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Replacing a Magsafe "L" connector with a "T" connector

D

dstamat

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 24, 2014
4
0
Hello All,

I own a late-2008 13" Macbook Unibody. I tried to replace the "L" connector of the Magsafe charger with a "T" connector following the instructions in one of the step-by-step guides but the result was not successful. Even when not connected to the Macbook, the light on one side of the connector remains bright green all the time while the light on the the other side is a faint green. When I connect it to the macbook the battery does not seem to charge and does not power up.

Any ideas?

Thank you in advance
 
Hang on... You re-wired your magsafe connector and now you're moaning it doesn't work?

Stop being stingy and buy a new one. The L shape is actually a better design than the T.
 
cjmillsnun said:
Hang on... You re-wired your magsafe connector and now you're moaning it doesn't work?

Stop being stingy and buy a new one. The L shape is actually a better design than the T.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response cjmillsnun. My experience is different. The T connector lasts much longer than the L connector. This is why I bought a new Magsafe and I am attempting to change the connector.

If anyone has some insight on the issue I referred to in my original post I would appreciate your input.
 
cjmillsnun said:
Hang on... You re-wired your magsafe connector and now you're moaning it doesn't work?

Stop being stingy and buy a new one. The L shape is actually a better design than the T.
Click to expand...

The OP is not moaning, but asking for help. As for the L-shaped connector being a better design, well, that's debatable.

OP: Did you change the whole cable, or just the connector? What specific instructions did you follow? Link to the instructions would be helpful.

Is the new connector from a charger that has the same power rating as the charger you installed it to? (E.g. if your charger is a 65W version, is the new connector/cable from a 65W version too?)

Check the connector wiring. It sounds like you may have crossed some of the wires. I would strongly advice against connecting the charger to any computer before you sort this out.
 
dstamat said:
I tried to replace the "L" connector of the Magsafe charger with a "T" connector following the instructions in one of the step-by-step guides but the result was not successful. Even when not connected to the Macbook, the light on one side of the connector remains bright green all the time while the light on the the other side is a faint green.
Click to expand...

Based on what I know about the wiring and how the light works, it seems you might have a short circuit. What instructions did you follow to do the replacement, and do you have any experience in doing this sort of thing?
 
This the guide I used:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repairing+Apple+AC+Adapter+Broken+Cable/20434

It sounded very simple: Strip the wires and connect the outer to the outer and the inner to the inner. Solder, wrap with heat shrinking tubing and you are good to go. Or so I thought.

The "brick" and the cable are 85W but the T connector and the last 4" of cable are from a 60W charger. Could this mismatch be the culprit?

Many thanks again
 
I think you're mad for attempting this as much as I prefer the T connector but more power to you I suppose.

My guess would be that something is shorted somewhere - I can't imagine it matters which type of charger you salvaged the T connector from - the pinout is the same.

Of note, would it not be better to solder the salvaged cable directly onto the terminals on the PCB? Much better chances of actually doing it properly without creating a fire hazard.
 
dstamat said:
This the guide I used:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repairing+Apple+AC+Adapter+Broken+Cable/20434

It sounded very simple: Strip the wires and connect the outer to the outer and the inner to the inner. Solder, wrap with heat shrinking tubing and you are good to go. Or so I thought.

The "brick" and the cable are 85W but the T connector and the last 4" of cable are from a 60W charger. Could this mismatch be the culprit?

Many thanks again
Click to expand...

The mismatch should not cause the LEDs to light up.

But it could cause other issues. The 65W charger is 16.5V and the 85W is 18.5V. There's a chip in the connector that tells the computer the model of the charger, and negotiates the connection (and controls the LEDs accordingly). If the charger is identified as a 65W model, but a higher voltage is detected, charging might be prevented.

But like dyt1983 said, the LEDs sound like there's a short somewhere. They should only light up if a proper connection is established.

Was the 65W charger working properly before you removed the cable? The connector and the logic inside it might be damaged.
 
I've replaced the cables on a bunch of adapters with the knockoff cables on Amazon. There are only two wires and if you reverse them you would get no light. The best way is to crack the adapter open and solder the wires to the PCB, but you can splice the wires and seal the whole junction up with heat shrink after you insulate the wires.
The quality on the cords varies greatly, some aren't even shielded.
This is a great rundown of Magsafe:http://www.righto.com/2013/06/teardown-and-exploration-of-magsafe.html
 
dstamat said:
Hello All,

I own a late-2008 13" Macbook Unibody. I tried to replace the "L" connector of the Magsafe charger with a "T" connector following the instructions in one of the step-by-step guides but the result was not successful. Even when not connected to the Macbook, the light on one side of the connector remains bright green all the time while the light on the the other side is a faint green. When I connect it to the macbook the battery does not seem to charge and does not power up.

Any ideas?

Thank you in advance
Click to expand...

resolder. I soldered a dozen, also fixed the old plastic ones (cut them open, resoldered them, reglued them back)
 
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