2015 A1465 Keyboard Replacement - Swap from 2012 A1465 Possible?

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2015 A1465 Keyboard Replacement - Swap from 2012 A1465 Possible?

I have a 2012 A1465 11" MB Air that has an irreparable logic board (So I have all the parts spare to use on a 2015 A1465 11" MB Air that needs a keyboard, Track pad and maybe possibly a screen (Top case).

My question is are the parts from a 2012 model compatible with a 2015 model?

The KB on the 2015 I believe will be partly riveted into the top case, I know the drill on how to remove it, but where the rivets would have been it will obviously need screws, I have a bag of these tiny screws for the job but wondering if they will fit into the holes left from where the rivets were or do I need a different set of screws for that?

Regarding the screen, they should fit OK but what about the AirPort/Bluetooth Board as it looks like the 2012 cables will be to short to fit to the 2015?

Calling @danj for the confirmation :)

Answer this question I have this problem too

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RipperDoc @inwerp Rep: 229 3 · Answer 1 · 2024-05-14T14:25:14-07:00

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RipperDoc @inwerp

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IMPORTANT: wear protection gloves and glasses since keyboard has sharp edges and rivets might jump into your face.

test new keyboard before putting it into a frame and before removing old one. malfunctioning keyboard might be a bad trackpad..

basically all A1465 and A1466 models share same keyboard but different Trackpad / microphone. so yes, keyboard is same inside A**** model number, topcase is different.
A1465 keyboard has smaller Fn buttons but still same pinout so you can test trackpad with different keyboard.
Believe me or not most difficult thing in 11" keyboard swap would be to mount wlan antenna back in place the way it is not be loose in chassey/will look nice. be careful while removing the antenna cable and try to heat it up a bit (50C is ok and safe) to reuse backlight / wifi wire stickers.
first unscrew very few screws it has around the keyboard. then slowly tear keyboard completely out.
if you are lucky most of the rivets will be removed. use non-sharp wire cutters to remove the ones which are left in places ( rotate it a bit then pull it from the frame. sometimes it is easier to knock stuck rivet from side.

screws could be found online, search for "macbook keyboard screws" and look for black ones with philips heads. the ones with Pl1 are smaller diameter, you need that only for USBC macbooks.

center keyboard the way all keys are exactly in places. on A1465/66 macs there is enough room to install keyboard the way some keys will hit the frame.
you can look for macbook keyboard replacements on youtube, there are plenty of good videos on that topic.

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Yes I know the rivets pop up and the edges are like a razor so care will be taken. Good tip though to 1st replace the KB/TP cable to see if that was the problem, then the TP, then last resort the KB. It is not my favorite job to do this one, gives me a backache..... but I have time on my hands so it will keep me busy. The Microphone connection is different though on a 2012 to a 2015 model, everything else seems to be the same..... I found that out when it was the last thing to connect previously, so I had to put everything back in the old top case as to not lose anything... bummer.

@livfe - The 2012 still used screws, the 2013 used plastic rivets.

@danj Yes 2012 is all screws, 2013 on wards has screws around the edges and rivets in the middle. If I have to pop the rivets, will the tiny screws fit or do I need to find other sized screws?

@livfe - Most sellers supply the needed screws. Just make sure they do.

@danj Yes I bought an extra bag when I order the KB so plenty of Ant heads here :)

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Dan @danj Rep: 480.4k Self employed contract worker 35 330 971 · Answer 2 · 2024-05-14T08:29:15-07:00

Dan @danj

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I'm not sure! While the raw keyboard is (as long as it's the same type NA Vs ISO) is the same the uppercase is different!

I haven't needed to go down this path before.

Product

MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2012) Upper Case with Keyboard

$99.99

Product

MacBook Air 11" (Mid 2013-Early 2015) Upper Case

$99.99

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@danj I do know that the Microphone connection is different on 2012 to 2015,

When I bought a replacement KB it is advertised as suitable for 2012 to 2015 models....

@livfe - As I stated the raw keyboard is the same as long as you don’t try to change it from NA to ISO or the other direction (like for like). The uppercase assembly is different as you can see in my post of the two parts.

@danj Not sure what you mean by "NA to ISO" ?

@livfe - The layout of the keys for the North American is different to what the European keyboard.

@danj All units here are US keyboard layouts so no issues there, only to remember to start the screws from the center so it centers all the keys as the top row are likely to rub on the case, nothing worse that screwing it all up to have to move the KB 0.0001 mm

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Moth @computermoth Rep: 115 3 · Answer 3 · 2024-05-14T08:51:18-07:00

Moth @computermoth

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@livfe - Like Dan, I'm not sure.

But, I do happen to have several, and I mean, several, old Macbook Airs that are not being used and simply collecting dust, ranging from 2012 to 2017, in other words:

I'm willing to go and check to see if I happen to have the models you have, and then test it for you. I'm fine with the macbook airs ending up broken, they have no use to me, so I have room for mistakes. While I feel that you do not have that luxury.

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Unfortunately all the MacBook Airs I have are one model number off, A1466!

I did ask my IT Mentor about it though.

The response I got was that yes, it should be just fine as they are the same model number, and from before the age of apple making everything irreparable.

May 14, 2024 by Moth

So on A1466 the screens (Top Case) should fit on all 13" models 2012 to 2017? Or were there different length BT / Wifi Cables? Anyway I will update as I got all models to deal with here.

@livfe - The screen assembly is different between the 2012 and the 2013 to 2015. Apple altered display code so it won’t work like the original during firmware boot. Only works when the OS driver loads. The uppercase is where the keyboard/trackpad is.

@danj Yes, hopefully the screens are all OK but that I won't know until all is reassembled and an OS is installed, fingers crossed.

I just found a 2013 11" also with no logic board, so hopefully that gives me another parts option on rescuing 2x 2015 11" models that have good logic boards but bad KB's & TP's.