I bought this MacBook Pro M1 refurbished in 2024. After one year of use, it suddenly showed those shadows on the bottom of the screen (like on the 1st pic), pretty similar to the Flexgate encountered on the previous generations. As I was still under warranty from the refurbisher (Okamac), I sent them the computer and they replaced the screen. But when I got it back, the screen looked fine but was squeaking when I opened it, was pretty hard to open, and was misaligned from the rest of the body by about 1 or 2 mm when closed.

So I took it to a local repair shop, and after disassembling it, they told me that apparently the screen wasn't screwed back tightly enough. After they remounted it, the squeaking noise was gone and it wasn't that hard to open anymore, but it was still slightly misaligned from the body when closed. It also seemed that there was a very thin, dim shadow at the bottom of the screen, but it was really thin so I just ignored it.

A few months later, the webcam stopped working, and the Touch Bar started to take hours to turn on (the screen of the Touch Bar was black, but it was still working before turning on). Now the Touch Bar is still working, but it sometimes stays extremely dim for several hours.

The screen itself worked properly for 8 months, but a few weeks ago the Flexgate-like shadows came back (like on the first pic). After the first appearance, I just closed the screen and opened it back up, and it went away. I then continued to use the laptop for several weeks (opening and closing it several times every day) before it came back. It did this several times, but every time it went away immediately after I closed and opened the screen back up. One time, it even went away without touching the lid: the screen went into standby as I was taking a picture of it, and when I clicked the touchpad to turn it back on, the shadows on the bottom of the screen were gone.

One week ago, the screen again went into Flexgate mode, this time not with the shadows on the bottom of the screen, but with the very bright spotlights that you see on the 2nd pic. I thought the screen was fried for good, but after closing and opening it again, it was gone. It's now been a week since I haven't closed the laptop at all (I slightly adjusted the screen several times and it didn't do anything). This situation is not very sustainable for me since obviously I intend to use my laptop as a portable device.

So my questions are :

is it Flexgate, like on the previous generations? (I did some research; I know that the cable itself can't be fixed and I just can't pay 600€ to replace a screen that's already been changed 8 months ago. Also, I haven't found any testimonies of someone having Flexgate on two different screens a few months apart on the same computer - particularly since the longer cables of the A2338 model are supposed to be more durable. Also, the fisrt time I got the "flexgate" issue, it wasn't intermittent)

Could this be another issue entirely, linked to the dead webcam and dim Touch Bar, that could be more easily fixed?

I really hesitate to bring the laptop to a repair shop for now because if it's indeed Flexgate, I'm afraid I will break the cable for good if I close the lid again to move the computer.

⟐ Commented May 20, 2026 at 11:02 MST

⟐ Commented May 20, 2026 at 8:26 MST

Then it started turning off every 30 seconds, same thing closing display and opening again fixed it. At this point, connecting to an external monitor worked fine. So on the external monitor I could use it like regular (with mirrored or extended screen).

Then I restarted, tried a bunch of things on the https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT210905 and https://www.macbookproslow.com/fix-black....

I never got into safe mode or knew if things were working, but I tried all the keyboard combinations. Late into the night, it started working and then I used the Macbook regularly, I went to sleep happy that it was fixed.

Now I woke up and the screen is not working at all, not even showing the apple logo which it was last night. Also, it's not working on external monitor either. I can still see the external monitor and the mouse but it's a black background. The backlight is working and the keys and everything seem fine.

Very frustrating and I'm not sure what to do :(

⟐ Commented May 20, 2026 at 8:17 MST

⟐ Answer unaccepted May 20, 2026 at 7:05 MST

When I connected an external VGA monitor, I saw it did boot to the “No boot device” screen, which was expected since the original HDD was removed due to failure.

Eventually a MacOS install CD got stuck, so I opened it up and removed it manually. After that, the behavior changed. It now chimes with the green power LED, then as the external monitor briefly detects a signal, it shuts off.

If I try again right after, the power LED comes on but nothing else happens. No chime, no video, nothing until I power it off manually. After unplugging for a few seconds and plugging back in, it goes back to the initial state where it chimes and then shuts off when it should show video on both CRT and external display.

What can I do? I replaced the PRAM battery and it made no difference. It also shuts off before I can do a PRAM reset (Opt+Cmd+P+R), and the physical PRAM button hasn’t helped either.

Trickle voltages seem normal, but when it reaches the “power LED only” state, the down-converter board trickle voltages are lower than normal.

I can also hear the high-voltage crackling as it powers off, so I assume the CRT is receiving power in some way. One other thing of note is that either the speakers, or the down converter board make a high pitched sound, I'll attempt to identify the source later today.

⟐ Commented May 19, 2026 at 3:45 MST

However, I am curious if anyone else has seen this issue, or experienced it happen to them first hand? It does seem that people are discussing it on Apple's Community Page, so at the very least I know that these are not isolated issues.

⟐ Answered May 19, 2026 at 2:32 MST

As a disclaimer, I know this may be a hardware issue and that is why I am here. I have already taken it to Apple and they had no luck, telling me it needs a logic board replacement. It wasn't worth the money so this has turned into just a slow learning project that I've been chipping away at as a hobby.

I have tried to restore it with Apple Configurator and another MacBook, but after putting it into DFU mode and waiting for it to restore, it fails with this error (4014)

Unexpected device state 'DFU' expected 'RestoreOS' (Probably forced into DFU mode externally)

AC recognizes the Mac Mini, and the restore works up until Step 4/4, "Installing System", where it pauses halfway and then gives that error.

At that point I can see via the status light on the Mac Mini that it goes from a normal boot (white) to DFU mode again (solid amber) randomly, and AC sort of flickers at this point as well and then complains about the Mac Mini being in DFU (instead of RestoreOS).

I guess this could be something fried on the board, but I wouldn't know where to start because the only apparent issue being that it just randomly dips out of RestoreOS and back to DFU is very odd.

I've heard this error (4014) can be a faulty cable, but I've tried a lot of different ones, including a genuine Apple USB-C cable. I may buy a brand new one and try again.

Do you know of any software or hardware issues this could be? It seems like a simple issue but with no real rhyme or reason to it. Even if you just have a hunch, any tips on where I should look next would be greatly appreciated.

⟐ Answer accepted May 18, 2026 at 15:16 MST

I am an amateur so bear with me. I started trying to repair this Macbook Pro some time ago. Its my own.

Today I disconnected and connected the motherboard due to some work in the power button / touch id (There is another post related to this.

So, that is a short summary and what happened now is that when I reassembled the computer and turned it on I notices that the touch bar was not showing anything so I turned off the computer and looked inside to have a look at a connector on a cable that I messed up a year ago (Sadly I was not as careful back..). While examining the cable and connector and touching it I noticed some smoke(?).. I thought that I imagined it.. Then I see sparks and a tiny fire! I rush to disconnect the cable from the connector and disconnect the battery..

Here I am now, with two questions:

1. Where does the touch bar get its power from? I cant figure it out by myself.
2. What is this connector that I messed up used for and did I burn a fuse on the MB? How should I proceed?

⟐ Commented May 18, 2026 at 14:19 MST

⟐ Answer edited May 17, 2026 at 12:21 MST

⟐ Commented May 17, 2026 at 4:54 MST

The Macbook turns on only when it is plugged in, but if I unplug it while it's on, it can stay on for hours (with the fan working at full speed).

Here's what I've done so far:

1. 1. Tried a whole bunch of combinations of draining and then recharging the battery, restarting in recovery mode, etc.
2. 2. Tried two other battery data cables from seemingly reputable companies - I even tried a tape trick to try for a better connection, it did nothing in my case
3. 3. Got a second replacement battery from ifixit (they kindly sent one for free)

So far, none of these attempts have made a difference.

To me, it seems to be an issue with the data transfer from the battery to the rest of the computer, but I think I've ruled out a good number of culprits. Usually, I'm able to figure these problems out on my own, but not this time. Any help would be highly appreciated!

⟐ Commented May 16, 2026 at 11:56 MST

I’m facing a frustrating issue with my MacBook Pro M4 (purchased Feb 2025, AppleCare expired) and wanted to see if anyone has encountered this or found a workaround.

Whenever I open the lid—especially after it has been idle—the system behaves as if it’s under extreme thermal stress. It forces itself into sleep mode repeatedly (around 3 to 7 times in a row) before finally stabilizing and going back to normal.

There is no actual overheating, no high CPU usage, and no excessive fan noise.

After digging into the diagnostics, I managed to isolate the root cause. A specific thermal sensor, TDv (appearing as TD23 in the SMC logs), is stuck giving a false, static reading of 81 degree celsius. This erroneous spike is clearly causing the system to panic and force immediate sleep states to protect the hardware.

A factory reset did not change anything, as the issue is driven by this faulty sensor reading. I've attached my powermetrics logs and the diagnostic dump below.

Has anyone dealt with a single rogue sensor failing like this on an Apple Silicon Mac? Is there any known software method or tool to ignore/override a specific sensor input before I resort to a hardware repair?

Any insight would be highly appreciated.

Plaintext

**** Thermal pressure ****
Current pressure level: Moderate

**** Thermal pressure ****
Current pressure level: Sleeping

**** Thermal pressure ****
Current pressure level: Moderate

**** Thermal pressure ****
Current pressure level: Sleeping

**** Thermal pressure ****
Current pressure level: Nominal

**** Thermal pressure ****
Current pressure level: Heavy

**** Thermal pressure ****
Current pressure level: Sleeping

TD23 , 81.000961
TDVx , 81.000961
ftlx , 81.000252

⟐ Commented May 16, 2026 at 9:11 MST

Recently I bought a1707 macbook with screen flex cable problem and bios locked

I thought I could fix it but I failed (the flex cable is cutted) plus I tried to fix bios with ch341 but I guess this failed too (ic not responding error)

But after reassemble macbook it's not turning on

Did this repair while battery cable is unplugged so think is not shorted

USB meter says 19.6v 10~20w 0.5~1a and no keyboard or track pad respond or light

Plus I assume display will not work bc of cutted flex cable

Tried:smc reset/unplug charger and press power button for 10sec and plug/nvram reset

If have any kind of solution pls tell me

Thank you for reading long text :)

⟐ Answer accepted May 16, 2026 at 4:58 MST

⟐ Answer accepted May 16, 2026 at 4:58 MST

But here is the question: without microsolder experience/ability, is there something else I can do than pay $200+ for a reflow job? For example, one microsolder tech recommended that I pop the logic board (all by itself, disassembled from the laptop) in an oven at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. If that’s safe to do, I’d much prefer that to a $200 repair, as long as I don’t risk destroying the whole thing.

You microsolder wizards out there, what would you recommend? Or where would you recommend that can do the repair for cheap? I’ve already replaced the laptop, so now I’m just repairing to resell.

Thanks in advance.

⟐ Commented May 15, 2026 at 17:58 MST

-Michael

⟐ Answer accepted May 15, 2026 at 17:58 MST

⟐ Answer accepted May 15, 2026 at 17:49 MST

Thank you for your help

⟐ Commented May 15, 2026 at 3:06 MST

⟐ Commented May 14, 2026 at 7:07 MST

⟐ Answer edited May 14, 2026 at 6:22 MST