Logic board or Left I/O issues? Should I buy this?

[quickmac]

I recently got my hands on a early 2006 Macbook Pro from a friend who says it was left in a hot car for a day and the logic board is fried. They took it to Apple who apparently confirmed the logic board is in fact dead and should be replaced.

The Macbook Pro does power up, the power adapter light turns from orange to green as it should, the battery charges, and the power button works. The fans will run and the hard drive spins up. Even the ambient light sensor works enough so the status light changes brightness. But no boot up, no screen video.

That said it seems like the Left I/O board (where the power supply is) works fine since it gets power and the fans connected to the logic board are getting powered. So board itself is getting some power, likely damaged.

I have a chance to buy a bottom case logic board assembly complete with Left I/O board and a logic board. Person says the unit gets "no power" at all leading me to believe that their assembly has a faulty Left I/O board and the logic board may be ok.

So does this seem like a good idea? Buy the "no power" lower case assembly, remove the logic board and swap it into the Macbook Pro I have and connect it to the existing Left I/O?

 

[squeakr]

No, it does not seem like a good idea. Too much work, time , and money invested into a 5 year old computer that is not working now, nor guaranteed to work in the future. If you like to tinker, have expendable cash, and want a project, then go for it. If you want a reliable computer on the cheap, avoid this. My $0.02!

 

[snaky69]

I recently got my hands on a early 2006 Macbook Pro from a friend who says it was left in a hot car for a day and the logic board is fried. They took it to Apple who apparently confirmed the logic board is in fact dead and should be replaced.

The Macbook Pro does power up, the power adapter light turns from orange to green as it should, the battery charges, and the power button works. The fans will run and the hard drive spins up. Even the ambient light sensor works enough so the status light changes brightness. But no boot up, no screen video.

That said it seems like the Left I/O board (where the power supply is) works fine since it gets power and the fans connected to the logic board are getting powered. So board itself is getting some power, likely damaged.

I have a chance to buy a bottom case logic board assembly complete with Left I/O board and a logic board. Person says the unit gets "no power" at all leading me to believe that their assembly has a faulty Left I/O board and the logic board may be ok.

So does this seem like a good idea? Buy the "no power" lower case assembly, remove the logic board and swap it into the Macbook Pro I have and connect it to the existing Left I/O?

I may be wrong, but I'd hop over onto iFixit.com and check. I think the I/O board and logicboard are one and the same, not separate.

Don't you think you're going through a lot of trouble for a nearly 5 years old notebook?

 

[quickmac]

squeaker - Macs are reliable, I know a number of people using 5+ yr old Macs for basic purposes. Heck I have a 10yr old HP desktop running as a basic media center, so a lot of old computers have use, even non-Macs. I do like to tinker with old computers and fix them up, part hobby, and part doing it for others on the side.

snaky - The Left I/O board is a separate component from the logic board, it is "bolted onto and connected to to logic board" but with a few disconnected cables and removed torx screws it is a separate component, thus the reason for my post.

To both of you, from a financial/dependable computer standpoint you're both right it might not be "worth it." However a working Mac of this model sells online for a few hundred so people will buy. I may fix it and keep it as a backup, give it to a relative as a email/internet browsing computer, or sell it. If I do the option I'm asking about I may spend $150 total on it, not much. If I get a new logic board I'm looking at 300-500 and that in itself is not worth it, even to tinker with.

So I guess I'm asking "is it a good idea from a technical standpoint" not a financial standpoint or a "will it be a good daily task intensive computer" standpoint.

That said, does anyone think this makes sense: Used logic board, says no power but may be the Left I/O. I have a working Left I/0 and a bad logic board. Take a 60 buck risk and buy the "no power" logic board assembly with left i/o that may be bad, swap the logic board into the mac I have with the working I/O and see what happens.

 

[GuitarG20]

if it costs more than, say, 200, i wouldn't do it just because at that point it makes more sense to buy a new computer. otherwise, go for it, although i would hate the feeling of having a brand new computer that's already 5 years behind.

 

[squeakr]

Why even ask for opinions, as you have your mind set on what you want to do. You have it in your mind that it is a fairly simple and cheap repair, so go for it then. I can tell by the way that you are justifying it, that is the way you are leaning.

You specifically gave me a list of reasons and support that old computers have uses (I too have a 5+ year old HP running media center duties). No where did I say that old computers have no value or use, just that it IS unreliable, as once you start piecing together parts from several broken computers you have no history with, then you have no reliability as well.

You stated that the person said no power to the logic board, but you don't know that for sure and have to assume it is much worse (i.e. you are buying another defective logic board). If it were something as simple as the power board and the person was competent and trained enough to prove this, then why didn't that person just buy parts from iFixit or send it to them and resurrect this computer (at least these are the thoughts that run through my mind)?

If this were your computer and you knew the history, it might be less of a gamble, but i hate to throw good money to the wind. I am a trained electronics technician and have years worth of repair of this type under my belt, and I would only try it if I felt like taking on a project, as I would not in good conscience sell this to anyone (I might donate it to someone needy), but for my cash outlay I could easily buy something newer with a warranty (I know it won't be a MAC, but it will be something newer with a warranty). I hate to invest money into something that could die within hours of being resurrected (if it even can).

 

[snaky69]

squeaker - Macs are reliable, I know a number of people using 5+ yr old Macs for basic purposes. Heck I have a 10yr old HP desktop running as a basic media center, so a lot of old computers have use, even non-Macs. I do like to tinker with old computers and fix them up, part hobby, and part doing it for others on the side.

snaky - The Left I/O board is a separate component from the logic board, it is "bolted onto and connected to to logic board" but with a few disconnected cables and removed torx screws it is a separate component, thus the reason for my post.

To both of you, from a financial/dependable computer standpoint you're both right it might not be "worth it." However a working Mac of this model sells online for a few hundred so people will buy. I may fix it and keep it as a backup, give it to a relative as a email/internet browsing computer, or sell it. If I do the option I'm asking about I may spend $150 total on it, not much. If I get a new logic board I'm looking at 300-500 and that in itself is not worth it, even to tinker with.

So I guess I'm asking "is it a good idea from a technical standpoint" not a financial standpoint or a "will it be a good daily task intensive computer" standpoint.

That said, does anyone think this makes sense: Used logic board, says no power but may be the Left I/O. I have a working Left I/0 and a bad logic board. Take a 60 buck risk and buy the "no power" logic board assembly with left i/o that may be bad, swap the logic board into the mac I have with the working I/O and see what happens.

If it IS separate, perhaps you could bring the I/O board to the computer with the dead one, install it an check before buying? That way you're out of no money except gas money.

 

[shardey]

That car must of been exposed to some serious heat. If this truly was the case, the LCD would have problems before the logic board, in the sense that it was left in a car.

Sounds like it was damaged before "left in heat".

Not worth fixing at this point.

 

[parker770]

I disagree with all of the nay sayers who claim it isn't worth the effort. I was in an almost identical spot last year, albeit with a 2008 model instead of an '05. I have about $150 total in mine, and it runs perfectly and is still plenty fast and powerful for my needs. It will stream 1080P videos flawlessly. I don't regret fixing it one bit, and in the process I became VERY well versed in MBP diagnosis and repair. They are very pleasant machines to work on, especially compared to a PC of the same vintage. As others have mentioned, ifixit.com is your bible for mac repair. Make sure you check and recheck that you have removed all of the screws before attempting to remove the top cover. When chasing a problem and disassembling and reassembling the machine to try different things, its very easy to overlook the two screws inside the battery bay. I learned the hard way.

Have you tried connecting it to an external display? Another test is to take an extremely bright flashlight and shine it on the "black" display when the machine is booted and running.

On mine, with a bright light I realized that the LCD itself was working fine, but that the backlight had totally failed.

It is relatively common for the left I/O board to fail when the backlight power cable is removed and replaced. Bear in mind that mine has an LED backlight whereas your 2005 model uses a conventional CCFL lamp.

If the I/O board doesn't fix it, it may be more economical to pick up a used working display panel, or use it as a desktop with an external display. Be VERY gentle with the I/O board, and try and minimize static discharge(an antistatic wrist strap is best), as the boards seem to be extremely fragile.

Don't be discouraged if it doesn't immediately work on the first attempt, I was tinkering with mine for a few weeks before I got it 100%. When throwing parts at a problem, you just have to keep making educated guesses until you get it right.

 

[quickmac]

snaky - good point. Its actually online, I managed to get the guy down in price arguing that it was a risk...so I'm spending 45 bucks to take this risk plus the 60 I offered my friend for the "dead' macbook pro. Figure thats 100 bucks, if it all sucks, I have two broken logic boards to sell (which apparently people buy), and a few other components.


sharday - I approached it initially from a water damage incident. I was confused though, the person had spilled water on their first macbook pro and had the logic board replaced and other parts by Apple for $1000. Then they got rid of that laptop and bought another one in 2006, used it good for about 4 years than left it in the trunk of a car. So its pretty fried but still gets power good. I have a sneaking suspicion that the processor and/or video card is fried.

parker - I hear you man. Although a 2008 last year was only 2-3 years old, this is at least 5 years old. But I do agree, if the price is right its worth it. And if its tinkering and for kicks, the price doesn't matter within reason. They are fun to work with. I totally agree part of this is just to see if I can get it running again, my budget limit for this crazy project is $300, the less the better, but hey its all in good fun.

Parker note that the Left I/O on the heat damaged MBP I have appears to work fine, gets power and powers the fan, light, and charges the battery. The logic board according to person who took it to Apple (the friend) is fried. I'm buying a bottom Macbook Pro assembly which includes the Left I/O, Logic Board, and bottom casing, seller says no power, i suspect Left I/O is dead and board may be ok so worth a shot. If I'm wrong I'll resell the bottom assembly I bought and hopefully get my $45 back, and figure out later what to do with the heat damaged MBP itself I have.

 

[parker770]

Parker note that the Left I/O on the heat damaged MBP I have appears to work fine, gets power and powers the fan, light, and charges the battery. The logic board according to person who took it to Apple (the friend) is fried. I'm buying a bottom Macbook Pro assembly which includes the Left I/O, Logic Board, and bottom casing, seller says no power, i suspect Left I/O is dead and board may be ok so worth a shot. If I'm wrong I'll resell the bottom assembly I bought and hopefully get my $45 back, and figure out later what to do with the heat damaged MBP itself I have.

When my left I/O failed, everything still got power and worked perfectly except for the display backlight.

I think you are right about being able to get your money back, in fact I think you would be able to turn a profit if you parted it and sold the parts individually. You would be amazed at how many people will pay good money for "as is" parts. A few times during the process of getting it running I replaced parts that I suspected were ok, but changed just to be sure. I was always able to at least break even, but often make a little money. $45 for a bottom assembly is a pretty damn good deal, I don't think you can go wrong. I would be interested in hearing how it works out, post up your project as you go! Good luck!

 

[deadboy216]

I recently got my hands on a early 2006 Macbook Pro from a friend who says it was left in a hot car for a day and the logic board is fried. They took it to Apple who apparently confirmed the logic board is in fact dead and should be replaced.

The Macbook Pro does power up, the power adapter light turns from orange to green as it should, the battery charges, and the power button works. The fans will run and the hard drive spins up. Even the ambient light sensor works enough so the status light changes brightness. But no boot up, no screen video.

That said it seems like the Left I/O board (where the power supply is) works fine since it gets power and the fans connected to the logic board are getting powered. So board itself is getting some power, likely damaged.

I have a chance to buy a bottom case logic board assembly complete with Left I/O board and a logic board. Person says the unit gets "no power" at all leading me to believe that their assembly has a faulty Left I/O board and the logic board may be ok.

So does this seem like a good idea? Buy the "no power" lower case assembly, remove the logic board and swap it into the Macbook Pro I have and connect it to the existing Left I/O?

Even in 2015 they are still worth fixing. i have a 06,07,and 08 all of which were purchased for around $40. easy to repair and now inexspensive for parts. logic board for the 08 2.6 ghz $65 out of the ukraine, still to this day a fast and viable machine. so don't give up on the vintage macs! the 07 and 08 are running os 10.10.4,06 with the 32 bit efi {which can be alterd to 64 to run mountain lion} is running 10.7.5 lion still use it evrey day i leave it hooked to my tv.