Macbook trackpad swap?

[sebu123]

Hi MacRumors, I'm new here.

I've had my old Black 2.1 Macbook from 2008 for a long time now, and I'm still in love with it, nothing is wrong. I've just been missing the multitouch gestures for a very long time now. One of my friends was asking if I was wanting any parts from his old defective White Macbook, like this one http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Unibody+Model+A1342+Teardown/1239/1 .

So I was wondering if I'm able to swap out the trackpad from the White Macbook, to my Black Macbook, and what will it take to do it?

Thank you, Sebu.

 

[madmacfan]

Hi MacRumors, I'm new here.

I've had my old Black 2.1 Macbook from 2008 for a long time now, and I'm still in love with it, nothing is wrong. I've just been missing the multitouch gestures for a very long time now. One of my friends was asking if I was wanting any parts from his old defective White Macbook, like this one http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Unibody+Model+A1342+Teardown/1239/1 .

So I was wondering if I'm able to swap out the trackpad from the White Macbook, to my Black Macbook, and what will it take to do it?

Thank you, Sebu.

Unfortunately, the trackpad on the black macbook, is not removable. Even if you did somehow manage to attach the new glass trackpad, the hardware to make it click down would be missing, and its connection interface/ ribbon is completely different.

On the unibody MacBooks, the trackpad is removable and it connects directly onto the logic board, the pre-unibody trackpads connect through the keyboard and upper case. It would unfortunately be impossible.

The only solution to your problem would be to buy a Magic Trackpad.

 

[sebu123]

Unfortunately, the trackpad on the black macbook, is not removable. Even if you did somehow manage to attach the new glass trackpad, the hardware to make it click down would be missing, and its connection interface/ ribbon is completely different.

On the unibody MacBooks, the trackpad is removable and it connects directly onto the logic board, the pre-unibody trackpads connect through the keyboard and upper case. It would unfortunately be impossible.

The only solution to your problem would be to buy a Magic Trackpad.

Thanks a lot for the great answer.

I'll stick with the trackpad I got now, then. I guess a Magic Trackpad would make my laptop a bit less portable.

 

[sebu123]

Wouldn't this actually work for me? https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1431597/

 

[madmacfan]

Wouldn't this actually work for me? https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1431597/

That process uses a non unibody macbook pro trackpad hack from 2008. As it does without the use of unibody components, it is possible, as shown in the other thread you linked to, But only for Black and white pre unibody MacBooks Made from late 2007. If your macbook is a macbook 2,1 then i'm afraid this mod wouldn't work either, because the top case between the 2,1 models from late 2006/ early 2007 and 3,1 models from late 2007 are different and the 3,1 uses newer ribbon cables that are as far as i know are incompatible with previous models. There may be a way of modifying a later top case from say a black macbook 3,1 to fit and function in a 2,1 but theres no guarantee it would actually work. The best thing would be to do some research to see if it's a viable and cost effective option for you.
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