Detailed guide for those who dare.
The life cycle of Apple laptops is significantly longer than that of competitors. It's hard to argue with this, especially when it comes to models released 3-4 years ago and earlier. A maximum of aluminum, well-thought-out ergonomics, the location of all elements - these are the devices that look at us from store shelves.
And somewhere in a parallel dimension, there are plastic heavyweights with controversial designs, creepy accessories, but a more loyal price tag.
Now the situation has leveled off. Brands competing with Apple have also learned to make beautiful things, and there are a number of parameters in which some laptop models even surpass the “reference MacBooks”.
But any technique sooner or later requires prevention. It's my turn to do the same.
Why did I decide
Note. I deliberately left the technical part of the question, terminology and aesthetics of service centers outside of this article. For any of us, results matter.
I have top 13 inch Macbook Air 2011. Five years ago, it was a “beast machine”, the processor of which (and here i7 1.8 GHz) grinds any load to smithereens. 4 GB random access memory - then it was still a logical standard, and today it is enough for all everyday tasks.
The previous owner treated this "workhorse" with due trepidation, and for the last two years I have been exploiting it "to the tail and mane". During this time, the MacBook was opened once, by me. After removing a layer of dust from the cooler area (we all like to work on our knees and soft pillows), the laptop was safely closed, but it didn’t last long.
Problem 1: Frying pan with an industrial fan
In my usual working mode in OS X, there are a dozen different applications running, among them: a text editor, Photoshop, Safari browser interspersed with Opera (each with 10-15 tabs), mail, five instant messengers, iTunes, a couple of Finder windows. All this works relatively stably for the first half hour. And then the real hell begins.
The cooler spins up to the maximum (which is a good 6500 rpm), the keyboard warms up to a temperature that causes discomfort in operation. Applications begin to play with the matrix and react with an annoying delay ... It started to infuriate - it's impossible to work like that!
For the sake of practical interest, I install the application iStat Menus[Download] and with surprise I observe the following picture.
In the screenshot above, the temperature reaches 96 degrees. Let me remind you that at this moment I am not doing video editing or processing heavy files. At the moment of such a load, the temperature value crossed the mark in 105 degrees.
What is the risk? Too high a temperature can cause failure of any of the elements on the laptop board. The logical degradation of components begins: capacitors, resistors, crystals, and sooner or later you will simply face the premature death of the MacBook.
Repair or replacement motherboard- this is not a cheap pleasure, so I strongly recommend periodically checking the temperature using the above utility.
Problem 2: I will tell you how to kill the battery
work for big monitor much nicer. Many windows fit, you can effectively arrange the workspace, the realistic colors of a decent matrix delight (the era of CRT is already in the distant past) and your eyes are not so tired. Normal people buy for this purpose Mac Mini or Mac Pro. Our man - connects a laptop via Display / Thunderbolt Port, complements this with a proprietary Apple Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, and feels like a "winner in life."
To whom I refer, I think you already understood. 24 hours a day, the MacBook sits on my desktop, never turns off (thanks to its minimal power consumption), and is connected to the network adapter all this time.
After the purchase, my MacBook Air already boasted three hours battery life. Six months of operation in the " system unit"and the battery life has been reduced to 40 minutes, and the number of charge cycles exceeded 650. You can see it in the menu About This Mac -> System Report -> Number of Recharge Cycles.
On the official website of Apple, the guarantee for preservation is indicated. 80% capacity after 1000 charge cycles, but, apparently, the company's engineers mean a more adequate operation option.
Detailed instructions for those who dare.
Do not repeat my mistakes and treat your Mac battery with care. How to do this I will tell below.
What is the risk? You feel constantly tied to the outlet, and the question: “Do you have a laptop” is simply difficult to answer.
Verdict. It's decided - it's time for general prevention. The first item on the list is cpu thermal paste replacement with all the resulting dust eliminations. Second - battery replacement.
Service center? No, I'm on my own
The computer services industry is well developed today. One call and a representative will come for your Mac service center, he will pick it up, then within a day they will do a “full maintenance” and deliver it back. There are a lot of scenario options here and you can always find a company or specialist who will make your MacBook “like new”. The question is, how good is it?
Yes, many do just that - they took it to the center and let them figure it out. I, as a person who is interested in technology, technology, and especially everything related to Apple, became interested in do it all on your own.
My readers will now be divided into two groups: those who say: “Yes, what is the heroism here - an hour of work and everything is ready” and those who twist at the temple with the words: “Well, come on, you’ll still do it crookedly. We need a specialist in this matter." I think there is a third category that will support my desire to climb where it is not supposed to.
Buying a battery and thermal paste
So I need new battery for MacBook Air 13'' 2011 and thermal paste. In addition to rumors and beliefs that fakes are everywhere, and the original does not exist (and there is some truth in this), I have nothing to present to the market in the battery issue. With thermal paste, everything is solved easier and according to the principle “so help me forums”.
The first and most important thing is to find out which battery model installed specifically in your MacBook. Information can be easily found on the Internet, indicating the exact model name and year of manufacture (do not forget about the screen size), but it is best to see the required serial number with your own eyes.
In order to open the MacBook, we need a non-standard (for other household appliances) format screwdriver Torx T5 or "asterisk".
Ideally, you need to have two screwdrivers at once: T5 to open the laptop lid and T4 to remove the internal screws that hold the battery, cooler, and heatsink in place. So the fixing screws will not experience wear from an unsuitable screwdriver format.
Using a T5 screwdriver, carefully remove the 10 screws:
The 2 top center screws are longer than the 8 others - keep this in mind when reassembling.
Now we define the battery model.
IN MacBook models Air 13‘’ 2011 installed battery number A1405. And then it's a matter of technology - look for the most suitable store on the Internet and order the model you need. Finding "100% original" is more like a myth, so take the Chinese markings and characters on the battery calmly. In the end, and your MacBook proudly bears the inscription on the back of the case: Made in China.
Regarding the thermal paste. There are many good options on the market:
- Glacial Stars Ice Therm I
- Arctic Cooling MX–2
- DEEPCOOL Z3
- Arctic Silver Ceramique 2
- cooler master IC Essential E1
- KPT-8 in the end - it is quite good
If you wish, you can do a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of each of the above pastes. Personally, I didn’t have time for a thorough study - the work stopped, and the open Mac was waiting for the operation.
My choice fell on CoolerMaster IC Essential E1 for several reasons at once. Firstly, it is a little cheaper than the hyped Zalman, and secondly, according to numerous reviews, it does an excellent job of cooling.
Finally, you buy a complete set for laying the paste yourself: the tube itself with the “saving substance”, an alcohol wipe and a spatula for leveling the paste layer on the processor. The issue price is about 600 rubles, but the volume of the tube is enough for a dozen or two processors.
We change the battery
Everything you need for prevention is on hand. Torx T4/T5 screwdriver, new battery, thermal paste, hands and full concentration.
The only thing that is not in the photo is a wooden stick or toothpick to turn off the trains. In no case do not use a metal screwdriver for this.
Immediately before starting work disconnect the cable leading to the battery.
We unscrew the screws around the perimeter of the battery. Do not be too lazy to take an A4 sheet and schematically sketch the location of each screw. They have different lengths and threads, and when reassembling there is a risk of screwing something in the wrong place, thereby piercing the body of the device.
I did like this:
For disassembly, you need to unscrew exactly five screws, using a Torx T4 screwdriver.
When removing the battery, be extremely careful and try to hold it from all sides at once. The battery may break under its own weight.
The original and the newly acquired "100% original" are no different from each other.
The only thing that catches your eye is the absence of a plastic tail for extraction on the purchased battery.
It's not critical, we'll survive.
Install new battery into place and fix with screws, according to our scheme. Each screw has its place. Try not to apply force, a moderate turn of the screwdriver is enough.
After installing the battery loop is not connected, because ahead is the most time-consuming part of the prevention - the replacement of thermal paste.
Change thermal paste
Using a toothpick, carefully pry off the ribbon cable located above the cooler. It is glued to the body of the cooler, so it will take a little effort to tear it off.
Again, use a toothpick to turn off the miniature cooler cable by gently lifting the tab and pulling it out.
Now, using the same Torx T4 screwdriver, unscrew the three screws holding the cooler and carefully remove it.
We proceed to the removal of the radiator. There are already four screws waiting for us. Try to remember the effort that you had to make to break them - when reassembling, you will need to tighten the screws in the same way.
After you unscrew the 4 screws, do not remove the radiator. It is fixed in one more and very problematic part.
Near the cooler, in the very corner, there is dangerous area- a miniature wiring, under which there is a screw fixing the cooler.
Carefully move the wire aside and remove the screw. The main thing is not to damage anything. Remove the radiator by loosening from side to side and releasing the rubber seal.
While unscrewing the screws, make another schematic drawing with their location. It is important! The screws are different.
Using a can of compressed air or a syringe, get rid of the dust that has formed on the radiator grill. Of course, the same should be done with the cooler.
Access to the processor chip is guaranteed!
Yes, what was left of the factory thermal paste could not save the MacBook from overheating. It has dried out and does not provide proper thermal dissipation.
Using a cotton pad and alcohol, carefully wipe the processor (to a mirror finish) and the heatsink.
We have come to the most crucial moment - applying thermal paste. Faced with self-replacement paste, many users are facing a problem: what is the optimal amount of thermal paste to apply?
In order to understand why thermal paste is needed at all, look at this picture:
The purpose of replacing thermal paste is to provide smoothing and filling of microcracks on the surface of the processor and heatsink. She is not needed to be a layer between them. Therefore, with the approach: “I’ll put more - I’ll cool better” you will only make it worse. The thermal paste will dry out very quickly and cease to perform its function, losing the necessary physical properties.
You need to distribute the paste in a thin layer over the entire surface of the processor. Approximately this amount:
Then, using a spatula, level the thermal paste.
When everything is ready, do not rush to immediately apply the radiator. Try on its location and pay special attention to the rubber seal. It should fit into the motherboard slot.
Only then can you properly install the radiator. Be careful when screwing in the corner screw (where the dangerous wire is). Don't overtighten the screws, do it gradually on each side.
When installing the battery, make sure that the barely visible slot on the plug snaps into place.
We close the back metal cover, tighten ten screws around the perimeter.
Assembly completed!
The effect of replacing thermal paste, battery and some tips
Having done everything that I described above, I independently performed the preventive maintenance of my beloved MacBook Air. But the question that worried me even before starting all this was the effectiveness of the event.
I'm telling.
Thermal paste. Before replacing the thermal paste, the temperature of the laptop rarely dropped below 95-100 degrees. The cooler worked at full capacity even when applications were not running, and the temperature to which the case heated up made it impossible to work.
You type text in the editor - 92-94 degrees, launch Safari - all the same. You open Final Cut - the mark of 105 degrees submits. The cooler works, but there is no sense from it. He didn't chill!
Replacing the thermal paste and cleaning the cooler worked magically. He stopped making noise! When you run heavy applications, the MacBook instantly heats up, the cooler slowly spins up and falls within a minute. And the temperatures now look like this:
- Working in Final Cut Pro X (video editing) - 94-97 degrees
- Surfing, music, instant messengers, Photoshop - 70-80 degrees
- Work in text editor- 40-45 degrees.
The temperature in the room is a hot summer day, about 23-25 degrees.
I have NEVER seen the last figure on my MacBook Air. Working in complete silence is a real pleasure. Nothing distracts you, does not pester and does not annoy. Was the game worth the candle? Definitely!
Battery. 40 minutes is the maximum I could afford without an outlet. After switching on, the new battery was 52% charged. We all have heard about the calibration, which is associated with constant disputes and speculation.
Battery calibration IS NEEDED. Of course, if you are interested in her adequate further work. What I did after the first inclusion:
- Immediately connected the power adapter and charged the battery to 100%
- Discharged to 10% and re-charged to 100%
- Repeated the cycle 3 times
That's all, that's enough. Don't be surprised if the program iStat Menu will constantly show different battery capacity and health values. This is normal until the battery is pumped, which may take about 20-25 discharge / charge cycles.
When using the battery, try to work in the 20-100% mode. Do not bring the battery to full discharge and stop working after the Mac gives you a notification about critical charge. Try to take your MacBook off immediately after it is 100% charged. So you can not worry about battery life and battery degradation for several years.
Of course, this is just a recommendation. Modern batteries (and even more so from Apple) are equipped with the necessary protection controllers and provide maximum service life without unnecessary “dancing with a tambourine”. Apple technology designed for comfort, and whether or not to follow the operating tips is up to you.
At the time of finishing this article, my Mac promises to work for another 4 hours and 15 minutes. The number of full charge cycles is 7. The temperature indicator is 46 degrees (I work on my knees). The cooler rotates at a minimum of 2000 rpm, but it seems that it does not work at all.
(4.75 out of 5 rated: 4 )
A couple of weeks ago iFixit specialists brand new laptop Apple MacBook Pro in the version without the Touch Bar and gave it only two points out of ten for maintainability. The turn of the modification came with the same 13-inch display, but with the Touch Bar panel.
Looking ahead, its maintainability is even worse.
By opening the bottom cover, which is not difficult to do, if you do not take into account the need for a special screwdriver for Pentalobe screws, you can immediately see that the two versions are identical in size Macbook Pro significantly different inside.
At a minimum, the current hero of the news has two cooling system fans versus one for the younger model, and they look different.
In addition, on system board you can find a connector to which nothing is connected. And it is also covered with a cap. Since it would be foolish to assume that the robots at the factory forgot to connect something, we can call this connector an engineering or test connector.
The motherboard looks unusual, like a blank for VR goggles or a small child trying to draw a car. Be that as it may, they settled on the board Intel processor Core i5-6267U, Intel JHL6540 Thunderbolt 3 controller, SanDisk SDRQKBDC4 064G flash memory chips, Samsung K4E6E304EB-EGCE RAM chips, Murata/Apple Wi-Fi module 339S00056, APL1023 343S00137 (Apple T1) fingerprint reader chip, Cirrus Logic CS42L83A audio codec and other components.
USB-C ports can still be replaced in case of damage, which is important in view of the lack of a separate port for charging.
Another interesting feature is the sham speaker grilles in a sense. As you can see in the photo, the emitters themselves are located in a completely different place.
Specialists simply could not dismantle the Touch Bar touch panel. A large number of glue and the shape of the panel played a cruel joke - the touch part was separated from the main part of the screen. So it is better for users not to damage this part of the laptop, because it will most likely not be possible to replace it. The Broadcom BCM5976TC1KUB60G controller is responsible for the operation of the panel.
The battery capacity of the laptop in question is 49.2 Wh, while the more affordable version has a battery with a capacity of 54.5 Wh.
As a result, the device earned only one point for the fact that the touchpad can be dismantled without disassembling the laptop completely. The disadvantages of the new product were branded screws, an abundance of glue, a processor, RAM and SSD soldered into the motherboard, the inability to replace the Touch Bar and, interestingly, a fingerprint scanner. The point is that, as in iPhone smartphones, the fingerprint is "bound" to a specific processor in specific device. IN this case, to the Apple T1 chip. And if the fingerprint scanner on the new MacBook Pro, which also acts as a power button, is broken, this will most likely lead to the need to replace the entire motherboard or even buy a new laptop, which is more likely.
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Autopsies Apple laptop Macbook Pro latest generation conducted by experts from the iFixit website. Then the 13-inch model in the initial configuration, which does not have an OLED Touch Bar above the keyboard, fell under the “scalpel” of the dismantler. For its maintainability, she scored only 2 points out of 10 possible. Now, iFixit engineers have reached the similarly diagonal MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
As it turned out, its interior was re-arranged in order to make room for the touch panel. The most notable change is in the stereo speakers, which have moved from the zones on the sides of the keyboard to the edges of the wrist rests. In the above photos, the red boxes highlight the locations of the speakers in the MacBook Pro with physical function keys, orange — in the version with Touch Bar. At the same time, the speaker grilles remained where they were, although, apparently, they no longer carry any functional load - the sound from the speakers located in the new place is output through the side holes.
Another interesting discovery made while tearing down a MacBook Pro 13" with Touch Bar concerns solid state drive. As we remember, in the basic configuration of the laptop, it was made in the form of a proprietary, but still removable module. Here, it is not so easy to replace it - the SSD is made in the form of microcircuits soldered directly on the motherboard.
In the event of a breakdown, the power button will also cause no less trouble, because it integrates a Touch ID fingerprint scanner with a sapphire glass surface. Replacing this button will cost more expensive than analogues without touch ID.
As a result, the 2016 MacBook Pro 13” with an OLED touch panel received the lowest repairability score of 1 out of 10 possible.
With a 13-inch display, the de facto little brother of the 15-inch. It is noteworthy that this time the guys invited a special guest to the operating room - a kitten.
The patient himself, when closed, is difficult to distinguish from his older brother, and when open, by the missing speaker nets on the sides.
Top - MacBook Pro Retina 13, bottom - MacBook Pro 13
An exciting moment - the opening of the "hood"
Doesn't it remind you of anything? Yes, this is Robot Number 5 from the movie "Short Circuit"!
Get the SSD.
iFixit is surprised by this decision, because a full-fledged 2.5-inch SSD 5-7 mm thick can easily fit in the same place.
As expected, the "bare" SSD is made by Koreans.
Flash memory with a total capacity of 256 GB is marked yellow, and the purpose of the remaining details was not explained, but oh well.
Next comes the Wi-Fi module with support for the AirPort protocol.
By the way, the 15-inch "retina" MacBook Pro has exactly the same module.
The holy of holies is the motherboard.
Red - dual core processor Intel Core i5-3210M at 2.5 GHz (integrated Intel graphics HD Graphics 4000 and auto overclocking to 3.1 GHz), orange - 8 GB Hynix RAM, yellow - Intel chipset QS77, turquoise - controller for the Thunderbolt interface.
Orange is just the reverse of the RAM, purple is the Cirrus audio controller, the rest are unclear.
This is what the MagSafe 2 power connector looks like.
Wow! Six battery packs!
Unlike the 15" battery, the 13" battery is much easier to remove.
Broadcom controller, same as iPhone 5. Interesting…
Actually the touchpad.
Summa summarum, maintainability score - 2 out of 10. Not the best result, but the big brother is even more a disgrace with his one point. iFixit has complaints about choosing a non-standard SSD, since it needs a separate cable. RAM is only 8 GB, with no choice of 16 GB version. The display is glued to the glass, and if during disassembly, God forbid, something breaks inside, then the entire expensive screen part can be sent to the trash.
The reason for this is that due to its thinness and lightness, the practice of component placement was sacrificed, in addition, the battery was firmly glued to the case at the top of it.
Logically, Apple's new 13-inch laptop should also remain unrepairable. However, everything happened exactly the opposite. Moreover, the gadget can even be upgraded.
iFixit specialists examined one such device in detail. A1425 is the model number. From all sides in new Pro you can see the most common screws in devices.
According to Phil Schiller, the battery in the laptop is asymmetrical, although if you look at the center, then the symmetry is quite observed. But it is worth noting that the layout of the cells in the gadget is unique, there is no such thing in any other laptop.
After opening, a label immediately catches your eye, warning that if it is removed by anyone other than a service representative (for example, iFixit, whom Apple still trusts), then the laptop is removed from the warranty.
As far as differences from other laptops go, the 13-inch MacBook Pro has even more than its 15-inch predecessor. One of these differences is represented by a new battery connector, which is not just a connector, but a kind of platform for connecting the cable and the motherboard.
The speakers are secured with small screws, which are covered with pieces of microfiber made of metal imitating steel. Their purpose is not entirely clear.
Under the trackpad, in a plastic frame, there is an SSD module, and there is a lot of empty space around the module in the frame. In this free space (if you remove the frame with the module) a regular 2.5-inch hard drive can easily fit. Representatives of iFixit at the time of disassembly used a 9.5 mm hard drive, but in this case the lid does not close from below. However, this is not a problem because thinner discs are also available. If, say, a company offers a special cable connecting the connectors of a conventional hard drive and motherboard, then for little money you can improve your laptop.
There were problems with the identification of the chips. The fact is that the SSD module is equipped with chips from Samsung. Of all these microcircuits, only flash memory is freely recognized.
Yellow chips - K9FGY8UA7A-HCKO - 32 GB, manufactured by Samsung. Four more on the other side, total 256 GB
Module wireless transmission with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi controllers - exactly the same as in the older 15-inch MacBook Pro model.
Considering that only one of the two chips that needed cooling remained, the design of the heat sink was slightly changed. Still, 13 inches is 13 inches.
Now the processor is cooled by two coolers. Namely, their asymmetric blades.
The changes also affected the motherboard.
Upper part: Yellow - Intel BD82QS77 interface controller; Red - Intel Core i5-3210M dual-core processor with Intel HD 4000 graphics; 8 orange chips - DDR3L RAM, Hynix H5TC4G83MFR, each chip 512 MB; Green - Thunderbolt interface controller model Intel DSL3510L.
Bottom: Purple - Cirrus Audio 4206BCNZ audio controller; Black - chip marked TPS 51980 from Texas Instruments; Orange - additional RAM sticks from Hynix, for a total of 8 GB; Green - a chip from Cypress Semiconductor marked CY8C24794-24L can be used for various purposes; Blue - central and GPU Maxim MAX15119; Red - microcontroller from Texas Instruments Stellaris LM4FS1AH; Yellow - SMSC USB2512B USB interface controller.
Just like its older 15-inch brother, the 13-inch Pro features the new MagSafe 2 power connector.
There are many interesting things in the battery. For example, two cells out of six are fixed with screws in metal grooves. This is undoubtedly a big improvement over the previous version.
But then a little disappointment awaits - the rest of the cells are held on by glue, even if it is good. That is, if necessary, peel off the cell, you need to take a few tools and work very carefully so as not to cause damage. This is a very feasible procedure, although quite complicated. It took iFixit about 15 minutes.
As for the characteristics of the battery, they are as follows: 74 watts / hour, 11.21 volts, 6600 milliamps / hour of capacity.
And now a significant difference from the 15-inch counterpart, in which the controller and trackpad were hidden under a tightly fixed battery. In the current version, it is visible in the opening of the case.
I would like to pay attention to a modest gray chip, located on the right side next to the foil plate and the connector. It is not highlighted in any color, but it is Silicon Storage Technology - a 256 MB flash memory module. It is not clear why you need to equip the trackpad with memory. It turns out that the same module is in the 15-inch Pro.
Trackpad sensor controller, Broadcom BCM5976 highlighted in red. The same is installed in the iPhone 5
Now pay attention to the screws that secure the trackpad. More specifically, one in five.
In case of breakage, the trackpad can be easily replaced. This is another big difference between the 13-inch Pro and its 15-inch counterpart.
And of course, you can't ignore retina display. As for the design, there are few differences from the previous version. The display also cannot be dismantled or repaired.
Based on the results of all the work carried out, we can say that the 13-inch MacBook Pro differs for the better from its 15-inch predecessor only in the ease of improving and removing the trackpad. But this is a minor difference.
Well, it remains to be seen what else iFixit will explore. Don't forget the iPad mini and the new iMac.
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