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Logic board repair help needed A1229 17"

A

a1229mbp

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 8, 2015
21
0
Hi
All

I hope everyone is well

I am in need for some help. I have a 17" Macbook pro that was working very well untill a few days ago.
It went idle and when I went back to wake it up it did not.
I removed the charger and battery and kepted the power button pressed

When i go to turn it on, I hear the hard drive spin and get a solid white light in the front on the latch button but doesnt display video,

I have been doing allot of reading and people are suggesting its a video issue.
I have done a reflow no change.
I read some where on the forums some one said touch the "SYS RST" PADS to reset but I did this no reaction. I have tried bypassing the SMC but no louck.

I started measuring voltages and inspecting the logic board for problems but cannot find any
I have managed to read the scematics for my macbook pro and started testing votage on some of the chips and I am getting the right voltage according to the data sheets.

If it was the common video problem then a reflow should have fixed it but I think something has failed but not sure. Please help

I am hoping some one can help me to bring my mscbook pro by back to life.
If I need to replace a component then that will be no issue,


Many Thanks

I forgot to add that the charger light is green and the battery charges
the laptop turns on from the battery as well

I am not sure but maybe a chip has gone or diode or something
Please help

Thanks
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If you hadn't done the "reflow" you could have had it repaired free of charge by Apple.

I would take it to the closest Apple store and pay +-$320 for the flat rate repair.
 
I doubt the flat-rate repair will be available, but not because of the reflow. The 2007 MBPro A1229 is an obsolete model. No service support from Apple, other than what an AASP might provide.
 
Apple store would not help because it's an old model and out of warranty

I could go to a Apple certified tech to get it looked at ad repaired but prefer to do it myself with some help from this forum

Please can some one give me some help
I will appreciate it so much
What can I test
Thanks
 
Last edited:
@a1229mbp Connect a display to it, if you get output to the external display your internal display has problems.
Shine a torch on the internal display, do you see anything UI on the display, if so your backlight has died.

I just realized yours is about 8 years old, might be time to get a new Mac, yes, I know it's said to have yours broken but it won't work forever.
I had several portable macs, like a Powerbook G3 and a Powerbook G4, the G3 died after about 8 years, the G4 still works but it sometimes won't switch on too, but it will after a reset, it's too slow no.
I have a 2012 Mac Mini and a 2012 Macbook Pro, the latter one I bought new for a low price in Malaysia just 2 months ago, slow piece of ****, have to add an SSD like in my Mini.

Hope you get it fixed but I think it's time to move on.
 
Last edited:
HI
Thanks for the reply
The macbook pro is not turning on
I would like to fix it myself and just have it as a machine I can use for testing or just have it working again

Nothing on external nothing on internal screens
there is no caps lock
 
a1229mbp said:
HI
Thanks for the reply
The macbook pro is not turning on
I would like to fix it myself and just have it as a machine I can use for testing or just have it working again

Nothing on external nothing on internal screens
there is no caps lock
Click to expand...
The 8600GT in that model was a known ticking time bomb.

Apple had a repair programme for that, except that it ended in 2012.

Apart from reflowing/reballing the GPU, there is nothing to be done for it. You could maybe find another one and salvage it for parts?
 
As mentioned in the thread I have reflowed it but it is not turning on
 
hi if the power brick was shot then i would not get a green light, right ?
also it is the same symptoms via the battery that is fully charged

Is there anyway to test the i/o board rather than buying a part that probably is still good
Thanks
 
It would be a good test to try a different power adapter, if you have one. It has to be another 85w adapter, as the smaller 60w just won't tell you everything if there is a power problem.
If you don't get boot, even though you have a green light, it's possible that the I/O board is accepting power (and you get a green light), but not passing power to the logic board.
You can test the I/O board by swapping it out. (Yeah, I know!)
It's a simpler job than replacing the logic board. And, if the I/O board does not help, then it IS the logic board.
Double check that all connections to and from the logic board are properly seated.
 
is there any way to test the i/o board without purchasing another part ?
my mbp was working great this has happened after it started to tries to start and does after a few presses
so do not think it is the charger or battery

if some one can let me know how to test i/o board
such as test points and values

thanks
 
pretty simple, that.
Try a different adapter.
Test the I/O board by replacing it
Then, the logic board has failed.
 
Will it boot a minimal system? I.e. the bare minimum components to get it running?

The I/O board never really fails on that model (the newer ones always go) - in all the time I spent repairing them I probably only did a couple of I/O boards.

Solid white light on those machines was normally always a GPU failure. If baking the board didn't work, you might as well throw out the machine. Replacement boards on eBay will be risky - they are most likely failed boards that have been baked to give them enough life to sell. You might be able to part it out to get a few $$ back, but it probably won't be worth your time.
 
a1229mbp said:
is there any way to test i/o board without replacing it
Click to expand...

Remove the I/O board and try booting it by shorting the pads. If I remember on that model the pads are about an inch away from the memory slots and should be labelled "PWR". I highly doubt the I/O board is to blame, as there isn't anything on the I/O board that would cause a post failure.
 
how can i jump the pads without connecting the i/o board
there will be no power going
please elaborate
thanks
 
a1229mbp said:
how can i jump the pads without connecting the i/o board
there will be no power going
please elaborate
thanks
Click to expand...

Just disconnect the I/O board cable (big orange one below the fan), plug the battery in, and short the two pads with a pair of tweezers or something.

I'll see if I can find a photo of the pads.

Edit: from service guide.

3loLo7o.jpg
 
Last edited:
hi
i found the pads
but the io board on my mbp is connected by a cable on the left hand side along with another fat ribbon cable
so to confirm i disconnect both of these and connect battery then try and jump ?
correct ?
please confirm
thanks
 
a1229mbp said:
hi
i found the pads
but the io board on my mbp is connected by a cable on the left hand side along with another fat ribbon cable
so to confirm i disconnect both of these and connect battery then try and jump ?
correct ?
please confirm
thanks
Click to expand...

There's only one cable from the I/O board to the MLB as far as I remember. There will be a speaker cable, the big I/O board ribbon, and the HDD ribbon. Just disconnect the one going from the I/O board to the MLB.
 
Hi
Will do That shortly
On mine I see a long thinish cable that goes from bottom of the motherboard to the i/o card and a small.fat ribbon cable That goes.from.near the.end left side of.the motherboard to i/o card.
I will remove.them and try. I will report back shortly

Brian Y said:
There's only one cable from the I/O board to the MLB as far as I remember. There will be a speaker cable, the big I/O board ribbon, and the HDD ribbon. Just disconnect the one going from the I/O board to the MLB.
Click to expand...
 
a1229mbp said:
Hi
Will do That shortly
On mine I see a long thinish cable that goes from bottom of the motherboard to the i/o card and a small.fat ribbon cable That goes.from.near the.end left side of.the motherboard to i/o card.
I will remove.them and try. I will report back shortly
Click to expand...

I haven't opened one of those machines in a couple years, but the thin one is probably the HDD flex.
 
Hi
I have attached photos of the cables
The thin one and the fat one
 

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Two cables on the I/O board, as the OP sees it correctly. The connection for I/O is the round cable. I THINK the ribbon that connects underneath the I/O board is mostly for the express card reader, which attaches to the I/O board.
 
Oh yeah, I forgot the express card slot was surgically attached to the I/O board!

Either way, whether it's ExpressCard or HDD, it won't affect your test.
 
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