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Follow this guide to safely remove and replace the battery from your late 2018 MacBook Air.
To minimize risk of damage, turn on your MacBook and allow the battery to fully discharge before starting this procedure. A charged lithium-ion battery can be very dangerous if accidentally punctured. If your battery looks puffy or swollen, take extra precautions.
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If your MacBook is running Big Sur v11.1 or later, disabling Auto Boot may not work. You can proceed normally, but make sure to disconnect the battery as soon as you're inside.
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Use a P5 driver to remove the following screws:
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Two 7.9 mm screws
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Two 7.1 mm screws
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Six 2.6 mm screws
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Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.
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Remove the lower case.
Das geht etwas schwer, da das Unterteil mittig noch von 2 Druckverschlüssen gehalten wird.
translated and true:
This is a bit difficult because the lower part is still held in the middle by 2 pressure fasteners.Are there any suggestions to removing the pressure fasteners more easily?
I used a suction cup to lift up the cover. I mean those to lift up an iPhone display. Worked like charm.
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Peel back the tape covering the battery connector enough to reveal the connector underneath.
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Use a spudger to slide the battery connector parallel to the logic board and out of its socket on the logic board.
Before the battery can be fully disconnected, the battery disconnect button needs to be held down. There is a gold button just above the battery socket, along with a small LED much like the 12” machines. Once this has been held down and the LED has switched off it is safe to remove the battery.
This seems like an important step?
Also, seems like this should be done after the battery is disconnected, not before? Otherwise, wouldn’t the battery re-charge it?
What if the white LED dosent light up after pressing the yellow button again?
Iron05 -
I just performed this repair on my late 2018 mac air. I did click the gold button but saw no LED illuminated or otherwise. Question- after reassembly does the button get pressed again to connect the battery? Please clarify if this button is to be pressed and if it needs pressing again after the repair.
All said - I pressed again after the battery connector clicked, assembled the back and all worked perfectly. The original issue was one dead port (no charge, no communication). The battery charge lightening bold icon was acting funny too. Genuis bar guy in Naperville said it was likely a logic board too. But it was not. The port was apparently confusing the logic board with regards to the charge function. Thanks Adam for saving me $440 and sending my computer back to Apple. I am 71 yrs young - who says an old dog can’t learn new tricks with good training!!
I didn't see Aaron's comment before completing the battery replacement. Afterwards, the computer would not turn on despite multiple SMC reset procedures. Upon double-checking the comments I see the importance of pressing the gold button. I pressed the gold button before disconnecting the new battery, then pressed it again after reconnecting for good measure. Computer booted!
It would be good of iFixit to add this important step as most people probably don't open up every single comment on (seemingly) simple steps.
Seconding Corey's comment. If paid more attention to the comment section, I would have avoided 15-30 minutes of panic. (BTW I did not notice any LED, but the golden button was easy to find).
Where is the gold button? I replaced my battery and my laptop will not start
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0Tweezers$4.99
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Use a pair of tweezers to lift up the black adhesive pull tab at the bottom of the right speaker, enough so you can grab it with your fingers.
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Grab the adhesive strip pull tab and slowly and carefully pull the adhesive strip out from under the speaker.
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If the adhesive strip breaks, leave it in and proceed to the next step.
What do you do to get the speaker to stick once you put things back together? Are these adhesive strips reusable? If not, where can we get new ones?
The strips will tend to remain edhesive in some cases but if not just use some thin double sided adhesive tape of a similar width. I will not link because I am in Australia but it isn’t hard to find. I used some heat (100°C) and a plastic spudger to aid removal or a hair dryer on lower heat. Slow and steady, it’s not hard. The strips will almost certainly break.
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Slide the tip of a spudger underneath the right speaker cable and pry straight up to disconnect the speaker.
this is a bit tricky -- looks like it's one of the connectors where you lift the bar deal, but I don't think it is. Managed to break pins on this one. Perhaps another photo?
Broke both speaker connectors by spudging straight up. Looks like they should slide apart like a normal zif.
Pulled straight up and broke both connectors.
broke both left and right so noun sound except through external speakers. Pretty sure the steps should be to slide horizontally out not prise off vertically
What works for me with these is gently sliding one edge up off the pins first, then the other side.
This technique (one edge at a time) worked for me
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Use tweezers to lift the adhesive pull tab at the top of the right speaker enough that you can grab it with your fingers.
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Grab the adhesive strip pull tab and slowly and carefully pull the adhesive strip out from under the speaker.
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Apply heat to the speaker to soften the adhesive underneath.
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Carefully slide a spudger or opening pick underneath the speaker to separate the adhesive.
This business of pulling the adhesive out (here and with the batteries) - at first it seems impossible, but persevere. Pull it really, really, slowly - it extends to around 30cm before it's all out. I applied a bit of heat with a heat gun (at least with the batteries) and after a few failed attempts got the hang of it. When it works, it's like magic and very satisfying, and much better than giving up and prising the part off with the adhesive in place.
For the adhesive, on this project and others with similar tape, I found it helpful to pull slowly and careful--as mentioned already--but also to keep my contact with the strip as close to the base as possible. Doing this doesn't allow the adhesive to develop a thin spot that can potentially snap back. Slow and steady.
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Lift the right speaker straight up from the bottom and remove it.
Step 5 the right speaker adhesive broken while removing, other end adhesive slipped out ok. But it's extremely hard to now lift up the battery, feels like I break something if I try harder.
This is not as easy as it sounds. Neither adhesive strip broke, but that bugger resists removal, because it is attached with adhesive tape to the bottom. Use different angles of attack to pry it up with steady force.
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0Tweezers$4.99
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Use a pair of tweezers to lift up the black adhesive pull tab at the bottom of the left speaker, enough so you can grab it with your fingers.
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Grab the adhesive strip pull tab and slowly and carefully pull the adhesive strip out from under the speaker.
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If the adhesive strip breaks, leave it in and proceed to the next step.
Auf der rechten Seite ist mir der Klebestreifen gerissen. Habe dann auf der linken Seite nicht nur an der schwarzen Lasche gezogen, sondern mit Daumen und Zeigefinger am weißen Klebestreifen nachgegriffen. So kam er ohne Reißen raus.
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Slide the tip of a spudger underneath the left speaker cable and pry straight up to disconnect the speaker.
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With the connector disconnected, slide the flat end of a spudger under the cable to separate the adhesive securing the cable to the logic board.
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Use tweezers to lift the adhesive pull tab at the top of the left speaker enough that you can grab it with your fingers.
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Grab the adhesive strip pull tab and slowly and carefully pull the adhesive strip out from under the speaker.
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Apply heat to the speaker to soften the adhesive underneath.
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Carefully slide a spudger or opening pick underneath the speaker to separate the adhesive.
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Lift the left speaker straight up from the bottom and remove it.
There looks to be a couple of zip connectors in the middle next to that screw under the speaker. What are those for? When was trying to pry off the speaker I accidentally tore one off.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 1.4 mm screws securing the trackpad connector bracket.
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Remove the trackpad connector bracket.
My machine used T4 screws
Me too! I tried with T3 and it wasn’t working.
I stripped my screws trying to get them out with a t3 driver...
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the trackpad cable connector up and out of its socket.
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Slide the tip of a spudger underneath the left speaker cable and pry straight up to disconnect the speaker.
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With the connector disconnected, slide the flat end of a spudger under the cable to separate the adhesive securing the cable to the logic board.
I think step 15 was a mistake because it’s a repeat of step 10.
Yeah, the speaker is already removed at this point.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 1.3 mm screws securing the USB-C port connector bracket.
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Remove the USB-C connector bracket.
There is no need to remove the logic board!!
Skip steps 16 through 28 and go to step 29 to release the trackpad cable from the battery. then follow steps to 30 through 33 to release the battery. The battery can be removed by slipping it counter-clockwise under the trackpad cable. The new battery can be slipped in place in the same way.
Much easier!!
Agreed. Took me a minute to realize that I had to slide the top right screw bracket between the logic board and the case to get enough clearance for the rotation. Many thanks.
Removing a few of the logic board screws allowed me to get the to right screw bracket under the logic board to give enough clearance as w98fxr mentioned.
This can be done, but it's very tight. Still, beats removing the logic board and the possibilities of breaking something in the process.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the USB-C cable connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.
please reconsider removing the logic board and and usb-c connector as is recommended in the prior step. i had a very difficult time reconnecting the usb-c connector
It should be cautioned that this connector is very easily bent, meaning a bend in the length of the metal surface you press against to reconnect (or pry against for removal). Once bent it becomes very hard to establish a good connection.
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Use a spudger to lift up the small locking flap on the sound board cable's ZIF connector.
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Slide the sound board cable out of the ZIF connector.
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Peel back the black tape covering the fan cable connector.
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Use the tip of a spudger to lift up the locking flap on the fan cable's ZIF connector.
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Slide the fan cable out of the ZIF connector.
There may not be a locking flap. If not, just pull the fan cable out of the ZIF connector.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 1.4 mm screws securing the antenna cable bracket.
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Remove the antenna cable bracket.
These are T4 screws
The MBA I just finished with were T3. I'm fairly confident with my tools as I recently updated/upgraded nearly my entire set with WiHa. I should also mention the many tools acquired from iFixit over the years have all been were exceptional lasting years. There's no doubt iFixit would have been my source but a close friend went to work for WiHa. His discount(s) & being motivated to help him was a major impact. For anyone not having such an advantage IMHO tools from iFixit are one of the best values anywhere. Let's not forget; buying from iFixit will also help to push "Right to Repair" forward. Here in Minnesota Right to repair ALMOST PASSED. Many believe it will become law during the next session! I can't tell you how proud this would make me. I would obtain as many service manuals as possible and post them all online!!! What a great dream...
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Insert the point of a spudger under one of the antenna cables close to the connector. Pry straight up to disconnect the cable.
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Repeat for the other antenna cable.
Be SUPER SUPER CAREFUL pulling off the gold WiFi antenna connectors! As described, use the spludger to press up the black cable just behind the metal connector. I tried to ping them off from the bottom of the gold connector where it clips into the socket on the motherboard and ended up pulling off the SMD sockets from the motherboard - huge and costly mistake that will probably render it useless.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 1.5 mm screws securing the display cable connector bracket.
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Remove the display cable connector bracket.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up the display cable connector.
How do I reconnect display connector??
Just align the plug section of the display flex with the socket on the logic board and gently press it in until it locks in place. Do not force it but just ensure it’s correctly aligned before pushing it into the socket.
Pro tip: You can remove the two T5 screws on the LCD connector side (located to the right of the display connector and to the left of the heat shield). From there, tilt the whole skinny LCD board towards the logic board connector and gently pinch the connector in to the socket. Before laying the skinny board back down, screw in the shield from Step 15 so it doesn’t pop out of the socket again.
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Use a T5 Torx driver to remove the following screws:
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One 5.5 mm screw
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Three 2.6 mm screws
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Two 1.9 mm screws
These are T5 Torx driver screws
Need torx 5 AND torx 4 driver here ;)
During re-assembly be soft when screwing in the logic board because those antenna plugs in Step 14 are quite awkward to pin back into their sockets and there is little leeway in the cables; to make this task a little easier in Step 14, secure the logic board loosely right up against the near outside edge; after re-connecting all the cables in Steps 16-9, return to Step 17 to firm up the logic board screws.
This tip was a huge help, hate these cables lol
The 5.5 mm screw goes into a hexagon standoff which may come off with the logic board being sanswiched beteen the 5.5 mm screw screw and the standoff like happened to me. Just something to be aware of. It also has a black rubber bumper over the screw which was not mentioned at all. It pulls straight off to give access to the screw.
On my board I needed to use T6 for all the screws except the rubber bumper for which I used a T7. I have a full set of small Torx drivers and tried for the best fit.
T5 fit best is all the screws on my machine
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Remove the logic board.
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Carefully slide an opening pick under the trackpad cable towards the keyboard connector to separate the adhesive securing it to the upper case.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the small locking flap on the keyboard ZIF connector.
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Slide the keyboard cable straight out of its connector.
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Carefully slide an opening pick under the trackpad cable to separate the adhesive securing it to the battery.
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Use a T3 Torx driver to remove four 2.5 mm screws securing the battery.
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0Tweezers$4.99
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Use a pair of tweezers to lift up the black adhesive pull tab on the side of the battery, enough so you can grab it with your fingers.
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Grab the adhesive strip pull tab and slowly and carefully pull the adhesive strip out from under the battery.
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If the adhesive strip breaks, leave it in and proceed to the next step.
No ISO needed here. Luckily 6/6 tapes came out cleanly (praise the Lord)
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Repeat the previous step to remove the next two adhesive strips on the same side of the battery.
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If any adhesive strips break, leave them in and proceed to the next step.
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Repeat the previous two steps to remove the three adhesive strips on the other side of the battery.
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Carefully drip isopropyl alcohol along either edge of the battery, in the recessed part of the upper case, where the adhesive pull tabs were.
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Let the alcohol soak into the adhesive for a minute or two.
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Use opening picks to gently pry the battery away from the upper case.
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Remove the battery.
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Calibrate your newly installed battery: charge it to 100%, and keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.
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Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.
To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.
To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.
Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.
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Well done article and I acheived my goal of changing out my very puffy old battery for the new one (still need to recycle the old… ASAP). Curiously, I had to open it again as I, somehow, didn’t get the battery cable pushed in far enough and it wasn’t working. Now, all is well. Strangely, even after a couple of attempts at resetting the SMC, my fan is running almost constantly. I’m kind of not sure what to do about that at this point (yes, I used the iFixIt guide to clean my fan as well). Anyway, thanks for the help.
great article, havent used it as yet, but just wanted to check the complexity before I purchased the battery
New battery is in and on 1st round of charging! Thank you very much!!!
As a note, I also purchased some Tesa tape with the battery as the shopping cart recommended it. I used that under the speakers before replacing them. The left & right sides of the batteries are kind of loose, but I’m not overly worried about that as it’s attached to metal backing.
Extremely pleased with this tutorial and the ifixit.com battery replacement kit. Since one of my USB-C ports died and the Apple certified folks told me to expect to pay over $500 to replace the port and battery I came here to sort it out myself. Happy to say with ifixit's awesome parts and tutorials that I have a fully functional Air again for about $150. I also recommend the magnetic project board as this was super helpful in keeping all of the various sized screws organized to the steps.
Great guide, except a small mistake in the required tools: we don't need a T4 screwdriver at all but we do need a T5 screwdriver.
What kind of stupid engineer puts a battery connector UNDER the logic board?
Or a track Pad connector that has to be removed just to get a battery changed.
thank you once again - I did my MBP battery change for the first time with iFixit back in November - took me about 1/3 of the time this time to restore a student's Air. Such fun
There is no need to remove the logic board!!
Skip steps 16 through 28 and go to step 29 to release the trackpad cable from the battery. then follow steps to 30 through 33 to release the battery. The battery can be removed by slipping it counter-clockwise under the trackpad cable. The new battery can be slipped back in the same way.
Much easier!!
I skipped steps 16-28 as per @josephgray 's comment and it worked. HOWEVER, I had clock problems afterwards, which were resolved by following the steps to delete the plist file found in this post: https://www.macobserver.com/tips/how-to/... - the steps are for an M1 MacBook and mine is Intel (otherwise of course I wouldn't be writing here), but the solution worked for me.
And I totally ditto @jenniferbarnes 's words above - one of my USB-C ports died and the Apple certified folks in the Czech Republic told me to expect to pay the equivalent of over $500 USD to replace the ports and battery. Not only did I manage it myself for 1/5 the price, but I still have the tools and the magnetic project board for my next effort! A huge THANK YOU to iFixit and the iFixit community!!!
I love the looks of this! I think I’ll try it. Best Buy wanted ~$800 to replace the non-charging battery on my MacBook Air from 2021. Just wondering about what to use to replace bits of tape that look like they won’t reuse well during reassembly.
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Sehr coole Anleitung, vielen Dank! Besonders guter Hinweis von @josephgray, die Schritte 16 bis 29 zu überspringen. In nicht einmal einer Stunde war das MacBook wieder betriebsbereit. Lautsprecher habe ich mit doppelseitigem Klebeband fixiert. Und jetzt läuft das MacBook wieder ewig lange mit einer Batterie-Ladung. Danke!
Very cool instruction, thank you! @josephgray particularly gave a good tip to skip steps 16 to 29. The MacBook was up and running again in less than an hour. I secured the speakers with double-sided tape. And now the MacBook runs for ages on one battery charge. Thank you!
Followed instructions and my battery is changed and fantastic, but my camera no longer works. Anyone have this problem? Weird since it wasn’t something that was manually disconnected. Any ideas as to how to fix it?
If the first thing you do is disconnect the battery, is it really an issue if you don’t (or can’t) disable auto-boot?
maccentric - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I agree, why disable Auto-Boot when the lid is closed and the battery is disconnected immediately? – I've never had an issue since 2016 when the feature was introduced.
stevebsiegel - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
On my machine, the longest two screws were in the corners, while the other two long screws were in the middle. Perhaps previous service in the past had them replaced into the wrong place? In any case, the longest screws do seem to fit in either place. I guess 0.8mm is not very much of a difference. Seems like poor design if they could have used one size of screw.
johann beda - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Just did one, and it also had longest screws in the corners.
maccentric -
Just did another, and the long ones were in the middle. Definitely poor design and quality control.
maccentric -