MB 1,1-7,1 Black MacBook (A1181) - Power LED turns on but screen doesn't, and laptop automatically shuts off after a few seconds if I hold keys down

[izzy0242mr]

I have a black MacBook (A1181) from eBay that I wanted to try to fix up. That may not be possible but thought I'd ask the brain trust:

When I press the power button, the white power LED turns on but the screen doesn't, and the laptop automatically shuts off after a few seconds if I hold any keys down (like the option key). However, if I don't press any keys on the keyboard, the power LED stays on and the computer seems to be on in some capacity.

Any way to figure out what is going on with this thing? Disassembly also appears more complicated than I had anticipated though I am not afraid of cracking into it if need be.

Not sure of exact model but I think it's a MacBook4,1 because it has the "command" word written on the Command key rather than the Apple logo + command symbol that the older ones had.

 

[alex_free]

Maybe (hopefully) the RAM is “loose”? You could try pressing down on the ram to see if there is any leeway. I’m pretty sure same thing happened to me years ago upgrading the ram, and perhaps something got bumped in shipping. Worth a shot, love my blackbooks 😥

Also it should be one of the easiest Macs to take apart

 

[rampancy]

This is a bizarre issue, but it's in the general ballpark of A1181s I've had which have developed black screen issues, even with known good displays. But here's what I would do if I were you:

1: Check if the display inverter/display backlight is functioning properly - this is a common and often-cited issue with A1181s, not a design flaw per se but more a consequence of the effects of age on the LCD display inverter and/or the LCD CCFL backlight (in my experience, it's more the LCD CCFL backlight).

Power the machine on. Shine a flashlight on the display. If you see an image (e.g. flashing folder icon, OS X desktop, OS X boot loading screen, etc.), then most likely the LCD backlight is dead. Note that this wouldn't address the spontaneous shut off issue.

2: Replace the topcase - the keyboard and power button and their associate circuitry are integrated with the topcase, so try booting the machine with a known good A1181 topcase. Any model/year of A1181 should suffice. If the Mac functions and boots normally with a different and known good topcase, this should isolate the issue as a problem with the original topcase. If there is no change, it may indicate an issue with the motherboard. Taking the topcase off is actually quite easy, if a little time consuming.

3. Try the power pads - if you don't have access to a known good topcase (they can be quite expensive now given their age) remove the top case using the instructions linked above and try to power the MacBook on using the on-motherboard power pads. Be sure to hook up an external USB keyboard and mouse before doing this.

If there is no change, then it's definitely a motherboard issue. I would suspect either an issue with the power or display circuitry. This is the limit of my knowledge and skill; I'd have to see if I could find the motherboard schematic and test with a multimeter to see what specific component or trace is failing/shorted.

Good luck - I hope this helps!

 

[DouglasCarroll]

I have a black MacBook (A1181) from eBay that I wanted to try to fix up. That may not be possible but thought I'd ask the brain trust:

When I press the power button, the white power LED turns on but the screen doesn't, and the laptop automatically shuts off after a few seconds if I hold any keys down (like the option key). However, if I don't press any keys on the keyboard, the power LED stays on and the computer seems to be on in some capacity.

Any way to figure out what is going on with this thing? Disassembly also appears more complicated than I had anticipated though I am not afraid of cracking into it if need be.

Not sure of exact model but I think it's a MacBook4,1 because it has the "command" word written on the Command key rather than the Apple logo + command symbol that the older ones had.

Try unplugging the battery and then trying to start it with only the power supply to eliminate a battery discharge/short issue. I had that happen in the past and the “weird won’t start power bizarre thing” turned out to be screwed up battery for me. A replacement battery corrected my issue. Also could be a screwed up hard drive, try unplugging that also and see if suddenly the display works and shows a missing boot drive icon.