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Macbook battery amnesia resolved

doctorvee -

MacBook Core 2 Duo

MacBook Core 2 Duo Magsafe Board Replacement

MacBook Core 2 Duo Magsafe Board Replacement

30 minutes - 2 hours

Moderate

My Problem

My wife's MacBook suffered several after-effects of a seemingly small liquid spill: Keyboard and trackpad partially failed, and that was a no-brainer --new top case, no problem.

The more vexing issue was that the MacBook would draw battery power, but not re-charge; the OS couldn't even detect that a battery existed (X icon in menu bar).

We limped along for a while, using her AC adapter for day to day use, and my twin MacBook to act as a charging station when her battery ran low.

Finally, I narrowed the likely causes to either the battery connector or the DC-in board, and ordered one of each from iFixit.

My Fix

I started by swapping the battery connector, as it was the easier of the two parts to reach. My 7-year old son was on hand as my repair assistant, and got to help keep track of the many screws involved in removing the top case.

We both loved how easy the iFixit guides were to follow, just like Lego instructions. The battery connector swap solved the problem, so I returned the DC-in board (hassle-free; much appreciated!)

My Advice

-Watch out for the little gray plastic pieces along the right hand edge of the top case, above the optical drive. Not entirely clear why they're there, but they like to fall out.

-My son and I both agree: it's fun to say "spudger" :-)

MacBook Battery Connector/Sleep Sensor (non-Energy Star) Image
MacBook Battery Connector/Sleep Sensor (non-Energy Star)

$7.99

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