I've recently acquired/dusted off a few A1181 MacBooks; two (a 2.0 Ghz MacBook 1,1 and a 2.16 Ghz MacBook 2,2) were destined for electronics recycling, and another (a 2.0 Ghz MacBook 2,1) was languishing in a computer repair store's parts bin.
They all seem to have developed the same problem:
1) Regardless of whether they are started from the topcase's power button, or from the motherboard's power pads, they will only boot to a black screen, with no boot chime. The sleep LED is continuously lit.
2) They can successfully boot -- sometimes -- after doing an SMC reset.
3) Currently the only way that one of them (the MB 2,1) can be successfully booted is by plugging it in (the machine boots immediately upon being plugged into the MagSafe) - the other two could boot like that a few times, until they completely ended up at step (1).
I'm pretty sure there's no issue at all with the display (or the cable, or the inverter) as I've tested the display assemblies on these MacBooks thoroughly and they showed no sign of failure (i.e. flashing, dim image). Plus I checked with a flashlight and noticed no display image on the screen.
What particularly vexes me is that up until recently, the MB 2,0 and the 1,1 seemed to be working fine. I did open them both up for cleaning and replacement of the thermal paste, but I hardly think that that's what killed these machines, especially since I've done it so many times before.
All this is to ask -- what could have caused this to happen, that I'm not seeing? And how could I potentially fix it?
They all seem to have developed the same problem:
1) Regardless of whether they are started from the topcase's power button, or from the motherboard's power pads, they will only boot to a black screen, with no boot chime. The sleep LED is continuously lit.
2) They can successfully boot -- sometimes -- after doing an SMC reset.
3) Currently the only way that one of them (the MB 2,1) can be successfully booted is by plugging it in (the machine boots immediately upon being plugged into the MagSafe) - the other two could boot like that a few times, until they completely ended up at step (1).
I'm pretty sure there's no issue at all with the display (or the cable, or the inverter) as I've tested the display assemblies on these MacBooks thoroughly and they showed no sign of failure (i.e. flashing, dim image). Plus I checked with a flashlight and noticed no display image on the screen.
What particularly vexes me is that up until recently, the MB 2,0 and the 1,1 seemed to be working fine. I did open them both up for cleaning and replacement of the thermal paste, but I hardly think that that's what killed these machines, especially since I've done it so many times before.
All this is to ask -- what could have caused this to happen, that I'm not seeing? And how could I potentially fix it?
