Big help needed:electrical issue

[rwh63]

here's what happened. i was connecting my 2011 macbook pro 13" to my TV
with an adapter (done it before). i accidentally touched it to my firewire port.
i noticed some "illumination". long story short, the fan is constantly running, the keyboard illumination isn't working (yes, i've tried the keys), my battery icon has an X in it even after i plugged the power cord in. i had to re-password my wireless account.

any advice?

 

[Mersailios]

There are a few things that you can try, but if these fail to work I would be inclined to believe that the logic board in your computer has been damaged.

First, you can attempt to reset the System Management Controller (also known as the "SMC"). To reset the SMC, turn your computer off, hold down the left Shift-Command-Option keys and press the Power button at the same time for 5 seconds, then release the key combination. Once you've done this, turn your computer on and see if there has been any improvement.

I would also recommend running the Apple Hardware Test if you can (the instructions to doing so can be found here). This will help you determine if there is an issue with any of the hardware in your computer.

If the above steps fail to resolve the issue then your best bet would be to take your computer to a Genius Bar at an Apple Store (if one is available in your area) or contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider (also known as an "AASP") to have the computer diagnosed and go from there.

Best of luck and have a great day.

 

[thundersteele]

Sorry, I can't help here, but let me ask so I understand what happened: You tried to connect your laptop with your TV using the mini display port adapter, but you touched the firewire port instead. This was enough to damage the laptop?

Omg, got to be careful with this...

 

[rwh63]

that's exactly what happened, or a bizarre coincidence.

i did both the extended apple hardware test (22 minutes, no problems found),
and the SMC (no improvements).

after it happened, i had to also reset the date/time (had gone back to 2000).
the battery is working, but the icon still has an X in it with no time left/charging note. the battery life indicator is not working/illuminating (related to the keyboard illumination failure?). and the fan won't stop.

my laptop was purchased in june 2011, so should it be covered by apple for repair, well within the 1 yr warranty period.

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also, when i close the lid, it does not go to sleep. fan runs, screen stays on, sleep light not on, white apple icon bright. have to completely shut it off.

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[Mersailios]

Your machine should still be under its complimentary 1 year of AppleCare hardware warranty.

I'm guestimating that one of the logic boards components were damaged somehow and that's what is causing your computer to act so oddly, and in a case like this your best bet would be to have the machine diagnosed and serviced, hopefully it will be covered under warranty.

 

[old-wiz]

accidental damage isn't covered by the warranty. You might be lucky, but don't expect a miracle.

 

[TheIguana]

I think your best bet is to head over to an Apple Store and let a genius have a crack at it. From what you have described it sounds like part of the SMC circuit related to battery charging got fried.

If your adventurous and have electrical repair experience there is the following. A couple of people on this forum have been studying and reverse engineering how the SMC circuit and battery charging systems work on MacBook Pro's. You could try checking out their work/thread and try some of their diagnoses to narrow down what has failed.

 

[Ccrew]

accidental damage isn't covered by the warranty. You might be lucky, but don't expect a miracle.

Or you can do the minimal information thing.. the ol' "turned it on and it was just doing this...." thing.

I'll deny I ever said that...

Same as hitting an electronics circuit when you're not wrist strapped I'm sure... 99 times you're going to be just fine, but that one time...

 

[rwh63]

update: had someone bring it to apple. they examined it, determined it was a faulty lithium battery, replaced it free under warranty. i wasn't there, so don't ask for details. anyway, everything functions now. we'll see if it stays that way.

thx to those who pitched in.

 

[Mersailios]

Glad to hear that your MacBook Pro has been repaired, hopefully that will take care of the issue once and for all.

 

[rwh63]

thanks