2009 Black Penryl Macbook UNRESPONSIVE, NOT BOOTING

[Brandon Miles]

I've got a black 2.4ghz a1181 macbook. Its bezel, keyboard and battery had previously been replaced. It's been left a few years and now doesn't turn on at all!

Battery doesn't charge, light at the front doesn't light up and no fans spin at all. When mains is plugged in it goes from green to orange meaning that its trying to charge the battery but it doesn't.



Any advice on what to try?

 

[DeltaMac]

Does the battery show any charge at all (press the battery test button on the battery - underneath side of your MacBook.
If no charge, leave the charger connected for 30 minutes or so, and check that at least some charge is still indicated on the battery, even when the magsafe charger is not connected.
Press and release the power button. No LED on the front, no fans, nothing else happens -- be sure to press the Caps Lock key. Does THAT light up? If yes, you have power, and it is turned on. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds or so, which will force power off.
Reset SMC:
Remove the battery (unplug Magsafe, too)
Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
Reinstall the battery, and try the power button now.

You might have a bad power button.
There's a pair of power contacts inside your MacBook, on logic board very close to the fan, that bypass the power button.

 

[Brandon Miles]

Does the battery show any charge at all (press the battery test button on the battery - underneath side of your MacBook.
If no charge, leave the charger connected for 30 minutes or so, and check that at least some charge is still indicated on the battery, even when the magsafe charger is not connected.
Press and release the power button. No LED on the front, no fans, nothing else happens -- be sure to press the Caps Lock key. Does THAT light up? If yes, you have power, and it is turned on. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds or so, which will force power off.
Reset SMC:
Remove the battery (unplug Magsafe, too)
Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
Reinstall the battery, and try the power button now.

You might have a bad power button.
There's a pair of power contacts inside your MacBook, on logic board very close to the fan, that bypass the power button.

Thanks for the suggestions! Sadly this hasn't worked, the battery does charge after a long time but still nothing. Smc and vram (i think its called) have both been reset and nothing works. No light on caps lock, no fan spinup, no hard drive clicks, nothing.

I haven't tried the power button solution but wanted to ask where that is before I go ahead and open my mac up. (I know how to open the macbook up but am not sure what I'm looking for power button wise!)

 

[DeltaMac]

The power contacts are approximately here:

I use a small screwdriver to touch (short) the two solder pads together. (Just don't go randonly poking around with a metal object. You might be "shocked" at the result

 

[Brandon Miles]

The power contacts are approximately here:
View attachment 925724
I use a small screwdriver to touch (short) the two solder pads together. (Just don't go randonly poking around with a metal object. You might be "shocked" at the result

I'll give this a try but this looks terrifying

 

[divideby]

Given that you had the standard top case replacement (very common in this model), there's a possibility that the keyboard isn't properly connected to the logic board, or the top case keyboard is bad. The "shorting" solution previously posted is a great way to bypass the power button and turn on the machine.If the machine turns on but you can't type anything then the keyboard is bad.

I suspect this will actually work. Just a word of caution, I don't think that screenshot is the actual logic board (it's not red) in this model, but you want to look for two thicker solder pads like the picture posted.

Also, this will give you a chance to reseat the keyboard cable to the logic board. It might just work by doing that. Good luck!

Edit: Found a picture here

https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/UkWyarNvIgIZBNJZ.huge

 

[Brandon Miles]

Wow, this actually worked. I had no faith in trying this but yup turns on, screen doesn't light up but at least its alive. Now I know it's working what should I do?? I'll have a look at the connections and see if anything is off at all but wow again I'm amazed that actually done the job

 

[DeltaMac]

The main connector that you want to look at is the keybord connector (that single connector that you have to disconnect to remove the top case). I have broken a couple of those connectors (broke loose from the logic board) over the years. And, the power button connects through that connector!
Make sure that the screen is not coming on: power on, wait for a minute or two, then shine a bright light into the screen. If you see anything (dimly) on the screen, icons, top menubar, even a blinking folder in the middle of the screen --- just means that the backlight is not on, likely the inverter board. There's a logic board connector for that, in front of the left hinge. You will see several wires (3, I think) that come out around that left hinge. The connector in front of the left hinge is for the inverter. If you see nothing at all on the screen, even with a bright light, then likely the inverter board would need to be replaced.

 

[Brandon Miles]

The main connector that you want to look at is the keybord connector (that single connector that you have to disconnect to remove the top case). I have broken a couple of those connectors (broke loose from the logic board) over the years. And, the power button connects through that connector!
Make sure that the screen is not coming on: power on, wait for a minute or two, then shine a bright light into the screen. If you see anything (dimly) on the screen, icons, top menubar, even a blinking folder in the middle of the screen --- just means that the backlight is not on, likely the inverter board. There's a logic board connector for that, in front of the left hinge. You will see several wires (3, I think) that come out around that left hinge. The connector in front of the left hinge is for the inverter. If you see nothing at all on the screen, even with a bright light, then likely the inverter board would need to be replaced.

Okay just quickly it now won't turn on via the screwwdriver method, ive left it for a minute while plugged in and now all it does is the magsafe charger goes from green to blank
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Okay just quickly it now won't turn on via the screwwdriver method, ive left it for a minute while plugged in and now all it does is the magsafe charger goes from green to blank

Nevermind just a little fiddly, will run it and get back to you asap!! Cheers for your kindness
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Right so let it run for a few minutes and can't see anything on the screen, i think its actually faulty too since it doesn't seem to be on at all. Is there a good way of testing the screen without buying a display port adapter to plug into another screen?

 

[Brandon Miles]

Given that you had the standard top case replacement (very common in this model), there's a possibility that the keyboard isn't properly connected to the logic board, or the top case keyboard is bad. The "shorting" solution previously posted is a great way to bypass the power button and turn on the machine.If the machine turns on but you can't type anything then the keyboard is bad.

I suspect this will actually work. Just a word of caution, I don't think that screenshot is the actual logic board (it's not red) in this model, but you want to look for two thicker solder pads like the picture posted.

Also, this will give you a chance to reseat the keyboard cable to the logic board. It might just work by doing that. Good luck!

Edit: Found a picture here

https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/UkWyarNvIgIZBNJZ.huge

Just for reference this is where it is for me on my 2008 Black Penryl 2.4ghz Macbook

 

[DeltaMac]

Your picture is NOT that of a 2008 2.4 GHz...
Heat sink is from a Mid-2007, and the sticker on the fan shows 2007, along with the sticker on the RAM slot shows a 2.16Ghz, making this picture of a logic board from a mid-2007 best model. Black, of course, but a 2.16 GHz, MacBook2,1. A 2.4 GHz would be a MacBook4,1.
I just looked inside my Early 2008 MacBook 2.4 GHz, . The power pads are the same location as the picture that I posted. If your logic board is the same as the picture that you posted, then it's not a 2.4, but is an older 2.16 GHz.

My picture is from Apple's service manual. It shows a pre-production, red logic board. Mine is not red, has slightly different components, but the power pads location is exactly the same on my 2.4 GHz

 

[christiann]

The power contacts are approximately here:
View attachment 925724
I use a small screwdriver to touch (short) the two solder pads together.

Im also doing power pads but on an A1278.
[automerge]1592796726[/automerge]

Your picture is NOT that of a 2008 2.4 GHz...
Heat sink is from a Mid-2007, and the sticker on the fan shows 2007, along with the sticker on the RAM slot shows a 2.16Ghz, making this picture of a logic board from a mid-2007 best model. Black, of course, but a 2.16 GHz, MacBook2,1. A 2.4 GHz would be a MacBook4,1.
I just looked inside my Early 2008 MacBook 2.4 GHz, . The power pads are the same location as the picture that I posted. If your logic board is the same as the picture that you posted, then it's not a 2.4, but is an older 2.16 GHz.

My picture is from Apple's service manual. It shows a pre-production, red logic board. Mine is not red, has slightly different components, but the power pads location is exactly the same on my 2.4 GHz

DeltaMac is also right. I own multiple MacBooks and there is a difference between the A1181 2007 vs the 2008.

The LB also looks different. Heat sink looks different.

 

[DeltaMac]

Im also doing power pads but on an A1278.
[automerge]1592796726[/automerge]


DeltaMac is also right. I own multiple MacBooks and there is a difference between the A1181 2007 vs the 2008.

The LB also looks different. Heat sink looks different.

I only have the one MacBook, but I have Apple's service manuals, which also shows those kind of differences.

Are you asking where the power pads are on the A1278? IIRC, directly behind the trackpad connector.

 

[christiann]

I only have the one MacBook, but I have Apple's service manuals, which also shows those kind of differences.

Are you asking where the power pads are on the A1278? IIRC, directly behind the trackpad connector.

No sorry, I was just saying that I am using power pads to boot it up too, hotwiring it with a screwdriver. @rampancy helped me on this. I can’t find the post, but there is a way to boot it up using the power pads.

 

[Brandon Miles]

Okay sorry my bad, obviously the top case has been replaced prior to me owning the laptop, it worked several years ago but now my only reference as to what model it is was from the topcase since I did not know abput the difference internal difference. It's very interesting that its so different between models!

The question now is, if it boots up fine but they screen does not light up and the power button doesn't work does that mean it needs a new topcase ribbon cable and a replacement inverter or is there more that needs to be done?

 

[rampancy]

Okay sorry my bad, obviously the top case has been replaced prior to me owning the laptop, it worked several years ago but now my only reference as to what model it is was from the topcase since I did not know abput the difference internal difference. It's very interesting that its so different between models!

The question now is, if it boots up fine but they screen does not light up and the power button doesn't work does that mean it needs a new topcase ribbon cable and a replacement inverter or is there more that needs to be done?

That's the great thing about the A1181 MacBooks -- because a fair amount of the parts are consistent between the versions/model years, you can easily source parts from other types of A1181 to replace or repair the MacBook you have on hand. On the other hand, this can lead to confusion because the specs of a given MacBook are printed on the underside of the topcase under the battery. So if someone had a 2.0 Ghz MacBook 1,1 (32-bit Core Duo/GMA 950) and used a good topcase from a 2.0 Ghz MacBook (5,1) (Core 2 Duo/GeForce 9400m), the person who bought that MacBook could in turn think they have a machine that's very different from what they really have.

To answer your question, re: the display -- I've heard a lot of people saying that a bad/failed inverter board is the cause of screens dying on A1181s, but in my experience it's almost always because the CCFL backlight in the LCD has died. Given the age of these machines, that's hardly surprising.

The only way to really know for sure is to take apart the machine and run it with a known good inverter board (which can be ~$15-20 USD on eBay). If it doesn't work, then you'll have to replace the entire LCD itself (which can be ~$20-80 USD on eBay, depending on the condition and seller). I've often found that many sellers sell entire LCD assemblies (which is the LCD, inverter board, display bezel, LCD case and WiFi antennas) for less than the cost of invidivual LCD panels. So you may want to go that route to save money and time.

As for the power button, that's tricky. It's possible that the keyboard connector could have been damaged when the topcase was replaced, leading to the power button not working. However, in my own experience, it's more likely that the solder joints for the power button may have been cracked due to rough usage (i.e. from previous owners pushing hard on the button to reset the SMC, or reset the Mac). You'll likely have to replace the entire topcase then; replacements can range from about ~$20-60 USD, depending on the condition and seller. If you don't mind the extra time in waiting, you could also try replacing the keyboard ribbon cable first. Those cost about ~$6 USD.

 

[Brandon Miles]

That's the great thing about the A1181 MacBooks -- because a fair amount of the parts are consistent between the versions/model years, you can easily source parts from other types of A1181 to replace or repair the MacBook you have on hand. On the other hand, this can lead to confusion because the specs of a given MacBook are printed on the underside of the topcase under the battery. So if someone had a 2.0 Ghz MacBook 1,1 (32-bit Core Duo/GMA 950) and used a good topcase from a 2.0 Ghz MacBook (5,1) (Core 2 Duo/GeForce 9400m), the person who bought that MacBook could in turn think they have a machine that's very different from what they really have.

To answer your question, re: the display -- I've heard a lot of people saying that a bad/failed inverter board is the cause of screens dying on A1181s, but in my experience it's almost always because the CCFL backlight in the LCD has died. Given the age of these machines, that's hardly surprising.

The only way to really know for sure is to take apart the machine and run it with a known good inverter board (which can be ~$15-20 USD on eBay). If it doesn't work, then you'll have to replace the entire LCD itself (which can be ~$20-80 USD on eBay, depending on the condition and seller). I've often found that many sellers sell entire LCD assemblies (which is the LCD, inverter board, display bezel, LCD case and WiFi antennas) for less than the cost of invidivual LCD panels. So you may want to go that route to save money and time.

As for the power button, that's tricky. It's possible that the keyboard connector could have been damaged when the topcase was replaced, leading to the power button not working. However, in my own experience, it's more likely that the solder joints for the power button may have been cracked due to rough usage (i.e. from previous owners pushing hard on the button to reset the SMC, or reset the Mac). You'll likely have to replace the entire topcase then; replacements can range from about ~$20-60 USD, depending on the condition and seller. If you don't mind the extra time in waiting, you could also try replacing the keyboard ribbon cable first. Those cost about ~$6 USD.

Okay I've bought the ribbon cable but if theres more issues and it's going to be more money than its worth i reckon sadly. The screen is completely unresponsive to anything and theres no lighting on it at all so realistically it will probably be a whole new screen assembly as well as probably a new topcase

 

[rampancy]

Okay I've bought the ribbon cable but if theres more issues and it's going to be more money than its worth i reckon sadly. The screen is completely unresponsive to anything and theres no lighting on it at all so realistically it will probably be a whole new screen assembly as well as probably a new topcase

One other possible alternative could be to use Craigslist (or whatever app/service exists in your area for locally buying and selling used goods like Letgo, Kijiji, etc.) and see if anyone is selling an A1181 MacBook for cheap or for parts. You could also contact electronics recyclers in your area to see if they might have an A1181 that's kicking around for parts.

You also might want to check out joining the Low End Mac LEM Swap List -- I'm pretty sure you'd be able to find someone there who'd sell you an A1181 you can scavange for cheap.

Personally, since I love the A1181 so much I'd urge you to keep going with it (especially since it's one of the rarer Black models), since they really are wonderful machines to use once they're patched up. Good luck!

 

[Brandon Miles]

One other possible alternative could be to use Craigslist (or whatever app/service exists in your area for locally buying and selling used goods like Letgo, Kijiji, etc.) and see if anyone is selling an A1181 MacBook for cheap or for parts. You could also contact electronics recyclers in your area to see if they might have an A1181 that's kicking around for parts.

You also might want to check out joining the Low End Mac LEM Swap List -- I'm pretty sure you'd be able to find someone there who'd sell you an A1181 you can scavange for cheap.

Personally, since I love the A1181 so much I'd urge you to keep going with it (especially since it's one of the rarer Black models), since they really are wonderful machines to use once they're patched up. Good luck!

Yea I do want to keep it because its such a nice relic to have, what do you use yours for? I wouldn't think that they'd actually be that usable anymore? I know with some older macs you can workaround and boot a newer os on them but surely it's too old to be much use now.

Also yes I'll keep an eye out for spares and parts for cheap

 

[christiann]

Okay sorry my bad, obviously the top case has been replaced prior to me owning the laptop, it worked several years ago but now my only reference as to what model it is was from the topcase since I did not know abput the difference internal difference. It's very interesting that its so different between models!

The question now is, if it boots up fine but they screen does not light up and the power button doesn't work does that mean it needs a new topcase ribbon cable and a replacement inverter or is there more that needs to be done?

Try an external display. Do you see anything?
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Yea I do want to keep it because its such a nice relic to have, what do you use yours for? I wouldn't think that they'd actually be that usable anymore? I know with some older macs you can workaround and boot a newer os on them but surely it's too old to be much use now.

Also yes I'll keep an eye out for spares and parts for cheap

I use mine for school, browsing the web, eMails, it’s slow, but trying to do MacPostFactor to get her on Yosemite

 

[rampancy]

Yea I do want to keep it because its such a nice relic to have, what do you use yours for? I wouldn't think that they'd actually be that usable anymore? I know with some older macs you can workaround and boot a newer os on them but surely it's too old to be much use now.

Also yes I'll keep an eye out for spares and parts for cheap

I use my A1181 Macs largely for fun (mainly games like EV Nova, as well as older Windows games which run better on older versions of WINE), but also as computers for writing and other light web tasks.

I also like to use them for the simple fun and challenge of trying to make old hardware as usuable as possible, as well as finding new and creative ways to upgrade and upcycle them. For example, I have in my collection a MacBook 2,1 A1181 which apparently was someone's personal machine at DEFCON, if the stickers plastered all over it are any indication; it's got a spiffy NetBSD sticker plastered all over the "MacBook" title on the front display bezel, so I'm seriously thinking of tackling installing Linux on it, which is something I've never tried before.

I've got another MacBook 5,1 A1181 that sadly got the display power connector ripped off of the motherboard when its previous owner tried to fix a dead LCD. Otherwise it works perfectly well (except that it can't drive an LCD display now), and I'm thinking of how I could use it as a "desktop" computer.