DIY macbook pro power supply repair

In detail: DIY macbook pro power supply repair from a real wizard for my.housecope.com.

At Apple, everything is not like people, even the power supply for their Macbook laptop is different from the usual adapters. The material could well become a description of a successful repair, only the repair was unsuccessful, but let's talk about everything in order. They brought in a small old Apple Macbook for repair, in which the adapter did not charge, then after twitching and wiggling the connector it charged, and recently it stopped working altogether.

The power supply is assembled in a small white plastic case. The power supply is connected to the PC using a special plug - for this, there is a corresponding socket on the side of the MacBook. The plug has a light indication - so, if the battery is charging, the indicator glows orange; and if the battery is already charged - green. Naturally, first of all, three options for the reasons for the refusal suggest themselves:

1) Wear at the end of the cable is the most common problem. It appears due to the fact that the user pulls the cable, and not the MagSafe port itself, when disconnecting the charging from the MacBook.

2) Wear at the base of the cable. Occurs due to improper winding of the cable around the power supply.

3) Failure of the MagSafe connection controller. In this case, charging can sometimes infect and sometimes not.

Let's see what we can do with all this. To begin with, I tried not to open, but literally rip open the power supply case, since there are no screws there, and instead of latches, as is often done on remote controls, for example, everything is simply glued along the contour.

Having opened it halfway, the tester was already able to reach the contacts of the two wires included in the power supply board. The dial tone showed a short circuit, which disappeared after cutting one of the conductors.

Video (click to play).

It is clear that now you have to work with a plug. And the Apple Macbook plug is equipped with an original magnetic mount - MagSafe Connector. It simplifies the connection of the charger to the laptop (it is enough to bring the plug to the connector, as it itself begins to “reach” to the correct installation in the connector). And it also makes the procedure for charging the battery safer, because if the cord is pulled too tight during charging - say, someone hooks it with a foot - then the connector will disconnect on its own; otherwise, the laptop could fall off the table and break.

Apple uses smart power supplies in its laptops, which means that in addition to the supply voltage, there is an information channel. In the plug of the block there is a microcircuit that "communicates" with the multicontroller (SMC) on the motherboard. The microcircuit has a memory area in which data about the block (manufacturer, serial number, power, etc.) are written, and until the Macbook "reads" this information, it will not work from this block.

Having disassembled the plug, I saw that the wires from the 5 contacts were almost torn off, and the ground wire, in the form of a braid, was all tousled and everything was connected to a miniature scarf, which was installed in the plug.

Naturally, repairs here are very difficult, especially since some of the tracks on the shawl were ripped off. Of course, with a strong desire, you can try to restore contacts, and some specialists did this, but all this is so small and unreliable that it is better to just buy a new power supply unit.

Hello.
I want to understand the reason for the failure of my charging from the MacBook. In the internet there is no information on the question of interest to me, so I am trying to figure it out myself.

The other day the charging from the MacBook Pro at 85 W broke down. I was peacefully working behind the Buk when I heard a quiet click (like a switch) and the screen darkened a little. Charging was cut off.
First of all, I measured the voltage at the terminals in the magnetic chip - everything is zero, although it should be 6.5 V.
Next, I opened the charge and prifigel on the number of elements per square centimeter
Having recovered from the shock, I found an input circuit with a diode bridge and a rectifying / filtering capacitor - everything at the terminals is, as expected, 310-312 V flow, i.e. voltage is supplied to the board and feeds all (and is it all?) circuits.
I thought for a long time where to climb next, because I could not find the charging circuit anywhere.
As a result, I decided to measure the voltage at the terminals of the transformer in order to understand where the cause of the breakdown is - before or after it.

So, trance has 4 contacts at the input, at output 2. The input comes 310 V, which are formed when contacts 1 + 3 and 4, as well as contacts 2 + 3 and 4 are closed.
There should be a 16 V change at the trance output or something like that (there is no circuit, so I don't know for sure). Instead, the output is 0.
Looking closely at the trance, I saw smudges like molten varnish. Didn't see this before, tk. the wiring density of the circuit is high.

The question is this:
The varnish and the lack of voltage at the trance output indicate that it is burnt out?
I ask the community for help

Judging by the post and the questions in it - the only sure decision is to buy a new one or take this to the master, since your knowledge in the IIP is in the negative range of values and tends to absolute "zero"

And I repeat once again - leave the trance alone - he is not to blame.

“. I want to somehow figure it out. "- commendable - Borisov's book - Young radio amateur is freely available in the net - in 5-10 years you will be ready to continue the conversation on it.

“. as local masters themselves say. ”- these are lamers, not masters.

- and you wanted, like a myth about Sony and Panasonic, a quarter of a century without repairs?

Open the theory of reliability of CEA and read it - all the "why" will disappear at once! And if you also read about “planned aging”, you will immediately see the light!

In 2012, my good friend and active reader> Nikolay T. finally got married. For his wedding, we gave him a good one, even for today's MacBook Pro with Retina display.

Until 2018, he never thought about upgrading his laptop. Despite the fact that the body of the device is covered with scratches and even dents, it still performs very well and copes with all tasks.

The only thing is that the laptop power supply cable with the 2nd generation MagSafe connector was first frayed to holes, and the other day it refused to charge the computer. It's about repairing it..

For a new power supply unit for MacBook Pro Retina 2012 on the official Apple website they ask 5,790 rubles. A lot, so we decided to save some money.

We called a couple of informal local service centers together with the question of repairing the power supply. I once heard that worn cables can be easily replaced with new ones, and a laptop charger will last a couple of years.

Indeed, many cellars have a Gen 2 MagSafe cable replacement service. Issue price up to 1 thousand rubles.

The power supply is opened, rubbed the lace is pulled out, replaced by its Chinese counterpart, the structure is sealed and fastened with ties for a couple of days so that it does not fall apart.

We decided to try. At lunchtime, we brought the power supply unit to the SC and left for a snack. An hour later they called us and said that everything was ready. Asked to take a MacBook with you to check the power supply after repair.

We arrived, checked, everything works. They shook hands and ran away.

Late in the evening, a message of the format “Are you sleeping ?!” arrived from him, and after a negative answer the phone rang.

At the end of the day, he dropped the MacBook Pro on the kitchen table, plugged it into the PSU, made sure it started charging, and went into another room to put the baby to bed.

When I returned, there was no light in the kitchen, and there was a nasty smell of burnt plastic. Most likely, a short circuit has occurred, therefore, one machine gun was knocked out on the dashboard.

The smoking power supply immediately went to the trash can on the street. The laptop was not hurt, but the feeling of anxiety did not leave it for a couple of days.

The moral is simple. Never make homemade repairs to MacBook power supplies.If it's broken, buy a new one, don't skimp on your safety.

Imagine that you put your laptop on charge and go to bed. After a short circuit, the power supply caught fire, and the flame from it spread to the carpet, table, furniture or curtains. I don't even want to think about that.

After this story, I was once again convinced that Apple did the right thing with USB-C power supplies in the new MacBooks.

In 2015 MacBooks and later, and 2016 MacBook Pros and later, the cable can be disconnected from the power supply and replaced with a new one. For example, I immediately bought myself a USB-C to USB-C lanyard from Native Union so that it wouldn't rip.

Possibly Apple Engineers came to detachable cables precisely because of such basement SCs, which endanger the lives of thrifty consumers.

In general, do not repeat our mistakes and rather upgrade to the new MacBook Pro. They're cool! 😉

(4.00 out of 5)

A device for a MacBook was brought in for repair (apparently, the owner has already tried to open it, but to no avail). MacBook Pro 15 ″ and 17 ″ were equipped with such charging before the release of the Retina models.

As you can see in the photo, the wire already had damage, which were carefully tightened into heat shrinkage.

The owner complained that in some positions of the wire the charge does not go and crackles are heard.

Near the power supply itself, there is a noticeable thickening on the wire, which indicates a possible breakage or other problem with the cord

This is a typical sore Apple chargers and I always keep new wires ready for them.

1. If there is a specialized tool, then it's good, but if not, then we use the tools at hand, like I do.

Our task is to open the charging case in the area of the folding "ears"

The plastic of the power supply is quite good and if the tool does not slip off, then very few traces will remain

2. Halve the plastic

3. Remove the first copper shirt, it only holds on glue and tape

4. In order to remove the second shirt, you will have to unsolder two plaques on one side of the charging

Now nothing bothers us and we can cut off the excess glue, conduct an inspection and find the place where the wire is attached

5. Having unsoldered the old cord, using the braid, remove the excess solder and get two neat holes

6. We solder a new wire, not forgetting about the polarity and heat shrinkage (we do not want to burn the client charger when checking 🙂)

7. We put on a copper shirt and solder it to the board in those places that were previously soldered

8. We check the performance of the charger

9. We put on the second shirt and fasten it with tape

10. Putting the whole thing into a plastic case, not forgetting to insert the plastic ears, glue the case at the place of parsing

The operation is not tricky, it takes about 15-20 minutes and even if with “smoke breaks” and Skype correspondence

There is a sense to repair! The cost of a new charge is several times higher than the cost of repairs! Used charging is at least twice as expensive! Chinese charging usually does not last long, but its price is approximately equal to the original used charging

P.S. My apologies for the not-so-tidy workplace! I had to take the work with me to the dacha and all the work was carried out under cover of night (while the children were sleeping).

you use an unauthorized tool, unauthorized solder and solder with an unauthorized soldering iron, such repairs may be unsafe for the device, you just need to order a new unit from the company service. well, or wrap frayed with blue electrical tape.

Apple-authorized blue duct tape, of course

but how to properly discharge them? taking into account different capacities and voltages

First generation Mag safe? this is how much he worked before he was covered.

I have a beech late 2008, I took it from my hands. But the charging seems to be native and has not been repaired. In heat shrink. 8 years.

@ Antonio83, Hello! I really like your articles on repair, but, unfortunately, I myself am not very good at electronics. Please tell me if it is possible to use your electronics repair services? There is a non-working laptop and a few more devices that require repair. If possible, how can I contact you? I live in Moscow time. Regards, Alexey.

Greetings! I live and work about 1000 km from you, in Tallinn! 🙂

Oooops. ))) I got excited)) It's a pity, of course. Then I wish you every success and all the best, thanks for your reply)

Thanks! And good luck with the renovation.

First I read “while the spirits sleep”.

I would like to ask you, maybe you know. When MagSafe 2 is connected to MacBook Air 13 Mid 2012, some kind of radiation that is unpleasant for technology comes from it. I began to notice this by the cracking sound in the headphones (connected to the MacBook), the jerking of the cursor when using the touchpad and, which is very strange, the incorrect operation of the sensor on the next iPhone, and if you touch the case with one finger, the jerks disappear. What could be the problem and how dangerous is it for the equipment and health of me and those around you?

MacBook power supply repair is a defect that, regardless of its simplicity, is one of the most painful.

We live in the modern world, where we cannot do without the use of gadgets and other electronics, which greatly helps us not only to save time, but also to use it more rationally. One such device is a laptop. Over the years of development of progress on the market for this product, a huge number of companies have appeared, which to this day are engaged in the production of these devices.

It should be noted that regardless of the initially equal conditions of existence, some still found the strength for a breakthrough, which allowed them today to have the status of "trendsetters" in this area. One such company is undoubtedly Apple. Each individual gadget or device from this company is really unique in practice, and you, being an active user of one of the Apple products, can confidently confirm this fact. Indeed, examining the MacBook, you can single out a huge number of advantages that will distinguish it from other devices of this scale.

But, despite all the merits and advantages, this model, exactly like other models from other manufacturers, does not have absolute resistance to negative factors that contribute to the appearance of any defects or breakdowns. This, in turn, suggests that during the operation, almost every user has a huge chance that he or she will face the following problems:

Breakage of the screen;
Exit from three boards due to overheating;
Breakage of the touchpad;
Unstable operation of connectors;
Damage to the power supply.

This, in turn, suggests that if any defect is detected, professional assistance will soon be required in order to eliminate this defect. In this article, we will not talk about screens, boards, or any other design details. In this article, we will talk about what without which this design will turn from a modern and high-performance device into a tray. And this very important part is the power supply. Why high-value? But you must admit that the battery of your MacBook is not a perpetual motion machine and does not have the ability to constantly generate energy, besides, the beech itself does not have a solar battery on the top cover, respectively, if the power supply breaks down, over time the monitor will go out, and all processes will stop, because they will need food.

Macbook pro power supply repair - is it worth panicking if you find such a defect, and what to do in such a situation!

Based on practice, we can confidently say that the number of cases when users are "covered" with such details is really a lot. Many, of course, having discovered such a breakdown, rush into panic, largely because the MacBook is practically discharged. In other cases, there is no need to worry, because you can always repair the macbook pro power supply by contacting the professionals of the official service center.

Thus, the question of how to find professionals who will be such in practice, and not just in words, will be quite relevant? Or maybe you can repair the macbook pro power supply yourself?

A similar question is asked, probably, by every user who had to face a similar problem. And given the situation on the market, as well as the capabilities of each of us, we would like to note that if you need to repair the macbook pro power supply, then you should not rush to make a choice, and even more so, you should not try to repair the macbook pro with your own hands. The thing is that, in addition to the usual wear and tear of the power supply, other circumstances can also affect its breakdown, which can only be identified if the device itself is diagnosed. Choosing not the most reliable partners for repairing a macbook power supply, you may be faced with the fact that the "diagnosis" after performing an unprofessional diagnosis will be incorrect, which means that sooner or later the breakdown will again make itself felt, which will lead to new costs that could have been avoided.

If we talk about independent repair macbook power supply, then in this situation, about any diagnostics and in general there can be no question. With all this, regardless of the fact that you can find information on how to repair a macbook power supply with your own hands, due to the lack of experience and special knowledge, such repairs will be largely of poor quality, which at least will lead to an early breakdown, and as a maximum to a short circuit and a fire, which is capable of causing much more damage to your property, including a laptop.

That is why, instead of doing rash experiments, and waiting for a miracle to perform certain work, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the offer of the service center "UMA Service"!

"UMA Service" is a company that will help you not only repair the macbook power supply, but also reliably identify the cause of its breakdown!

Our service center has been working in this area for several years, to be more precise, for more than twenty years. During this time, we have seen a lot of devices, while successfully restoring their working capacity, which in turn is confirmed by our reputation and customer confidence. We do not put pressure on you and do not try to make a decision for you using methods of marketing manipulation, instead, we invite you to explore the benefits of our future cooperation:

Individual approach when performing apple macbook repair;
High service comparable to European;
Use of quality parts and modern equipment;
All work is carried out by highly qualified specialists with extensive experience;
A responsibility;
Honesty;
Nice prices;
Reliability and durability of repair.

If you need MacBook power supply repair, come to us and you will not regret your choice!

Diagram 1. General power diagram for MacBook Air A1237 (820-2179).

On the schematic diagram, we see the J6980 power connector, from which it all starts. In the complete diagram, by searching, we find where this connector is also mentioned (Diagram 2).

We look at page 50. The J6980's power connector is powered by MagSafe. Please note that the 5 pins of the connector are not identical to the contacts on the MagSafe power supply itself (extreme ground, the middle one is the information channel, the single-wire “1-wire” bus communicates with the microcircuit that is inside the block plug, and this microcircuit already lights up either green or an orange LED, the rest are a plus). The small board into which the connector is connected changes the arrangement of the pins.On a MagSafe PSU, there is a “ground” at the edges in the center of the LED light and the remaining pins, the penultimate one on the edge, supply voltage with respect to ground. On the J6980 connector, as you can see from the diagram, everything is not so: contacts 1 and 2 supply voltage with respect to “ground”, 3 and 4 - to “ground”, 5 - information channel, single-wire bus “1-wire”.

Video 1. Measuring the voltage at the pins of the MagSafe 1 connector

Video 2. We measure the voltage on the contacts on the J6980 connector MacBook Air A1237 (820-2179)

For diagnostics, it was necessary to disassemble the adapter, a search on the Internet for information on opening the adapter case was unsuccessful. I had to figure it out myself.

The first thing you need to do is to remove the plug - adapter, applying more force in the direction perpendicular to the pins of the plug. The detachable plug makes it easy to adapt the adapter to plug in any standard.

The Apple MagSafe 85W adapter case consists of two halves, as it turned out, glued together firmly. The hope of finding the latches and disassembling the case by pressing them did not come true. It took a lot of effort. In disassembly, a special tool came in handy, expanding pliers for removing and installing expanding washers. Such washers were often used to fix rollers on axles in tape drives of tape recorders.

Expanding pliers differ from ordinary ones in that when you squeeze the handles, their jaws do not close, but, on the contrary, move away from each other. Having wound the ends of the expanding pliers, first into one recess for the corners of winding the wire, and then into another, and squeezing the handles, it was possible to disassemble it practically without damaging the case.

As it turned out, in one half of the body there was a protrusion along the end of the joint, and on the other half there was a groove into which the protrusion entered. Before assembly, the joint was coated with glue that dissolves the body material.

In order to remove the board from the case, I also had to work hard with a flat-blade screwdriver, detaching the glued plastic corner, to which the plug-adapter is docked. The printed circuit board with radio components is shielded by two brass screens, one of which is soldered to the common wire of the board. To remove the screen, I had to work with a soldering iron.

As a result of the work done, the adapter was removed from the case. The installation density was very high; in addition, the elements were filled with a compound. Apparently, during the design of the adapter, the possibility of its repair during operation was not provided.

But it turned out to be not difficult to determine the place where the wires going to connect the laptop are soldered. The wire, passed through a ferrite ring in five turns, was soldered into a printed circuit board. The ferrite bead acts as a choke to reduce the level of radiated noise from the adapter, while also preventing the impulse noise from passing through the laptop.

After determining the points of output of the supply voltage to the laptop, it became possible to check the operability of the adapter. In the photo, the places of the soldering wires are circled in circles, the soldering of the negative terminal in blue, and the positive one in red.

I applied the supply voltage to the adapter and measured the voltage at the soldering points of the wires. The voltmeter showed 6.5 V, which indicated that the circuit was working. The voltage was less than the norm of 18.5 V, since the adapter was connected without load and therefore was in the output voltage limiting mode.Therefore, the reason for the adapter's inoperability should be looked for in the wire going from the adapter to the computer.

On closer examination of the adapter plug, which is inserted into the laptop, I found that one of the 5 contacts turned black a little and, unlike the others, does not spring well. When you click on it, it drowned, and only came out back if you move it. Such a contact could not provide a reliable electrical connection.

A call with an ohmmeter of the wires showed that both wires are intact and the point is in the plug contacts. The outermost contacts were connected to each other, and connected to the negative terminal of the adapter. The blackened contact rang out with the positive terminal of the adapter, and the other two hung in the air. There was nothing left but to try to disassemble the plug and try to repair it.

He clamped the metal part of the fork in a vice and carefully pushed the plastic part with a screwdriver. Unfortunately, the plug sorted out quite differently than I expected, as its pins were soldered to the PCB and came off easily.