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valleyjays

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2012
7
0
Los Angeles, CA
Hello everyone,

I've searched everywhere for my problem but did not find the answer anywhere.

My 13" Macbook Unibody (A1287) was working fine, until one day, I let the notebook battery drain out. (I never ever do that, I forgot my charger that day and worked on it for as long as I could.)

When I got home to charge my notebook I noticed it wasn't powering up after just a few minutes. There is, till this day, a very dim green light when I plug the power adapter to the notebook.

The charger works on other notebooks. So I know it's not the charger. At this point, the macbook can't turn on, so the PRAM reset features won't work since your notebook needs to power on for that to work.

My questions are:

Can a bad battery cause the dim green light to appear and not charge?

What other things can cause a dim green light?

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 

macdatadrive

macrumors regular
Apr 25, 2011
126
0
The city of Macintosh :)
Hello everyone,

I've searched everywhere for my problem but did not find the answer anywhere.

My 13" Macbook Unibody (A1287) was working fine, until one day, I let the notebook battery drain out. (I never ever do that, I forgot my charger that day and worked on it for as long as I could.)

When I got home to charge my notebook I noticed it wasn't powering up after just a few minutes. There is, till this day, a very dim green light when I plug the power adapter to the notebook.

The charger works on other notebooks. So I know it's not the charger. At this point, the macbook can't turn on, so the PRAM reset features won't work since your notebook needs to power on for that to work.

My questions are:

Can a bad battery cause the dim green light to appear and not charge?

What other things can cause a dim green light?

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Sorry if the answer doesn't really answer it - I like to try:rolleyes:
I believe that the dim green light means that it isn't the battery but the hardware, which may have a problem with logic board, mother board etc.
I would recommend taking it into Apple and seeing if it's a hardware issue.
Usually, even if there is no charge in the battery the computer will start as long as it's connected to a power source. (if it is a logic board, you will be better off buying a MBP or MBA)
Hope you find the issue. :apple:
 

valleyjays

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2012
7
0
Los Angeles, CA
Hello,

Thanks for the reply.

I sure hope it's not the logic board. I just finished replacing the screen on this thing!:eek:

I'll wait and see what everyone else says.

Otherwise, I may just sell it for what it's worth.

Thanks again.
 

valleyjays

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2012
7
0
Los Angeles, CA
Sachin,

I'll let it charge overnight. I hope this does it.

The machine was working great up until I let the battery drain out.

I'll report in the morning.

Thanks all.
 

valleyjays

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2012
7
0
Los Angeles, CA
Hello iMacC2D,

I have done the SMC reset, just now, and prior to posting with no luck.

I left the macbook hooked up to the magsafe overnight and still, I have the dim green light.

Is there any chance it can be a bad battery?

Or could it be a coincidence that my logic board decided to fail the one time I let my macbook battery drain out?:confused:
 

macdatadrive

macrumors regular
Apr 25, 2011
126
0
The city of Macintosh :)
Hello iMacC2D,

I have done the SMC reset, just now, and prior to posting with no luck.

I left the macbook hooked up to the magsafe overnight and still, I have the dim green light.

Is there any chance it can be a bad battery?

Or could it be a coincidence that my logic board decided to fail the one time I let my macbook battery drain out?:confused:

Okay, crazy thinking here :roll eyes: - but it just hit me!
Have there been any black/brownouts lately?
Maybe it blew the circuit inside your MacBook, and that's why it won't start.
Has there been any humidity lately or has it gotten wet?
It may have cause part of the logic/motherboard to corrode!
you won't know unless you take it in, but if either of these things happened, might be worth a shot.
Please MacBook! DON'T DIE!!!
(sorry. i don't know why I felt like doing that!):apple:
 

valleyjays

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2012
7
0
Los Angeles, CA
Thanks everyone.

I'll be opening up the notebook tomorrow. I'll see if anything came loose or see if anything came undone from the last time I replaced a bad screen.

I recently replaced the screen myself. The notebook was working great after that (1 week). I ordered the parts from powerbookmedic, so I know it can't be that since I ordered 'all original parts.'

Wondering if maybe the LVS cable came undone or something. We'll see.
 

skooage

macrumors newbie
Apr 29, 2012
1
0
Same Problem!

Hi guys, I have the same problem on my macbook 13" unibody after replacing a faulty keyboard. Was running the laptop in a temporary state with external keyboard and mouse for a while and charging fine but after replacing the keyboard it ceased to charge.
Is there any chance of another fix other than replacing the logic board!?
 

valleyjays

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2012
7
0
Los Angeles, CA
I thought I'd update this thread.

I purchased a battery last night to see if that can be an issue before tossing/selling this notebook. As soon as it arrives I'll test it out and post again here with results.

If my notebook indeed has a damaged logic board, how can I remove all the data, info from within so I can sell it for parts?

If there is a guide someone can point me to, that would be great.
 

definitive

macrumors 68020
Aug 4, 2008
2,049
893
it's possible that the dc-in connector could be bad. someone i know has been having the same issue with their macbook - sometimes it's dim, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't charge at all. battery shows to be 100% healthy.
 

BrianJ844

macrumors member
Dec 8, 2009
69
2
Houston, Tx
Yes qtips and alcohol would be a fast clean for the connector if it is dirty. Won't hurt to try it.

As far as the data and information removal, I would either remove the hard drive and keep it or wipe the hard drive. The easiest way to wipe the hard drive is to get a cheap external case for it (cheap because you only need it once). By connecting it to another computer using the case, you can reformat it and make it safe to sell. I would search around for the best way to completely wipe the drive as a simple reformat can be reversed if someone is desperate enough I believe (or maybe I am just paranoid :) ).

Brian
 

Myotis85

macrumors newbie
Jan 7, 2009
6
0
Same problems

I'm having the same problem. My macbook's LCD died. I wasn't using it for about 2 weeks until we ordered a new lcd for it. So I'm not sure the battery or something died during that 2 week time.

I just finished replacing the lcd but the computer won't boot up at all. Only a very dim light from the magsafe charger.

valleyjays did you get that battery changed?
 

RickNYC

macrumors newbie
Jun 24, 2012
1
0
Hi Valleyjays,

I've the same Macbook. I also drained it (yesterday) and got the dimmed green light. A year ago, the screen was replaced under Apples warrenty (I think the LVDS cable was bad).
Usually it will come back to life under a minute after connecting the power adapter. But not this time. Tried another adapter - not starting. The LED indicator is back to "normal" bright orange, but not starting.
Did a SMC reset the Apple way and the Kris way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRYIMDQxunI
Funny, once (a tried several times) when I reconnected the battery, it fired up for a few seconds but died again. Like a bad cable connection.
Any solution, Vallejays?
It seems an unlikely coincidence that the board would fail at the same time?

Rick
 

Sofitmac09

macrumors newbie
Jul 14, 2012
2
0
Did you resolve the problem with your MacBook? My battery drained and I had to replace my charger as it broke hence why te battery drained now it won't turn on or charge and has that dim green light I was using it until the battery ran down and have had no problems I have so much stuff on there im hoping it's not an expensive fix I don't understand how it can be broke :(
 

Johns123123

macrumors newbie
Apr 14, 2013
1
0
Maybe Can Try

I, also had same issue. Was suffering with it. Kept the charger on for 2 days. I think what happens when you let the battery drain, it somehow disables the DC board. On pure instinct, what worked for me, was to unplug it and let it stand overnight 6+hours. In the morning I attached the L-Magsafe and it worked. I hope this helps.
 

east85

macrumors 65816
Jun 24, 2010
1,343
495
This happened to me one time, as a previous poster stated it turned out to just be some dirty contacts with the battery. I cleaned the contacts and it booted right up. I was very worried as well.
 

mariocine

macrumors newbie
Apr 23, 2013
1
0
clean RAM

Had exactly the same issue. Not booting up, dimmed green light.
It was solved by opening the back and cleaning the RAM, as it was slightly corroded.
 

remaker

macrumors newbie
May 26, 2013
8
1
SOLVED: Dim Green Light

After literally MONTHS of wrestling with this issue, I found out the problem was a failed MAGSAFE CONNECTOR on the Macbook.

It was a VERY weird problem.

Although the Macbook said "Not Charging," it did charge, but slowly.

The light was sometimes dim green, sometimes solid green. Never orange.

Sometimes, if I connected the charger to a working mac and then back to the broken Magsafe connector, it would turn solid green instead of dim green.

The POWER section of the system information reported all zeroes in the specifications of the charger. As it a defective charger was plugged in.

Eventually, it stopped working at all so I took it to a professional who fixed it. For USD $200. I know I could have done it myself a lot cheaper, but there were too many delicate parts that risked damage if I did.

So, I just wanted to pass on a solution for the board. Magsafe replacement is an expert job, so be careful out there.
 

BlueLeopard

macrumors newbie
Jun 14, 2013
1
0
Sorry for bumping this thread, but I too had this problem.

I took it to a third party repair shop (but they're still Apple authorized), and while the repairman first diagnosed it as a Magsafe Connector issue, he then told it was the motherboard.

I dropped off my MacBook in the middle of May and still haven't had the issue solved.

I lost patience and eventually picked up a new MacBook Air (which I'm using now).

My question is, when I decide to get my other MacBook back in its unusable condition... how do I go about migrating all my data onto my new MBA? Is it even possible considering the MB doesn't even hold charge?
 
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