Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Macbook Pro Logic Board repair - DIY

V

vcoleiro1

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 5, 2011
71
4
I have a 17" Macbook Pro which stopped working a while ago (out of warranty). When you turn it on, the light at the front would go on and thats it, nothing on the screen no start up chime. Took it to Apple and they said the Logic board was gone and it would cost $600 to replace. Sad day.


Then I saw the follwoing video which said the problem with Logic Boards occurs mainly due to micro fractures in the solder on the chips . The solution they showed was bordering on me believing it was an April Fools joke. Basivcally they removed the Logic board then placed it in an oven at 200 Degrees Celius for 7.5 minutes.


Since there was nothing to lose , I gave it a go. After a lot of fiddly work getting the thing opened (worse getting the motherboard connections back on). I got the board out and put it in the oven for 7.5 minutes at 200 degress celcius as the video said. I also put a bit of solder next to it to see visually when the solder melted. . Let it all cool down then cleaned all the heat sink contacts and applied some new thermal paste to the chips. Put it all back together which was a real hassle. Turned it on and..... It Works.


Anyway, if you are having the same issue here are the repair videos I mentioned:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztzv2OlQJuU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M0yMAE3Duw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHIf2_puOiY


If you attempt the fix , make sure you do the following:

1) Pre heat the Oven properly

2) Clean the fans out and ensure the vents are clear and the fans spin

3) Clean the old thermal Paste off the chips and the heating pipe and reapply new thermal paste to the chips before putting the logic board back in. Use rubbing alcohol to clean the old paste from the chips etc.

4) Try to prop the bard up with foil in places it doesnt touch any chips etc

5) Don't touch the board until it cools down. If you touch it to early the solder will still be fluid and you displace components.

6) Don't forget to ensure all connectors are back on the board when you put it back in. Some are heat sensors



..
 
Last edited:
justperry

justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,558
9,750
I'm a rolling stone.
Yes, it sometimes does work, but many times it's only for weeks or months, most of the people who do this have issues with the GPU, the solder on the older ones were lead free and this was the main problem, it cracked due to heat.

if you put it in an oven it reflows and the cracks disappear, but over time they reappear again.

Hopefully yours will work for quite a bit of time before it starts giving you problems again.
 
V

vcoleiro1

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 5, 2011
71
4
Yes, suposedly its due to the heating and cooling that happens everytime you use it. Over time micro cracks appear in the solder joints.

I have a theory actually, before mine stopped working it was getting very hot for quite some time. The fan didn't start a lot of time and when it did it still would remain hot. I thought at the time this may cause an issue, however, I saw a lot of people say that hot Macbook Pro's are common.

Anyway, when I opened the Macbook Pro to bake the logic board I also cleaned out the fans and vents which were almost totally clogged. Anyway, I have noticed now that Macbook Pro doesn't even get more than mildly warm and the fans seem to work properly. I would say the excessive heating and cooling caused the problem - due to the clogged fans/vents. This is probably why it reoccurs with some people that do this fix, they need to address the overheating fan/vent issue as well. Otherwise , yes the same problem will occur.


In any event , reading through the comments on the videos it seems to work for most very well and on-goingly. It all comes down to how you do it , comments I have read from the small amount of people that this didn't last for, say they forgot to apply the thermal paste. Again this is something that's going to cause overheating and therefor the re-occurance of the issue. Lesson - Make sure you apply thermal paste (and clean the fans/vents)

If you have a Macbook Pro that's getting real hot, I would clean out the fans/vents as a pre emtive measure.
 
Last edited:
A

apanag

macrumors newbie
Jan 21, 2012
4
1
cooking GPU with air dryer

I have the Macbook Pro 2.33 (Late 2006). It ran smoothly for six years. I have been opening its case every six months to a year to remove the dust. I had even reapplied thermal paste (arctic 5) between the processors and the heat sink.

After the last time I opened it, it was getting really hot. It used to reach a point that it was automatically shutting down. Finally the GPU gave up and it showed just artifacts on the screen.

I opened the case with the intention to bake the motherboard. I found out that the cause of the high temperatures was that last time a I didn't put enough thermal paste. Although there was also a problem that sometimes the fans would not start and I had to restart. Anyway.

Before baking the motherboard I decided to give it a go to the method with the hairdryer. It is faster and the heat is applied only on the GPU. I did remove the motherboard from the laptop, even though I think that you could even skip this step. I heated the GPU with the hairy dryer for about 10 minutes using the max temperature and max air flow on the dryer. I was holding the hair dryer a couple of centimeters (an inch) above the GPU - not steadily, as you can imagine. It solved the problem, for now at least. If it breaks again, I will post again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Queen6
H

Hiyaimcool1

macrumors member
Jun 19, 2013
31
0
I don't want to risk putting my logic board into my oven, so will using a hair dryer or something similar work?
 
Astroboy907

Astroboy907

macrumors 65816
May 6, 2012
1,387
14
Spaceball One
Hiyaimcool1 said:
I don't want to risk putting my logic board into my oven, so will using a hair dryer or something similar work?
Click to expand...

At this point its better off put in the oven and broken than not trying at all, right. A hair dryer won't get hot enough but possibly a "heat gun" from a hardware store might. Not telling you to use one, but it might.

Also search for the blanket reflow method. I've heard it works sometimes, but usually with less results than the over method.
 
MyMac1976

MyMac1976

macrumors 6502a
Apr 14, 2013
511
1
Hiyaimcool1 said:
I don't want to risk putting my logic board into my oven, so will using a hair dryer or something similar work?
Click to expand...

You have to reach a particular temperature, if you use the oven the heat is uniform across the board with none of the temperature changes (swinging the heat gun) that killed it in the first place.
 
R

RedRallyeZ

macrumors regular
Nov 15, 2010
201
15
This method is also very popular with the Playstation 3 yellow light of death crowd. I did it twice with my old 60GB original PS3 and both times it worked perfectly. I did use a heat gun rather than an oven though. There are ways to uniformly distribute heat with a standard heat gun.

It is worth noting that it is only a temporary solution most of the time though. My PS3 eventually died again both times. This method gave me a month or so without failure the each time i did it until I eventually sold it for parts and replaced it.
 
A

apanag

macrumors newbie
Jan 21, 2012
4
1
update on hair dryer method

three weeks after I heated the GPU with a hair dryer and the macbook pro works still fine
 
N

npaisnel

macrumors member
Jun 23, 2013
62
0
Problem I can see with any Hair drier or heat gun option is that if you get the components too hot and the solder softens too much..you are running the risk of the components moving from the air flow.

I always wonder about this.....you have some components hanging off the bottom of the board...but they do not drop off ? or do they if you get it too hot ? for too long I guess they would.

Anyway ..about to find out..oven is pre heating now the MBP 07 is in bits...only one way to know for sure :)
 
P

psound

macrumors member
Nov 5, 2007
33
6
I need to try this on my 15" 2011 MBP. Same GPU issues as the 30,000+ other people that Apple won't address.


Problem is I can't get the battery out. Two of the damn tri/Y wing screws are so tight they're just stripping no matter how much force used. Bought the tri-wing screwdriver specifically to remove it.

QUESTION: If I leave the battery in during the process of removing the Logic board am I asking for big trouble? Seems like common sense to drain the battery first too I'm guessing?

Anyone who has experience/knowledge please help.
 
N

Netsurfer

macrumors member
Oct 13, 2009
66
14
apanag said:
three weeks after I heated the GPU with a hair dryer and the macbook pro works still fine
Click to expand...

I did the exact same thing in the exact same situation... And it worked.
I thought the problem went away for good so one day I used it during a little journey in train (without the cooler base...). Chrome made it become too hot... And... The problem came back.
After that (one week ago) I tried everything without any result at all...
Two times in the oven, three times with the hair drier like the first time and changing time and temperature... Nothing happened.
I'm really sad because I really love my MBP... I bought it in December 2006, I put two hard disks inside...used to clean the fans often...and so on...
Now I don't know what to do...
I found out a shop that ships from the states... But I live in Italy so... If I have to pay taxes too for this new logic board... I really don't know what to do...

:(
 
Last edited:
N

Netsurfer

macrumors member
Oct 13, 2009
66
14
I've just decided to give it another shot with a real heat gun...
Bought it on Amazon...:p
If anyone has some advice it would be very appreciated :D
 
A

audiomixer

macrumors regular
Feb 24, 2007
154
65
Idaho
I took out the logic board which had The 8600 nvidia graphics chip and removed what plastic I could find. Pre-heated the oven to 350° and then baked it for 7 1/2 minutes. Got heat sink compound and re-installed the logic board. To my amazement, it worked!
 
typecase

typecase

macrumors 6502
Feb 2, 2005
390
397
So my USB ports in my 13 inch Macbook Pro (mid 2012) suddenly didn't work. I reset the SMC (soft and hard), and PRAM without any luck. I took it to the Apple Genius Bar and they ran their gamut of testing, repeating the SMC and PRAM resets among other things. Eventually, they told me the logic board would need to be replaced and this would be around $500 to replace or do a depot repair for $475 ($375+100 in labor). Outside Apple, the cheapest option I found from repair websites was around $330 plus shipping each way. Either way, for this old of a notebook, and considering that working examples of my model can be had on eBay for around $500 with retina MBPs around $750, it didn't seem worth it. I thought I was stuck using this as a server or just a web machine and sucking it up and buying another notebook.

Then I thought about heating the logic board as people had done that with success with TVs and other electronics. I didn't want to remove the whole board and stick it in the oven, so the best way would probably be with a heat gun, which I already had. Among the worst case scenarios was that I would potentially risk ruining a partially working machine and end up with a brick, in which case I'd be forced to action for at least around $400. I decided to proceed anyway.

I heated the board for about 5 minutes around the USB ports and let it cool naturally. I finally got around to rebooting it and was disheartened to see no lights on the USB disk drive I plugged into the computer to test. However, to my extreme delight, on the desktop the USB disk had mounted! Turns out this one drive in my arsenal doesn't have a in-use light. Every USB device I tested since worked. Needless to say I was ecstatic! I did a web search to see if anyone else had done something like this and found this thread and felt I needed to share in case anyone else had a similar problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Queen6
D

deminister

macrumors newbie
Dec 31, 2009
7
0
Yes it works, but it has nothing to do with the solder or cracks or other BS. Heat any GPU (not even to the point were solder melts) but to 150-200 Celsius and the GPU will mostly magically start working again... for a few months.

The GPU is simply gone, it is near dead and it should be replaced. no need to buy a new board. Just find a professional that can take your chip off the board and replace it with a new one. The cost will be depending on the CPU somewhere between 250 and 350 USD.

The reflowing thing or rebelling thing is a nice theory only it is not true. No need to bake it either. Just use a cheap heat gun. Blow the entire board with your gun for a minute or so, to the point that it is warm but not hot. Than put the board on a surface that can absorb heat (for instance your old carton box in which the machine game) do not move it, do not tab it, leave it on the flat surface and circularly blow a few centimes above the chip. Again do not touch it do not check it nothing. After 5-10 minutes. You stop you let the board cool off without touching it and it will mostly be working. But again, it is not a repair. it is a emergency solution made permanent by some charlatans offering a repair with a two or three month warranty.
 
J

Joshamilton

macrumors newbie
Jun 7, 2018
1
0
vcoleiro1 said:
I have a 17" Macbook Pro which stopped working a while ago (out of warranty). When you turn it on, the light at the front would go on and thats it, nothing on the screen no start up chime. Took it to Apple and they said the Logic board was gone and it would cost $600 to replace. Sad day.


Then I saw the follwoing video which said the problem with Logic Boards occurs mainly due to micro fractures in the solder on the chips . The solution they showed was bordering on me believing it was an April Fools joke. Basivcally they removed the Logic board then placed it in an oven at 200 Degrees Celius for 7.5 minutes.


Since there was nothing to lose , I gave it a go. After a lot of fiddly work getting the thing opened (worse getting the motherboard connections back on). I got the board out and put it in the oven for 7.5 minutes at 200 degress celcius as the video said. I also put a bit of solder next to it to see visually when the solder melted. . Let it all cool down then cleaned all the heat sink contacts and applied some new thermal paste to the chips. Put it all back together which was a real hassle. Turned it on and..... It Works.


Anyway, if you are having the same issue here are the repair videos I mentioned:






If you attempt the fix , make sure you do the following:

1) Pre heat the Oven properly

2) Clean the fans out and ensure the vents are clear and the fans spin

3) Clean the old thermal Paste off the chips and the heating pipe and reapply new thermal paste to the chips before putting the logic board back in. Use rubbing alcohol to clean the old paste from the chips etc.

4) Try to prop the bard up with foil in places it doesnt touch any chips etc

5) Don't touch the board until it cools down. If you touch it to early the solder will still be fluid and you displace components.

6) Don't forget to ensure all connectors are back on the board when you put it back in. Some are heat sensors



..
Click to expand...
Thank you so much this works good freezing before and not booting now I can boot up no freezing and no black screen
 
B

b251

macrumors newbie
Jan 4, 2017
25
8
Germany
I baked my 17-inch MBP Late 2011 logic board (graphics error issue) today at 230 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. After the logic board cooled down i put it back into the device and tried to boot. No way. The fans are trying to start and the LED is flashing for about a half second and then the entire device turns off immediately. No startup chime or sth. I think the logicboard is finally dead now. Would not recommend the bake method.
 
Last edited:
firelighter487

firelighter487

macrumors 6502
Apr 30, 2014
385
238
The Netherlands
a reflow like that is only temporary. the problem those 17" MBP's have if it's a 2011 model is radeongate.

realmacmods.com

Macbook 2011 Radeon GPU Disable - Real Radeongate Solution.

Here we will show you a simple method we have developed to completely and totally disable your defective AMD Radeon GPU. Permanent and Cheap Fix.
realmacmods.com realmacmods.com

I removed the resistor like shown on this page on my 15" 2011 2 years ago and it's still working now.

and best of all this does not involve an oven or anything like that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom