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Mid 2012 model, A1278 / 2.5 GHz i5 or 2.9 GHz i7 processor.

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battery not charging but MacBook runs fine when plugged in

I damaged my keyboard some weeks ago when cleaning (foolishly used a wet wipe rather than an alcohol wipe and damaged some keys). I used the computer for weeks with an external keyboard and during that time the battery and charging circuit worked fine. I then completed an upper case replacement and got the internal keyboard working fine. But now the MagSafe light is very dim and the battery will no longer charge. The computer works fine when plugged into the power adaptor. Under system report the battery is shown as present (showing cycle count an such) and the AC charge is shown as connected. But battery charging is listed as "no"

I have tried resetting the SMC following the recommended procedure and also tried resetting it by disconnecting the battery for some time and holding down the power button for 10 seconds. But none of this worked.

I'm guessing I damaged the MagSafe DC-in board when replacing the upper case (although there were no obvious problems during that repair). But wondered if there is any other simple debugging I can do before I make that second repair. Don't want to miss some easy fix and don't want to bother with the DC-in board replacement if there is a larger problem. For now the MacBook is working find as a desktop :)

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Have you tried looking at what coconut battery says?

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Didn't know that utility, but just downloaded it and it shows:

92.4% of design capacity

cycle count 321

status good

temperature: 78 F

charging with 0 watts

power adaptor connected.

Current charge is only 1.5% since the battery is run down and not charging

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It does seem like your DC-in board is bad. Remove and Inspect the motherboard closely to see if you see any burnt, missing, or damaged components. If you dont, put it back together and sometimes that will change things. If it doesnt, get a new DC-In board. MacBook Pro Unibody 13" and 15" MagSafe DC-In Board

MacBook Pro Unibody 13" and 15" MagSafe DC-In Board Image

Product

MacBook Pro Unibody 13" and 15" MagSafe DC-In Board

$9.99

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3 Comments:

Thanks for the suggestion to inspect and reassemble one more time just in case I had some contact loose. Then if that doesn't work, time for the replacement part.

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Hi Ron, I know this is a really old post but did you end up purchasing a new dc in-board? I am running into the same problem myself.

Many thanks

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Minh, I should have posted last year to close this out. I opened up the machine one more time and check the connections on the upper case. I found no obvious problem but after reassembling it the charging system was working. So I decided to leave well enough alone and be happy even though I don't know for sure what changed.

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Ron will be eternally grateful.
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