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2.3GHz, 2.6GHz, or 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache.

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Backlight on retina display not working after water spill.

Hi all, I have a MBP 15" retina mid 2012 and I spilled some water on it. Everything works except for the backlight on the display. The display backlight briefly flashes on at startup then goes out. The screen itself is working, as when I shine a light on it I can see the desktop. When plugged into an external monitor, everything is functioning normally except the backlight.

I've done some reading and realized that this could be a blown F9700 fuse.. I am awaiting the arrival of a multimeter to test for continuity, however, I'm not convinced this is the issue, as the backlight does momentarily light up at startup, and creating a temporary jumper across the fuse (I know, bad idea) does not solve the issue.

I realize there are two MOSFETs (Q9706 and Q9707) and a backlight driver (U9701 /LP8545SQX ) close to where the fuse is

(thanks to @oldturkey03 for this info: fuse location and type is the same for a Mid-2012 Retina 15").

There is evidence of water damage around these components. Are any of these components replaceable?

To further complicate matters, when I have my MBP connected to an external monitor, it will periodically shut down, presumably whenever it switches to or from the dGPU vs iGPU...

Any insight is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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Good News Brian, is that the fuse can indeed be replaced, but ill tell you what...its not the easiest repair, if you're not confident with you soldering skills you could quite possibly easily come out with more issues that you began with. Ive been successful a few times for clients in the past but with the combined issue of the water damage you would be taking a huge risk.

You could also try cleaning the area with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to eliminate the water damage factor. (Be sure to allow PLENTY of dry time before powering the MacBook on again)

or

You could look into replacing the entire Logic Board, but thats also a very expensive route, (although without the risk of course).

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Brian Woytowich will be eternally grateful.
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