The only thing I do not like about iFixit is their shipping takes forever. I ordered some upgraded PS5 batteries 2 weeks ago I am still waiting. They use that osm shipping partner whatever it's taken five days just to move from California to Nevada. Other than that I do love their kits. I got that kit that comes with the Bits the lid turns into a tray prys tweezers suction cup all that
If you want to buy Apple MacBook Retina display early 15" early 2013 model in fenomenal shape, still with original battery and all the parts, reply. I'm from Zagreb, Croatia.
This video needs to be combined with a video on changing a battery in a Framework laptop and sent to lawmakers as a very PRACTICAL demonstration on why right to repair, and repairable electronics are good for everyone.
I have replaced like 50 of these batteries from 2015 to 2018 model years. Saved so many machines with swollen cells and made them as good as new. I use plastic cards without any isopropl or acitone. Requires a little bit of extra force, but worth not having to deal with goopy adhesive. I have had a single iFixIt battery go bad within a year and they took care of me. It is a shame that Apple uses 3M strips instead of simply screwing them in. Their MacBook Airs had them screwed in, so no excuses about thinnest.
Yes, I did it myself for the first time. Only took me 15 minutes to remove the glued battery lol. It was so easy, I don't understand why not more people replaces the batteries.
Another option is using waxed thread (or finger knitted floss in a pinch) by working it under the battery and using it to saw the adhesive. This is my go to method, I hate prying on lipos.
Steve, if you want to take any of these to the next-level of repair and fix up those liquid damaged areas ( including other machines ) feel free to reach out. A lot of us out here are doing component level repairs and still fixing up many of these machines, including data recovery of course. A great shame about the Apple lock situation, it's a constant pain to say the least, if nothing else though they do make good parts boards. If you do consider getting in to the component level repairs, I'm the creator of the boardview software that a lot of the repair industry uses ( FlexBV and OpenBoardview ).
The real Paul Daniels?! Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, I’ve used your board view software. Brilliant work! I can do some component level repair but unfortunately I don’t have a lot of machines to interchange parts with etc. I’ve got a lot to learn but people like you & Louis Rossmann (of course) are super helpful for people like me.
Isn t actually the apple lock removable up to the Apple M chips? i m pretty sure that intel macbooks have a chip that can be replaced, or rewritten so you get past the apple lock
It would be very nice to see TronicsFix try this repair, i think the chip is called T2 and you just have to flash a firmware to get rid of the activation lock, just that you need to remove it and put it on some equipment to do it
For the dead MacBook because of the account link, Apple should add another option called, contact owner, which allows you to type a short message which is then emailed to the email address of the account holder, where they can choose to let you unlock it. Surely that is not too much to ask.
There's also an option on their website that says if you have proof of purchase, you can get help from Apple directly. Not sure if that counts resale, but it might.
re: sticky laptop keyboard, this is going to sound crazy but it works most times, completely strip down the inside untill you have just the midframe with the keyboard. in a sink mix hot water and mild dish soap and soak the keyboard assemble for a while keep tapping the keys to get them loose, Once everthing is loose rince in hot water blow off the excess water and let it sit in a warm place for several days for all the water to evaporate. the water and soap wont damage anything as long as you have stripped the insides, once your sure its 100% dry reaccemble and with luck the keyboard will work.
@@Frickolas I accidently spilled a bit of ISO on a macbook, and the iso damaged the silicone and membrane to where the keys just fell off with no effort. ISO will kill keyboard membrane
3:00 when you need to replace glued down batteries, then you can use waxed dental floss and get under it. With back and forth movement you can cut through the adhesive. Its my go to for these kind of jobs.
Hello :) because of channels like you, I have gotten into what I wanted to do since a child, fix my own things! I've fixed minor issues since a kid, stuck trays etc but now I want to really fix the big stuff, I've went on to reballing, deep end and foolish but I really really love the idea of repair on that level and I have enough scrap to learn if it's something I can do, waste scrap mind you nothing valuable. I reflowed a scrap 360 with my Quick rework station and it worked! now I plan on taking the HANA chip off and reballing it for a REAL fix :D Thanks for your videos while I wait for the solder balls!
there is a way around the activation lock, on another mac use an application called superduper to make a bootable image of that macbook, then boot the mac with the activation lock using the external drive with the image,( hold down the option key when you turn it on will give you a choice which drive to boot from) then run super duper from the external and copy to the internal drive on the activation lock mac. Hint use disk utilities to erase the drive on the activation locked mac. once complete shut down, disconnect the external and boot normally.
25:35 it has changed! you can purchase a original keyboard only for like 27 bucks. and it comes with hundreds of screws. you need to pull the rivets out of the chassis one by one. which then get replaced by a screw mechanism.
I just replaced the keyboard on my 2015 retina MBP. It was quite a PIA since the keyboard is riveted on place and you have to remove the 2 side taped battery also to raplace the keyboard. So maybe you referred "those older Macbooks" as 2012 etc? :D
I hate taking out Macbook batteries, not sure why they glue them or why authorized repair places don't do battery replacements (well around me). They were gonna charge for just a quick battery replacement like $500+ to move the boards to a new case. The battery replacement was like $70 max, and I was told you cannot change out the battery? Madness! Love that Steve shows everything can and should be able to be repaired!
They won't be gluing them for long, once new EU regulations come into effect - "Portable batteries incorporated in appliances shall be readily removable and replaceable by the end-user or by independent operators during the lifetime of the appliance". I'm sure Apple will delay as long as they can, but eventually, they'll have to make the batteries replaceable again if they want to continue selling products in Europe..
If you look at Apple's official parts store, they don't sell the batteries separately. For example for the 14in MacBook pro, you can only buy the battery with the bottom assembly and keyboard and it costs $527 😂 It's $440 if you give them your old assembly. That's apple for you
Dang man, sucks they couldn't be proper fixed!!! but I guess you got parts my friend lol. love the channel; been watching for a while now. Keep up the amazing work!
Steve, great content as always. Been repairing my kids macbooks for years but i reckon these news ones are more complicated as you rightly pointed out. Keep up the good work. Regards from Pakistan ! 👍
For those Apple style glued on batteries, I use the rubbing alcohol and then run floss under and saw away at it. It’s always annoying replacing those batteries.
Recently refurbished a 2011 MacBook pro for my sister. Battery charging chip fried a hole in the motherboard so I had to replace the whole thing. Always fun to see how much easier apple products were to work with not even 10+ years ago compared to nowadays.
Strip the MacBook Air down to the lower assembly keyboard and throw it into an ultrasonic cleaner with hot, soapy water or straight ipa. I have had great success with soda/sticky substance removal that way. Keep up the good work!
You can remove icloud lock if your macbook has the t2 chip. Also the keyboard could be washed underwater with soap and then having it air dry before using.
I briefly worked on this generation of Apple product after they went away from more practical designs (2015 MBP is awesome, 2016 not so much). One of the tricks for glued components we used was gently applying heat and using the iFixit credit card scraper. You badly want to avoid poking or bending lithium ion batteries, so the wide, flat scraper helps.
16:43 - not completely true. You CAN unlock the T2 secured macbooks via the DFU mode. This only breaks the TouchID functionality, but the device will work.
16:20 There is a way to flash a certain controller on the logic board that will unlock the iCloud activation lock. Luke Miani has a video on how to do it.
For the macbook air… Just asking… Can’t be tried to bath that machine on alcohol on an ultrasonic cleaner/washing machine? It should be able to clean the stickiness… Or there’s something to avoid?
Hey Steve, ya'll should flood the gunky keyboard with isopropyl alcohol. Make sure the isopropyl will not seep into or on the lower board and one should be able to possibly put the keyboard in a shallow tray of isopropyl flooding the keyboard totally without the main board on it.
if you use 91% or higher, it wouldn't matter if it soaked all the way in. It'll dry. I had a PC mobo that my cats marked, and I had to soak it in IPA. after taking it out and letting it airdry, there wasn't much of an issue.
Battery removal - heat them up slightly and use a syringe for alcohol. I use very strong and thin wire to "cut" through the glue strips. Board out, don't risk flipping off a small component. The keyboard can be replaced, but man it is a pain in the arse. That screen on the MBA might be worth money if you can test it.
As for the Apple keyboards, IIRC you can pop the rivets that hold the keyboard to the chassis (make sure to remove any broken off stubs with needle nose pliers), then get the keyboard screws from the Unibody MacBook Pro and tap them into the aluminum shell...that was how I used to replace spill damage keyboards without a full topcase replacement. Of course that was 90-something rivets and matching screws to source as well...thanks Apple.
Personally I have found Apple's Internet Recovery to be hit or miss. I'd recommend creating a bootable MacOS usb. tends to install faster and more reliably.
In regards to the battery replacement, I just use a plastic spatula (some batteries come with them) and remove the battery without the need of alcohol. It takes a minute to do and causes minimal to no damage to the battery.
This is probably the most painful laptop battery install I've ever seen. Apple really decided "How best can we punish them for trying this?" when they were designing it. Geez.
Okay, so some advice from a MacBook repair technician with a little over 5 years of experience: 1. Battery replacement looked way too dangerous. Don't use spudgers to remove cells, what works best is the plastic cards that are left over from screen protectors. Slide the card in, drop some IPA over the card and let it sink into the adhesive. This way you'll get out all the cells in less than 5 minutes. 2. All fine, was an easy fix. 3. This poor MacBook Air could've been saved. On this design (A1932, A2179, A2337) the most common problem is a shorted audio board and the according flex. What also happens very often is a shorted battery. These Intel Airs also don't run when the battery is disconnected. Keyboard can be replaced, you just need a little more time to do it. 4. This one was clearly stuck in DFU mode, revive never works on these basically, restore is more likely to fix the issue. No image on screen may be due to a faulty screen, but also it will show no image until the folder starts flashing (no OS installed). To check if it has an image or not, press the option key on startup.
Really enjoyed the Video and I agree I wish that Apple would get one the train about being able to repair their devices. I have worked in IT my whole life and built PCs from scratch since I was 14 years old. Keep up the great content!
They're getting worse and worse, it's been driven by profit. Apple simply can't bear the thought of someone other than them getting some money to fix or upgrade one of their products. Tim Cook is a bean counter, he's completely focussed on the money. For example, in the new ARM machines if the SSD fails that's it, the computer is bricked as the Mac equivalent of the BIOS is on the SSD. This just shows how these computers are now just scaled up tablet computers without the touchscreen. That's how you would design a smartphone or tablet. Except people do a lot more work on a computer, especially if they're writing software, recording audio/video and so on. So if you get an ARM Mac definitely invest in a Thunderbolt SSD and write to that to prolong the life of the internal drive.
I also wish, thats why i hate them and their fans are anoying. But this is the trick apple uses to get max profit by forcing users who are to far into their eco system to buy a new one
@@Tronicsfix you have the patience of a SAINT. If it were me encountering this malevolent design I'd be hopping around the room like a maniac with frustration. The thousands of machines that have ended up in landfills because of this. Some ethical system they have. BTW, my wife got locked out of her Mac last year, some pw madness, she had to do a bizarre reset, and was relieved to get back into HER OWN COMPUTER! Cold day in hell before I ever use a mac, watching this makes me even more against them! That control freakery of theirs is scary.
6:26 hey, am i the only one who thinks technicians have to disarm a bomb every time they disassembly something? bro needs a lot courage to remove and bend glued batteries, you got my respect
Great video Steve, Great how you can try to repair all sorts of stuff, it's good to see how you talk through different ways of approaching a problem. I'm glad I have stuck with pc's.
Apple could fix the iCloud lock issue simply by sending a pop-up to the owners phone in similar fashion to the pop-up when your iCloud is signed into on a new device. The pop-up could ask if the device was sold or traded in. Then could ask the owner to allow access. I feel as though this would solve this issue perfectly while still not allowing people into stolen devices.
It's stories like this that make me completely understand why old school macs are still in demand. They were insanely upgradable and rather easy to repair back then.
If the battery is tyuly E-waste some people just cut the cable with rubber handled scissors. It's not good practice but it saves a lot of time. Makes it so simple and no prying is involved.
3:07 just apply a drop of the alcohol. With that cotton swab you get almost no alcohol under the battery. Trying to take it off with that force make me feel pain
Liquid spill on those MacBook Airs often damages the intermediate board that the keyboard connects to. Try unplugging the flex that goes to the intermediate board from the logic board.
Can u do a repair for the MacBook Pro 2017 w/Touch Bar that needs a repair on the screen that has gone completely black and doesn’t turn on? Its not cracked screen seems good but the Doesnt light up at all.
Thanks for posting - very helpful to gently lift the system board and slide in the new battery. I'm working on a similar model for a client with an overheating '19 MB Pro 13" model. Need to re-paste thermal for CPU / GPU, which involves pulling the system board. This is a royal pain and time-intensive!
One question : Could you replace the Apple Chip on this Locked MacBook to remove the Lock ? I have done this on my old Ipad and it worked but on Macbook I don't know
Nothing to do with Mac Books, but yesterday I called Nintendo support for a joycon repair that wasn't drift (🤭). A few weeks ago, I dropped my Switch on the right side joycon and it messed up its motion controls. I tracked down a forum post on ifixit's website about bad gyros, reflowed the chip, and it worked. Then I found out I caused the amiibo stuff to stop functioning, that made my battery drain rapidly (even in sleep mode). I used a specialty machine (Ersa hybrid rework station) to pickup and place the main chip on the joycon, and it still didn't work right. So I called Nintendo for a repair, I was increadibly transparent on all the work I've done and why I did it. Not only did they accept the repair, but it's still free of charge. I was expecting them to at least charge for it because it's been out of warranty for over a year and I did since significant work on the board, but nope. They said they are actually gonna try to fix it for free🎉. Very pleased with it. I've got a broken one from ebay that I'm fixing next week to use while I wait.
For battery removal I'd recommend you using a thin hard plastic (something like plastic card) and sliding it under the battery while applying alcohol to it. It makes the battery removal so much easier and faster.
Not sure if you’ve tried Apple Configurator and resetting the laptop on DFU mode. I work in IT and we’ve dealt with a few devices that are Apple ID locked and have been able to reset them that way.
While I was watching the battery removal part, I had to keep telling myself: “he lived to upload the video. He lived to upload the video. He lived to upload the video…” the way apple glues those “replaceable” items in that case is tantamount to malicious! Anyway, keep up the great work!
i was just thinking about changing my own battery in my Macbook. This is pretty helpful and gives me a little lot more confidence about doing it!! Thank you
I assume the lock has to be removed from the machine locally and not via an Apple account? If so, doesn’t that mean that if the machine dies during use, the chances of it not being locked is low?
check the last one for flexgate problem maybe its repaireble if it is the flexgate you can swapp the flex and make it a little bit longer then the problem dosent come again
Russian engineers use a thin plastic from protective glasses. It does not damage the case and the battery. It is very flexible and comfortable. And the glue is dissolved with alcohol.🤝
I would get a big enough ultrasonic cleaner and dunk that mac air keyboard into it. Give it a good ol' clean. Funnily enough I tried this with the motherboard of a DJI Osmo pocket that was water damaged. I filled the ultrasonic cleaner reservoir with isopropyl alcohol and cooked it for about 10 minutes. After putting it back together partially, it worked and works as normal apart from the onboard microphone, the ultrasonic cleaner toasted the mic, but everything works and I can plug a mic in via the usb-c anyway. Nothing to lose, give it a try just to satisfy the curiosity. Use sterile water though instead the same sterile water used in medical situations.
FYI, once you can lift the cell up a little, drip IPA below it and just let it work for a couple of seconds and then check if it lifts some more and drip in some more IPA and so on and so forth.
You may have a chance with that Mac with pass lock. I had a Mac with a lock on it and I changed the hard drive and installed Mac OS from usb. It cleared that. Just a thought.
Pro tip cut the cotton off the end of the stock then when you that end into your iso it wicks it up and tap it down around the edge of battery to apply the iso.
Spilt coffee on a dell laptop I was given. It didn’t make it past the keyboard so I took it out, washed and rinsed it well. I attached to the intake for my heat pump for 3 days. Works perfectly to this day
Hey did I miss something at the beginning of this video did you say that y'all used that lap top around there an you knew it was the battery if so why does it have a lock on it now just asking maybe I just misunderstood
Important note: an activation locked device will someday eventually be removed from the original owners account and be usable again, unless that person died and the account is never accessed again. Reason being, software updates and new features will eventually require the user to remove old devices that cannot update anymore in order to proceed, or the owner will just realize they have old devices in their list and remove them.
Use them as shooting targets. In 29.6 meters (91.1 feet) distance, the Apple logo on a laptop has the same optical size as the black circle of a shooting target.
I wonder if taking all the components out of the bottom case, then soaking the keyboard in 99% isopropyl alcohol would dissolve all of the stickiness. Then dry it out and reassemble.
That sticky keyboard, disassemble remove all lose parts, tape down flex cables, place it in an ultrasonic on low, use 100% IPA and a small amount of dish soap, mix and clean.
there is a way we can revive macbook air by disassembling the bottom completely and using bath in a ultrasonic cleaner. But the only problem that lies is chiclet keys are simply membrane keys and traces that are eaten up by acidic liquid damage cannot be restored easily. I guess look out for screen damaged similar model and just swap the components.
You have one with a good screen but not running properly, you have another running properly which needs a screen. As for the apple lock, is there no way to reformat the drive?
If you can't get enough of me trying to fix Apple laptops here's another video you might enjoy: th-cam.com/video/_48jQkOGL7g/w-d-xo.html
The only thing I do not like about iFixit is their shipping takes forever. I ordered some upgraded PS5 batteries 2 weeks ago I am still waiting. They use that osm shipping partner whatever it's taken five days just to move from California to Nevada. Other than that I do love their kits. I got that kit that comes with the Bits the lid turns into a tray prys tweezers suction cup all that
Do you sell any of the items you fix to online buyers?
If you want to buy Apple MacBook Retina display early 15" early 2013 model in fenomenal shape, still with original battery and all the parts, reply. I'm from Zagreb, Croatia.
Can you fix my Xbox series S? The HDMI port it proken
@@ElnoraConaway I would take that as a sign
This video needs to be combined with a video on changing a battery in a Framework laptop and sent to lawmakers as a very PRACTICAL demonstration on why right to repair, and repairable electronics are good for everyone.
Replacing a battery is simple, unless it's a MacBook
Lol, yep
old ones are easy though
Some of the newer ones have pull tabs like iPhone. Not sure about all the new models. Hopefully EU will force them
Most laptops use screws, some gigachad laptops use a simple slider to pop up the battery
@@zUltra3D my 2007 macbook uses a coin turner to open it
I have replaced like 50 of these batteries from 2015 to 2018 model years. Saved so many machines with swollen cells and made them as good as new. I use plastic cards without any isopropl or acitone. Requires a little bit of extra force, but worth not having to deal with goopy adhesive.
I have had a single iFixIt battery go bad within a year and they took care of me.
It is a shame that Apple uses 3M strips instead of simply screwing them in. Their MacBook Airs had them screwed in, so no excuses about thinnest.
Maybe they use 3M cause we have separate cells, so it's easy hold all of them and don't shake inside
Yes, I did it myself for the first time. Only took me 15 minutes to remove the glued battery lol. It was so easy, I don't understand why not more people replaces the batteries.
Another option is using waxed thread (or finger knitted floss in a pinch) by working it under the battery and using it to saw the adhesive. This is my go to method, I hate prying on lipos.
still not the best method use an automotive trim tool.
badderies, not batteries, as the person told.
You’re so inspiring Steve. I started my own reselling/repair business because you inspired me
Steve, if you want to take any of these to the next-level of repair and fix up those liquid damaged areas ( including other machines ) feel free to reach out. A lot of us out here are doing component level repairs and still fixing up many of these machines, including data recovery of course.
A great shame about the Apple lock situation, it's a constant pain to say the least, if nothing else though they do make good parts boards.
If you do consider getting in to the component level repairs, I'm the creator of the boardview software that a lot of the repair industry uses ( FlexBV and OpenBoardview ).
The real Paul Daniels?! Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, I’ve used your board view software. Brilliant work! I can do some component level repair but unfortunately I don’t have a lot of machines to interchange parts with etc. I’ve got a lot to learn but people like you & Louis Rossmann (of course) are super helpful for people like me.
Isn t actually the apple lock removable up to the Apple M chips? i m pretty sure that intel macbooks have a chip that can be replaced, or rewritten so you get past the apple lock
It would be very nice to see TronicsFix try this repair, i think the chip is called T2 and you just have to flash a firmware to get rid of the activation lock, just that you need to remove it and put it on some equipment to do it
@@Tronicsfix //The real Paul Daniels?!// = for those of us in the UK of a certain age, that name's magic.
@@robertbuzdea6257
There is a t2 activation lock removal tool / flasher from china yeah.
For the dead MacBook because of the account link, Apple should add another option called, contact owner, which allows you to type a short message which is then emailed to the email address of the account holder, where they can choose to let you unlock it. Surely that is not too much to ask.
That would be nice
Well unlink it so it can be linked to another account I would say. Unless when you say unlock you refer to the same idea.
Nice idea, but I don't think it would "maximise shareholder value", aaaaarghhhh
There's also an option on their website that says if you have proof of purchase, you can get help from Apple directly. Not sure if that counts resale, but it might.
It doesn’t count for resale. I’ve tried that before
re: sticky laptop keyboard, this is going to sound crazy but it works most times, completely strip down the inside untill you have just the midframe with the keyboard. in a sink mix hot water and mild dish soap and soak the keyboard assemble for a while keep tapping the keys to get them loose, Once everthing is loose rince in hot water blow off the excess water and let it sit in a warm place for several days for all the water to evaporate. the water and soap wont damage anything as long as you have stripped the insides, once your sure its 100% dry reaccemble and with luck the keyboard will work.
I've seen sticky keyboards cleaned with a wide ultrasonic cleaner as well, and rinsing in 99% alcohol drives out the water and dries in a few hours.
@@Frickolas I accidently spilled a bit of ISO on a macbook, and the iso damaged the silicone and membrane to where the keys just fell off with no effort. ISO will kill keyboard membrane
3:00 when you need to replace glued down batteries, then you can use waxed dental floss and get under it. With back and forth movement you can cut through the adhesive. Its my go to for these kind of jobs.
Also I would not recommend to use pryers because it can bend and short the batteries inside that can cause fire.
It’s always a great day when Steve uploads a new video! 👍
Your videos have inspired me to try my hand at electronics repair.
Love to hear that!
It usually Means it’s a friend hehe and Friday are good
@@Tronicsfix great video man, is this Apple Silicon or is this Intel
I never get tired of watching you troubleshoot and (sometimes) fix electronic devices.
Hello :) because of channels like you, I have gotten into what I wanted to do since a child, fix my own things! I've fixed minor issues since a kid, stuck trays etc but now I want to really fix the big stuff, I've went on to reballing, deep end and foolish but I really really love the idea of repair on that level and I have enough scrap to learn if it's something I can do, waste scrap mind you nothing valuable. I reflowed a scrap 360 with my Quick rework station and it worked! now I plan on taking the HANA chip off and reballing it for a REAL fix :D Thanks for your videos while I wait for the solder balls!
As ever an informative, well paced and good humoured repair video. Love your videos you are a gentleman.
there is a way around the activation lock, on another mac use an application called superduper to make a bootable image of that macbook, then boot the mac with the activation lock using the external drive with the image,( hold down the option key when you turn it on will give you a choice which drive to boot from) then run super duper from the external and copy to the internal drive on the activation lock mac. Hint use disk utilities to erase the drive on the activation locked mac. once complete shut down, disconnect the external and boot normally.
25:35 it has changed!
you can purchase a original keyboard only for like 27 bucks. and it comes with hundreds of screws.
you need to pull the rivets out of the chassis one by one. which then get replaced by a screw mechanism.
I just replaced the keyboard on my 2015 retina MBP. It was quite a PIA since the keyboard is riveted on place and you have to remove the 2 side taped battery also to raplace the keyboard. So maybe you referred "those older Macbooks" as 2012 etc? :D
I hate taking out Macbook batteries, not sure why they glue them or why authorized repair places don't do battery replacements (well around me). They were gonna charge for just a quick battery replacement like $500+ to move the boards to a new case.
The battery replacement was like $70 max, and I was told you cannot change out the battery? Madness! Love that Steve shows everything can and should be able to be repaired!
We all know why they glue them. It’s purely to make them harder to repair.
They won't be gluing them for long, once new EU regulations come into effect - "Portable batteries incorporated in appliances shall be readily removable and replaceable by the end-user or by independent operators during the lifetime of the appliance". I'm sure Apple will delay as long as they can, but eventually, they'll have to make the batteries replaceable again if they want to continue selling products in Europe..
If you look at Apple's official parts store, they don't sell the batteries separately. For example for the 14in MacBook pro, you can only buy the battery with the bottom assembly and keyboard and it costs $527 😂 It's $440 if you give them your old assembly. That's apple for you
Dang man, sucks they couldn't be proper fixed!!! but I guess you got parts my friend lol. love the channel; been watching for a while now. Keep up the amazing work!
Steve, great content as always. Been repairing my kids macbooks for years but i reckon these news ones are more complicated as you rightly pointed out. Keep up the good work. Regards from Pakistan ! 👍
Kudos to you for keeping the machines running! We retire these computers way too early these days and they're stupid expensive in some countries.
Thanks to you I have fixed and or refurbished all my consoles in my home. Love your work! And I love Ifixit too! Great tools!
For those Apple style glued on batteries, I use the rubbing alcohol and then run floss under and saw away at it. It’s always annoying replacing those batteries.
I’m a MacBook geek and I’m impressed of him fixing these!
Recently refurbished a 2011 MacBook pro for my sister. Battery charging chip fried a hole in the motherboard so I had to replace the whole thing. Always fun to see how much easier apple products were to work with not even 10+ years ago compared to nowadays.
16:22 Could Linux be installed on a Mac locked to an Apple ID or is it prevented by the hardware? 🤔
To replace the battery you need to remove the main board. Brilliantly designed by Apple in Cupertino.
Strip the MacBook Air down to the lower assembly keyboard and throw it into an ultrasonic cleaner with hot, soapy water or straight ipa. I have had great success with soda/sticky substance removal that way.
Keep up the good work!
You can remove icloud lock if your macbook has the t2 chip. Also the keyboard could be washed underwater with soap and then having it air dry before using.
I briefly worked on this generation of Apple product after they went away from more practical designs (2015 MBP is awesome, 2016 not so much). One of the tricks for glued components we used was gently applying heat and using the iFixit credit card scraper. You badly want to avoid poking or bending lithium ion batteries, so the wide, flat scraper helps.
I love these videos. Been watching this channel for over a year now.
16:43 - not completely true. You CAN unlock the T2 secured macbooks via the DFU mode. This only breaks the TouchID functionality, but the device will work.
16:20 There is a way to flash a certain controller on the logic board that will unlock the iCloud activation lock. Luke Miani has a video on how to do it.
For the macbook air…
Just asking…
Can’t be tried to bath that machine on alcohol on an ultrasonic cleaner/washing machine?
It should be able to clean the stickiness…
Or there’s something to avoid?
14:50 I used to work IT at a college and this reset fixed so many issues with wifi for me
Hey Steve, ya'll should flood the gunky keyboard with isopropyl alcohol. Make sure the isopropyl will not seep into or on the lower board and one should be able to possibly put the keyboard in a shallow tray of isopropyl flooding the keyboard totally without the main board on it.
if you use 91% or higher, it wouldn't matter if it soaked all the way in. It'll dry. I had a PC mobo that my cats marked, and I had to soak it in IPA. after taking it out and letting it airdry, there wasn't much of an issue.
Just small Apple things: designing a notebook in a way that replacing the battery requires you to lift the motherboard.
Battery removal - heat them up slightly and use a syringe for alcohol. I use very strong and thin wire to "cut" through the glue strips. Board out, don't risk flipping off a small component. The keyboard can be replaced, but man it is a pain in the arse. That screen on the MBA might be worth money if you can test it.
As for the Apple keyboards, IIRC you can pop the rivets that hold the keyboard to the chassis (make sure to remove any broken off stubs with needle nose pliers), then get the keyboard screws from the Unibody MacBook Pro and tap them into the aluminum shell...that was how I used to replace spill damage keyboards without a full topcase replacement.
Of course that was 90-something rivets and matching screws to source as well...thanks Apple.
For that first MacBook he installed a new battery with the perfect amount of battery juice!
With the third Macbook. How about removing everything from the bottom case (thats removable) and then dip the bottom case into isopropanol?
Personally I have found Apple's Internet Recovery to be hit or miss. I'd recommend creating a bootable MacOS usb. tends to install faster and more reliably.
I will say that I love that Apple has maintained that startup chime across the years.
@Tronicsfix its not possible to do a try soaking the whole keyboard in alcohol ?(removing battery and every component that you can first)
In regards to the battery replacement, I just use a plastic spatula (some batteries come with them) and remove the battery without the need of alcohol. It takes a minute to do and causes minimal to no damage to the battery.
Hi Steve great job, maybe you could hook an usbc dongle jus to check it on external monitor. Keep up the good work ❤
This is probably the most painful laptop battery install I've ever seen. Apple really decided "How best can we punish them for trying this?" when they were designing it.
Geez.
Okay, so some advice from a MacBook repair technician with a little over 5 years of experience:
1. Battery replacement looked way too dangerous. Don't use spudgers to remove cells, what works best is the plastic cards that are left over from screen protectors. Slide the card in, drop some IPA over the card and let it sink into the adhesive. This way you'll get out all the cells in less than 5 minutes.
2. All fine, was an easy fix.
3. This poor MacBook Air could've been saved. On this design (A1932, A2179, A2337) the most common problem is a shorted audio board and the according flex. What also happens very often is a shorted battery. These Intel Airs also don't run when the battery is disconnected. Keyboard can be replaced, you just need a little more time to do it.
4. This one was clearly stuck in DFU mode, revive never works on these basically, restore is more likely to fix the issue. No image on screen may be due to a faulty screen, but also it will show no image until the folder starts flashing (no OS installed). To check if it has an image or not, press the option key on startup.
Really enjoyed the Video and I agree I wish that Apple would get one the train about being able to repair their devices. I have worked in IT my whole life and built PCs from scratch since I was 14 years old. Keep up the great content!
Yeah, that would be nice. Sounds like you've got some experience!
They're getting worse and worse, it's been driven by profit. Apple simply can't bear the thought of someone other than them getting some money to fix or upgrade one of their products. Tim Cook is a bean counter, he's completely focussed on the money. For example, in the new ARM machines if the SSD fails that's it, the computer is bricked as the Mac equivalent of the BIOS is on the SSD. This just shows how these computers are now just scaled up tablet computers without the touchscreen. That's how you would design a smartphone or tablet. Except people do a lot more work on a computer, especially if they're writing software, recording audio/video and so on. So if you get an ARM Mac definitely invest in a Thunderbolt SSD and write to that to prolong the life of the internal drive.
I also wish, thats why i hate them and their fans are anoying. But this is the trick apple uses to get max profit by forcing users who are to far into their eco system to buy a new one
@@Tronicsfix you have the patience of a SAINT. If it were me encountering this malevolent design I'd be hopping around the room like a maniac with frustration. The thousands of machines that have ended up in landfills because of this. Some ethical system they have.
BTW, my wife got locked out of her Mac last year, some pw madness, she had to do a bizarre reset, and was relieved to get back into HER OWN COMPUTER!
Cold day in hell before I ever use a mac, watching this makes me even more against them! That control freakery of theirs is scary.
6:26 hey, am i the only one who thinks technicians have to disarm a bomb every time they disassembly something? bro needs a lot courage to remove and bend glued batteries, you got my respect
Great video Steve, Great how you can try to repair all sorts of stuff, it's good to see how you talk through different ways of approaching a problem. I'm glad I have stuck with pc's.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed this one.
Have you tried playing around transplanting MBP M series parts to an older MBP chassis?
Apple could fix the iCloud lock issue simply by sending a pop-up to the owners phone in similar fashion to the pop-up when your iCloud is signed into on a new device. The pop-up could ask if the device was sold or traded in. Then could ask the owner to allow access. I feel as though this would solve this issue perfectly while still not allowing people into stolen devices.
It's stories like this that make me completely understand why old school macs are still in demand. They were insanely upgradable and rather easy to repair back then.
If the battery is tyuly E-waste some people just cut the cable with rubber handled scissors. It's not good practice but it saves a lot of time. Makes it so simple and no prying is involved.
I used some thin string and used it like a saw to cut thru the adhesive on the first one and then you’re able to slide a tool up underneath
3:07 just apply a drop of the alcohol. With that cotton swab you get almost no alcohol under the battery.
Trying to take it off with that force make me feel pain
Liquid spill on those MacBook Airs often damages the intermediate board that the keyboard connects to. Try unplugging the flex that goes to the intermediate board from the logic board.
Can u do a repair for the MacBook Pro 2017 w/Touch Bar that needs a repair on the screen that has gone completely black and doesn’t turn on? Its not cracked screen seems good but the Doesnt light up at all.
Thanks for posting - very helpful to gently lift the system board and slide in the new battery. I'm working on a similar model for a client with an overheating '19 MB Pro 13" model. Need to re-paste thermal for CPU / GPU, which involves pulling the system board. This is a royal pain and time-intensive!
One question :
Could you replace the Apple Chip on this Locked MacBook to remove the Lock ? I have done this on my old Ipad and it worked but on Macbook I don't know
I don't think that works any more but I could be wrong on that
Just saw a Video where someone replaced the Apple T2 Chip on an A1990 to remove Activation Lock
Nothing to do with Mac Books, but yesterday I called Nintendo support for a joycon repair that wasn't drift (🤭). A few weeks ago, I dropped my Switch on the right side joycon and it messed up its motion controls. I tracked down a forum post on ifixit's website about bad gyros, reflowed the chip, and it worked. Then I found out I caused the amiibo stuff to stop functioning, that made my battery drain rapidly (even in sleep mode). I used a specialty machine (Ersa hybrid rework station) to pickup and place the main chip on the joycon, and it still didn't work right. So I called Nintendo for a repair, I was increadibly transparent on all the work I've done and why I did it. Not only did they accept the repair, but it's still free of charge. I was expecting them to at least charge for it because it's been out of warranty for over a year and I did since significant work on the board, but nope. They said they are actually gonna try to fix it for free🎉. Very pleased with it.
I've got a broken one from ebay that I'm fixing next week to use while I wait.
That's great!
Great job! But why you are removing any mentions of Linux?
get a usb-c to hdmi adapter and try plugging the one with the bad screen and see if it is fully working and not icloud locked
could you of plugged in the macbook with a faulty display to an external monitor?
Thanks for also showing the ones that didn’t get fixed. 👊🏾
i feel like adding contact info to the mac lock screen would be nice
For battery removal I'd recommend you using a thin hard plastic (something like plastic card) and sliding it under the battery while applying alcohol to it. It makes the battery removal so much easier and faster.
For the macbook air.. why not saturate the keyboard in the cleaner spray you like to use?
Not sure if you’ve tried Apple Configurator and resetting the laptop on DFU mode. I work in IT and we’ve dealt with a few devices that are Apple ID locked and have been able to reset them that way.
Macbook 2, if you have that error, use a usb ethernet adapter. Works better than wifi
While I was watching the battery removal part, I had to keep telling myself: “he lived to upload the video. He lived to upload the video. He lived to upload the video…” the way apple glues those “replaceable” items in that case is tantamount to malicious! Anyway, keep up the great work!
i was just thinking about changing my own battery in my Macbook. This is pretty helpful and gives me a little lot more confidence about doing it!! Thank you
What is this microscope at 22:08? I've never seen it before in your videos
Out of curiosity: comparing ifixit batteries to OEM, what type of battery life would you get over the LONG term life of it?
Hey Steve, can‘t you flood the keyboard with BD100 ? Maybe it cleans it, maybe not but worth a try.
I assume the lock has to be removed from the machine locally and not via an Apple account? If so, doesn’t that mean that if the machine dies during use, the chances of it not being locked is low?
check the last one for flexgate problem maybe its repaireble if it is the flexgate you can swapp the flex and make it a little bit longer then the problem dosent come again
Russian engineers use a thin plastic from protective glasses. It does not damage the case and the battery. It is very flexible and comfortable. And the glue is dissolved with alcohol.🤝
Thank you Mr. Fix I love your videos
I would get a big enough ultrasonic cleaner and dunk that mac air keyboard into it. Give it a good ol' clean.
Funnily enough I tried this with the motherboard of a DJI Osmo pocket that was water damaged.
I filled the ultrasonic cleaner reservoir with isopropyl alcohol and cooked it for about 10 minutes. After putting it back together partially, it worked and works as normal apart from the onboard microphone, the ultrasonic cleaner toasted the mic, but everything works and I can plug a mic in via the usb-c anyway.
Nothing to lose, give it a try just to satisfy the curiosity. Use sterile water though instead the same sterile water used in medical situations.
FYI, once you can lift the cell up a little, drip IPA below it and just let it work for a couple of seconds and then check if it lifts some more and drip in some more IPA and so on and so forth.
The last one (with the sticky keyboard) showed the icon indicating the battery was too low to turn on at that moment.
Does using a heat gun help when removing glued down batteries?
You may have a chance with that Mac with pass lock. I had a Mac with a lock on it and I changed the hard drive and installed Mac OS from usb. It cleared that. Just a thought.
Pro tip cut the cotton off the end of the stock then when you that end into your iso it wicks it up and tap it down around the edge of battery to apply the iso.
Spilt coffee on a dell laptop I was given. It didn’t make it past the keyboard so I took it out, washed and rinsed it well. I attached to the intake for my heat pump for 3 days. Works perfectly to this day
Hey did I miss something at the beginning of this video did you say that y'all used that lap top around there an you knew it was the battery if so why does it have a lock on it now just asking maybe I just misunderstood
Last mac is firmware locked. Mb air you can try unplugging keyboard/trackpad ribbon cable then see if it’ll power on.
Important note: an activation locked device will someday eventually be removed from the original owners account and be usable again, unless that person died and the account is never accessed again. Reason being, software updates and new features will eventually require the user to remove old devices that cannot update anymore in order to proceed, or the owner will just realize they have old devices in their list and remove them.
If i may ask, what's the point of very strong adhesive?
What models are these macs? Why I can’t see any of them. This episode is like a big puzzle - unfortunately I don’t have more time for it.
16:28 not if you put the wrong password in over and over until it wipes itself. you loose all data but you get a nice fresh macbook.
24:45 As soon as you pressed that power button. I said, "That's one crunchy keyboard!"
Use them as shooting targets. In 29.6 meters (91.1 feet) distance, the Apple logo on a laptop has the same optical size as the black circle of a shooting target.
where do you order the resistors, regulators, capacitors etc... ??
I wonder if taking all the components out of the bottom case, then soaking the keyboard in 99% isopropyl alcohol would dissolve all of the stickiness. Then dry it out and reassemble.
That sticky keyboard, disassemble remove all lose parts, tape down flex cables, place it in an ultrasonic on low, use 100% IPA and a small amount of dish soap, mix and clean.
there is a way we can revive macbook air by disassembling the bottom completely and using bath in a ultrasonic cleaner. But the only problem that lies is chiclet keys are simply membrane keys and traces that are eaten up by acidic liquid damage cannot be restored easily. I guess look out for screen damaged similar model and just swap the components.
Yep, you got it
You have one with a good screen but not running properly, you have another running properly which needs a screen. As for the apple lock, is there no way to reformat the drive?
You should connect the last one to an external screen to discard video issues inside he LB.
How come the Macbook has a black instead of green circuit board? It looks great on the inside!