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John

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John
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  • Wow, that's a new one! Glad to hear it's working!
    in ISight/ wifi antenna causes white screen Comment by John November 2011
  • Wow, that's a weird one! No secret weapons, unfortunately. First off, what model machine is it? White A1181, aluminum Pro, etc.? Are you saying the white screen occurs when the cables are unplugged, or when the Airport card is unplugged from the…
    in ISight/ wifi antenna causes white screen Comment by John November 2011
  • Let me know how it goes! I'd be really interested to know if simply replacing the chip fixes the problem, or if the damage in that kind of situation goes beyond what is visible. Again, good luck!
    in USB damage to MacBook pro logic board Comment by John November 2011
  • Yikes, that's not good. You're probably going to need a new board then, unless you're really good with a soldering iron, etc. Personally there are only a few minor board-level repairs that I do, and that one is beyond my capability. One option …
    in USB damage to MacBook pro logic board Comment by John November 2011
  • To start with, when you connect the AC adapter, is there a light on the plug, or is it black? After checking that, I would disconnect the AC adapter and unplug the battery, and let the machine sit overnight. Sometimes when these machines take a hi…
    in USB damage to MacBook pro logic board Comment by John November 2011
  • Wow, I looked it up, and it does in fact look like there was a 2009 A1278 Pro. I'm surprised, because I've dealt with at least a dozen A1278s, and they have all been non-Pros with a removable battery. Honestly, I don't know for sure whether an i5 …
    in put i5 logic board into 2009 A1278? Comment by John October 2011
  • Great to hear it's working!
    in Odd power button issue Comment by John October 2011
  • Interesting...it must vary depending on model, or it might have something to do with the degree to which the keyboard is damaged. I've definitely had some unibody machines that would not power via the pads if the ribbon cable was connected.
    in Odd power button issue Comment by John October 2011
  • I don't get it...the power-on pads should not be able to be triggered while the keyboard cable is attached. Are you connecting the keyboard cable AFTER you trigger the pads? What model machine is this? Like I mentioned, you might want to open the…
    in Odd power button issue Comment by John October 2011
  • I'm confused -- how can you know that all the keys work if you powered it on via the power-on pads? I ask this because the topcase/keyboard ribbon cable must be disconnected for the computer to be powered on via the pads, so I don't understand how …
    in Odd power button issue Comment by John October 2011
  • Hi! No, that would not be possible. For one, the A1278 is not even a Pro, and it has a removable battery with a different connector on the battery and the board than the unibody Pro machines. Also, as a non-Pro, the topcase/keyboard would not sup…
    in put i5 logic board into 2009 A1278? Comment by John October 2011
  • Hi! Was the serial rubbed off via normal use, or was it intentionally rubbed off? If intentionally, where did you get this machine, and was it a legitimate source? They may not care that the serial is not on there, as long as they can get it from…
    in Serial Number rubbed off Comment by John October 2011
  • Sorry to hear that. Once you have a working topcase, if you hold the trackpad button down while powering on, it will kick out the DVD.
    in Macbook Penryn model...can I use a downgraded logic board? Comment by John October 2011
  • It's not necessary to screw the board down to the case, but it is a good idea to at least have the board in the case, because if it's out there are too many pieces of metal around and it's too easy to short out the board. If correctly connecting th…
    in Macbook Penryn model...can I use a downgraded logic board? Comment by John October 2011
  • Have you put the heatsync back on the processor, and if so, is it properly secured, and did you clean off the old thermal paste and replace it with new thermal paste? You machine could be overheating...an A1181 will survive anywhere from 10 seconds…
    in Macbook Penryn model...can I use a downgraded logic board? Comment by John October 2011
  • No, that is 100% false. The video chip also controls the external signal, and a video issue machine will show either a black external display, or a distorted one. If the external signal is fine, but you're seeing distortion on the laptop's screen,…
    in iBook g3 Video Issue Comment by John October 2011
  • Ah, I get it, so you haven't ordered a whole new topcase. Well, hopefully cleaning the board will make the difference. Yes, you can power on without the topcase connected. In fact, if the topcase is connected, the power-on pads are inactive, so i…
    in Macbook Penryn model...can I use a downgraded logic board? Comment by John October 2011
  • No problem! I think it's dry enough. Still, I've seen topcases cause sleep issues, so if the cleaning doesn't make it go away, the new topcase might. Yes, a flathead screwdriver should work. I usually use a pair of metal tweezers, but any number…
    in Macbook Penryn model...can I use a downgraded logic board? Comment by John October 2011
  • Yes, without the topcase, you can trigger the power-on pads on the board as discussed here: https://www.rdklinc.com/answers/discussion/comment/189#Comment_189 I'd say your board should be dry by now, unless you absolutely soaked it in alcohol. If…
    in Macbook Penryn model...can I use a downgraded logic board? Comment by John October 2011
  • Hi Taylor! Thanks for the kind words! I don't know if you've watched the A1181 board overview video that I have in the Tutorials section, but if not you might want to, as if gives a general overview and will provide all the info you need as far as…
    in Macbook Penryn model...can I use a downgraded logic board? Comment by John October 2011
  • Hi Tyler! Sounds like your machine has only a mild case. Trust me, though -- it will get worse. But if you leave the computer on a flat surface and don't move it, basically treating it like a desktop, it might last a while before showing addition…
    in iBook g3 Video Issue Comment by John October 2011
  • The G3 video issue can behave a hundred different ways, depending on the severity. There is no way to accurately predict it, and it gets worse with time. If it's a mild case, the screen will light up and the computer will work simply by applying p…
    in iBook g3 Video Issue Comment by John October 2011
  • What signs are you seeing that indicate it has the video issue? The video issue will often freeze the computer, so yes, if you apply pressure in order to keep the chip in place, or put something between the lower shielding and lower casing in order…
    in iBook g3 Video Issue Comment by John October 2011
  • Hmmm...well, if you've tried everything I suggested (removing the hard drive, testing the RAM slots, etc.) then I don't know what it could be. I'd verify it's not under warranty. You might also try taking it to the Apple store. I'd ask if it's el…
    in MacBook firmware issue Comment by John October 2011
  • Another idea -- try disconnecting the hard drive, and powering on. If the computer behaves normally when the hard drive is connected (chime, white screen, blinking folder), you know that the problem is confined to the hard drive and its partitions,…
    in MacBook firmware issue Comment by John October 2011
  • Weird, that link didn't seem to work. Here's another interesting link: http://superuser.com/questions/334963/how-to-fix-efi-boot-on-my-macbook-pro-after-ubuntu-install I still don't know much about this and could be wrong, but it doesn't sound …
    in MacBook firmware issue Comment by John October 2011
  • Hello! Thanks for the kind words! Do you know anything about this "Ubuntu firmware" the previous owner installed? This may just be a topic unfamiliar to me, but as far as I've ever been aware, Ubuntu is purely software, and I don't know…
    in MacBook firmware issue Comment by John October 2011
  • That's great news! I'm really glad to hear it worked out! A dead backlight can be the board, the inverter cable, the inverter, or the screen. It's almost never the inverter itself. It's usually the screen going bad, but the fact that it goes on …
    in Dead Macbook A1181 (Late-2007)? Comment by John October 2011
  • Hard to say, but I doubt they would refuse to replace the parts, because I don't think the policy says anything about whether the computer is working or not. I've generally found that honesty is the best policy when it comes to taking stuff in...if…
    in Dead Macbook A1181 (Late-2007)? Comment by John October 2011
  • That's great to hear! Compressed air is good, and if there are areas of the board where it's really caked on there or hard to remove, you can use 90% rubbing alcohol and a soft toothbrush, soft cloth, or q-tips. Just make sure to allow an hour or …
    in Dead Macbook A1181 (Late-2007)? Comment by John October 2011