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Model A1502 / 2.4, 2.6, or 2.8 GHz dual-core Intel processor / Released October 2013

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Battery not charging while laptop is powered on

Recently my macbook won't charge unless it is powered off.

I have tried resetting the SMC and the issue persists. At first resetting the machine's PRAM would allow it to charge normally but recently this has stopped working.

If I shut down the laptop and allow it to charge for ~20 mins then power the laptop on it will charge normally.

If I remove the charger before the laptop fully charges and plug it back in the laptop will stop charging and the battery will slowly begin to drain while showing the message below:

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If the battery is at 100% and I remove the charger then plug it back in it will stay at 100% no matter what I do however if I allow it do drop by a single percent then plug it back in the battery will slowly drain to 0% at which point the laptop powers off.

The MagSafe LED behaves normally, it is orange when the battery is <100% and green once it reaches 100%.

I have tried replacing the DC-In board but that made no difference.

Here is the hardware information menu:

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I have scoured the internet and have not been able to find a single case of this happening to anyone else. I have similar cases and most them involve liquid damage which I am certain is not the case with my laptop, it has never had any liquid damage and I cannot see any signs of it after looking at the (bottom side of) the logic board.

Here are pictures of the bottom side of the motherboard and the battery's logic board:

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Top of motherboard:

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Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Give this little gem of an app a try: coconutBattery. Post a screenshot of the main screen and click on the 'Battery Details' button so we can it as well. It should help us understand whats happening here.

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after looking at 3 rd pic i can see that you dont have too many cycles, and you getting good voltage, but i can see the amperage at -387 which is not good ... this mean the battery is not charging. like it says in your 2nd pic. i would change the battery.

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@dan the when I first started the app it said 89.5%, when I plugged in the charger it said 92.5% when I rebooted my laptop it said 91.8%

here are some screenshots:

http://imgur.com/a/3Qu0X

@rebootgozo

The battery lasts just as long as it did before it stopped charging correctly and charges perfectly as long as the system is off for a while when I start charging

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@dan @rebootgozo

In addition to my previous comment I just reset the pram and it's charging again here are the screenshots from coconutbattery(with battery details) and the hardware information:

http://imgur.com/a/KQcWa

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I've attached some pics of the back of the motherboard too:

http://imgur.com/a/LFTnt

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I just gave the motherboard an isopropyl bath and then scrubbed it (hard enough to make me uncomfortable) with a toothbrush and voila it's charging again!

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Check the MagSafe connector interfaces on both the charger & system.

You want to check the middle pin on both are clean and shinny. Use a cotton swab (Q-Tip) dampened with some isopropyl alcohol (85% or better) to clean them. With the charger unplugged see if the pins on the cord depress a bit when you press them.

See if that helps.

Update (09/07/2016)

Your images show a very clean system! I don't see anything that could be cause visually.

As you've cleaned the mating surfaces of the MagSafe connections and they look clean and shiny we'll need to dig into the battery unit its self. This series houses the logic all within the battery assembly. You'll need to have access to a new battery unit to test things.

Carefully unplug your battery from the logic board and plug in the new battery unit. Make sure you have a piece of cardboard to rest the battery on as you don't want it to short out.

I'm suspecting the charging logic within the battery unit (the circuit board) has a problem. But before you swap out the battery assembly lets be sure.

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11 Comments:

Cleaned the pins on the magsafe charger and the magsafe port and on the motherboard also, no dice. The pins on the magsafe charger depress when I press them, I bought a new one a while back(60W like the original) and that one does not charge my laptop either.

Thanks for your response.

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Was the MagSafe charger cord damaged in any way? Bubbly, kinked or cut on either charger? Somehow either the signal between the charger is failing or the charging logic on the logic board is flaky.

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The old magsafe had started rounding at the edges on the connector itself, the cable and block are fine and it still charges other macbooks perfectly.

Do you know where the chip that controls charging is located on the logic board?

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I just saw your update, I'll order a new battery and do as you instructed. Thanks a lot!

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I put a new battery in and it's still not charging :( any other suggestions?

http://imgur.com/8PDpLKq

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John will be eternally grateful.
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