My MacBook stopped charging. How can I confirm if it's the MagSafe DC-in power board?

[iRock1]

MacBook late 2008 (aluminum, unibody)

I had a faulty MagSafe charger. One day I noticed a very tiny spark in the MagSafe port when trying to charge my MacBook. Then the MacBook never turned on again, even trying with a brand new MagSafe and removing the battery.

Is there an easy way of knowing for sure if it's this relatively cheap part was has been damaged?

 

[chscag]

You can certainly try another MagSafe DC Input power board (they're not expensive on eBay), however, the spark you noticed may have been a sign of other damage, perhaps to the logic board itself. There really isn't a way of knowing for sure if the repair is going to be inexpensive.

 

[iRock1]

You can certainly try another MagSafe DC Input power board (they're not expensive on eBay), however, the spark you noticed may have been a sign of other damage, perhaps to the logic board itself. There really isn't a way of knowing for sure if the repair is going to be inexpensive.

Doesn’t Apple implement all the necessary stuff on the motherboard itself to prevent it from frying in case of a short circuit or something?

 

[chscag]

Doesn’t Apple implement all the necessary stuff on the motherboard itself to prevent it from frying in case of a short circuit or something?

Circuit protections can only do so much. Short circuits can occur very quickly and are not 100% preventable. If a new DC Input Power board doesn't restore your MacBook to working order, it may not be worth spending any more money on repairs unless you're handy and can garner up a used logic board on eBay.

 

[iRock1]

Circuit protections can only do so much. Short circuits can occur very quickly and are not 100% preventable. If a new DC Input Power board doesn't restore your MacBook to working order, it may not be worth spending any more money on repairs unless you're handy and can garner up a used logic board on eBay.

Do you happen to know if there is a data sheet of the motherboard? A friend of mine tested the old DC-in board with a multimeter and he says there doesn’t seem to be nothing wrong with it, which would suggest it’s the motherboard which is damaged, but I want to know for sure...

 

[chscag]

Any data sheets or schematics are proprietary to Apple and are usually only available to Apple techs. The best I can suggest is to refer to www.ifixit.com to see if anything there can help.