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please help! removing optical drive went terribly wrong!

drenline

drenline

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 8, 2010
753
10
Hello all,

I just tried to remove my optical drive on my mid-2009 macbook (since I don't ever use it much), and when I plugged this cable back in, the end piece of the cable accidentally got bent! I made sure to be extra careful while plugging it back in but the thing did not want to fit!

Please tell me there is something I could do? I had just gotten done upgrading to a new battery, new SSD, and new RAM too!! And this happens to me! Just my luck... I'm about to panic!

photo1_zps7b504d45.jpg


photo2_zpsaba2b321.jpg
 
Well...after 2 hours of googling, I found out why I couldn't fit the connector back into the socket, I wish I would've known about this first before I went ahead and did it :mad:


there was a small tiny hard plastic piece stuck to the logic board that was supposed to be peeled off first before removing the connector. Apparently, that piece was designed to stop the cable from falling out. Wow, that tiny piece prevented me from re-connecting and now my LVDS cable is damaged!

Anyone know how much apple would charge to get the LVDS cable replaced? Just that cable, nothing else. I'm gonna cry lol.
 
lordboogie said:
look online for the part number of an lvds cable for your particular macbook and replace it yourself.

Assuming you have the 13 inch model you would need this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Apple-Unibody-MacBook-Pro-A1278-13-3-LCD-LED-LVDS-CABLE-2008-2009-2010-/110949620199

You could use an ifixit guide, to help you through the repair.
Click to expand...

Yes @ 13 inch model, I'm looking into replacing it myself but the part that worries me the most is whether or not I have to remove the glass and LCD assembly to get to the lvds cable.

I just plugged the lvds cable back in and everything works normal except now the wifi isn't detected. I guess the part that got bent was the wifi connector. Bluetooth and sound and everything else works fine.

Do you know if I have to remove the glass and LCD to swap out the lvds cable? Has anyone tried to replace that cable before? Any help is much appreciated.
 
drenline said:
Do you know if I have to remove the glass and LCD to swap out the lvds cable? Has anyone tried to replace that cable before? Any help is much appreciated.
Click to expand...

It looks like you do according to iFixit, I haven't tried this at all so I don't know how hard it actually is.
 
mrkramer said:
It looks like you do according to iFixit, I haven't tried this at all so I don't know how hard it actually is.
Click to expand...

oh man, that looks very complicated just to replace a single cable. Especially, the steps dealing with the heat gun and suction cup......I don't know if I wanna do this anymore.

edit: that macbook in the guide looks different than mine, my back cover is only one piece, not two?
 
Last edited:
drenline said:
edit: that macbook in the guide looks different than mine, my back cover is only one piece, not two?
Click to expand...

I looked at the model number from the ebay listing for the part that the other poster put up. Looking at the iFixit link that model number is actually a macbook, and not a macbook pro, so if you do decide to do it yourself be careful to make sure you get the correct part as I'm not sure if they are interchangeable or not that ebay losing is either wrong about it being for a macbook pro or about the model number. Anyway, you can find your model here and the correct repair guide, but I'd guess it will be similar.
 
drenline said:
....I don't know if I wanna do this anymore.
Click to expand...
Good decision, looking at that guide! The full take-apart looks too difficult/risky for the amateur, and prohibitively expensive if done professionally.

I'd say your options are:

a. assuming nothing else is missing (you've still got iSight and keyboard backlighting?) then cut your losses and start researching for a decent micro USB wifi dongle, or

b. find someone with the correct fingers/tools/lighting/magnification to assess if that which is bent can be unbent for fifty bucks

EDIT: re the iFixit guide, the MBP LCD removal guide covers the process bar the cable routing within the lid. The results returned by eBay for 1278 iSight cable show an awful lot of variety!
 
Last edited:
mrkramer said:
I looked at the model number from the ebay listing for the part that the other poster put up. Looking at the iFixit link that model number is actually a macbook, and not a macbook pro, so if you do decide to do it yourself be careful to make sure you get the correct part as I'm not sure if they are interchangeable or not that ebay losing is either wrong about it being for a macbook pro or about the model number. Anyway, you can find your model here and the correct repair guide, but I'd guess it will be similar.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that repair guide for my model macbook ends at step 14, which seems easy enough to do. The other repair guide (non-pro model) goes all the way up to step 34 lol, steps 15-34 deals with bringing in a heat gun and suction cup. I'm not too confident in doing those steps myself.

How much do you guys think apple will charge me?
 
mojolicious said:
Good decision, looking at that guide! The full take-apart looks too difficult/risky for the amateur, and prohibitively expensive if done professionally.

I'd say your options are:

a. assuming nothing else is missing (you've still got iSight and keyboard backlighting?) then cut your losses and start researching for a decent micro USB wifi dongle, or

b. find someone with the correct fingers/tools/lighting/magnification to assess if that which is bent can be unbent for fifty bucks

EDIT: re the iFixit guide, the MBP LCD removal guide covers the process bar the cable routing within the lid. Cable required would appear to be this one.
Click to expand...

Lol, option A is actually a pretty good idea. Thanks for that suggestion! I'll keep that in the back of my mind when I try to get a quote on how much this repair is going to cost me (out of pocket). lol

Thanks for the link too, I need all the help I can get!
 
drenline said:
How much do you guys think apple will charge me?
Click to expand...

Probably more than the computer is worth. To avoid having to remove the glass maybe see if you can find a cheap one with a fried logic board and a working screen and just replace the whole screen.
 
Well, I took this MBP to Microcenter today to get it checked out, I explained to him what happened. The guy working the Apple repairs section told me that if it's just the cable that needs to be replaced, then it should only be $70 for labor fee + the part fee + tax. Keyword: "should". I would just have to leave it with them for up to 72 hours for the technician to open it up and quote a price for the part+ labor. So I said SURE, I'll leave it here to get it fixed, paid the $40 bench fee, and went on my way.

So about an hour ago they gave me a call back (only 8 hours later) and told me the not-so-good news. The guy said Apple doesn't sell that cable by itself for my MBP, saying the cable was attached to the LCD screen. And in order for me to get the cable replaced, I would have to purchase the entire LCD display which costs $500! I told them that's what I was afraid, declined the offer and went back up there to pick up my MBP.

So that's my story, huge bummer off of one bent pin connector.

Anyways, does anyone know a good USB dongle for the mac? I'm desperately in need of one!
 
From the photo's it looks like you just "bent" the last pair of pins ??

If that's correct, is there a way you could very carefully straighten them up?

Don't shoot me if they are broken, looks like you could do this with a set of
tiny jewellers screw drivers / tweezers and good light / magnifying glass

Possible ??

I have done this with a few connectors before - HDD cables / pins and also
bent pin on a CPU upgrade.

If you can line it up and NOT bend too and fro - it will snap off - !

Worth a try I would say ?
M.
 
That is not the LVDS cable, the LVDS is the video signal for the LCD.

That one is for wifi and face time camera, very easy and cheap cable to replace.

The hardest part is remove the glass, but if u are careful and with patience, and with the right tools, u can do it pretty easy. Ive done this myself, used a blow dryer,heat up the edges, and with a thin plastic card under the glass, move it around and it will cut the adhesive.
 
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