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

Brand new MBP "tink" or "rattle" or "clink" or...

deputy_doofy

deputy_doofy

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 11, 2002
1,467
410
...call it what you will. There is a sound -- you know -- THIS sound (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJmpervXe9M) and it's driving you (and me) crazy.

How many people have this problem with a stock configuration (meaning, you didn't customize your MBP in any way)?

I have a MacBook Pro here at work, and it seems to be the standard configuration for the 15" Core i7 (no hard drive, screen, RAM upgrades) and I cannot get it to make the sound no matter how warm it is and no matter how much I shake it or push on or near the trackpad.

Mine, on the other hand, did have all those things upgraded (hard drive -> 7200, RAM, Hi-Res). The sound is annoying but, more importantly, just trying to figure out if someone is just not tightening stuff up after making internal changes.
 
I can't say it was sitting still. More on my chest while I'm in bed, surfing or doing whatever, so there's minor movement. It tends to happen a lot when pressing on the trackpad (or even near it).

My older MBP from 2006, which also has the SMS, has never even remotely made this noise.

I'm finding numerous reports of this "problem" and I'm more curious to see if affects CTO owners or everyone. I can't make it happen on the Core i7 MBP here at work.
 
deputy_doofy said:
I can't say it was sitting still. More on my chest while I'm in bed, surfing or doing whatever, so there's minor movement. It tends to happen a lot when pressing on the trackpad (or even near it).

My older MBP from 2006, which also has the SMS, has never even remotely made this noise.

I'm finding numerous reports of this "problem" and I'm more curious to see if affects CTO owners or everyone. I can't make it happen on the Core i7 MBP here at work.
Click to expand...

Its been Covered extensively on this forum....

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/906536/

What it is...there are two bracket arms in the middle that hold the bottom casing in place along with the screws. I have also noticed it when being in "couch" mode. Nothing I have done has fixed it. I can also replicate it by letting the laptop sit on my desk, coming up to it, and pushing downward slightly.

Sucks, but oh well.
 
kgeier82 said:
Its been Covered extensively on this forum....

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/906536/

What it is...there are two bracket arms in the middle that hold the bottom casing in place along with the screws. I have also noticed it when being in "couch" mode. Nothing I have done has fixed it. I can also replicate it by letting the laptop sit on my desk, coming up to it, and pushing downward slightly.

Sucks, but oh well.
Click to expand...

I know. I've read this in a lot of places and even replied, but I guess I was more curious if it's shoddiness of CTO, rather than a regular stock purchase. I'm not going to return it or try to replace it, but it is quite annoying. I suppose it will "go away" in the same way as the one stuck pixel "went away" on my 2006 MBP.
 
kgeier82 said:
Its been Covered extensively on this forum....

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/906536/

What it is...there are two bracket arms in the middle that hold the bottom casing in place along with the screws. I have also noticed it when being in "couch" mode. Nothing I have done has fixed it. I can also replicate it by letting the laptop sit on my desk, coming up to it, and pushing downward slightly.

Sucks, but oh well.
Click to expand...

Actually, it didn't turn out to be the brackets causing the problem. I know I was a big proponent of that theory, but i was wrong (as I said later in the thread you linked to.)

Everyone having this problem, the cause of the sound has been found and it's an easy solution. Have a look:

http://tenonedesign.com/blog/fix-your-macbook-pro-like-a-champ/

I removed that piece a few days ago and have not heard that annoying sound since. :D
 
MBHockey said:
Actually, it didn't turn out to be the brackets causing the problem. I know I was a big proponent of that theory, but i was wrong (as I said later in the thread you linked to.)

Everyone having this problem, the cause of the sound has been found and it's an easy solution. Have a look:

http://tenonedesign.com/blog/fix-your-macbook-pro-like-a-champ/

I removed that piece a few days ago and have not heard that annoying sound since. :D
Click to expand...

I'm sure that will be the endgame of the noise for me as well and I appreciate the info!

Out of curiosity, did you do a customized order? Also, do you think it's possible to tighten that piece as well?
 
deputy_doofy said:
I'm sure that will be the endgame of the noise for me as well and I appreciate the info!

Out of curiosity, did you do a customized order? Also, do you think it's possible to tighten that piece as well?
Click to expand...

Yes, it was a custom order. Core i7 Hi-res anti-glare.

It's not that the piece is loose, it's the metal contacts protruding from it to the casing (which are there be design) that make the annoying noise.
 
What size screwdriver did you have to use? I found the smallest one we have at work and it was still too large (and this is an IT department). :/
 
MBHockey said:
Size 0 or 00 phillips
Click to expand...

Thanks. I just found one after harassing our "Mac" guy. I even took their MBP apart to see the part in question. I didn't realize how small it was -- also needs the Phillips size 0, I see.

THIS MBP, however, does not make the noise, so I was hoping to see its characteristics and check against mine, which I'll be doing tomorrow.
 
Didn't feel like waiting. I removed that little piece tonight. Will report back shortly if I hear no more "tinks."

Edit: So far, so good. I really hope it doesn't need that piece for any reason because my laptop is finally quiet! :)
 
deputy_doofy said:
Didn't feel like waiting. I removed that little piece tonight. Will report back shortly if I hear no more "tinks."

Edit: So far, so good. I really hope it doesn't need that piece for any reason because my laptop is finally quiet! :)
Click to expand...

Please let us know soon, my new 15" Core i5 does this sound too. It's a CTO with the upgraded 500GB 7200RPM HDD and Hi-Res Antiglare screen. I notice that it's much more noticeable when I have the computer sitting on a pad that causes static electricity, when I just place the computer on a standard table with nothing under the computer the sound is very minimal. I just hate removing things out of the computer that came from the factory that way but if this fixes it I will be doing it too, thanks for your help. :)

EDIT: just saw you edited your post with your results. Well that sounds good but I'm just concerned about removing that part. Thanks.
 
So far so good with mine. I've had it out for a few days now and it doesn't seem to have made any difference other than getting rid of that stupid sound.

The guy who figured it out doesn't seem too worried:

Here's the lowdown: The bottom cover of the MacBook Pro serves as a shield for radiated electromagnetic energy. A great shielding strategy is to find a huge piece of metal, and connect your circuit to that metal wherever possible. The MacBook Pro Unibody enclosure and bottom cover make a terrific shielding system.

One of the connectors in this system touches the bottom plate right in the center where it flexes a lot. When the computer heats up, the metal pins in the connector scrape noisily against the cover, and make you want to eat your hands.

By removing the connector (two easy screws!), you remove one of the grounding connections between the unibody enclosure and the bottom cover. Don't worry: there are plenty of other connections, and they are adequate for the purpose.
Click to expand...

So it seems this piece might be superfluous or redundant anyway. I'm an engineer and I'm not worried :)
 
I'm not going to worry. Besides, if there's a time to mess with the machine, it's while it's new and under warranty. lol

This is great. I love the silence! MBHockey, thanks for your help.

HLdan, I was hesitant about it at first, but I have to tell you, I'm glad the noise is gone. I was trying to ignore it but it was impossible to do. More than likely, it has more than one grounding piece. Either that or my laptop will fry within the next few months. :p
 
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
Back