Can anyone help me? I have just purchased a 15" Powerbook 1.25ghz model. I am happy with it however it takes ages to go to sleep when I close the lid. At first I thought it wasn't working and was putting it to sleep manually. All the other ones I have seen go to sleep immediately the lid is closed.
Is there a setting somewhere??
Using latest OSX

So it does eventually go to sleep even if you don't fiddle with it?

Actually I think it is the lid. I think it went to sleep before purely because of the other settings. I rebooted the system and the lid has now been closed for 10 minutes and has not yet gone to sleep. The catch seems to be mechanically fine.

Actually I think it is the lid. I think it went to sleep before purely because of the other settings. I rebooted the system and the lid has now been closed for 10 minutes and has not yet gone to sleep. The catch seems to be mechanically fine.

Ah. There is a magnet in the display assembly that makes a connection with a sensor in the top case assembly. When the two come together, it forces the unit to sleep. To test if the sensor on the top case is functioning, you can run a magnet across the top case (over the track pad). If the sensor is working, the unit will go to sleep. Warning: The hard drive sits underneath the track pad. Hard drives and magnets do NOT play nicely together.

It is possible the magnet in the display assembly has shifted out of place, meaning the two no longer make a connection when the lid is closed. If this is the case, it can be serviced/repaired, but it is not user-serviceable. Likewise, the sensor by/underneath the track pad could be defective. (Which in that case, the unit would require a top case assembly replacement.)

OK I see it. When I close the lid slowly I see the little catch in the lid panel lower at app 5mm gap which I presume is caused by the magnet effect and it lowers into the slot by the trackpad thus latching the lid shut. Could minute adjustments of this catch possibly help??

OK I see it. When I close the lid slowly I see the little catch in the lid panel lower at app 5mm gap which I presume is caused by the magnet effect and it lowers into the slot by the trackpad thus latching the lid shut. Could minute adjustments of this catch possibly help??

Irrelevant. There's a magnet under the top case assembly which is a part of the bottom case assembly. This magnet pulls the hooks out of the display assembly when the the lid is closed which in turn ties the display assembly to the top case assembly until the button in the center is pushed in to release the hooks and release the display assembly. This magnet is not relevant to the sleep magnet. The sleep magnet is a different magnet and is located inside the display assembly.

If the unit fails to go to sleep when the lid is closed, the sensor in the top case assembly is defective or the magnet in the display assembly has shifted out of place or is missing entirely.

OK it seems I have a problem then. I suppose the options I have then is to either shut it down, manually put it to sleep or lower the time settings to put it to sleep quicker with inactivity. I wonder what you advise.
I presume a commercial repair would be economically impractical.
That's a bit disappointing as otherwise it seems pretty good.
Thanks for your input

I would just adjust the inactivity setting to a lower time frame, personally. But do what you feel is the least annoying option for you. :)

An 'official' repair would cost too much money to be practical, even if no parts require replacement. The time and labor to disassemble the display assembly alone will run an hour or two.

Warning: The hard drive sits underneath the track pad. Hard drives and magnets do NOT play nicely together.

You would need an major industrial strength electronic magnet to have any effect whatsoever on a hard - drive especially one in a machine and even then not likely.

Hard drives operate on very powerful magnets that drive the read write head.
No small external magnetic field will have any effect whatsoever on a mechanical drive.

They might on something like a USB stick and will on magnetic media like a floppy or tape.

Do your latch test without concern.

You would need an major industrial strength electronic magnet to have any effect whatsoever on a hard - drive especially one in a machine and even then not likely.

Hard drives operate on very powerful magnets that drive the read write head.
No small external magnetic field will have any effect whatsoever on a mechanical drive.

They might on something like a USB stick and will on magnetic media like a floppy or tape.

Do your latch test without concern.

Fair enough. Just had to attach a disclaimer to my advice to cover all my bases. :)

OK I found a small magnet and did as you said and the machine does in fact go to sleep. I presume this means the fault lies in the display lid.
I guess unfortunately the end result is the same.