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A1708/EMC 3164 — Released June 2017, this entry-level MacBook Pro retains its traditional function keys (as opposed to the OLED Touch Bar).

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Rookie help - some fire, melting reattaching trackpad ribbon cable

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This MacBook Pro battery replacement is my first computer hardware fix-- as to why I bought a kit and followed a guide.

So... I completed the repair, powered on the computer, and the fans were on full blast, keyboard and trackpad not working. I found another article that explained a loose ribbon or other part may be why. I opened up the case again and checked my work. I saw that I didn't push the trackpad ribbon cable back in its slot on the logic board.

When I tried putting it back, there were sparks, fire, and the pieces partially melted. So I had a frosted mini crisis and realized that I'm in over my head, breaking things. I don't know if this is correct, but I thought maybe I need to disconnect something to reattach the trackpad ribbon cable. I disconnected the battery power connecter from the logic board. This seemed to be the culprit? I was then able to connect the trackpad ribbon cable without fireworks, even though it's somewhat melted, and put everything back together.

Despite my errors and damaging the pieces, my computer works. The battery replacement works. No issues. I'm thankful for whatever luck I have.

My question:

Should I be paranoid that my computer will blow up at some point? The small fire I caused makes me think I'm typing on a ticking time bomb. Is this likely to happen?

Lastly, I think iFixIt should have a warning about troubleshooting your repair. Specifying you have to do things in the instructed order or it could lead to damage. I think its products are intended for rookies like me, and we don't have this basic knowhow.

Thanks!

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Well. That depends on the level of damage and where exactly the damage is. Catching fire is pretty drastic. That was more likely to be from the connection occurring while the board was still connected to battery power (even though you didn’t know it was still connected). As long as there is still enough plastic in the connector to keep all the pins separate, it’s probably fine, but not ideal. Depending on what caught the brunt of the damage, you might benefit from replacing the trackpad cable. You can get just the trackpad out by itself, so this shouldn’t be a huge ordeal.

If you have pictures of the damage we might be able to better assist. You can add them in to your original question.

Also. To be fair, this method of connecting the battery to the board is not my favorite. I suspect it’s used because they can make the connection more low profile. But it’s really easy to do exactly this.

UPDATE 04/29/2023:
In light of the attached pictures I think that risk of fire is higher than before (though maybe not significantly), and but risk of your computer just spontaneously deciding it can't power on, is also going to be affected.

That bit of the connector is a fork of the main power rail in a Mac. It is rated for about 13.1V in that spot, and could be fed lots of current. Immediately tot he left is a chuck of ground. So probably what happened was when you reattached the connector, power arced from that bit of the connector into ground. This generated the heat that started the whole thing.

So the reason why everything still works is because those bits of the connector are large chunks where all the pins go to the same line. So as long as there is is enough connectivity, if they're all blobbed together, it's fine. But if the two different lines accidentally become connected, your Mac probably won't power on anymore. The power rail on the right side becoming shorted to ground will prevent it from coming on at all, or interfering with trackpad/keyboard function .

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Fire hazard is also possible if if less pins were connected than before. More energy may have to run through those same pins, which could generate more heat.

Best case scenario, replace the cable and the board side connector. That connector is a common issue for this exact sort of reason. This will happen as well if it gets hit with liquid damage.You can probably continue to work like this, but I would advise at least giving the area a good clean and changing the trackpad cable.

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5 Comments:

Hi Alisha,

Thanks so much for your helpful response. I've added pictures to my original post. They show the extent of the damage.

I was reluctant at first because I wasn't sure if I could reconnect the trackpad ribbon in its damaged state. However, I was able to do so. The computer is put back together. All is working again.

Your expert feedback has been very informative. I hope these photos give you a better idea of how bad things are. Hopefully, not too bad!

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@mlgxyz666 Well. It wouldn't be my choice of ways for that to be connected, but it could absolutely be worse. This exactly where I expected damage. Updating my answer for image attachment purposes and no character limit.

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@flannelist Thanks agin for your insights, very impressive and helpful! I'd be screwed without your responses. I appreciate your explanation, walking me through the damage and solution. I'm looking into replacing the board side connector, trackpad ribbon, and cleaning the area. I'll do what I can to reduce the risk of fire and extend the life of the computer.

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@mlgxyz666 Absolutely! The board side connector may be a bit of an ask. But there are folks around who can do those if you cannot. Even cleaning the area with some isopropyl alcohol might help you get a better idea of what’s where and separating all the lines. But the trackpad cable should be pretty simple.

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@flannelist I'm looking into my local repair companies about the board side connector-- but in the meantime, I'm replacing the trackpad cable and cleaning the parts and area. Thanks once again!

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