MacBook Air with No Power, No Light on Charger - LFC

This MacBook Air looks stone-dead, but it's actually a great example on how the most terminal-looking problems might be the easiest ones to fix. Spoilers below.
U5110 partially shorting SMC_reset_L to ground, keeping the SMC from starting. Reflow fixed it.
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[@sig3ldunc4nI]

If only there were more computer repairman who actually care about the quality of their work the way you do I feel people would feel much more inclined to go to shops instead of going out and just buying a new. Preventing a lot more e-waste from ending up in a landfill. Excellent job well done!

[@optimizelogicrepair2784]

Well said.

[@parochial2356]

Not only who care about the quality of their work but possess the skills to diagnose and replace to component level.

[@geoffreykeane4072]

Very interesting fix Graham. Putting that chip back certainly isn’t what I would have thought of.

[@chrismoule7242]

Excellent. I would never have thought of the "re-apply & see if it was a solder joint" test.

[@kjamison5951]

I bought a MBA last night for about $120. Early 2015 complete with box and original accessories. It had stopped working, worked intermittently and when Apple took a look, they were unable to determine what was wrong. They suggested that the owner upgrade to a new MBA and they would recycle the broken one. So it was advertised as ‘parts only’. Charger light came on, but it would not start. I left it to charge to 10% and reset the SMC. It started up. Not only that, it’s currently running Big Sur… One owner before me, it’s in great condition and I think I’ll keep it as a daily driver for a little while.

[@jonathanque4541]

first of all would like to say big THANK YOU! for this amazing tutorial i was able to fix my macbook air as same with the title of this video no power and no light on charger. what i did is check that specific chip and using my smart phone to zoom it so that i can see what's the problem and it corroded so i clean it up by using tooth brush and alcohol and it works! i don't have the tools that you used in this video but i copy the last part of this video by cleaning smc chip or i don't know what is called anyway thank you again boss!

[@marshellarts]

I have exactly the same problem. The computer was working when I shut it down, but did not use or power up for over a year, so figured the battery was stone dead and not activating the charging system. A new battery, unfortunately did not fix the issue. I need to learn how to remove and solder chips to a MB first before I try this repair. Learned a lot about how techs work with chips. As soon as I have the proper materials and tools, I try to resolder the chip. If I can find a power board, I'll try that first, maybe even unclip and clean the contacts first. Thanks for such a great video. :-)

[@rockyvlog4087]

Powerful schematics with combination of boardview......amazing!

[@mickkymickky7603]

Please how can I get that kind of schematic

[@jdsnipes]

Fantastic, We need more people like you that are willing to make these great videos. Do you have a video that shows how you reconnected the little smc reset chip? Thank you for what you do.

[@karuppanllc9675]

Very important class sir, especially for beginners. "MASTERS, ALWAYS START WITH THE BRAIN "

[@servisparkza1416]

Great job as always!Thank you Graham for quality content!

[@clpcrandomrepair]

thank you for the explanation of those signals.

[@ronyan1]

Well I guessed this one wrong at the start, thought it would be the ISL6259 chip (I think that's the U7100 there). Will watch for low PPBUS_G3H in the future. Nice repair.

[@fichambawelby2632]

Great anf fast job, Graham. Congrats!.

[@digipifini]

Why spray paint, brushed aluminium can be just rebrushed and looks great. Good stuff on the reuse of the chip, I’ve seen many SLC crack after 5 to 6 years, just dried out.

[@neliogoncalvessilva]

Awesome stuff Adam, congrats!!!!

[@RixtronixLAB]

Nice video, thanks :), where did you get the schematic from ?

[@chefboyrdee1]

super great video ! you're a good teacher ! thanks mate

[@michaelthompson9798]

Missed my ASMR clean at the end 😢 going through withdrawals now 🤪

[@ngodinh3818]

Graham is the best ! Thanks !

[@Nico_335i_DCT]

Very nice fix Graham. Regards, Nico.

[@killachief187]

The wizard does it again. Nice one 👍

[@wordimobi5765]

First time to view your channel, fascinating detective work.

[@chucknorris10147]

Hello, how do i go about sending you in a macbook for this repair? Ive tried putting in a new battery but still wont charge.

[@raol635]

Excellent troubleshooting method. Thank you.

[@P0P357UR3]

I know you can’t but I’d love to hear the customers response to why they would spray paint it

[@markvvelsen]

Very nicely done sir! Thanks for showing this one... Got sometimes some Macbooks with problems and with your video's I can check if there are similar problems and resolve them as you did. Already learned a lot since I check out your channel. Thank you again!

[@Laponte20]

Loved watching this video, thank you.

[@multiteccr]

Saludos feliz de ver tus videos 💪🤘🤘

[@fguillaume1]

I would like to learn how to fix an coordinator please do you have an online courses

[@songsan807]

I have a dead macbook air and don't know if I have the same patience to try this to see if it works. Or just sell it off as non-working parts at ebay to save the time and headache.

[@kurtcom4024]

Thx for sharing, master. QQ for you, What should be the initial output voltage of a magsafe 2 45W adapter? thx in advance.

[@RETRO-CONSOLE-GAMER]

Hi Can u do a video on how you do screen capture like your setup. Thanks

[@greenhom]

Brother my MacBook 1465 not turning on but can see charging charge turning orange to green I did smc reset tat time charger turn orange to green and orange but no luck I tried pram reset tat allso not working I removed battery tryed to on with power cable still not working I pre power button 20sec and tried to on but not working What I will do next plz help

[@thereallpb]

Well well done sir!

[@reamoinmcdonachadh9519]

As you requested Graham, why is it a heckin pain getting stuff from China?

[@r.weaver3769]

If it's a metallic pearl, it's literally metal flake in the paint and can conduct under all the right conditions, much like a static voltage...

[@zeeblats]

New soldering iron or new tip? It looked smaller.

[@Adamant_IT]

Had it a while now, but yes, it's a BC2 tip from Pine64's small tips set. It's been very very good in my journey to get better at the small stuff!

[@panman1964]

presuming the blue tape is covering personally identifiable info :)

[@abdulazizbagura6108]

A great man, you are my mentor ❤️ I wish I could be nearby you to gain more experience. I always admire 🥺 you a lot.

[@thereallpb]

I have the same problem, should i consider it unfixable? By myself i mean... Swapped the i/o board cuz i thought it was the problem

[@kunee51]

Hi, I had problem with my Macbook pro A1502 which I believe the battery drained during sleep mode, its happened like twice before but it managed to turn on normally after battery charge or while on charge. It happened again yesterday and this time the charge indicator keeps red even charge for longer time and it wont turn on. I did try to reset SMC while charging, it did shown indicator turn green for few seconds after releasing the keys but it not running. I also did try to check the battery by removing the back cover and its not shown any fault in condition such as bulging. Please do help me before Im trying to change the battery since I cant think of something else. Theyre no warning about battery (before it happened) but I do believe the battery may also has an issue earlier since its getting so hot while on charging. Thanks in advance

[@lesabre1972]

I love your shows!!

[@AladdimMusic]

thanks 4 light! cheers from brasil! =)

[@gerardosantos5260]

you did a great job i hope it works for me i'm going to try it.

[@CourtChappOfficial]

Hey dude Can't afford a new laptop. Had a broken macbook air for some while. Similar issues to yout video. No charge light. How do I go about enquiring your services? Many thanks

[@colsonschexnider5040]

I have a Macbook Pro with a charging issue. The red light stays on, but the battery wont charge. I'm thinking it's the I/O board that needs to be replaced. Any thoughts?

[@HuntersMoon78]

Recently got a PS3 original (Backward compatible model) - It had mo dust inside, very little scratches. I was told to change the thermal paste so I did but my god what a pain in the arse to disassemble and reassemble.

[@thelazyfishkeeper2730]

neat. i will look for the nest repair stay well

[@raymondsantos5764]

Hi, Found your videos on youtube. I am also experiencing problem with my macbook air A1466 no power no charger light, It took some time to turn on, and shut off again. But it only turns on when you see the charger light turns on.

[@Mikie1959]

I have a question for you I have a HP G7-1255dx notebook and when i turn it on i get a flashing number lock light an amber wifi light it does charge the battery it turns on but nothing on LCD screen, I have connected a separate monitor to the VGA connection on the laptop but i get nothing on the Screen i can hear the hard drive spinning and the cooling fan spinning i have replaced the motherboard put different CPU different memory nothing seems to fix this I am stumped. I'm kind of leaning towards maybe bios i have replaced the cmos battery also.

[@UserUser-ww2nj]

I wonder if this is / was a lead free solder problem . Hard joints with lead free and no flex , a drop maybe and it cracks the solder join . Something like a bridge where they are designed to move rather than break

[@panagiotiszafeiriadis8425]

Great job 👍

[@mickkymickky7603]

Please if I can’t get that Ic u changed how can I bypass it if the Ic is not available

[@skim32]

Hello. Was hoping you could help me. I was donated a 2015 MBA. The original owner said it stopped working after water damage. When I plug in the magsafe2, no lights. However I see a blinking low battery icon on the screen. I took it apart and when I plug in the magsafe, the fan starts spinning, and again there is the blinking low battery icon on the screen. As a test I tried unplugging the battery. When I do, the laptop starts up and stays on. And all this time, still no light on the magsafe. This laptop can be purchased on ebay for about $120. So I am not trying to spend a lot of money to repair it. Any idea what it might be? Battery? Or something on the logic board? Or maybe the io board?

[@rubenpita1585]

Do you guys know where I can get that live diagram of the board?

[@Muhikprat]

How if the power is on and so with the laptop but the charger won't charge? Anyclue?

[@thesquiggler3323]

So sorry for the long question(s), but I'm having a similar issue with the SMC on my refurbished (late 2009 unibody) Macbook and haven't been able to find anybody that knows anything about this stuff. Anyway, here it is: Is it possible to trigger a problem like this while attempting to reset the SMC? I was recently having some software/partition issues (couldn't get past the login screen), but couldn't access recovery mode using command-R for some reason. I was able to access single user mode (using COMMAND + S), so I decided to reset the PRAM, then rebooted and proceeded to attempt to reset the SMC by pressing SHIFT + CONTROL + OPTION + POWER simultaneously (while on the login screen). This powered the computer off, but I was then unable to power it back on. The green indicator light on the magsafe adapter was still glowing at this point. I unplugged the laptop, took the bottom panel off, disconnected the battery and waited ~30 minutes, then plugged the magsafe in while the battery was still disconnected. The laptop still would not power on, and the magsafe light was now off. I re-connected the battery. The laptop still will not power on and the indicator light on the magsafe is now off (it was green before, indicating that the battery is/was fully charged). Anyhow... it's been a strange degradation from a minor software bug, to a system management glitch, to possible logic board failure, and it's hard not to feel like my attempts at repair are instead reaping destruction. I've tried numerous fixes suggested on the internet but nothing triggers a response from the computer (no fan spin, no lights.. nothing). Long story short, I think the SMC reset has somehow gotten stuck (in a low voltage state perhaps?) and is preventing the laptop from charging, powering on, etc. Does this seem plausible, and if so, is it necessarily a mainboard issue or is it possible to force the SMC to properly reset by using a different key combo? I might try to zoom in on your video and take voltage readings at the same contact points to see if that reveals anything, but I'm kind of at my wit's end here. Any insight/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[@Itzryssie]

Can I swap the smc of an air mac 2015 with an older one?

[@davidedefano7864]

Hello master I have the same problem of your MacBook. The model is the same. Perfect voltage value (U5110, r7100) What’s could be the problem? Thanks so much master

[@bmwe2177]

Thanks you are the best

[@TheAmazingPlankton]

Unfortunately, my MacBook no longer switches on. The orange LED lights up and turns green after several hours. As if the MacBook was charging normally. When I disconnect the battery and then connect the power cable, it boots. What else could I check?

[@РостиславКостюк-х5е]

May I ask, what software have you used in the video? How did you know all voltages? It was amazing

[@chrismurphy8383]

Hi - excellent video - very informative, but as always, I do wonder what the charge is for something like this

[@kixstartter6560]

wheres your vc99? Great work btw!!!!!!

[@northfixtz]

Great content on your videos,,i like them

[@stevedebeukelaer1424]

Nice fix

[@KrissBartlett]

Good job for sure

[@giorgostexnikos6976]

excellent job.

[@andreyv1]

What does it mean if my computer charges when plugged in and battery disconnected, but as soon as I connect the battery, the charger light goes off?

[@Adamant_IT]

If it's an Apple, probably a knackered battery. For PC laptops, could also be a bad batt, but more likely an issue in the charge circuit.

[@RoadTo19]

Hi Graham, I'm just looking through your videos for repair tips for the "service battery" status on a MBA. Have you created anything? Cheers!

[@Adamant_IT]

In short, replace the battery!

[@RoadTo19]

@@Adamant_IT Thanks for the reply! I've replaced it twice. However, since asking you I found a video by Louis that I believe will help.

[@rexfenris4856]

I'm surprised NASA hasn't snatched you up yet. Brilliant!

[@_mikishi_]

Thank you so much. This is exactly what I am looking for, something that I can follow along.

[@shinxon74remus66]

What idiots put a thumb down on these videos. Clearly lacking in intelligence. So much to learn from.. honestly it gets my blood running. Sod these fool's keep up the hard work please Graham

[@williamjones4483]

I imagine that those that give a thumbs down work for Apple. It's my considered opinion that Apple hates to have its stuff worked on.

[@privateprivate4384]

Thank you

[@Hagledesperado]

Gahd, it was the spray paint, wasn't it. 100k is very weak for a pullup, I would have expected 10k at most. So I have no problem imagining a speck of paint with unknown electrical properties putting up a good fight against it.

[@MustejabKhan312]

The same issue is there with my MacBook Air -- there is no light on power connector. I tried removing battery, SSD, but still Fan is not running.

[@onurolce]

As someone who has done desktop PC maintenance and repair before, I have experienced that there is a short circuit problem on dusty motherboards. After cleaning the dust well many times, the computers were working again. As in the example in this video, the problem is caused by dust. It's not even a bad connection.

[@techland3609]

sir, what is the software name for schematic diagram

[@FixTronics]

Beautiful

[@taghisherizadeh1465]

Hi, thanks for the great video. My MacBook Air 2020 was dead. When I detach the keyboard cable it turns on ok and I can use the system with external mouse& keyboard. Any idea what might be the problem? Thanks again for sharing such a great video.

[@UserUser-ww2nj]

Don't know if you have had any response about your issue but i think the power goes into the trackpad and then back to the main board and gives a signal to turn on . If there is nothing on the return path it will not turn on . It's Apple , think different 😂

[@jamie81972]

what if you are only getting 13.66v and then 0.3v or 0.4v where you got 19v and 3.42v at the 2:00 minute mark in the video

[@awe123454]

Hello graham, was wondering if you could give me a little hand in solving a macbook pro a1502 mystery. For a couple of minutes after boot, the screen flickers and gets "stuck" - but sometimes it appears totally fine. Upping the brightness seems to make the problem less severe. Any ideas?

[@Adamant_IT]

That sounds like a display issue to me... only sure-fire way to test is to plug in a different screen though

[@awe123454]

@@Adamant_IT a different screen would be the first thing I'd check, but it's not an option for me.. Have replaced the lvcd cable, no luck there. Any other ideas? Could it be mb related issue?

[@Adamant_IT]

Maybe. I think you'd need a very fast multimeter or an oscilloscope on the backlight power rail to check if it's jittering.

[@michaelmeux4137]

Might be a weird question but if the solder joint was partially damaged would that be considered shortening it out? As a mechanic looking at this I would say that the part might be partially damaged or am I incorrect.

[@Adamant_IT]

Yea I can't fully explain this behaviour. My best guess is that there was some spray paint on the pins leaking a small amount of current to a ground pin, and it got burnt off in reflow. I've seen a straight reflow fix other issues, so the bit about "might not need to replace the part" is based on that - but this partial short was a bit of an oddball example.

[@jerry_f1298]

Great job, I have a question and I see anybody that does this kind of videos do: how much do you charge for a repair like this?

[@Adamant_IT]

It's hard to give a straight answer, as it depends on a lot of other factors (are we also servicing the device, what parts were needed, etc etc) and what works for my shop placement might not work for others, etc etc....... but my guide price on board repair for stuff like this is £80 (about $100).

[@johnnycagemedia4699]

Mine is 2012/2013 so I don't have the chip you had on yours

[@cjmendoza8599]

Hi sir Adamant IT good day.I just want to ask help from you, coz I have a repair of laptop HP pavilion G6 but unfortunately when I disassembled the laptop there's no BIOS on board. I thought the technician who previously repaired the laptop removed that. Now I do not have a donor board to compare what's the number of the bios.So I'm asking for your help if you know what is the bios number for HP pavilion G6.

[@PYDPIPER]

I'd imagine that you'd Google the schematic for the model and version printed on the motherboard.

[@cjmendoza8599]

@@PYDPIPER i googled already but unfortunately theres no exact SD for the HP Pavilion g6-1a69us just in case you have can i have a copy or link.thanks

[@pascalphase2556]

Hello, great job...please i'm looking desperately to find your probes, where can i buy them ? very useful on SMD

[@Adamant_IT]

Mine are cheap eBay "20a fine tip" probes. They blunt over time, but they're good for a year or two between sets.

[@pascalphase2556]

@@Adamant_IT thank you very much !

[@TimWard-v6e]

can I ask what hot air soldering station you have please

[@Adamant_IT]

I use a Quick 857dw+

[@jorgequinonez5596]

HELLO I AM A BIG FAN OF YOUR VIDEOS I AM FROM MEXICO I HAVE TWO ASUS LAPTOPS WITH NO POWER AND NO POWER LIGHT ASUS X551M AND ASUS X441 CAN YOU MAKE A VIDEO ABOUT THAT PROBLEM PLEASE

[@shariqta1]

I am from India. I do have the same issue. Please lemme know if there is any way u can help me

[@JM-dt9oo]

excellent.

[@ackman3981]

Back in the day when Apple used to make their products easy to open so that you could replace parts, etc. Now everything is sealed (glued) shut so you are forced to spend more money to Apple in order to do some simple upgrades like memory, etc.

[@2009numan]

great video. where did you learn how to do these sort of repairs ?

[@Adamant_IT]

Louis Rossmann. I binged a lot of his early stuff, around the time that he was switching to live-streams. It's a big time investment, and becoming less relevant now the older macbooks are going out of service, but it still teaches you the concepts, which is the start point.

[@coyotex850]

nice repair, here's hoping we see more windows based laptop board repairs, i miss those

[@cali_cal]

very nice. you want to flash my b550 motherboard?

[@ockibg]

Lovely jubbly!

[@ludara8697]

Louis Rossmann approved

[@alfieshingex984]

Sup boet how much to fix that issue

[@DaleDix]

The old 5110 coming unstuck problem.

[@sugargliderdude]

have you got your 100K youtube framed badge in the post yet adam?

[@Adamant_IT]

I have not! I was under the impression that I'd get a notification in KZbin Studio when I was eligible, but nothing has materialised. I need to open a ticket with KZbin support and be like "yo where's my play button"