macbook jumpstart

discodick

Hi
Does anyone know how to jumpstart the macbook unibody 1342 13" . Saw the very interesting video on utube on how to do this but my motherboard is slightly different and I cant find the 2 metal contacts to short out. (i think the example shown was a 15")
This would be usefull to know as I would like to test the motherboard before I order the complete top body with keyboard.

John

They are usually just right above the very leftmost edge of the keyboard ribbon cable. If it doesn't work, try disconnecting the ribbon cable, and then try again. Good luck!

gcaravan

Hi John,

I used your video today as I replaced the keyboard on a recently purchased MacBook Pro Unibody 13" 2009 model. The computer worked but had problems with the keyboard and trackpad, so those were the things I was replacing. I didn't have immediate success with the keyboard replacement, so I was troubleshooting by trying to jump start from the logic board. I touched the two metal spots you indicated with tweezers and got a "zap" followed by electrical smell. So... before I started I could check the battery charge tested full and now it does not.

Do you think I completely destroyed the logic board... or is there something more that could be done. As far as I can tell everything has been installed back to correct places - time consuming, but painstakingly done and rechecked. However, the computer will not start up or do anything at all since the "zap". My $500 investment in a new used laptop looks like it went up in smoke. I'm hoping there's something else that can be done.

Just an FYI, I am not a novice at computer repair or parts replacement and I followed various videos for all the aspects of this job today.

John

Yikes, sorry to hear that. My guess is that you may not have been grounded and were carrying around a buildup of static electricity, and then when you jumped the board, it received the full impact of this. If you noticed a smell, most likely the board is damaged, but what I would do before coming to conclusions is remove all sources of power (AC, battery) and let the machine sit overnight to make sure any kind of charge it has taken is 100% discharged. Sometimes a "bad charge" will cause a computer to get stuck in a specific behavior, and letting that charge dissipate over time eliminates the behavior. I would also disconnect the DC-in connector from the board, because it is a power-related component and also has the ability to maintain a charge.

If after sitting overnight disconnected it still will not power on, I'd test the RAM slots by attempting to power on with one slot empty, and then the other empty. I'd also try different RAM if you have any, because a memory module might have been damaged. If none of that works, I'd use a magnifying glass to examine the board and see if you can find any burn marks, as those might present clues. You can also test powering on with battery vs AC adapter, to see if one or the other works.

Anyway, good luck, and let me know how it goes.

John