Replace MBP late 2011 logic board by mid 2012?

[FlorisVN]

Sorry to awaken this old thread. Has anyone attempted to do this with a 2011, 17 inch mbp? For example with 2012, 15inch motherbord?

17” notpossible but 15” no problem i would say.

 

[mr1098]

Sorry to awaken this old thread. Has anyone attempted to do this with a 2011, 17 inch mbp? For example with 2012, 15inch motherbord?

I'm doing this now, as a rainy day project. Radeongate has bit me twice. The first time I got it "fixed" only to have it happen again 2 years later. So instead of severing power to the dGPU, as is well-documented, I intend to replace the logic board in my beloved 17" A1297 with an 820-3330-B from a 2012 non-retina MBP.

Net loss: cardbus from the old board, and the SDXC reader on the new one. Net gain: USB3, Intel Graphics 4000, and the satisfaction of just doing it and showing others it's doable. Where there's a will, there's a way. They say.

I have a non-functional 820-3330-B logic board that I'm using as a visual/mounting template.

The attached pic #1 shows what DOES line up: MagSafe, Ethernet, Thunderbolt, both USB3 ports, and the headphone jack looks very good (when I view it head-on.) What obviously doesn't line up is the SDXC slot, and the microphone jack. I don't really want to use a Dremel to slice an opening for the SDXC reader, so that I can live without. The microphone jack looks like it will end up behind the cardbus door, which can easily be removed, and if the hole for the headphone jack needs a bit of enlargement that's no biggie with a unibit.

More important, the super-sensitive display cable (socket circled,) and the battery connector, look as if they need no mod whatsoever.

The SATA cables will definitely need an extra 1-2 inches to reach, as will the 922-9308 right-speaker/subwoofer connector, which is a 4-pin socket on the A1286 board, versus the 5-pin socket on the A1297's board.

TBD once I get a good flush mount of the 820-3330-B: iSight, Airport/Bluetooth, keyboard backlight, IR sensor cables.

What I most want to come to fruition is a breakout board for the keyboard ribbon cable and the trackpad cable, which must be re-routed, approximately 2" to the right. Pic #2.

Any ideas for positively identifying the trackpad socket and keyboard ribbon cable ZIF socket? I found the 820-3330-B schematic & board view on badcaps.net, and managed to get the .brd file open in FlexBV, but so far these sockets are elusive.

Once they're identified the next step is a prototype breakout board.


Correction 1 of many: It's the microphone jack that looks to line up OK with the case's headphone hole, while the headphone jack of the 820-3330-B will be behind the cardbus door.