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Do I just need to replace the upper case cable?

Didn't have a spudger and made a real mess of prying off the top cable, to be honest I still don't know how to take it off properly... From the looks of the enclosed images can anyone tell if a replacement top cable is all I need? Is the other part of the connection on the logic board ok?

One side of the connector's pins are black and the other side 3 are black and the rest silver, I'm assuming they're all supposed to be a silver metallic colour and there is some residue left from what was on the ribbon side, does this need to be cleaned off? How can I do that? OR is the connection damaged?

Thanks in advance,

Cillian.

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It looks like you just damaged the cable, so you would just need to replace the cable. I do not, however, believe you can just replace the cable. You might be able to, but I don't think so. You will most likely need to replace the whole top case. What happened is you pulled the ribbon cable up from it's connector, so the connector that is supposed to be attached to it is still in the socket, but the cable has been detached. You will need to remove the small connector that is still stuck in the socket that came off of the cable. MAKE SURE you are not actually pulling the socket OFF the logic board, this will damage your logic board and make it so you need to buy a whole new logic board. the connector is attached to those small golden prongs sticking out of the side. You will just need to remove this part, then there should be an empty looking socket for a new cable to be put in. iFixit has a top case that you can use, but you will need to switch the keyboard out of the old top case, and put it on the new topcase. It can be found here:

MacBook Pro 15" (Model A1211) Upper Case

You might also be able to find an used one on eBay if you do not feel like putting that much money into the computer. They are normally in good condition and cheaper.

MacBook Pro 15" (Model A1211) Upper Case Image

Product

MacBook Pro 15" (Model A1211) Upper Case

$199.99

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So I think I see what you mean now, the pins from the ribbon part are still in the connector and I have to remove them,is that right? Just so I know, what is the correct procedure for removing that cable so I don't break the next one. In every video I watch it just seems to pop out but they never show it up close so I can't see exactly what they are doing. Is there a particular side to approach from with the spudger?

There seems to be a tutorial on here for just replacing that cable so lucky for me. I don't have to buy a whole top case.

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Cillian will be eternally grateful.
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