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I remember being in IRC for a five hour discussion where people were so adamantly sure about how to fix a persistent no backlight issue on someone's Macbook Air. The problem? The F1 key was stuck down from liquid... so it was lowering the brightness automatically. Watched five hours of people telling him what to replace, what to solder, when it was a freaking key. Saying someone's 100% wrong on a laptop you've never seen is asinine... thanks for the thumb btw.
Your method totally works. I am trying to keep it to a process someone who has never done this can do. You do not need to solder each individual pad either, as I mentioned in the beginning of the video, you can simply use flux and roll the solder ball around the chip, but half the people I show this to wind up making a total clusterf&#k of the board, ripping off pads, getting solder blobs in bad places doing this, so I used a generic method that is unf#&kupable for newbies to QFN.
This is what has given me the confidence to swap the DC In port on my old A1278. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thank you for continuing with your videos.
Homeboy you did it the long way around. I have changed 1000s of those things and the easiest way & quickest way is have the second chip ready sitting in some paste flux. when you have the pads ready to pull one chip off place the second chip right back on with flux already applied and keep the hot air on it. It will then float right back into place making hand soldering unnecessary or at least keeping it to a minimum.
...to clarify, I do extensive experimentation with my tools on junk equipment anytime I change over to a new tool. Same for when I get a new set of tips, so I know what I can & can't do. Knowing your tool like the back of your hand is important if you're going to be in the business of running wires across boards where the solder pads are just barely hanging on. Going over from the 851 to the 801 took me about two weeks before I started actually using it.
Have you tried solder paste Louis Rossmann ? The easiest way to solder QFN's is definitely using leaded solder paste, even if there is no space for a solder stencil. After removing the old chip use flux and braid to take off the old solder and leave bare solder pads. Run a thin paste solder trace across each set of pads and 4 small blobs on the center. Place the chip on top and just heat up, done. Chip is only hot for a fraction of the time compared to using the method on this video. Surface tension is not working for you now because you are starting with solid solder, with paste solder even before it actually looks metallic the chip is already perfectly aligned, perfectly squared 100% of times. A lot easier in my opinion. And thanks for the videos, learned a lot from them!
LP8543 and LP8545, digikey. I stock up when they have them. Whatever one was on this A1342 board, I don't even remember the model, I just stole it form a totally dead board, because I have so many lying around & didn't feel like waiting.
So you would reball the chipset before even checking the ISL6263 that powers it for corrosion, before making sure that it's not a software problem, before making sure the fan is running and not clogged since it's 4 years old, all based on a non-visual-over-the-internet diagnosis. That's a great way to drive yourself nuts.
i was struggling with a qfn motor driver and watched a lot of the demo qfn solder videos but yours was the one that nailed it as my ic was present on a populated board. My earlier attemps had burned one board and second attempt ended up in dry joints.. After seeing your video bingo got it right on the third attempt.. thanks
In terms of professional, I mean professional way to solder QFN. The professional way is to desolder the old chip, have a new one sitting in some flux paste, and to just drop it on there. I purposely did this the long way around because everytime I show a newbie how to do it that way they wind up knocking every f(#ng resistor off the board around the chip, or they screw something up. This is more newbie friendly, and since I figured newbies would be watching, the best way to do it.
Hi Louis, I reckon an updated version of this video listed under "Basic soldering techniques" would be beneficial to beginners. Your technique now has changed a bit. I am going to watch every video re: Apple repairs over the next few months as I am hold up in bed from shoulder surgery and nothing is more important than your videos :)
It oftentime says so right on the chip, or in the board schematic. If you have an 820-2530 motherboard, you look in the 820-2530 schematic, and you find the chip model number. Schematics are available online for as low as $0-$20.
Yes!!! Trying to do "real" work, that requires use of the brain, with the phone ringing, people walking in, employees asking silly questions, is worse than someone putting a lighter to my chin. It is just not possible. I save all this for after closing, it is best for my sanity. :) Hakko irons are expensive but you get a really good product with a lot of tips. I use an FR-801 with a proper tip, which I credit over my unsteady hand as the reason for my success.
yes, it did have liquid damage. pulled it apart cleaned the board with 91% alcohol and replaced keyboard. It was powered on with no problems, starts fine with all the sounds. It does have image on the screen and has output to external screen but has no back-light and does not charge (Isl chip suspect) battery. Tested back-light fuse it was blown so it was replaced . Problem i observed the fuse keeps blowing, the lvcd connector on the motherboard needs to be replaced and the Wled Driver.
You can use a thin soldering lead i beleive this is available in any electronics store. We use this when installing TSSOP (Thin Shrink Small Outline Package). You can also buy a heat blanket that plumber use to protect any components that are not involved....I enjoy watching your video...
It's never the LVDS cable unless the cable is visibly burned, and if the cable got to that point, the fuse is probably fried too. Check the fuse with a multimeter, is it blown?
Ouch... wow. Liquid damage, battery not charging, LVDS broken, and WLED driver blowing the fuse is a lot of separate problems. I feel like troubleshooting those in 500 character comments is going to be like keeping a golf ball underwater with one finger(how Jim Williams described using the EQ on a Trident 80b). If your battery had any green crap by it, definitely keep that unplugged.
I am assuming a motherboard model 820-2327. Any fuse that is 0402 package size 24-36 volt rating 1-2 amp rating Will work just fine. I always lean on the low side. I'd rather the fuse blow BEFORE the LVDS connector melts to pieces.
Are you asking me or telling me? Most of the time, it's just the fuse. It doesn't blow out of nowhere 99% of the time though. Did you spill something on it? Open it up and check it out.
I have no f'n idea. :) I use a Hakko FR-801 rework station for 0402, 0603, and QFN packages, and a Hakko 936 for standard soldering. Neither have a digital temperature sensor. I know them well enough that I set the knob to where I need it to be to do the work I need to do, but I have no idea what temperatures I am working at. With QFN, I don't need the level of precise temperature accuracy I do with BGA soldering. No yellowing/warping of the boards so far, knock on wood.
Baby steps. If I had a penny for everytime a trainee who did the dip the chip in flux thing boiled it or fvcked it up or fvcked it up or fvcked up a surrounding component I'd be doing this video on something but a junk JVC Everio $300 camcorder. This is indeed the "long way around", but dealing with trainees(who are probably the people googling how to do this for the first tiem & watching this video), in my experience they are least likely to end their board's life in tragedy this way.
What would yall charge to fix my a1342 no backlight issue? Ballpark... Screen can be seen with a flashlight, and can send video to external monitor. After all my research i've concluded that the problem is either the led driver as shown in this video or the backlight fuse (I could definitely be wrong though)...both of which are beyond my DIY skills.
Excellent video, I think One of the best top, but I have a specia problem, I have a mac which is loosing video, and this is sometimes, is a MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009) with an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory. The exact problem is suddenly is loosing video like on sleep mode, but not after a time the video is came up. What would be the problem ??
Great job. I have a few questions about the equipment that you are using. First, what are you using to heat the board? I have never seen something other than a solider machine that can melt the solider. Second, what type of Solider gun are you using, the only ones that are available for me are the larger tipped guns. Lastly, I noticed that when you were actually soldering the joints, you didn't have solider all around the joints. Is this because of the Flux that you were applying to the joints before soldering? Because the solider that I use has the flux core and I haven't ever seen a flux pen. As you can tell this was an entirely different process than Im used to. If you would be nice enough to provide me with the information of the equipment that you are using and maybe where I could buy them I would be very grateful. Thank you for posting this video. It really did enlighten me on a new level.
Hi. What led up to this happening? Liquid, drop, or just out of the blue? Give me an idea so we can go about troubleshooting. You are welcome to Google my name to find our repair company, but I'd rather do some of this troubleshooting in public as it my help others who desperately grasping at straws for help & information.
I need to replace the LVDS connector on my macbook pro logic board. Someone removed it already for me, but they couldn't get the new one on... I wish I had one of those hot air stations, but I'd hate to buy one just for this repair. I can't seem to find people in Nashville with this kind of ability.
I know your post is 3 months old so you may have had the LVDS connector replaced. There is a guy in Murfreesboro who could most likely do the work for you. His name is Jamey Dunham @ Repair Proz. He fixed a Macbook pro for me. Where did you get the new connector?
To.my.mistake this board is a1278 mbp , but look relatively similar. I think ive actually located one of those series of.number described..its a farely small chip
hi I have a macbook a1278 late 2008 model. Everything Works except the backlight. I changed the lcd and it did not help. I have tested the fuse and it is blown. My question is where can i find the same fuse? The fuse model is F9800. I got the number of the fuse from the schematic of the logic board.
Luis my man i followed this tut from mac rumors ... you fucking killed me at the beginning i though i was the only one that soldered at 3 in morning its the only time you get peace. ....never a truer word spoken. Your a fricking G... i have done about 20 qfns and solder just like you ... but your 100000% better and steadier hence why my boards end up in the oven! lol still ii think i might change aoyue tip to something shorter!
This one I stole off a board that was sodomized past the point of ever working again, but it did have a good backlight IC. For others, try digikey or mouser, you can find this crap there sometimes. LP8543SQ, LP8545SQ. I don't know which one is for the white unibody here since I never have to order it. It is rare that people bring these to fix the board, so I don't special order the chip, I take it off a dead board.
Hi, I have a Macbook unibody A1278. I had some problems with my LCD (was going blure), I took it apart and tried to plug all the cords properly, but after I put evetything together I lost my backlight... Any ideas how to fix this issue?
Replacing the LVDS connector is about using a fuckton of heat to get the old one off, cleaning the board, then soldering the new one on with a standard iron. using hot air to solder it on will burn the plastic inside it to shit. You remove the old one, then solder the new one back in with a very small soldering iron tip. The conical tips are good for this. Fuck the ones that are round all around, I can never get good work done with them. something with a flat end that allows you to touch the board, the pin, and all is great. I would do a video of it, but I can't. These repairs suck enough having to do them from 2 feet away because the camera is in my way, but I cannot do an LVDS connector with a tripod in my face. It just requires too much precision. Watching this video, and seeing how long it takes me to do basic shit because the tripod is keeping me 2 feet away from the work already makes my stomach turn. I would be unable to do any of this with the tripod in the way. I can do an LVDS connector without a microscope but I strongly prefer not to because success rate isn't high, and the tripod/camera definitely cannot be in the way. I can do it with a microscope, but then with the microscope + my hands you wouldn't see shit. There are microscopes that allow you to record what is in them but they're three times what mine cost. If someone got me an SE401Z-5M I'd happily record the work on all of them and explain..
hello, great video! I have a late 2011 13" MBP liquid damage killed the back-light. like others the machine still functions 100% except for the back-light... What will I need for check and what parts do I need for that model? I want to attempt to fix it myself. thanks.
Hi, I have a unibody mac is led screen, the screen will change but still no light, is a 2009 white macbook, can you tell me where the lighting chip, if that's the solution.thank you!
Louis .. What temperatures for both the soldering gun and heat gun do you recommend ( for those of us who have digital gear ) .. and you mention that the Kester Solder is leaded .. is it the 67/37 Tin/Lead alloy? Thanks for the videos you posted .. I did plenty of soldering .. but never motherboards ..
I used an external monitor it shows video on that monitor. Do you think its still going to be the same problem? I checked the price on the 820-2915 board and its not cheap. Any recommendations on where to buy it? Thanks a lot!!
HI, I have MacBook Pro 13-inch, Mid 2010 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, works electrically, no video no sound boing no command keyboard for reset smc pram, dvd stuck inside the touch key ject does not come out????? idea?? efi bios may be corrupt?
Once again great video. Thank you for that. How did you identify the type of chip (LP8543SQ)? Did you use online schematics, or could you just read the chip. Also you mentioned QFN soldering is not the 'professional' way. What do the pro's use for these kind of operations? Is that BGA? Thank you!
David Melamed Not at all. For BGA rework, I care about precise temperature. For small QFN packages, 0603, 0402, I couldn't give a shit. I use what works. I know my iron.
Louis, love the commentary, do you take repairs? If so, where do I send it? MacBook Pro 2009. Dim screen (can be seen with led flashlight) works fine with external monitor. I am assuming this is a common fuse issue that provide the correct current to the LED screen. Let me know if you freelance and would like to do this repair.
Thumbs up to you buddy, Love your work... I have a macbook pro 2009 13, that some times the back light does not wake from sleep, will also happen on restart, I have to remove power to get it fixed. not liquid damage...seems like software issue? can you help fix this, please.
Hello Louis, I have 820-2883-A board, it won't power on, could you please tell me what chip controls the power management?? or what do you think might be wrong??? Thank you.
i have a macbook pro 2010 unibody A1278 the lcd port has a burnt spot you know where i can get the part to solder on there? it doesnt show on the lcd cause the back light is messed up
Hi Louis, Thanks for your great video. I got a problem with my Macbook A1342. It turns on but the screen is black. I can see everything on the screen with a flashlight a an angle. I already tried to replace LCD and LVDS cable but nothing changed. Do you have any idea what wrong with it at this point?
It depends on what's broken. If I were there I'd measure around and see, but I am here. :( So not much I can do. Get a schematic and a board view and follow along around U9701.
I fixed mac book pro 2010 one of the chips witch is responsible for back light got eaten buy corrosion... i used wire glue to get connectivity back on track in the future i will need to replace him... thank you for you video it gave me a clue that i can do it with the correct tools..
Louis thank you for the knowledge you shared... kester flux 951 is amazing.. i was able to fix GPU no video on toshiba laptop by applying this flux under GPU and heating video chip using heat gun...
Hey Lou, I replaced cracked screen on Macbook Air 11, backlight was working but screen was cracked. After I replaced the cracked screen the backlight doesn't work - is there newb reason this might have happened - I have a niggling feeling a ribbon cable may have been reversed (was a while a go I did this) Thanks for all your awesome wisdom man.
Lou with the cable plugged in upside down which I am pretty sure I did, and say the cable isn't damaged - would that have blown a fuse? Thanks man - I wish you were here in Oz I would send it to you.
For those who come later - was the backlight cable reversed - once I turned it the other way it worked! Except I munted the screen and cracked it - oh well another on order...
Yeah. They all use different ones. 2008 uses some unbranded shit called APP001, the 2009 uses LP8543SQ, 2010 uses LP8545SQ, the 2011 uses some little BGA motherf#$*r whose name escapes me at the moment. That one's miserable. good luck wiring a component directly to the chip when it burns with a BGA.
Hi Louis, Can you confirm which chip to use on a macbook pro 13" early 2011 (2.3ghz). I've seen people mention both the LP8543SQ and LP8545SQ but I'm not sure which is the right one. The writing on the chip is too small for me to read on the actual chip. Also can you tell me is the fuse the 0402 or 0603 package on that model?
I need the 820 number of the board. 2011 is 820-2936 which uses neither, it uses a LP8550 which is BGA, and a 0603 fuse with a P or an N or some shit on it. I think it's brown. Near the LP8550, which is near the LVDS.
Louis Rossmann Hi Louis, I have a MBP 15" A1286 with a 820-2915-B that I accidentally spilled some water on. The backlight stopped working so I ordered a 0603 fuse and replaced it turned on the MBP but still no backlight and the fuse is also still reading mega ohms. What could be the problem here, WLED or the boost diode, if that's the case how do I check for a faulty WLED driver? This is my logic board: forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=487681&d=1409323714
Louis Rossmann I managed to do the diode test just to check the continuity for each and every pin around the WLED, did like you side, held the red lead(positive) to ground while measuring the pins with the black lead(negative). I provided you with a picture that clearly shows the results, I'm assuming that a beep occurs when the resistance to ground is less than 70ohms. Hope I provided you with the right info. Logic Board Diode Test: imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1136x640q90/661/Qkn7Ge.png
i have a macbook pro unibody 2009 a1278 with no backlight the screen works with an LED flashlight or using an adapter to an external monitor. i bought a little white plastic fuse thing on the internet called fuse 0402 but I'm not sure how to even apply it unsolder the old one. the old one seems to be put on unevenly tho like slanted. i bought my computer used and after having it for two days the backlight stopped working I'm wondering what might've happened and how i can fix it. also if this fuse would work.
Hello. 0402 is the correct size for a 2009 a1278, I imagine your board model is 820-2530. You would need to knock the old fuse off and put a new one on. Do you have a soldering iron? Hot air station? You can get away without the hot air station. I'll make a video on this, if you can tell me what you're working with.
No clue what that board is, do you mean 820-2523? You can find the boardview online, it will show you. Probably under the speaker on the bottom, mid way through, brown with a white do ton it near a six legged FET.
Louis Rossmann I would like you to know that your video is excellent! And THANK you for taking your time to explain that information to us. As a matter of fact, it was because of this particular video of yours that I made up my mind and bought a resolder-hot-air station (not as good as yours but it will surely help me on my work) Thank you!
Hi Louis!! thank you very much for all your videos!! can you tell me where can I buy the backlight Chip and the backlight fuse for a macbook air A 1369 EMC 2392, thank you very much for your help!!
fuse, mouser or digikey. chip, honestly, no clue. I buy the LP8543SQ and LP8545SQ from digikey or mouser, but the air backlight chips, I have so many dead air boards with good backlight chips I've never had to buy one.
Hey Lou, I have macbook pro late 2013 A1502 model. Brightness does not adjust and I can barely see the screen with the flashlight. You think its the QFN components or the screen back-light? Thanks!
dakorzo Check pin 1 of LCD connector. What voltage do you get? Then with no power applied to the computer measure resistance between pin 1 of LCD connector and ground.
Louis Rossmann The pin 1 is located from which side of the LCD connector? I measured the voltage on both left and right sides pin 1, the one has 5.12V and the other 1.25V.
hi Louis, i have a problem with the LCD connector that is on the motherboard on my 2011 macbook pro 13 i5. the cable that comes from LCD and connects to the motherboard, that connector is bad on the motherboard, is there any way to fix that or no???? please let me know, thanks
If you want us to do it and there's nothing wrong outside of backlight you can use the bklen coupon on our website for 40% off the standard $325 price for board repair, or if you can wait 1 to 2 days for the video, you can watch me do it and follow along yourself for free.
usually, No video & no light = bad LVDS No video on external and light & light = bad GPU No video on screen, video on external screen, and light = bad screen No light & video on external & internal screen = bad motherboard(99%), bad screen(1%). Try a new screen.
hello there, first of all I apologize for my bad English. I'm from Venezuela and own a Macbook pro mid2009 (core 2 duo 2.53GHz. S/N: W89363SH66E) that spilled a cup of tea. I can turn it on and works from an external monitor, in fact, the backlit keyboard works perfect. When you turn on the macbook pro everything works perfectly but the screen remains black and the rear apple logo doesn't light on. I wonder if replacing the component mentioned in the video is sufficient to operate my laptop or you recommend changing the component mentioned in the video and also the component with a point on top? I would also like to know if you sell these components to my macbook pro so I can buy them. thank you very much! greetings from Venezuela
Louis Rossmann the LVDS connector are great, no sulfated or smoked, bkl_en resistors one looks like smoked, the LP8543SQ looks undesoldered on a side. The screen and cable looks good, but how I can test if it works with out being connected to the macbook pro?? Also, you sell the bkl_en resistor and the LP8543SQ? thanks again!
Louis Rossmann looking the mother board more closer y need to change: 1. LP8543SQ 2. Fuse Replacement 2.00A 32v 0402 (fuse with the white dot) 3. Bkl_en resistor Do you sell this parts?, I can pay with PayPal, because I'm Venezuela and here we don't have this replacements :(
Louis Rossmann Hi my Friend!, I tested lighting up the screen with a flashlight from the back of the display (in the apple logo) and gives image, in fact, the machine runs and starts perfectly, so the screen works, the only thing that doesn't work is the backlight. The Macbook Pro with an external monitor works, so my only problem is the backlight doesn't work. however, I could see that the resistor Bkl_en and the LP8543SQ are a little bit unsoldered. Also I read in various forums that the A1278 model 2009 has a problem with the 32v 2.00A Fuse 0402 (fuse with white dot) that is not allowing the backlight to function as it should. This is the status of the macbook pro hehe
Sorry, just clicked the link to your shop and saw $325 ...too steep for my blood when I can buy another entire same model for around that price...and apple will replace the entire board for less than the repair cost. Good video though.
Thank you to everyone who made a purchase on eBay via our affiliate link at rossmanngroup.com/ebay for helping support this type of content. Your viewership is appreciated and as always, I hope you learned something!
I remember being in IRC for a five hour discussion where people were so adamantly sure about how to fix a persistent no backlight issue on someone's Macbook Air.
The problem? The F1 key was stuck down from liquid... so it was lowering the brightness automatically. Watched five hours of people telling him what to replace, what to solder, when it was a freaking key.
Saying someone's 100% wrong on a laptop you've never seen is asinine... thanks for the thumb btw.
Your method totally works. I am trying to keep it to a process someone who has never done this can do. You do not need to solder each individual pad either, as I mentioned in the beginning of the video, you can simply use flux and roll the solder ball around the chip, but half the people I show this to wind up making a total clusterf&#k of the board, ripping off pads, getting solder blobs in bad places doing this, so I used a generic method that is unf#&kupable for newbies to QFN.
This is what has given me the confidence to swap the DC In port on my old A1278. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thank you for continuing with your videos.
I love this guy… he talks like I do. This is where I'm sending my A1342.
Homeboy you did it the long way around. I have changed 1000s of those things and the easiest way & quickest way is have the second chip ready sitting in some paste flux. when you have the pads ready to pull one chip off place the second chip right back on with flux already applied and keep the hot air on it. It will then float right back into place making hand soldering unnecessary or at least keeping it to a minimum.
...to clarify, I do extensive experimentation with my tools on junk equipment anytime I change over to a new tool. Same for when I get a new set of tips, so I know what I can & can't do. Knowing your tool like the back of your hand is important if you're going to be in the business of running wires across boards where the solder pads are just barely hanging on. Going over from the 851 to the 801 took me about two weeks before I started actually using it.
Have you tried solder paste Louis Rossmann ? The easiest way to solder QFN's is definitely using leaded solder paste, even if there is no space for a solder stencil. After removing the old chip use flux and braid to take off the old solder and leave bare solder pads. Run a thin paste solder trace across each set of pads and 4 small blobs on the center. Place the chip on top and just heat up, done. Chip is only hot for a fraction of the time compared to using the method on this video.
Surface tension is not working for you now because you are starting with solid solder, with paste solder even before it actually looks metallic the chip is already perfectly aligned, perfectly squared 100% of times. A lot easier in my opinion.
And thanks for the videos, learned a lot from them!
LP8543 and LP8545, digikey. I stock up when they have them. Whatever one was on this A1342 board, I don't even remember the model, I just stole it form a totally dead board, because I have so many lying around & didn't feel like waiting.
So you would reball the chipset before even checking the ISL6263 that powers it for corrosion, before making sure that it's not a software problem, before making sure the fan is running and not clogged since it's 4 years old, all based on a non-visual-over-the-internet diagnosis. That's a great way to drive yourself nuts.
i was struggling with a qfn motor driver and watched a lot of the demo qfn solder videos but yours was the one that nailed it as my ic was present on a populated board. My earlier attemps had burned one board and second attempt ended up in dry joints.. After seeing your video bingo got it right on the third attempt.. thanks
In terms of professional, I mean professional way to solder QFN. The professional way is to desolder the old chip, have a new one sitting in some flux paste, and to just drop it on there. I purposely did this the long way around because everytime I show a newbie how to do it that way they wind up knocking every f(#ng resistor off the board around the chip, or they screw something up. This is more newbie friendly, and since I figured newbies would be watching, the best way to do it.
Hi Louis, I reckon an updated version of this video listed under "Basic soldering techniques" would be beneficial to beginners. Your technique now has changed a bit. I am going to watch every video re: Apple repairs over the next few months as I am hold up in bed from shoulder surgery and nothing is more important than your videos :)
It oftentime says so right on the chip, or in the board schematic. If you have an 820-2530 motherboard, you look in the 820-2530 schematic, and you find the chip model number. Schematics are available online for as low as $0-$20.
Yes!!!
Trying to do "real" work, that requires use of the brain, with the phone ringing, people walking in, employees asking silly questions, is worse than someone putting a lighter to my chin. It is just not possible. I save all this for after closing, it is best for my sanity. :)
Hakko irons are expensive but you get a really good product with a lot of tips. I use an FR-801 with a proper tip, which I credit over my unsteady hand as the reason for my success.
yes, it did have liquid damage. pulled it apart cleaned the board with 91% alcohol and replaced keyboard. It was powered on with no problems, starts fine with all the sounds. It does have image on the screen and has output to external screen but has no back-light and does not charge (Isl chip suspect) battery. Tested back-light fuse it was blown so it was replaced . Problem i observed the fuse keeps blowing, the lvcd connector on the motherboard needs to be replaced and the Wled Driver.
Not only did I learn more than in any college class, I actually enjoyed it a lot! Thanks Louis!
You can use a thin soldering lead i beleive this is available in any electronics store. We use this when installing TSSOP (Thin Shrink Small Outline Package). You can also buy a heat blanket that plumber use to protect any components that are not involved....I enjoy watching your video...
Hi,
No, the mid 2009 uses an LP8543SQ. This is a white Unibody which uses something totally different from all the others.
hi i recommend to use low melt point solder as it need only 160degree C
is much easy t work with
It's never the LVDS cable unless the cable is visibly burned, and if the cable got to that point, the fuse is probably fried too.
Check the fuse with a multimeter, is it blown?
Hi. I've successfully replaced a L8543SQ after following this excellent tutorial. Thanks for sharing your video.
I'm very glad this worked out for you sir!
Ouch... wow. Liquid damage, battery not charging, LVDS broken, and WLED driver blowing the fuse is a lot of separate problems. I feel like troubleshooting those in 500 character comments is going to be like keeping a golf ball underwater with one finger(how Jim Williams described using the EQ on a Trident 80b). If your battery had any green crap by it, definitely keep that unplugged.
I am assuming a motherboard model 820-2327. Any fuse that is
0402 package size
24-36 volt rating
1-2 amp rating
Will work just fine.
I always lean on the low side. I'd rather the fuse blow BEFORE the LVDS connector melts to pieces.
Are you asking me or telling me?
Most of the time, it's just the fuse. It doesn't blow out of nowhere 99% of the time though. Did you spill something on it? Open it up and check it out.
OMG OLD VIDEO LOUIS IS SOOO CUTE
I have no f'n idea. :)
I use a Hakko FR-801 rework station for 0402, 0603, and QFN packages, and a Hakko 936 for standard soldering. Neither have a digital temperature sensor. I know them well enough that I set the knob to where I need it to be to do the work I need to do, but I have no idea what temperatures I am working at.
With QFN, I don't need the level of precise temperature accuracy I do with BGA soldering. No yellowing/warping of the boards so far, knock on wood.
Baby steps. If I had a penny for everytime a trainee who did the dip the chip in flux thing boiled it or fvcked it up or fvcked it up or fvcked up a surrounding component I'd be doing this video on something but a junk JVC Everio $300 camcorder. This is indeed the "long way around", but dealing with trainees(who are probably the people googling how to do this for the first tiem & watching this video), in my experience they are least likely to end their board's life in tragedy this way.
Hakko FR-801 & Hakko 936. Junk the radioshack and aoyue stuff and watch your quality of life go up, up, up!
What would yall charge to fix my a1342 no backlight issue? Ballpark... Screen can be seen with a flashlight, and can send video to external monitor. After all my research i've concluded that the problem is either the led driver as shown in this video or the backlight fuse (I could definitely be wrong though)...both of which are beyond my DIY skills.
buy an 820-2915 board and the compatible battery, it will be an upgrade from the 2850. You can fix the 2850 but it'll just die again
Excellent video, I think One of the best top, but I have a specia problem, I have a mac which is loosing video, and this is sometimes, is a MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009) with an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory. The exact problem is suddenly is loosing video like on sleep mode, but not after a time the video is came up. What would be the problem ??
Great job. I have a few questions about the equipment that you are using. First, what are you using to heat the board? I have never seen something other than a solider machine that can melt the solider. Second, what type of Solider gun are you using, the only ones that are available for me are the larger tipped guns. Lastly, I noticed that when you were actually soldering the joints, you didn't have solider all around the joints. Is this because of the Flux that you were applying to the joints before soldering? Because the solider that I use has the flux core and I haven't ever seen a flux pen. As you can tell this was an entirely different process than Im used to. If you would be nice enough to provide me with the information of the equipment that you are using and maybe where I could buy them I would be very grateful. Thank you for posting this video. It really did enlighten me on a new level.
Hi. What led up to this happening? Liquid, drop, or just out of the blue? Give me an idea so we can go about troubleshooting. You are welcome to Google my name to find our repair company, but I'd rather do some of this troubleshooting in public as it my help others who desperately grasping at straws for help & information.
I need to replace the LVDS connector on my macbook pro logic board. Someone removed it already for me, but they couldn't get the new one on... I wish I had one of those hot air stations, but I'd hate to buy one just for this repair. I can't seem to find people in Nashville with this kind of ability.
I know your post is 3 months old so you may have had the LVDS connector replaced. There is a guy in Murfreesboro who could most likely do the work for you. His name is Jamey Dunham @ Repair Proz. He fixed a Macbook pro for me. Where did you get the new connector?
To.my.mistake this board is a1278 mbp , but look relatively similar. I think ive actually located one of those series of.number described..its a farely small chip
hi I have a macbook a1278 late 2008 model. Everything Works except the backlight. I changed the lcd and it did not help. I have tested the fuse and it is blown. My question is where can i find the same fuse? The fuse model is F9800. I got the number of the fuse from the schematic of the logic board.
I have a 15" macbook pro 2010. It shows some light when it booths but no video. What do you think is the problem?
It could be the fuse, it could be this QFN, it could be the cable is burned, the backlight in the screen is bad.. many things are possible.
Wow! 11 points out of 10! :) Excellent 3am job & golden hands. Congrats!
Luis my man i followed this tut from mac rumors ...
you fucking killed me at the beginning i though i was the only one that soldered at 3 in morning its the only time you get peace. ....never a truer word spoken.
Your a fricking G...
i have done about 20 qfns and solder just like you ... but your 100000% better and steadier hence why my boards end up in the oven!
lol
still ii think i might change aoyue tip to something shorter!
This one I stole off a board that was sodomized past the point of ever working again, but it did have a good backlight IC.
For others, try digikey or mouser, you can find this crap there sometimes. LP8543SQ, LP8545SQ. I don't know which one is for the white unibody here since I never have to order it. It is rare that people bring these to fix the board, so I don't special order the chip, I take it off a dead board.
Where do u order the new chips? I jave same.board..no.liquid spill it just has no power wouldnt mind attemoting to fix..
Hi, I have a Macbook unibody A1278. I had some problems with my LCD (was going blure), I took it apart and tried to plug all the cords properly, but after I put evetything together I lost my backlight... Any ideas how to fix this issue?
Have you ever replaced the LVDS Cable Connector with this method?
Replacing the LVDS connector is about using a fuckton of heat to get the old one off, cleaning the board, then soldering the new one on with a standard iron. using hot air to solder it on will burn the plastic inside it to shit. You remove the old one, then solder the new one back in with a very small soldering iron tip. The conical tips are good for this. Fuck the ones that are round all around, I can never get good work done with them. something with a flat end that allows you to touch the board, the pin, and all is great.
I would do a video of it, but I can't. These repairs suck enough having to do them from 2 feet away because the camera is in my way, but I cannot do an LVDS connector with a tripod in my face. It just requires too much precision. Watching this video, and seeing how long it takes me to do basic shit because the tripod is keeping me 2 feet away from the work already makes my stomach turn. I would be unable to do any of this with the tripod in the way.
I can do an LVDS connector without a microscope but I strongly prefer not to because success rate isn't high, and the tripod/camera definitely cannot be in the way. I can do it with a microscope, but then with the microscope + my hands you wouldn't see shit.
There are microscopes that allow you to record what is in them but they're three times what mine cost. If someone got me an SE401Z-5M I'd happily record the work on all of them and explain..
hello, great video!
I have a late 2011 13" MBP liquid damage killed the back-light.
like others the machine still functions 100% except for the back-light...
What will I need for check and what parts do I need for that model?
I want to attempt to fix it myself.
thanks.
Piece of history!
what temp did u put the heat gun in the beginning
Hi, I have a unibody mac is led screen, the screen will change but still no light, is a 2009 white macbook, can you tell me where the lighting chip, if that's the solution.thank you!
Louis .. What temperatures for both the soldering gun and heat gun do you recommend ( for those of us who have digital gear ) .. and you mention that the Kester Solder is leaded .. is it the 67/37 Tin/Lead alloy? Thanks for the videos you posted .. I did plenty of soldering .. but never motherboards ..
No clue on both, all analog, I just turn the knob to where it works.
How's your fuse looking
Is it the same chip for an mid 2009 15" MacBook Pro?
Is your backlight fuse blown?
Thanks for this. What's your rework station set to for preheat vs. actual removal? Did you look at the datasheet for the temperature to set to?
I used an external monitor it shows video on that monitor. Do you think its still going to be the same problem? I checked the price on the 820-2915 board and its not cheap. Any recommendations on where to buy it? Thanks a lot!!
I wish I had your psychic powers. :-)
HI, I have MacBook Pro 13-inch, Mid 2010 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, works electrically, no video no sound boing no command keyboard for reset smc pram, dvd stuck inside the touch key ject does not come out????? idea?? efi bios may be corrupt?
Once again great video. Thank you for that. How did you identify the type of chip (LP8543SQ)? Did you use online schematics, or could you just read the chip.
Also you mentioned QFN soldering is not the 'professional' way. What do the pro's use for these kind of operations? Is that BGA? Thank you!
Is not easier to use the flux ?
hi, were you able to add that video about the LCD connector repair???
no, still behind a ton of crap I have to do before adding more videos
Ok got you, let me know when you get it done, thanks
Hi, so my screen on the A1342 is working, but the backlight does not. So it should be this QFN, right?
What do you recommend? Thanks for your help..
Ok
What temperature do you have to warm it up and what temp are you using to replace the chip ? Thanks
I use 7 on my Hakko FR-801 for both.
ah, so it does not have an actual temperature like 450 degrees then?
David Melamed Not at all.
For BGA rework, I care about precise temperature.
For small QFN packages, 0603, 0402, I couldn't give a shit. I use what works. I know my iron.
Louis, love the commentary, do you take repairs? If so, where do I send it? MacBook Pro 2009. Dim screen (can be seen with led flashlight) works fine with external monitor. I am assuming this is a common fuse issue that provide the correct current to the LED screen. Let me know if you freelance and would like to do this repair.
Haha I watched the whole video. Dude you're professional. I subbed. BTW is that led macbook pro you worked on?
Hi, can you point me to where I can purchase the replacement chip and fuse?
Thanks !
That could be anything. Without history or context of the cause of the problem... I have no idea.
Thumbs up to you buddy, Love your work... I have a macbook pro 2009 13, that some times the back light does not wake from sleep, will also happen on restart, I have to remove power to get it fixed. not liquid damage...seems like software issue? can you help fix this, please.
Sure, send it in for a free estimate.
sorry, going to do it myself, I just got another like it and looks like the reed switch, funny...disconnected the wire, and works good...
Awesome.
Hello Louis,
I have 820-2883-A board, it won't power on, could you please tell me what chip controls the power management?? or what do you think might be wrong???
Thank you.
What are you using to heart the chip? Is that a great fun of some kind?
Hakko FR-801
i have a macbook pro 2010 unibody A1278 the lcd port has a burnt spot you know where i can get the part to solder on there? it doesnt show on the lcd cause the back light is messed up
I feel sick to my stomach saying this, but if you need just one, go to eBay. You can buy them fairly cheaply now.
Where did you buy the new chip?
But its quite unlikely the fuse is burned while the backlight QFN is fine?
Hello Louis,
Will this work on Macbook Pro. A1278 and do you have any tips to repair this?
Hi Louis,
Thanks for your great video. I got a problem with my Macbook A1342. It turns on but the screen is black. I can see everything on the screen with a flashlight a an angle. I already tried to replace LCD and LVDS cable but nothing changed. Do you have any idea what wrong with it at this point?
Something in the backlight circuit.
Thanks. Do you recommend/know what shoud be replaced/repaired? It's late 2009 Macbook A1342
It depends on what's broken. If I were there I'd measure around and see, but I am here. :( So not much I can do. Get a schematic and a board view and follow along around U9701.
That could literally be anything.
Hey Louis, perfect tutorial..witch soldering Iron you using in this video?
Hakko FR-801 & Hakko 936. My favorites!
I'm a hakko person.
thank you...
I fixed mac book pro 2010 one of the chips witch is responsible for back light got eaten buy corrosion... i used wire glue to get connectivity back on track in the future i will need to replace him... thank you for you video it gave me a clue that i can do it with the correct tools..
Louis thank you for the knowledge you shared... kester flux 951 is amazing.. i was able to fix GPU no video on toshiba laptop by applying this flux under GPU and heating video chip using heat gun...
Thanks for your kind comments. Kester 951 is good stuff. Just be careful, that is the toxic version...
Hey Lou, I replaced cracked screen on Macbook Air 11, backlight was working but screen was cracked.
After I replaced the cracked screen the backlight doesn't work - is there newb reason this might have happened - I have a niggling feeling a ribbon cable may have been reversed (was a while a go I did this)
Thanks for all your awesome wisdom man.
Matthew Thompson Probably ripped backlight cable, plugged in upside down backlight cable, or blown backlight fuse.
Lou with the cable plugged in upside down which I am pretty sure I did, and say the cable isn't damaged - would that have blown a fuse? Thanks man - I wish you were here in Oz I would send it to you.
No clue :-(
For those who come later - was the backlight cable reversed - once I turned it the other way it worked! Except I munted the screen and cracked it - oh well another on order...
Yikes.
Thanks for coming back to clarify at least!!
Where are the fuses on the board. I want to test them first. Thanks in advance.
The location is different with every board.
Yes, it was a blown fuse. Thank's ;)
Hi Louis , i have A1286 EMC 2353 macbook with same issue (no backlight) do you know if fuse problem?
I have no idea if it is the fuse. I can't measure it - keep in mind it's in front of you, not me. :)
I'll check. Thanks for the quick reply. I'm an old fart that wrote in basic on a trs-80.
Eleven??? lol sorry had to do it i love your videos.
Yeah. They all use different ones. 2008 uses some unbranded shit called APP001, the 2009 uses LP8543SQ, 2010 uses LP8545SQ, the 2011 uses some little BGA motherf#$*r whose name escapes me at the moment. That one's miserable. good luck wiring a component directly to the chip when it burns with a BGA.
Hi Louis,
Can you confirm which chip to use on a macbook pro 13" early 2011 (2.3ghz). I've seen people mention both the LP8543SQ and LP8545SQ but I'm not sure which is the right one. The writing on the chip is too small for me to read on the actual chip.
Also can you tell me is the fuse the 0402 or 0603 package on that model?
I need the 820 number of the board. 2011 is 820-2936 which uses neither, it uses a LP8550 which is BGA, and a 0603 fuse with a P or an N or some shit on it. I think it's brown. Near the LP8550, which is near the LVDS.
Louis Rossmann Hi Louis, I have a MBP 15" A1286 with a 820-2915-B that I accidentally spilled some water on. The backlight stopped working so I ordered a 0603 fuse and replaced it turned on the MBP but still no backlight and the fuse is also still reading mega ohms. What could be the problem here, WLED or the boost diode, if that's the case how do I check for a faulty WLED driver?
This is my logic board: forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=487681&d=1409323714
Measure between backlight output and ground with positive on ground, in diode mode. Post results.
Louis Rossmann I managed to do the diode test just to check the continuity for each and every pin around the WLED, did like you side, held the red lead(positive) to ground while measuring the pins with the black lead(negative). I provided you with a picture that clearly shows the results, I'm assuming that a beep occurs when the resistance to ground is less than 70ohms. Hope I provided you with the right info.
Logic Board Diode Test:
imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1136x640q90/661/Qkn7Ge.png
Louis Rossmann Anything?
i have a macbook pro unibody 2009 a1278 with no backlight the screen works with an LED flashlight or using an adapter to an external monitor. i bought a little white plastic fuse thing on the internet called fuse 0402 but I'm not sure how to even apply it unsolder the old one. the old one seems to be put on unevenly tho like slanted. i bought my computer used and after having it for two days the backlight stopped working I'm wondering what might've happened and how i can fix it. also if this fuse would work.
btw i already replaced the LCD
Hello. 0402 is the correct size for a 2009 a1278, I imagine your board model is 820-2530.
You would need to knock the old fuse off and put a new one on. Do you have a soldering iron? Hot air station? You can get away without the hot air station. I'll make a video on this, if you can tell me what you're working with.
ops , where is the fuse in A1286 EMC 2353??
No clue what that board is, do you mean 820-2523? You can find the boardview online, it will show you. Probably under the speaker on the bottom, mid way through, brown with a white do ton it near a six legged FET.
Louis Rossmann The mainboard is 820-2850 -A
Ok
hi, how namy degree celsius or fahrenheit do you set your hot air ? i use 450 with leadfree and 340 leaded.
6 or 7 on my hakko fr-801
Louis Rossmann
I would like you to know that your video is excellent! And THANK you for taking your time to explain that information to us.
As a matter of fact, it was because of this particular video of yours that I made up my mind and bought a resolder-hot-air station (not as good as yours but it will surely help me on my work)
Thank you!
I'm glad this inspired you to take your work to the next level. I hope you kick ass.
Louis Rossmann
You welcome. Thank you
Hi Louis!! thank you very much for all your videos!! can you tell me where can I buy the backlight Chip and the backlight fuse for a macbook air A 1369 EMC 2392, thank you very much for your help!!
fuse, mouser or digikey. chip, honestly, no clue. I buy the LP8543SQ and LP8545SQ from digikey or mouser, but the air backlight chips, I have so many dead air boards with good backlight chips I've never had to buy one.
Hey Lou, I have macbook pro late 2013 A1502 model. Brightness does not adjust and I can barely see the screen with the flashlight. You think its the QFN components or the screen back-light? Thanks!
dakorzo Check pin 1 of LCD connector. What voltage do you get? Then with no power applied to the computer measure resistance between pin 1 of LCD connector and ground.
Louis Rossmann The pin 1 is located from which side of the LCD connector? I measured the voltage on both left and right sides pin 1, the one has 5.12V and the other 1.25V.
Find a schematic and boardview online so we can properly troubleshoot
Louis Rossmann How much will you charge to fix this issue? Thanks.
$325 + tax for regular, $425 + tax for retinas. There are cheaper people outside of NY.
I have a 15"
dat mullet tho
hi Louis,
i have a problem with the LCD connector that is on the motherboard on my 2011 macbook pro 13 i5.
the cable that comes from LCD and connects to the motherboard, that connector is bad on the motherboard, is there any way to fix that or no????
please let me know, thanks
Watch in the next 2 days for a video being uploaded on replacing the connector.
Ok thanks, and can you repair this connector for me? Do you know how much will it be?
If you want us to do it and there's nothing wrong outside of backlight you can use the bklen coupon on our website for 40% off the standard $325 price for board repair, or if you can wait 1 to 2 days for the video, you can watch me do it and follow along yourself for free.
Could you please tell me what kind of a tool are you using that blows hot air and melts the joints on the connectors to remove the connector Thanks
I use a Hakko FR-801 to remove the old LVDS and a Weler WMP65 iron to install the new one.
usually,
No video & no light = bad LVDS
No video on external and light & light = bad GPU
No video on screen, video on external screen, and light = bad screen
No light & video on external & internal screen = bad motherboard(99%), bad screen(1%).
Try a new screen.
hello there, first of all I apologize for my bad English.
I'm from Venezuela and own a Macbook pro mid2009 (core 2 duo 2.53GHz. S/N: W89363SH66E) that spilled a cup of tea. I can turn it on and works from an external monitor, in fact, the backlit keyboard works perfect. When you turn on the macbook pro everything works perfectly but the screen remains black and the rear apple logo doesn't light on. I wonder if replacing the component mentioned in the video is sufficient to operate my laptop or you recommend changing the component mentioned in the video and also the component with a point on top? I would also like to know if you sell these components to my macbook pro so I can buy them. thank you very much! greetings from Venezuela
I honestly have no idea if that is it. It could be bad LVDS connector, bad bkl_en resistors, bad LP8543SQ, bad screen, bad cable.
Louis Rossmann the LVDS connector are great, no sulfated or smoked, bkl_en resistors one looks like smoked, the LP8543SQ looks undesoldered on a side. The screen and cable looks good, but how I can test if it works with out being connected to the macbook pro?? Also, you sell the bkl_en resistor and the LP8543SQ? thanks again!
Louis Rossmann looking the mother board more closer y need to change:
1. LP8543SQ
2. Fuse Replacement 2.00A 32v 0402 (fuse with the white dot)
3. Bkl_en resistor
Do you sell this parts?, I can pay with PayPal, because I'm Venezuela and here we don't have this replacements :(
if you haven't measured and don't know what is wrong, buying stuff will do you no good. Do you know what is causing your no backlight issue?
Louis Rossmann Hi my Friend!, I tested lighting up the screen with a flashlight from the back of the display (in the apple logo) and gives image, in fact, the machine runs and starts perfectly, so the screen works, the only thing that doesn't work is the backlight. The Macbook Pro with an external monitor works, so my only problem is the backlight doesn't work. however, I could see that the resistor Bkl_en and the LP8543SQ are a little bit unsoldered. Also I read in various forums that the A1278 model 2009 has a problem with the 32v 2.00A Fuse 0402 (fuse with white dot) that is not allowing the backlight to function as it should. This is the status of the macbook pro hehe
Sorry, just clicked the link to your shop and saw $325 ...too steep for my blood when I can buy another entire same model for around that price...and apple will replace the entire board for less than the repair cost. Good video though.
remeber this ? :=)
💚
"1 paul of flux"