(Sharing my story) Was this manoeuvre an intelligent investment ?

[JohnBogun]

Hey guys,

So I recently bought a mid 2012 MPBr 15 inch 8GB RAM 256 GB SSD Nvidia GeForce 650n GPU 2.3GHz i7 quad core, with 400 battery charge cycles and minimal scratches, on eBay.

However, the issue was with its' keyboard, which was for the most part. nonfunctional, due to water damage, I presume. The charger's DC out cable was also messed up. The fan made some clickly noises. I paid $200 US for it in this shape.

Once it arrived, I slowly began working on it. I took it all apart, replaced the keyboard + backlight (Ripped out old keyboard and screwed new one in with 100 lil screws) , detail cleaned everything inside, including the fan, which in the process was rectified of the 'clicking noise', once I placed some pressure on the centre of the fan blade, during the clean, it clicked back in. New thermal paste also. Took apart the charger, desoldered old DC out MagSafe2 cable and replaced with new one, glued charger back together.

Everything works perfectly now. Total that this cost me was $250~ US.

I kind of regret purchasing a new mid 2018 MBP 13 inch in August, 2018, but I guess it was the precursors to me getting into computers, as a hobby.

Just felt like sharing my story and discussing this topic, since no one that I know cares about this topic !

 

[imaccooper]

Sounds like you had some fun, got a little experience, and got a good device at a decent price. They all seem like good things to me.

 

[fehhkk]

Amazing work there.

 

[cerberusss]

Awesome. I used to repair MagSafe chargers. Or rather, replace their cables because I don't know anything about the innards of switched mode power supplies. This sort of stuff is just great fun.

 

[madmin]

Best post I've read on Macrumors this week. It sounds like a worthwhile project to me. Thanks for sharing !

 

[leman]

Sounds like you had some fun, got a little experience, and got a good device at a decent price. They all seem like good things to me.

Thats exactly what I am thinking too

 

[velocityg4]

Sounds like a good investment and job done. I'd suggest selling it. Then doing another. Make some side money and build more experience. Sell it locally for cash for a quick turnaround and to avoid $75 in eBay/Paypal fees. Macs sell like hotcakes on those resale apps and Craigslist.

 

[pshufd]

It sounds like fun. I've worked on a lot of systems over the years and it provides a lot of satisfaction using something that was discarded by someone else that I got working again.