Problem was a bad wifi/camera cable. Easily purchased and easy to plug in. A total disaster getting to the point of being able to replace though. I should have listened to the folks that told me it wasn't worth it.
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Problem was a bad wifi/camera cable. Easily purchased and easy to plug in. A total disaster getting to the point of being able to replace though. I should have listened to the folks that told me it wasn't worth it.
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Basically, the camera cable has three connections - connects to the logic board by the optical bay, connects to the wifi at the hinge on the base of the monitor, and connects to the camera by going underneath and around the LCD inside the monitor frame.
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Basically, the camera cable has three connections - connects to the logic board by the optical bay, connects to the wifi at the hinge on the base of the monitor, and connects to the camera by going underneath and around the LCD inside the monitor frame.
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In order to complete this cable replacement, you have to literally disassemble the entire laptop with the exception of removing the logic board, but that's literally the only thing you don't have to do. You have to completely disassemble the rest of the laptop. In the end, not worth it.
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In order to complete this cable replacement, you have to literally disassemble the entire laptop with the exception of removing the logic board, but that's literally the only thing you don't have to do. You have to completely disassemble the rest of the laptop. In the end, not worth it.
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Worst part is suctioning the old glass off the MBP - total disaster. Should have listened to everyone who told me not to. The glass shatters into a million pieces. No one tells you that on iFixit! That make it seem so simple. I was able to buy a new glass and was able to get the most of the old glass bits out, but took forever.
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Worst part is suctioning the old glass off the MBP - total disaster. Should have listened to everyone who told me not to. The glass shatters into a million pieces. No one tells you that on iFixit! That make it seem so simple. I was able to buy a new glass and was able to get the most of the old glass bits out, but took forever.
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I used a heat gun to remove the old glass, but again what iFixit doesn't tell you is that you're supposed to use the heat gun for about 5 seconds. I held it for about 30 seconds because the glue didn't melt whatsoever so the glass never peeled off the screen like the iFixit pictures. I figured I just needed to hold the heat gun there for longer. BIG MISTAKE. I ended up heating the LCD so once the glass did come off (exploding off, more precisely), I could see that I basically put a nice yellow permanent smudge on the LCD exactly the shape of the mouth of the heat gun.
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I used a heat gun to remove the old glass, but again what iFixit doesn't tell you is that you're supposed to use the heat gun for about 5 seconds. I held it for about 30 seconds because the glue didn't melt whatsoever so the glass never peeled off the screen like the iFixit pictures. I figured I just needed to hold the heat gun there for longer. BIG MISTAKE. I ended up heating the LCD so once the glass did come off (exploding off, more precisely), I could see that I basically put a nice yellow permanent tinge on the LCD exactly the shape of the mouth of the heat gun.
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Another slight damage I created was that I pulled the internal screen frame out too far in order to get the camera cable out (and the new one in). So now the back of my MBP at the black hinge cover has a nice gap like it needs a screw or superglue to get back to the original MBP lines.
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Another slight scar I created was pulling the internal LCD frame out too far. You have to pull it out to slide the camera cable into the monitor - I don't see a way of doing this short of damaging the frame around the LCD. So now the back of my MBP at the black hinge cover has a nice gap like it needs a screw or superglue to squeeze back and return the MBP to the original Apple lines.
In a nutshell, I wish I didn't come to this site. While I figured out how to disassemble the MBP perfectly, what this site can't effectively convey is the force required (or lack thereof) to use that is often better conveyed through use of video. Bottom line, iFixit needs videos to go along with their stills.
My MBP now works perfectly fine (camera, fan, wifi, even video) and I have a greater appreciation for Apple engineers, but I've left behind some disappointing scars. I've destroyed (and replaced) the glass, damaged the LCD, and created gaps where various components used to fit tightly together.
Bottom line, this is NOT a fix-it job I recommend. If your camera cable breaks, I suggest replacing the cable to where it resolves any wifi issues, but then clip the cable short of connecting it back to the camera behind the LCD. Not worth it.
Thanks for the reply. So you were right - suctioning the old glass off the MBP is basically a disaster. It shatters into a million pieces. No one tells you that on iFixit! That make it seem so simple :) So I bought a new glass and was able to get the old glass bits out no problem. Turns out my problem was the camera cable it self. Considering how the rest of the fix went, I'd almost wish it was just the camera cable socket.
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Problem was a bad wifi/camera cable. Easily purchased and easy to plug in. A total disaster getting to the point of being able to replace though. I should have listened to the folks that told me it wasn't worth it.
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So what I did was purchase new glass and a new camera cable. In all, about $100 bucks. Not bad.
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Basically, the camera cable has three connections - connects to the logic board by the optical bay, connects to the wifi at the hinge on the base of the monitor, and connects to the camera by going underneath and around the LCD inside the monitor frame.
+
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In order to complete this cable replacement, you have to literally disassemble the entire laptop with the exception of removing the logic board, but that's literally the only thing you don't have to do. You have to completely disassemble the rest of the laptop. In the end, not worth it.
+
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Worst part is suctioning the old glass off the MBP - total disaster. Should have listened to everyone who told me not to. The glass shatters into a million pieces. No one tells you that on iFixit! That make it seem so simple. I was able to buy a new glass and was able to get the most of the old glass bits out, but took forever.
I used a heat gun to remove the old glass, but again what iFixit doesn't tell you is that you're supposed to use the heat gun for about 5 seconds. I held it for about 30 seconds because the glue didn't melt whatsoever so the glass never peeled off the screen like the iFixit pictures. I figured I just needed to hold the heat gun there for longer. BIG MISTAKE. I ended up heating the LCD so once the glass did come off (exploding off, more precisely), I could see that I basically put a nice yellow permanent smudge on the LCD exactly the shape of the mouth of the heat gun.
Another slight damage I created was that I pulled the internal screen frame out too far in order to get the camera cable out (and the new one in). So now the back of my MBP at the black hinge cover has a nice gap like it needs a screw or superglue to get back to the original MBP lines.
In a nutshell, I wish I didn't come to this site. While I figured out how to disassemble the MBP perfectly, what this site can't effectively convey is the force required (or lack thereof) to use that is often better conveyed through use of video. Bottom line, iFixit needs videos to go along with their stills.
My MBP now works perfectly fine (camera, fan, wifi, even video) and I have a greater appreciation for Apple engineers, but I've left behind some disappointing scars. I've destroyed (and replaced) the glass, damaged the LCD, and created gaps where various components used to fit tightly together.
Bottom line, this is NOT a fix-it job I recommend. If your camera cable breaks, I suggest replacing the cable to where it resolves any wifi issues, but then clip the cable short of connecting it back to the camera behind the LCD. Not worth it.
Thanks for the reply. So you were right - suctioning the old glass off the MBP is basically a disaster. It shatters into a million pieces. No one tells you that on iFixit! That make it seem so simple :) So I bought a new glass and was able to get the old glass bits out no problem. Turns out my problem was the camera cable it self. Considering how the rest of the fix went, I'd almost wish it was just the camera cable socket.
So what I did was purchase new glass and a new camera cable. In all, about $100 bucks. Not bad.
I used a heat gun to remove the old glass, but again what iFixit doesn't tell you is that you're supposed to use the heat gun for about 5 seconds. I held it for about 30 seconds because the glue didn't melt whatsoever so the glass never peeled off the screen like the iFixit pictures. I figured I just needed to hold the heat gun there for longer. BIG MISTAKE. I ended up heating the LCD so once the glass did come off (exploding off, more precisely), I could see that I basically put a nice yellow permanent smudge on the LCD exactly the shape of the mouth of the heat gun.
Another slight damage I created was that I pulled the internal screen frame out too far in order to get the camera cable out (and the new one in). So now the back of my MBP at the black hinge cover has a nice gap like it needs a screw or superglue to get back to the original MBP lines.
In a nutshell, I wish I didn't come to this site. While I figured out how to disassemble the MBP perfectly, what this site can't effectively convey is the force required (or lack thereof) to use that is often better conveyed through use of video. Bottom line, iFixit needs videos to go along with their stills.
My MBP now works perfectly fine (camera, fan, wifi, even video) and I have a greater appreciation for Apple engineers, but I've left behind some disappointing scars. I've destroyed (and replaced) the glass, damaged the LCD, and created gaps where various components used to fit tightly together.
Bottom line, this is NOT a fix-it job I recommend. If your camera cable breaks, I suggest replacing the cable to where it resolves any wifi issues, but then clip the cable short of connecting it back to the camera behind the LCD. Not worth it.
At least my fan spins normally now :-/