Below each of the different products is a pop-up menu with choices including Tech News, Service Manuals, and Support Pages.

Text links on the right side of the Service Source page lead to a wide variety of necessary information for Apple technicians. This area of Service Source varies as new items are added or changed but generally includes links to news about the service program and Apple products, a customized support page, the Knowledge Base, discussions, and software updates.

Finding Support Information

Apple offers a number of resources to help you answer questions and otherwise support your customers, including the following:

• Configuration information

• Warranty status

• Compatibility information

• User’s manuals

• Product specifications

Configuration Information

Configuration information is a detailed description of the specific model a customer bought. It’s more specific than product specifications, because specifications covers all configurations of a product, not any one specific configuration. Most of Apple’s newer products are available in a single configuration that can be configured to order to incorporate customer-specific choices.

Warranty Status

Global Service Exchange (GSX) provides Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) with multiple references and tools for troubleshooting and servicing Apple products. Authorized Service Providers use GSX to access Service Source, Knowledge Base, and Apple Service Training. The easiest way to check the status of an Apple product is to type the serial number in the serial number field in GSX and click Coverage Check.

You can also help your customers find the warranty status of their products by directing them to the Apple Support site (www.apple.com/support). After typing the serial number in the field in the lower right, your customer will see warranty information similar to this:

Compatibility Information

When a customer asks about upgrade possibilities, and you need to find compatibility information for a product, start at the Apple Support page.

1. Open https://service.info.apple.com in your browser window.
2. Choose the support page for the product in question from one of the Product Service pop-up menus.

   

3. Type compatibility in the search field. Make sure the Restrict to [product] checkbox is selected.

   

A list of Knowledge Base documents pertaining to your product appears.

User’s Manuals

Product manuals are the user’s manuals that ship with a product when it is purchased. Unlike service manuals, product manuals provide information, such as product setup and configuration, that is intended to help a customer set up and use the product.

Product manuals are, of course, available to all users, not just AASPs. You need to be familiar with product manuals so you are aware of the instructions that customers use to set up their computers.

To access product manuals (in this case, for the iMac), do the following:

1. Go to the Apple Support page (www.apple.com/support).
2. Click the Computer + Server product icon.

   

3. Click Intel-based iMac.
4. Under Support Resources, click Download an iMac manual.

   

5. Skim the manual.

Product Specifications

The Specifications resource offers a quick means of locating the technical specifications of Apple’s many different products. Everyone can access the Apple Specifications site at: http://support.apple.com/specs/. In addition, you can access product specifications from Service Source: the link is located in the bar section of the Service Source home page.

After you select it, you will see a screen similar to this one:

From this page, you can access the specifications for most Apple products. Here is a portion of the Mac Pro specification:

The fastest way to find the general “speeds and feeds” of a product is to look up that product’s technical specification.

1. Access Specifications from the Apple Support page.
2. Locate and compare the memory specifications for the following systems:

   iMac (Mid 2006 17-inch)

   MacBook

   MacBook Pro (17-inch)

   Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)

   Mac mini (Early 2006)

Specifications Quiz

• An iMac G5 (17-inch 1GHz) customer is concerned that her non–air-conditioned worksite may be too warm for her iMac to operate properly. She needs to know the temperature range in which the iMac can operate. What can you tell her? Where could she have found the information herself?

Answer Key

Environmental requirements for an iMac G5 (17-inch 1GHz) are as follows:

• Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)

• Storage temperature: –40° to 185° F (–40° to 85° C)

• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing

The necessary information is available to the public by following the path iMac G5 Support > Find specifications for your iMac > iMac (17-inch 1Ghz). The information is contained in document iMac (17-inch 1Ghz) - Technical Specifications.

Upgrade Information

When it comes time to upgrade your customer’s computer—that is, to install an optional configure-to-order component—you’ll find it helpful to review the product specifications (discussed above) and Take Apart procedures in the service manuals.

Apple service manuals are organized around a basic outline and usually provide these features:

• Take Apart— This section describes complete procedures for removing and installing system components.

• Troubleshooting— This section includes symptom charts that provide specific diagnostic procedures to follow for common symptoms.

• Upgrades— Here you have the procedures for installing optional components, such as additional memory and AirPort cards.

• Exploded View— This section provides exploded views (sometimes with part numbers), input/output (I/O) ports, and screw matrices with pictures of the screws used in the system.

Apple service manuals are delivered in the industry-standard Portable Document Format (PDF). You can view these files in the Preview application in Mac OS X, in Safari, as well as in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

Using Bookmarks

Apple produces the service manuals with bookmarks so you can easily navigate to the topic you’re interested in.

1. Open Service Source in a browser window.
2. From the “Mac Pro, Power Mac, & Xserve” pop-up menu, choose Intel & G5 Service Manuals.

   This opens Knowledge Base document 86424, “Mac Pro and Power Mac G5 Service Manuals.”

   ---

   Note

   Sometimes banners at the top of Knowledge Base documents indicate that material is restricted; ATT users have access to some material that is not available to the public.

   ---

3. Locate the service manual for Mac Pro.

   If you do not have access to Service Source, you can open the service manual on the book’s companion website, www.peachpit.com/ats.deskport3.

4. Download the service manual by clicking its PDF icon.
5. Use Preview to open the service manual you just downloaded.
6. Choose Drawer from the View menu (if it is not already open).

   Your screen will look similar to the following figure:

Adding a Bluetooth Card to a Mac Pro

This exercise assumes that you have Service Source open in a browser window. If you are not affiliated with an AASP, have not purchased ATT, or otherwise do not have access to Service Source, skip to step 2.

Let’s assume you have to upgrade a Mac Pro with a Bluetooth Card. Do the following steps:

1. Find and download the Mac Pro service manual, if you have not done so already.
2. Open Upgrades in the Mac Pro service manual.
3. Select Bluetooth Card from under the Upgrades heading in the Bookmark pane.

Upgrade Quiz

1. Where do you find Take Apart instructions?

2. What tools do you need to add a Bluetooth Card to a Mac Pro?

3. What component do you need to remove before beginning the addition?

4. What were the stock hard drive options for the Power Mac G5 (Original)?

Answer Key

1. Service manuals

2. Magnetized jewelers Phillips #1 screwdriver

3. You don’t have to remove any components; simply lay it on its side with the access side facing up

4. 80 and 160 GB

Resources for Locating Trouble

Apple defines troubleshooting as isolating and resolving an issue. Many of the tools you use to isolate are also the tools you use to resolve. You will learn more about Apple’s recommended troubleshooting process in Lesson 3, “General Troubleshooting Theory.” In the meantime, these resources will help you when you are trying to pin down the source of trouble:

• Service News

• Apple General Troubleshooting Flowchart

• The Knowledge Base

• Symptom charts

• Disc images

• Diagnostic software

Service News

AppleCare Service News are bulletins about new or revised service programs and policies. Diagnostics tools updates are communicated through Service News.

You can access Service News through Service Source.

Service technicians can search the Knowledge Base for Service Tech News articles by using the keyword ksshot.

Apple General Troubleshooting Flowchart

The Apple General Troubleshooting Flowchart documents Apple’s recommended troubleshooting process. You will learn more about this process in Lesson 3. ATT owners and AASP technicians can find the current Apple General Flowchart with notes through the Service Training website at http://service.info.apple.com/service_training/training.html. The flowchart is also on this book’s companion website, www.peachpit.com/ats.deskport3.

The Knowledge Base

The Knowledge Base is the primary reference resource that Apple supplies. It is available online and is free to anyone who needs to research issues that involve Apple hardware or software, although access to some Knowledge Base documents is restricted to AASPs, internal Apple personnel, and Apple developers. In this lesson, you’ll be logging in to the Apple website as part of learning how to search the Knowledge Base effectively.

The varied natures of these audiences and the differences in their needs have influenced the structure of the Knowledge Base. Here, of course, we concentrate on the best way for AASPs and technicians to use this resource.

Access to the Knowledge Base requires the following:

• A JavaScript-capable web browser (such as Safari), with JavaScript enabled

• Cookies enabled in the web browser

• An Apple ID

Apple ID is an account-management system that Apple requires for all users of the Knowledge Base, Apple Discussions, and the Apple Store. Once you register with Apple and establish an Apple ID, you can sign on to any of those Apple resources.

To perform a basic search of the Knowledge Base, go to www.apple.com/support, enter a term in the Search field, and then click the magnifying glass icon. If you click the Advanced Search link near the top of the page (http://search.info.apple.com), you will see a screen similar to the one shown on the following page.

Take a moment to explore the Knowledge Base so you can use it effectively when you need to research an issue.

1. Open Knowledge Base.
2. Review the Help document for Advanced Search by clicking the Help link in the upper-right corner of the Search box.
3. Enter keywords in the search text field and press Return.
4. Open Knowledge Base document 75178, “How to Use Knowledge Base keywords.”

   ---

   Tip

   You may want to bookmark this document if you have to perform frequent product-specific searches.

   ---

5. Review the document and find the keyword for iMac G5.
6. Do a new search using that keyword (kimacg5) along with the word ksshot.
7. Skim Knowledge Base document 304091, “iMac G5: Fans are running at a constant high speed.”

Knowledge Base Quiz

1. What controls the fans in an iMac G5 system?

2. You need to review the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) procedures for a Power Mac G5 (Late 2004) system. Which is the best resource to check?

Answer Key

1. The System Management Unit (SMU) manages the fans in response to thermal conditions in the iMac G5. You can find necessary information by searching the Knowledge Base for imac g5 fans, then following the links to documents 304091 and 301733

2. Knowledge Base

Symptom Charts

For the following exercises, you will use the Mac Pro and other service manuals you just opened in Preview, as well as other manuals specified in the exercises.

Let’s assume that you have a Mac Pro that is completely nonfunctional. A number of issues could lead to this symptom. To systematically troubleshoot it, do the following:

1. Refer to the Apple General Troubleshooting Flowchart. (We discuss the flowchart in more detail in Lesson 3.)

   For purposes of this exercise, you have already gathered information and verified the issue. One quick fix is to check the Symptom Charts section of the service manual.

2. In the Navigation pane of your Mac Pro service manual, open the Troubleshooting heading, then open Symptom Charts.
3. Open Startup Failures.

   

4. Review the contents of this page and the rest of the Startup Failures section.

   Notice that the procedures go from the simple and easy to the complex and difficult.

Diagnostic Software

Apple supplies a suite of diagnostic software tools for troubleshooting its products. AASPs can use Service Source to update their collection of such tools. Click the Diagnostic Matrix link at the bottom of the Service Source page to open the Service Diagnostics Matrix window.

From this page, AASPs can access updates for Apple Service Diagnostic and Apple Hardware Test, as well as display adjustment utilities for a variety of Apple products. You’ll learn about using Apple software tools in Lesson 2, “Software Tools.”

Diagnostics Quiz

• What version of Apple Service Diagnostics should you use with a Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)?

Answer Key

• 2.5.8

Disc Images

A number of references and software tools are best used in a bootable CD format. Apple supplies a wide variety of disc images that its AASPs can use in making CDs for reference or testing.

The Disc Images page includes file-download links and detailed information on how to burn bootable versions of diagnostic CDs.

Resources for Resolving an Issue

When you have located the trouble, and you’re ready to fix it, be aware of these resources:

• Safety and MSDS information

• Screw matrix

• Take Apart procedures

Safety Information

As a service technician, you will work with materials and equipment that require special handling. Items such as CRT displays, power adapter boards, and batteries require certain precautions to ensure your safety. In addition, you must take measures to ensure that ESD does not damage the equipment you work on.

You can find necessary information on the CRT and ESD Safety Information page, accessible from the Technical References links at the bottom of the Service Source page. This book provides detailed coverage of most safety topics, including ESD, in Lesson 4, “Safe Working Procedures and General Maintenance.”

Screw Matrix

A screw matrix, sometimes also called a screw reference sheet, lists all the screws in an Apple product, along with their dimensions, part numbers, and the location where each is used. You can find the screw matrix in the product’s service manual, although not all products have a screw matrix.

Take Apart Procedures

You worked with a Take Apart procedure earlier in this lesson. Before a product is introduced, a lot of time and effort go into developing service and troubleshooting procedures for it. The results of this effort are published in the service manual that Apple provides to its AASPs. These service manuals can be one of your best tools.

Now let’s assume that you need to replace the hard drive in a Mac Pro. You’ll need to review the procedures necessary to open the unit and access the hard drive.

1. In the service manual, open Take Apart in the Bookmark pane.
2. Select Hard Drives.

Resolving Quiz

1. What is the part number for the 1.25 GHz logic board for the Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)?

2. What tools do you need to remove the hard drive from a Mac Pro?

3. When you handle the drive in a Mac Pro, which side of the drive should you avoid touching?

4. You need to replace an internal DVD drive in an iMac (24-inch). What parts do you need to remove before you can remove the drive?

Answer Key

1. 661-3335

2. Phillips #1 screwdriver

3. Avoid touching the printed circuit board on the bottom of the drive

4. To replace an internal DVD drive in an iMac (24-inch), first you must remove the access door, front bezel, and LCD panel. The necessary information is available in the Take Apart section of the iMac (24-inch) service manual, which is on this book’s companion website, www.peachpit.com/ats.deskport3.

Lesson Review

1. You need to review the DIY procedures for an eMac (USB 2.0). Which of the following resources would be the best one to check?

a. Specifications

b. Knowledge Base

c. Featured Software

d. Apple Support site

2. Where do you find Symptom Charts? (Choose the best answer.)

a. GSX home page

b. Service Source

c. Discussions

d. Service manuals

3. How do you determine the tools you need to take apart an iMac (Late 2006)? (Choose the best answer.)

a. Do a search on tools in Parts and Configs.

b. Call Apple.

c. Review the service manual.

d. Search Knowledge Base.

4. While taking apart a MacBook, you mix up the screws you removed. What is the best resource for determining where the screws are used?

a. Knowledge Base

b. Discussions

c. Specifications

d. Service manual

5. While assisting a customer, you give her the number of a Knowledge Base article you looked up after signing on to GSX. Later the customer calls and states that the article is not available when she looks for it. What has happened? (Choose the most likely answer.)

a. The customer does not know how to access Knowledge Base.

b. The article was removed after you first found it.

c. The article is intended for AASPs and not for the public.

d. There was a system failure at Apple.

Answer Key

1. d

2. d

3. c

4. d

5. c