4 ms·

I run independent repair shops for a living, and we do board-level repair. In general, when training techs I tell them to start with the easiest possible solut

I run independent repair shops for a living, and we do board-level repair. In general, when training techs I tell them to start with the easiest possible solution and work up from there. Since MacBooks are so heavily-integrated (so much is on the logic board), it’s the last place I look. First order of MacBook repair when it won’t turn on: Start with a SMC reset. It usually doesn’t fix the problem, but occasionally it does. (If it does, I don’t charge the customer.) Second step: Try a known-good battery. It is more commonly a battery issue than a logic board issue. Third: Inspect the board for signs of water damage. With PC laptops (and in general, laptops that are easier to repair), there are more steps here. But with MacBooks, this is about it. We fix MacBook logic boards, but I would also recommend Tim Herrman over at https://www.tcrscircuit.repair/ https://www.tcrscircuit.repair/ for logic board repair. He has a YouTube channel where he talks a lot about MacBook logic board repair as well, and he’s been on Louis Rossman’s channel a few times too.

jklein11 6y ago
Thanks for your response! Unfortunately, I can't find my pentalobe screwdriver to open the case so I had to order one. It should be here on Tuesdsay. I can't try a different battery or check for water damage until then. To add a little more context, this is a 13 in Early 2015 Macbook Pro (A1502.) My laptop was working until the battery died earlier today. I plugged it in and pressed the power button and I still just get black screen(I don't even hear any fans starting or anything like that.) The charging indicator is orange which makes me think that the battery is functional. When I do a SMC restart the indicator changes from orange to green for a few seconds and then turns back to orange. I have tried plugging the laptop into a monitor to rule out an issue with the screen, but still no signal on the monitor. Are there any other diagnostic tests you can recommend until I can open the laptop up?
- throwlaplace 6y ago
  >When I do a SMC restart the indicator changes from orange to green for a few seconds and then turns back to orange. you're battery is probably dead. below i said i fixed the screen on my mbp that's true but before that i swapped my battery and that's exactly the behavior i saw (staying orange, green->orange after SMC). i used the idea from this video to replace the battery (after ordering on ebay - make sure you get the right one!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fupkPz55tUo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fupkPz55tUo i used a shoe lace (because it was strong enough).
  - raihansaputra 6y ago
    Agree with this. You can rule out battery circuity related faults by trying to boot with the battery disconnected and the charger connected. Be patient; it will take a minute to boot and emit the chime sound.
    - jklein11 6y ago
      I just tried this and still doesn't boot. What is interesting is that the fan will start spinning, also the haptic feedback on the trackpad is still working.
jasonv 6y ago
Maybe you can shed some light on this: I recently took my older (7 years) MacBook Air in to Apple to get a new battery. They charged me $129. It’s a great laptop, was happy to do it. When they returned it, the had also replaced the main board too for free. So, aside from the SSD, a new machine. What would be a typical reason for this? (I can’t imagine any Dell or Lenovo feeling so solid after 7 years... have had both at various jobs in times past.)
- tinus_hn 6y ago
  Perhaps they damaged it while replacing the battery? Tested it afterwards and it failed?
- Yetanfou 6y ago
  > I can’t imagine any Dell or Lenovo feeling so solid after 7 years... I'm using a ~14yo Thinkpad T42p as one of my daily machines (using it to write this post), it feels as solid as when it was new. The battery still holds enough power for about 1.5-2 hours, the (1600x1200) screen still outperforms most newer models due to its relatively high resolution and 4:3 ratio, the keyboard is far better than that on most other machines (especially compared to Macbooks). The only substantial upgrade I made to this machine is that I put in a(n) SSD (through a PATA-SATA adapter since this machine is from before the shift to SATA).

jklein11 6y ago

Thanks for your response! Unfortunately, I can't find my pentalobe screwdriver to open the case so I had to order one. It should be here on Tuesdsay. I can't try a different battery or check for water damage until then. To add a little more context, this is a 13 in Early 2015 Macbook Pro (A1502.) My laptop was working until the battery died earlier today. I plugged it in and pressed the power button and I still just get black screen(I don't even hear any fans starting or anything like that.) The charging indicator is orange which makes me think that the battery is functional. When I do a SMC restart the indicator changes from orange to green for a few seconds and then turns back to orange. I have tried plugging the laptop into a monitor to rule out an issue with the screen, but still no signal on the monitor. Are there any other diagnostic tests you can recommend until I can open the laptop up?

throwlaplace 6y ago
>When I do a SMC restart the indicator changes from orange to green for a few seconds and then turns back to orange. you're battery is probably dead. below i said i fixed the screen on my mbp that's true but before that i swapped my battery and that's exactly the behavior i saw (staying orange, green->orange after SMC). i used the idea from this video to replace the battery (after ordering on ebay - make sure you get the right one!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fupkPz55tUo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fupkPz55tUo i used a shoe lace (because it was strong enough).
- raihansaputra 6y ago
  Agree with this. You can rule out battery circuity related faults by trying to boot with the battery disconnected and the charger connected. Be patient; it will take a minute to boot and emit the chime sound.
  - jklein11 6y ago
    I just tried this and still doesn't boot. What is interesting is that the fan will start spinning, also the haptic feedback on the trackpad is still working.

jasonv 6y ago

Maybe you can shed some light on this: I recently took my older (7 years) MacBook Air in to Apple to get a new battery. They charged me $129. It’s a great laptop, was happy to do it. When they returned it, the had also replaced the main board too for free. So, aside from the SSD, a new machine. What would be a typical reason for this? (I can’t imagine any Dell or Lenovo feeling so solid after 7 years... have had both at various jobs in times past.)

tinus_hn 6y ago
Perhaps they damaged it while replacing the battery? Tested it afterwards and it failed?
Yetanfou 6y ago
> I can’t imagine any Dell or Lenovo feeling so solid after 7 years... I'm using a ~14yo Thinkpad T42p as one of my daily machines (using it to write this post), it feels as solid as when it was new. The battery still holds enough power for about 1.5-2 hours, the (1600x1200) screen still outperforms most newer models due to its relatively high resolution and 4:3 ratio, the keyboard is far better than that on most other machines (especially compared to Macbooks). The only substantial upgrade I made to this machine is that I put in a(n) SSD (through a PATA-SATA adapter since this machine is from before the shift to SATA).