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mmace

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 13, 2008
9
0
Leeds, UK
Hi guys, I just joined here to ask the question, hope that's OK, the Mac is my wifes, not mine, the other night the LED went off on the magsafe, the laptop is no longer being charged either. I tried unplugging the power lead and putting it in a different power socket and the LED came back on, assuming it was the socket I went to bed, I've come down the next morning and the LED is off again and it's not charging.

I left it plugged in and when I came home it was charging, I moved the cable as it was across the kitchen top and the LED went out again, I then assumed it was the power supply cable so I ordered another, that arrived today, plugged it in, the LED came on for a couple of seconds and then went off.
I've used the square bit straight onto a plug and also with the extra cable bit but neither work in any plug socket (home or work).

I've tried removing the battery and powering up but still doesn't work, I've cleaned the magsafe and where it connects.

I saw the light flash on for a fraction of a second while messing around a few minutes ago but it's the nearest I've come in a while

does anyone have any ideas?
this is urgent now as my wife has no Mac (and she uses it for work on the side), we have no Apple stores near enough to visit, the MacBook is 18 months old so it's out of warranty and we can't afford a new one or even a cheap PC laptop

thanks in advance for any help/advise
 
I don't know much about the technical things, so the only simple solution that comes into mind is to ensure that the pronged part that plugs into the outlet is completely attached to the power brick - if it's not pushed in completely you're not getting the connection. That could explain why when you moved the cable you lost the power connection... it could be loose?
 
I don't know much about the technical things, so the only simple solution that comes into mind is to ensure that the pronged part that plugs into the outlet is completely attached to the power brick - if it's not pushed in completely you're not getting the connection. That could explain why when you moved the cable you lost the power connection... it could be loose?
yes, it's connected fine, I've tried just the plug as well as the plug and cord and I tried my new power supply today with new plug and plug with cord
 
Could be the dc-in board if it's doing the same thing with another power cord. Best to call Apple or take the trek to a store.
 
Your MacBook must've shipped with the two-pin foldable adapter as well! replace the grey wired adapter with the two-pin one and check again! Also, try to plug magsafe in "up side down" (when you're using the 2 pin)!
 
Could be the dc-in board if it's doing the same thing with another power cord. Best to call Apple or take the trek to a store.
can't get to a store and it's not covered by AppleCare
how much do you think it will cost to repair at an authorised service store?
 
Your MacBook must've shipped with the two-pin foldable adapter as well! replace the grey wired adapter with the two-pin one and check again! Also, try to plug magsafe in "up side down" (when you're using the 2 pin)!
That's what I was meaning in my post above when I said a plug and a plug with a cord, I now have 2 of each, have tried everything imaginable with the magsafe (both ways up) and all 4 plugs, been messing for 4 days now so I can only assume it something inside the laptop
 
can't get to a store and it's not covered by AppleCare
how much do you think it will cost to repair at an authorised service store?

The parts pretty small and cheap, depends how much they charge for labour. Have you tried the power supplies with another Macbook?
 
It could be one of 2 things -

1. The Magsafe power adaptor is not working or
2. The dc-in board or the battery connector pcb have failed

Most likely the Magsafe is faulty, so either buy another one of eBay for £25-30 or pay a visit to the Apple Store in Sheffield, make an appointment at the Genius Bar and take your computer and power supply - they will check it in store and soon tell you if the power adaptor is faulty.

If it is not the power adaptor then they should be able to fix the MacBook quickly.
 
It can happen that the five contacts in the bit that you plug into the MacBook don't come out properly. There are five contacts, each on a little spring; you can check that you can push them into the connector with a pen and they will spring out again. That may have stopped working. That is what happened to me; when I compared my connector with that of a co-worker, I could see that the contacts were deeper inside the connector than they should. It is barely noticeable if you look at your connector only, but if you compare two connectors it is very obvious. Easiest to check is whether the four bigger connectors are all in one straight line, and none coming out more or less than the others.

If this is the problem: For a short time you can overcome this by shaking the connector end of the cable so that the pins are forced out by centrifugal power before you plug the connector in; long term you need a new connector. I couldn't find them sold separately; I bought a complete charger on eBay rather cheaply.
 
I have a new power adapter (mentioned it twice now)

I cannot get to an apple store (Sheff or Manc)
 
I have a new power adapter (mentioned it twice now)

Sorry - when you said you had bought a new power lead I assumed that you were referring to the cable between the "brick" and the wall socket and not a whole new charger unit.

In that case it must be a fault inside the MacBook - either the dc-in board or the battery connector or even on the logicboard itself. The first 2 are cheap, the logicboard is not (£500 or so fitted by Apple).

You will need to take the machine in and get someone to look at it.....
 
There's an Apple reseller in Leeds, KRCS, they do repairs.
They'd be your best bet really
 
There's an Apple reseller in Leeds, KRCS, they do repairs.
They'd be your best bet really
they send their stuff to Nottingham for diagnosis & repair with a LONG turn around, can't do without it for that long, cheers though (didn't know that store was still there!)

KRCS repairs procedure
When you return your purchase to one of our KRCS computer stores (or our Support Centre at Head Office), you will be issued with a receipt. Your purchase will be examined at our Support Centre in Nottingham, where the problem will be diagnosed by one of our certified engineers. We aim to do this within one week of arrival at the Support Centre. Please note: inspection fees may apply (see below for more details).

Software problems are usually resolved within 3 days following diagnosis, which should result in a turnround time of less than 2 weeks. If the problem is a hardware one, we will give you an estimated turnround time. Some Apple and third party products need to be forwarded to specialist repair companies, so turnround may extend up to three weeks from arrival at the Support Centre, in exceptional cases this turnaround time may be exceeded due to circumstances beyond the control of KRCS.
 
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