Repairing a Cheap 12-inch MacBook
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- In this video, I perform a few minor repairs to a 2015 12-inch MacBook that I recently purchased off eBay for only $46. All the issues that the machine had were incurred from a poor prior attempt at replacing the battery in the machine. This included a damaged trackpad/keyboard connector, a ripped WiFi antenna I-PEX connector, and a failed headphone jack/audio board. After perform the necessary repairs, the machine was back up and running perfectly.
- Věda a technologie
you are a legend of board rework. watching your content is so satisfying. I love your process of fixing a device that would otherwise be e-waste. as someone who has been watching for years at this point, thanks as always for the entertainment. you inspire many, myself included, to keep improving my skills with hot air and a soldering iron to give e-waste a second chance.
This was my favorite MacBook ive ever had. The keyboard wasn't great but it wasn't that bad either. I spent a ton of time on it and completed several projects with it. The performance was... fine. But I'd buy an m-series version of this in a heartbeat if it was ever brought back.
Same, the whole thing was lighter weight than my iPad Pro 10.5 with keyboard cover and the screen is larger
Perfect iPad replacement
Agreed! I know most folks feel these little guys were plagued with problems, but that form factor was absolutely perfect. An M-series version would be my ideal laptop as well!
The keyboard was ok until it stopped working. And Apple spent two years denying there was any issue.
I love mine, and am using it to write this - The GPU eventually fried itself because of no cooling, but i bought a new logic board on aliexpress, and then i put in copper shims between the dies and the heatsink, along with some thermal pads on the backside. Rarely gets over 60c now. - I use it daily for light 3D-modelling, browsing, emails, etc. Speakers are freaking awesome. Keyboard is kinda shit, but tapping the keys really hard when they stop working, fixes them. It's so light and easy to bring around - I've got a Lenovo with a RTX3050, but it's so big and heavy to bring around compared to the macbook :)
@@user-uk3gc2dk3h Fair enough. I still use my MBA 2013 as my personal machine. The only advantage the 2015 Macbook has over it is the retina screen.
It speaks volumes that a trillion dollar company can't put a sliver of copper in its laptops. They're pulling the same shit with the Apple Silicon laptops as well.
Your skills repairing those complex machines are sick!!! 😎 just watching it in awe.
my friend, you are really very competent, congratulations.
Would absolutely love to see you upgrade this little (currently) crappy mac into the max-stat beast that it could ever be!!!!
am curious as to how the easy/difficult RAM, but particularly storage could be upgraded!!
Keep up the great work Dosdude! Just got yourself a new subscriber right here!!
Been watching you for years 🤗 helped me so much to building my own mac repair.
Nice work. I had two of these (2015 and 2017) and never had a problem with them.
I loved 12” laptops, to me they’re the perfect size. Had an iBook G4 when those were new and it was great. I always wanted one of those MacBooks when they came out but always heard the CPU was not very good. But man, if they ever release another one I’m buying it instantly.
would be awesome if apple made them with a M2 or M3 chip they would fit perfectly in the thermal footprint of the Macbook 12"
the repairability of these and reliability is a nightmare already deemed obselete now
Really like that little preheater.
I got a 2017 for cheap about 6 months ago. It honestly was WAY better than its reputation. It's perfect for a basic web browsing system, and it's so portable I can take it anywhere.
That was quite a gamble to imagine fixing this bloody thing but price was fair, especially just for the screen itself.
Nice job, glad you got it fixed.
I agree - only Dosdude can make these things work !! Kudos brother
Hey men, you're the best, I would love if you came up with a new mod for those old Macbooks mid 2012 - 2013, those are immortal laptops.
Brooo!! I've been waiting for this video from you or Luke Miani forEVER!! You both are the GOATs when it comes to computers and computers (Macs specifically) are my life!
I also have some sort of strange infatuation with the 12 inch MacBook. It was revolutionary and had a great display, but yes, other than that it was not a good machine - butterfly keyboard, lack of ports, severely underpowered, etc. But yet, I'm still determined to get one! I just love them so much.
I love the retina 12's too for some reason, 1 port total (plus 3.5mm) was an insane idea, funky keyboard, BUT paper thin w/a great display!
I have a 2019 13 inch Macbook Pro. I love the butterfly keyboard on it. When I first got the Mac, I didn't like typing on it. But it's actually very good.
would love to see you reverse engineer SSD storage on apple m2 machines and come up with a plan in case the soldered nands fail on these….it would save a ton of laptops from the landfill
It’s pretty much the same process as I’ve done already with M1, just using different chips on some systems.
@@dosdude1 oh, i thought that it was only possible on m1 systems because of proprietary nand and controller firmwares and additionally, nands that are basically unobtanium?
@@dosdude1 thanks for replying btw i‘m a huge fan of your work and wish you all the best, as we all do.
@@user-zh6de3fy9d czcams.com/video/yR7m4aUxHcM/video.html
I would love to see Apple go back to this form factor with the M-series of chips. I think they have the potential to be some of the best laptops on the market
Very nice, i know you from luke. And i can say it's very satisfying to see a cheap machine like that repaired. For basic task is still a decent laptop and the os just love it as always. That's unfortunate that has that ugly butterfly keyboard but other than that's pretty good
I bought mine in 2015 and loved it until I had to replace it when the space bar went pinging off whilst I was trying to vacuum up some crumbs from underneath the keys. The keyboard wasn't all that bad but did require turning the machine upside down every now and again and giving the bottom a good whack to dislodge crumbs and dust bunnies. Still to this date, it's my favourite Mac ever.
I had a few early 2015 Macbook 12 inches myself. The flash module often failed in the models. Otherwise there were few problems with them other than the keyboard, which I have changed several times myself
Nice work, I "WAS" going to get one around this year for my wife but I may consider a Macbook AIR, hopefully they are a tad better
Awesome job. Im kinda curious what temps, the preheater is running, along with your soldering iron and heat gun. Pretty awesome that you can heat the board like that, without other components falling off, but i guess that even if the solder nearby was liquified it would still hold on to the components?...
I have a 2016 12” MB. I got it for $90 off facebook marketplace. Originally fully working, just needed cleaning and 2 keys were missing. Next day, keyboard and trackpad both failed.
I’ve had it for a few months now, I’ve replaced both the keyboard cable (which was corroded, I cleaned off the connector with alcohol) and the IPD flex cable, while the flex cable fixed the power button, obviously still no trackpad and keyboard. I plan on replacing the top case as soon as possible, which should be around $77 (top case + tools)
Loved your software sir. I was a ACMT for many years, these Macbooks were atrocious in every single way, apart from the physical look which Apple cannot be faulted on generally.
I worked on one of these Macbooks in particular that I will always remember, I literally replaced the Top Case, Bottom Case, Logic Board and Display several times (those were all the major parts Apple would offer for official warranty replacement) and the Mac would still shut down unexpectedly... I'm not very technical because of course, Apple would not allow any kind of board level repairs but I would love to hear from you what you think could have caused such a problem to persist even through basically rebuilding this thing multiple times.
Great content as always.
Great work! Thanks for sharing. Keep it up.
Very nice job! Appreciate your content 😊
I still use one of the 2015 versions of this computer multiple times per week. So far it is working ok.
I use an M1 for anything remotely taxing.
1:58 Collin that was low key super smooth nice job! Did you practice that move?
i’ve got a 2016 MBP that i built out of two broken ones i bought off ebay. one had a fucked screen and the other one had some logic board damage iirc, so i just combined the working parts from both. i sold it and then the buyer sent it back complaining about overheating and poor battery life. i started using it myself just to see if i could replicate the issues (i couldn’t, so idk what the buyer was doing to it to make it work so hard lmao) and then just kinda got attached to it. i love it now; it’s my main computer for when i wanna browse or edit wikipedia or whatever without needing to be sat at my desk with my pc.
off topic but I see you still using the GOAT iPhone ( X ) good stuff
ima buy one these are so cool
Ty so much - we need how to download windows on imac coz its need boot camp assistant and thats not work with 2012 mid i mac
that is the best macbook ever. And keyboard was awesome actually
I’d love to see a video on repairing the faulty SSD on these. And potentially a CPU upgrade if that’s possible 👀
Very cool to see you save another computer. You put Apple to shame, doing the stuff that they should be doing, good stuff!
Excelente vídeo.. how mutch was the total repais parte wish you well
Id kill for a modern one of these with Apple silicon!
Black ban the prior technician and tell him to take up Butchery 🤣 More great work Collin
The screw you drilled out, you could probably get it out from the other side if you desolder that piece from the board. Odds are maybe the other end of the screw is sticking out enough that you can grip on to with something. I would go nuts knowing there is half a broken screw in there!
I hope that you show us how to uograde storage as original ones tend to break :)
Aren’t these supposed to be “jump started” with a 5w iPhone brick after reinstalling the battery? I remember reading something about that on ifixit. It seemed to work for my 2015 12” when I replaced the motherboard
per other component level repair people including northridge fix, leaded/low melt solder used to help remove components but not to reattach as it is not strong and brittle??
I’m currently using a 13 inch 2017 MacBook Air that I got off of eBay for $330, and I pached it with OpenCore Legacy Patcher and installed macOS Somoma on it, I’m not going to install macOS Sequoia right now because it’s still a beta, it’s my first MacBook ever and it runs very well
Oh how I love my 12" 2017 MacBook. Even if it's underpowered. If only there were a way to make an Apple Silicon logic board work in that chassis.
Hi, my brother You've done amazing work. I just wanted to let you know that I have the same early 2016 12 inch model. It isn't functioning. not booting up to OS and it showing no SSD indication. I looked it up online and saw that some individuals were performing CPU rebolingg. I simply reheta and sank the CPU back into its position. and for a few weeks, it was successful. However, it's not working currently. if you could help me solve this issue. I would be grateful.
"there's a good reason why apple stopped using this keyboard" ... Eventually. They spent YEARS denying the problem.
Do you think if it would be possible to make a DIY m2 MacBook 12” ?
Worst Laptop Apple ever made" somehow you have a gift for understatement
Thank you dude ❤
I correct you :)
I have the same notebook with an i7 CPU and it ROCKS. What I hated for constantly overheating is the A1260 Core 2 Duo model, I had to reball the GPU every 6 months. I have to mention though that I upgraded it to QX9300 CPU. And that did not make a huge difference in operating temperature.
You need to replace the GPU in the A1260 with the revised G84-603-A2 version of the chipset, then it will never fail again. I’ve done that swap many times with great success, and have a video about it on my channel.
@@dosdude1 I retired that thing already. I am looking for a SATA cable for my flea market find, a 17-inch Core 2 Duo version(10.7 max os, unfortunately, but looks good in my collection, someone stole the harddrive with the cable) any ideas, as to how I can connect one? It is an A1212 by the way, with stolen DVD cable as well.
And will you make patchers for newer Mac OS versions?
Is it posible to upgrade the ram and the storage on that unit?
i bought the 2016 version of that macbook a while back. while disassembling i fcked up the connector on the trackpad side. my idea was to use the logicboard as an ultrasmall macmini. do you know how to power up the logicboard without the keyboard working? thanks dude!
I got one that needed a new battery not bad I thought I would hate it.
Do you have any flea markets near you? I get much better pricing from the one I go to. Most of the time I can pick up machines in the $30-$40 range, though I have yet to see this model show up yet, mostly I get MBP 13's and 15's between 2010 and 2015.
Here in Portugal we have 2009/2010 MacBooks for 200€/300€ second hand... Getting those 2010/2015 models for 40$ and reselling them would make you a decent living here 😅
What is the obstacle in upgrading the SSD in one of these to 1TB?
when you ultrasonic, you said you let dry for a few hours, are you using an ultrasonic water bath? cant be water?
Hi
What kind of air Maschine du you use for this project?
The 2017 is a good model with the keyboard issues eliminated. If you get lucky and get like I have, an Intel i7 16GB 512GB version you will find that it does quite well even in 2024.
I know this was more for the challenge to fix such a crappy MacBook! Now on the accessories, are their cost separate from the bottom part with the New-old batteries?
Like the headphone jack and speakers for example. I hope you do try and see if the Memory and Storage can be updated, even with the weak processor it has!
Is it possible to upgrade the storage/ram in this thing?
Do you think there will ever be a way to upgrade RAM on M1/M2 MacBooks?
The infamous dosdude uses an iPhone X or XS .. I'm Impressed
Somebody: *gives up trying to repair 12 inch macbook*
dosdude1: Let me know you how it's done.
What was the total price to repair the machine, given you replaced the bottom case/speakers/audio board/etc?
I'm interested to know this as well!
what state are you in? I can source you some cheap macbooks at similar prices but even better condition.... if within a decent distance
2015 can be undervolted with voltageshift for massive efficiency/performance benefit
this 12" machine anyway is basically a collection of factory engineering issues for an awful overall package
Thanks, can you upgrade the SSD or RAM and runs some Benchmarks ?
Would love to see this as well!! be curious as to what it could max out at!
Now what are you going to do with it? My guess is that you have about $200 invested in parts maybe less and it's a good general purpose type of machine. Not too much you can do with it. However I find your channel very interesting and inspiring.
Bravo! In Texas headline news: A NYC defector is now breeding fish to feed his cats......
I still love this computer with all its flaws. I'd just never want to actually be using it because of the horrible performance and the keyboard. It looks so nice though
Do you hang out in any discords, Colin? Where did you end up landing after college? Are you taking commissions? :)
Is the keyboard still fully working? Ever “tried to fix” a butterfly keyboard without completely replacing it? Thanks!
Luckily this keyboard works perfectly (surprisingly). Never tried to fix one before.
This was a great video for me since I just repaired a 2017 version that I bought for $10 off an Aussie version of eBay (Gumtree). Mine was perfect except the CPU popped due to thermal cycling. You should consider making a replacement larger heatsink out of copper and thermally coupling it to the chassis for heat dissipation... also consider turning Turbo Boost off. Whoever worked on that machine before was a god damn BUTCHER
K5 pro would do just fine as a replacement for the thermal paste, worst case just use a thermal pad
Next week 12” MacBook quad core cpu upgrade /s
A lot of my friends on Facebook think you should have a go making a trashcan from an M1 ! ! …..x
These have to be the most unreliable macs ever made but I do like the paper-thin design of them. Really light and portable. My grandma with arthritis used one until the MacBook (not her 😂) just decided to give up one day.
Awesome to see you doing these interesting projects... What's the chances of seeing an M1 MLB shoehorned into this chassis?
zero
You are unbelievable!!
I enjoyed the video even though I have no illusions about that machine having any undiscovered virtues. 😉
These go for 399 Canadian refurbished at local computer shops.....and they are gawd awful slow to use. And that keyboard. My Gawd, what was Apple thinking?!
I tried to pick up one of these on eBay; the sellers seem to think that these things, pretty much useless computers, are worth up to 900$. yes. 900$. are they so rare that they are collectables?
George, don’t try to replace your battery anymore please.
I remember when Apple computers were all worn out when the display finally failed. That has been flipped on its head completely. Chances are that millions of perfectly great displays are sitting in dumpsters today, attached to inadequate soldered RAM and processors.
Would love to see that logic board retrofitted into one of those Sony Vaio P series!!
The best part of this MacBook is M3 chipset!
Great video Colin although with all these new parts is it really the same machine ? 😂’Triggers broom’
, I had the 11 inch 2015 MacBook Air and I can confirm the keyboard is terrible , mine only had 4gb ram and 128gb ssd , not a good machine tbh , I’ve now got a 15 inch a1286 which I love ..
mom dosdude posted!!!!!!
great video, 🙃🙃would love to get gaming laptop GPU VRAM upgrade video
Imagine the person working on this MacBook watching this video...
Wooo hoo a 2015 I just got a 2015 macbook air for 44.00
Cool
you have to be a dork ripping everything apart like that trying to do a repair. hilarious.
You never heard of a repair shop? 🤔
Thanks for the Discord app
These things really are poorly made. Mine actually ended up dying of LCD ribbon cable failure- paper thin, and no way to replace. Before that, the USB C port stopped working for anything except power. You had to smack the keyboard a few times a week to get the space bar to function. I wonder what Apple was thinking
Only you could make this joke of a Mac actually useable and decent. Maybe someday you could find a way to upgrade the RAM and CPU to push it well beyond what it used to be able to do. (It’s a huge shame that every 2015 to 2019 Mac laptop is doomed to fail due to the awful keyboards.)
I've owned dozens of different laptops, the majority of which have been MacBooks, and my 12" has been the only device to ever die. Initially the cpu went bad and the laptop almost caught fire, then after paying far too much to replace the motherboard the keyboard went out and hinge went floppy. I payed to have it recycled lol. How Apple okayed this laptop is beyond me...
NEXT.. M1 SWAP!!
Fantastic design, terrible hardware execution. Played around with one of these briefly, and I will say that to-date, it is still the most "futuristic" feeling laptop I've ever used, even compared to today's Air and Pro - very light, very strong, with a display and keyboard that reached right to the very bleeding edges of their respective borders with no wasted real-estate. They would've done well to either increased the thickness of the keyboard section to allow for a traditional scissor-switch, or spent the money they dumped into the butterfly design to make something more akin to what Panasonic did in 1998 with their thinnest laptop in the world at the time, minus the chiclet switches.
Wait a minute, isn’t it the same MacBook in the discord