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MacBook Core Duo MagSafe Board Replacement

Written By: iRobot (and 4 other contributors)
  • Comments: 87
  • Favorites: 19
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Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

15

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Introduction

Is your laptop having power issues that a new charger or SMC reset won't fix? Replace the MagSafe board.

  1. Use a coin or spudger to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.

    • Use a coin or spudger to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.

    Edit

  2. Lift the battery out of the computer.

    • Lift the battery out of the computer.

    Edit

  3. Remove the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.

    • Remove the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.

    • The screws are captive to the metal memory cover.

    • When replacing the battery casing, use a spudger to re-insert the foam cushioning behind the rear wall for propper battery spacing.

    Edit

  4. Lift up on L-shaped memory cover, slide it to the right, and lift it out of the computer.

    • Lift up on L-shaped memory cover, slide it to the right, and lift it out of the computer.

    Edit

  5. Remove the following 3 screws:

    • Remove the following 3 screws:

    • One 11 mm Phillips #00 in the middle of the case.

    • Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00.

    • If the screws stick in the case, you can use a magnetized screwdriver to draw them out.

    • The shorter of the three screws goes in the middle.

    Edit

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  7. Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:

    • Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:

    • Two 3 mm Phillips #00. (A1181 has three 3 mm screws and one 4 mm.)

    • One 4 mm Phillips #00 on the right side.

    • When reinstalling these screws, press gently on the lower case to line up the screw holes.

    • These screws easily strip, so be careful while taking these particular screws out.

    Edit

  8. Remove the two 6 mm Phillips #00 screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).

    • Remove the two 6 mm Phillips #00 screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).

    Edit

  9. Remove the four 3 mm indicated Phillips #00 screws from the front wall of the battery compartment. When working from the left, remove the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th screw.

    • Remove the four 3 mm indicated Phillips #00 screws from the front wall of the battery compartment. When working from the left, remove the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th screw.

    Edit

  10. Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:

    • Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:

    • Two 7 mm shouldered Phillips on the far sides.

    • Two 10.5 mm Phillips toward the center.

    • Do not over-tighten these; you can cause the case to distort.

    Edit

  11. Remove the two 5.2 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws from the optical side of the computer.

    • Remove the two 5.2 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws from the optical side of the computer.

    • It is not necessary to remove the similar screws on the other side of the computer.

    Edit

  12. Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. It is held with clips on the right above the optical drive. These will release with some firm lifting pressure.

    • Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. It is held with clips on the right above the optical drive. These will release with some firm lifting pressure.

    • Be careful when prying up the upper case. It's very easy to slice open a fingertip and thus provide the blood sacrifice the Mac gods sometimes require of those who insist on doing their own repairs.

    • There's a trackpad and keyboard ribbon connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don't pull the upper case off entirely just yet.

    • If you have trouble getting the clips to release, be careful that you are not prying the plastic top of the upper case away from its metal frame.

    Edit

  13. While holding up the upper case (from the bottom or the top), use a spudger to pry up the orange trackpad and keyboard cable from its connector.

    • While holding up the upper case (from the bottom or the top), use a spudger to pry up the orange trackpad and keyboard cable from its connector.

    • Take care to pry between the black socket and the white connector. You might have to pry on both sides for it to release properly.

    • Do not pry from the bottom or the top, but from the sides.

    • If you happen to break your upper case cable when removing the upper case, we stock the cable individually and we have a guide that makes replacing it easy.

    Edit

  14. Remove the single Phillips screw securing the MagSafe board to the lower case.

    • Remove the single Phillips screw securing the MagSafe board to the lower case.

    Edit

  15. Use a spudger to rotate the MagSafe board up and out of its housing. It may be helpful to pull the lower case out slightly to provide additional clearance.

    • Use a spudger to rotate the MagSafe board up and out of its housing. It may be helpful to pull the lower case out slightly to provide additional clearance.

    Edit

  16. Disconnect the MagSafe board from the logic board.

    • Disconnect the MagSafe board from the logic board.

    Edit
Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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iRobot

Member since: 09/24/2009

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5 Comments

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I did this and battery is charging but now MacBook doesn't boot up any ideas? I took it appart again and everything is connected ;(

miguelmeza - Reply

broke the keyboard cable to motherboard BE CAREFUL!!!! ALL WORKING GOOD!

miguelmeza -

Does not boot up and did not break or damage the cable to motherboard. Any suggestions? The cable looks as new. But keeps booting for many minutes with spinning wheel

Andrej Spilevoj - Reply

Before you do this - might be worth checking to see that the insulating gasket in the magsafe port is intact. I was about to buy a new board when I noticed that the gasket was broken (I wouldn’t have noticed there was even a gasket unless it was broken).

Turned out for me it was just this insulating gasket in the outside of the port that was stopping it charging and I didn’t even need to open the back. When I found part of it still intact, I guessed partial insulation might be that causing a short. The gasket is made of very thin tape and sure enough when I made a copy and put that in, it charged fine on the new charger I had bought. The old charger is dead (on this and a friend's machine) so I presume it was fried shorting while I repeatedly tried to charge before. P.S. I made the copy by making an inverse template by pressing Blutac into the port and used that as a block to print an outline onto the tape.

Sally-ann - Reply

“Turned out for me it was just this insulating gasket in the outside of the port that was stopping it charging and I didn’t even need to open the back. When I found part of it still intact, I guessed partial insulation might be that causing a short. The gasket is made of very thin tape and sure enough when I made a copy and put that in, it charged fine on the new charger I had bought.”

INDEED!!! That was the same case for my macbook! the plastic film on the charger port was partly broken. I took off the rest of that broken film with a pin, then I cut out duct tape to fit and place around the pin connections, and that did the trick!!

Sol - Reply

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