How unauthorized idiots repair Apple laptops

At random and common sense

Apple does not encourage repairs to unauthorized workshops with third-party experts. In the event of the slightest malfunction, the equipment should be carried to an Apple service center. To make it difficult to repair, the company uses non-standard accessories, unique screws and screwdrivers, glues the battery to the case, etc. Apple makes a lot of money selling AppleCare + services, while maintaining a closed ecosystem for the repair and maintenance of laptops, smartphones and tablets. Replacing cracked glass costs $ 149 , the battery in the phone is $ 79 , in the laptop from $ 129 to $ 199, and so on.

In such circumstances, some citizens who do not understand the Apple technology, do not have the necessary documentation, still trying to repair. And even offer services for a fee. One of these craftsmen named Louis Rossmann (Louis Rossmann) from the company Rossmann Repair Group recorded a video entitled " How unauthorized idiots repair Apple laptops ." This is quite self-critical of him.

Louis shows a situation where the keyboard and trackpad do not work in the MacBook Air. What to do? We open the lid and think with our head: the keyboard is connected to the trackpad, and the keyboard is connected to the motherboard via a cable. If both the keyboard and trackpad do not work, then both devices are unlikely to break at the same time. Rather, other options are suitable: either the trackpad is buggy, or the cable, or the motherboard.

In such a situation, Louis takes another obviously working trackpad with a keyboard, inserts the old one in place - and measures the voltage on all the trackpad contacts.



The values ​​he writes to the table in OpenOffice are the values ​​that are produced by knowingly serviceable components.

Then we compare them with the values ​​generated by the buggy trackpad and keyboard.



We notice that the PP3V3 contact shows a non-standard 1.9 volts. According to the scheme, we track where this contact is going. We find that it comes from the resistor R4830.



By the method of poking and common sense, we found out that the trackpad and keyboard do not work due to a faulty R4830 resistor.

Now on the circuit of the motherboard we enter the name of the resistor R4830.



And determine its location on the board.



Louis finds R4830 on the motherboard and measures its resistance, it is marked on the circuit as a resistor with zero resistance of 0 Ω. And on the multimeter we see ... 37 kOhm (multimeter in the lower right corner). Something is wrong.



Because of one burned-out resistor, the keyboard and the trackpad do not work. It is necessary to replace it: the solder is melted with a blowtorch.





In place of the old lintel put a new one.



And here already honest 0 Ohm. The laptop is repaired and works fine.



Luis says that a lot of comments are published on his videos, including critics, saying that the guy doesn’t understand what he is doing at all. You can not argue. But such a repair at an Apple service center requires a motherboard replacement and costs $ 750. Seven hundred. Fifty. Dollars. Just one burned-out resistor - and they just throw out the old board. Yes, and you get a laptop only in a week.

And who's the idiot here? “Fucking stupid business, man,” Luis Rossmann finishes his video.