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Introduction:
Apple’s products are not guaranteed forever and just like any other mobile on the market, they too use and need batteries in order to stay mobile. No different is the product I will going to fix in this post, The MacBook air A1370.
This product is very impressive. Very thin, very sleek and neat looking while packs a relatively decent computing power that would be adequate for the regular average user, even when writing this post.
The specific MacBook air presented here has been in use for almost 10 years if not more. We’ve bought it already second handed from Ebay and its battery seems to survive well throughout this time. It is fair to mention that an intensive use of this computer only occurred between 4-5 years of this time frame, mainly due to college J.
The fact that there were no issues with this battery for so long is very impressive and shows that when you buy a Mac, you stay for the long haul, at least hardware-wise.
Backstory:
The A1370 is a very thin machine. After using it for a few years as a user you get used to it and any changes in its shape, weight or form are easily noticeable. We woke up one day to discover that our nice little thin machine has gotten knocked up and her belly couldn’t keep up with the fast growing baby inside of her.
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As an experienced person with IT and everything it entails, I kind of knew quickly what happened inside our thin machine, I just never came across in such an unusual case before.
It looked like, from an external point of view, that the battery expanded aggressively. Kudos to the firm casing of the MacBook air and the screws holding it.
We wondered would it be worth for fix this MacBook due to its age and the expected high price of any replacement battery.
Disassembly:
After looking online I noticed that there are a few different types of those batteries (obviously). The best way to find out what exact part I needed was to take apart the bottom casing of the MacBook and just see for myself.
Taking apart the bottom cover:
At a first glance it seems that the screws are pentagon screws. I went ahead and took my good old magnetic pentagod screw I used on various cell and smartphone before and tried to unscrew the screws to no avail. The screws were simply too grinded and worn out for some unknown reason.
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Trying using a flat head didn’t help much either.
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I had to find better tools.
Salvation came in the form of this futuristic medical looking tool. This tool is a special tool for MacBooks and is sold online as one. I found it was very efficient in opening those stubborn screws and it was very comfortable and easy to use. Worth every penny and for sure will be used in the future.
Finally I could take the bottom cover apart after unscrewing all of the 10 screws. It was difficult to unscrew the ones that were adjacent most to the swollen battery due to the pressure the cover in that area was under. I had to push down the screwdriver tool a bit in order to get a firm unscrewing motion and to finally release the screws.
Releasing those tighten screws was sudden due to the swollen battery.
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Inspection:
Upon first inspection it very easy to notice the faulty parts of the battery. It seemed there were only two of them, the rest were, at least visually, seemed just fine. Though, after 10 years of usage I wouldn’t be surprised if those battery parts were also approaching a similar ending as well.
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It can be clearly seen here that the outer casing of this battery cell was torn off of the cell’s frame.
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In this picture the cell’s level of swelling can be seen relatively to the MacBook’s width.
As far as it goes regarding the acid in the faulty cells, I believe either not much was left of it in the to begin with and whatever left just got vaporized, or it just remained in the cells somehow. I would’ve expected to see signs of acid on the motherboard’s parts and perhaps some visual damage to the PCB and plastic parts that would’ve gotten damaged very easily.
It seems here that, at least in the naked eye, there was no acid damage or acid just did not escape from the cells.
Unscrewing the battery from the case:
There are total of 5 screws at each corner of the battery. At first I thought there were only four screws. After getting four screws out and not being able to easily and gently lift the battery, I realized that either the battery’s faulty cell’s acid had found its way out and dried between the bottom part of the battery and the underlining panel, essentially gluing it in, making it hard to separate from the panel, or either I’m just missing an hidden screw…
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I found it eventually. The 5middle screw was kind of hidden away, disguised by its black color that blended it very well with the battery’s overall dark looks.
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The 5 screws of the battery divide into 3 types:
- 2 short ones that connect to the bottom part of the battery unit
- 2 longer ones that connect to the upper part of the battery unit
- 1 longest screw that connect to the middle part of the battery
After removing the last 5th screw, I lifted the battery a bit just to check if the battery was completely loose and to double check there is not any leaked acid underneath. To my surprise – there was none.
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The last connection that needs to get loosen is the power connector that connects the battery as one unit to the MacBook’s motherboard. There are clear markings on the connector indicating the positive and the negative sides. Given the way the connector was built’ I really don’t think there is a way to connect it in the wrong way, but just to be on the safe side, it is recommended to take a picture of the connector prior to disconnecting it or at the very least, draw and copy the way it looks.
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Disconnecting the connector was done by using a flathead screwdriver that used a lever (my fingernails just weren’t long enough that day). I had to use a bit force to pull the connector upwards. I guess being connected for 10 years accumulating debris and dust did its own. After the initial pulling, lifting the connector was easier.
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After all of the 5 screws and the power connector were disassembled, the battery unit could be finally lifted. This should be done with care and patience.
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It seems the battery unit takes a very significant space of the bottom level of the MacBook case. No acid could be seen in the naked eye.
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I screwed the 5 screws, not all the way in, back in their matching holes. I did this cause I knew it would take time for the new battery to arrive. Till then, losing screws wouldn’t be such a hard task. Of course, jars or little boxes could be used as well as a temporary storage, but this way is better since the screws are already there.
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I closed the bottom cover and screwed the remaining screws back since the laptop was still needed to be used and in the meantime that could be done by just using the external charger. The down side was that it would be limited when it comes to mobility, that is, till the new battery arrives.
Note: some of the bottom cover screws were not screwed back due to wear and tear.
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Packaging:
Besides the cardboard box it came with and the wrapping material, the new battery’s packaging was a sealed and secured standard thick electronics nylon, making it look very professional.
Parts:
The battery unit came as a one single part along with the power connector. The 6 cells were covered by an adhesive thick transparent protective nylons, one for each cell unit.
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Quick Overview:
It was obvious to me that this battery wasn’t genuine when ordering it, mainly because of the price. Apple’s stuff is expensive not to mention spare parts and upgrades. This was no genuine Apple spare part, it sure looked like one I must say. They even included the writing the old faulty battery has. The writing at the bottom of the battery was different.
The general looks of the battery was very sleek, after all, it was new. The cell’s exterior covers were the first thing that looked a bit different. The old Apple battery’s cells had a smooth exterior coating while the new generic battery’s were dull.
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Assembly:
Remove the protective adhesive transparent nylon protector films from the 6 battery’s cells
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Disassemble the bottom cover:
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Make sure the bottom surface of the MacBook case is clean of any debris, dust, foreign objects and any form of liquid.
Unscrew the 5 screws left in the previous disassembly of the old battery. (not relevant for those who stored the screws in external enclosed storate)
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I made sure the power connector would fit the static connector on the motherboard. I was skeptical due to the generic nature of the battery…
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Place the battery gently with care over the bottom part of the MacBook. Use the screw holes to guide your overall positioning of the battery. Finally after positioning the battery correctly, press gently with your fingers over the various surfaces of the battery to tighten it against the MacBook case.
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Screw the 5 battery screws, 4 at each corner and 1 in the middle. Next, hold your palm over the battery with one hand, flip over the MacBook and hold it a few cm over your working desk. Remove your palm from the battery slowly and make sure the battery doesn’t rattle or falls off of the case:
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Connecting the power connector could be done before screwing the 5 battery screws and I believe it would the better way to do it. I just happen to perform in the opposite order with almost the same ease.
When connecting the power connector, first place it above the static connector of the motherboard, as parallel as you can, and gently push the power connector downwards till you hear a faint clicking noise. After connection, tighten the connector by pressing it gently downwards on each end of the connector and in the middle of it.
Visually check proper alignment with the static connector and proper paralleling to the motherboard.
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Battery and power connector check:
After connecting the power connector, flip the MacBook over on its monitor back cover and click the power up button on the MacBook’s keyboard. If the MacBook turns on it means the battery is properly connected through the power connector to the motherboard.
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The battery was already 55% charged:
Turn the MacBook off through Mac OS and close the bottom cover of the MacBook. Screw back the remaining screws. Your MacBook is mobile again
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Prior Usage:
Power up the MacBook again and check the battery’s status in the Mac OS. Make sure its status is ok. Run a few burnIn tests and heavy software to see if the battery heats up to unreasonable temperatures (unreasonable means taht the battery makes the whole system get so hot either the MacBook starts thermal throttling, slows down, hangs, shuts down or you just can feel with your fingers that the MacBook is not as cooled as it used to be prior to the battery replacement).
Cons:
- Not a genuine Apple part, therefore the warranty is limited to none-existend
- Not a genuine Apple part- quality and long life cannot be promised
Pros:
- Low price – 33 USD
- Fits perfectly to the MacBook
- A very easy replacement job
- Saves buying a new MacBook by prolonging the life of the existing one (that is, if the platform’s performance is enough for your needs and Apple’s new OSX upgrade doesn’t have demanding hardware capabilities)
Summary:
I like preserving stuff and keep it alive not just because of nostalgic reasons. If a product or a tool has been serving its purpose well till a component in it has gotten bad, it would be very much worth to revive it. That is if the time and money put into the revival process would be considered as worth it. In this case it was very much worth it. The cost of the battery wasn’t that high, about 33 USD and the assembly process was easy. The MacBook’s hardware was still kicking could still serve as an adequate average user laptop for a long time.
