MB 1,1-7,1 A1181...no start!

[Michael Maddan]

Just bought another ( ! ) MacBook on Ebay. Great price / nice condition. Meant for parts...

It's in really nice shape / fan works / pretty clean inside, and ( all of a sudden...) I would like to get it working. The fan comes on, but there's no chime. I'm using RAM from another, known-good A1181. I'm assuming that many folks have worked on these, and that a no-start should be relatively easy to diagnose...am I right??

Thanks, everyone!

 

[Michael Maddan]

UPDATE!
Seems the A1181 has a bad RAM slot. I asked Google for suggestions, and tried the one mentioning the possibility of a bad connection. Turns out there is: one card at a time, I went to both slots; one did nothing / the other brought the Old Apple to Life. In my machine, the good slot was nearest the HDD.

This is a MacBook1,1. There's an Intel Core Duo, running at 2Ghz. The fan was a little dirty, but not bad. I may re-paste, as it sure looks very easy on this machine.

Oh: it's running OS 10.4. I wanted to use my OS 10.5 Install DVD ( Authentic ), but it would not show up on the screen. DVD is running, but not getting through...AND: it was a little reluctant to eject, and I was Lucky @ holding the mouse button during startup...nothing else worked, and I was close to removing the drive. It's an easy job to extract a stuck DVD, but rather depressing to have to do it.

So: a little Good Luck, this time!

 

[rampancy]

UPDATE!
Seems the A1181 has a bad RAM slot. I asked Google for suggestions, and tried the one mentioning the possibility of a bad connection. Turns out there is: one card at a time, I went to both slots; one did nothing / the other brought the Old Apple to Life. In my machine, the good slot was nearest the HDD.

This is a MacBook1,1. There's an Intel Core Duo, running at 2Ghz. The fan was a little dirty, but not bad. I may re-paste, as it sure looks very easy on this machine.

Oh: it's running OS 10.4. I wanted to use my OS 10.5 Install DVD ( Authentic ), but it would not show up on the screen. DVD is running, but not getting through...AND: it was a little reluctant to eject, and I was Lucky @ holding the mouse button during startup...nothing else worked, and I was close to removing the drive. It's an easy job to extract a stuck DVD, but rather depressing to have to do it.

So: a little Good Luck, this time!

With respect to the A1181 not booting up with a chime, it seems like you've already answered your own question. With the Core Duo A1181s AFAIK/IIRC I don't think they support 2 GB DIMMs, which means that you're limited to 1 GB in the MacBook with only one functioning slot. (It has been a while since I've dealt with a Core Duo MacBook that had a single functional RAM slot, though.) You can mitigate the loss in performance from a lower RAM ceiling with replacing the hard drive with an SSD.

Repasting is almost trivial since accessing the heatsink is incredibly easy compared to its successor, the A1342, or its upspec'd brethern, the A1150/A1151. My own tip is to just remove the entire heatsink and fan assembly as opposed to trying to remove just the heatsink, as iFixit would advise you to do.

I honestly also recommend just ignoring the internal slot loading drive. Even if the drive itself was working fine, a common issue with the A1181 is that pressure applied to the right-hand side of the Mac (usually from regular wear and tear) leads to the part of the chassis forming the top of the slot for the optical drive actually bending down into the slot (since it's made of magnesium, which is a lot more malleable than aluminum). This results in optical disks getting stuck in the drive. A repair is possible (basically taking out the bracket and gently bending it back into shape), but it can be a bit of annoyance to carry out. Unless you're a purist like me, it's just easier to get an external DVD drive.

And finally, while Snow Leopard works okay with 1 GB of RAM, for a better overall software experience you may want to install something like MX Linux which still has 32-bit compatibility.

 

[Michael Maddan]

With respect to the A1181 not booting up with a chime, it seems like you've already answered your own question. With the Core Duo A1181s AFAIK/IIRC I don't think they support 2 GB DIMMs, which means that you're limited to 1 GB in the MacBook with only one functioning slot. (It has been a while since I've dealt with a Core Duo MacBook that had a single functional RAM slot, though.) You can mitigate the loss in performance from a lower RAM ceiling with replacing the hard drive with an SSD.

Repasting is almost trivial since accessing the heatsink is incredibly easy compared to its successor, the A1342, or its upspec'd brethern, the A1150/A1151. My own tip is to just remove the entire heatsink and fan assembly as opposed to trying to remove just the heatsink, as iFixit would advise you to do.

I honestly also recommend just ignoring the internal slot loading drive. Even if the drive itself was working fine, a common issue with the A1181 is that pressure applied to the right-hand side of the Mac (usually from regular wear and tear) leads to the part of the chassis forming the top of the slot for the optical drive actually bending down into the slot (since it's made of magnesium, which is a lot more malleable than aluminum). This results in optical disks getting stuck in the drive. A repair is possible (basically taking out the bracket and gently bending it back into shape), but it can be a bit of annoyance to carry out. Unless you're a purist like me, it's just easier to get an external DVD drive.

And finally, while Snow Leopard works okay with 1 GB of RAM, for a better overall software experience you may want to install something like MX Linux which still has 32-bit compatibility.

Thanks for all the tips...most appreciated!

My A1181 is currently running on one, 2GB RAM card. Thought I'd at least try it, and the machine seems 100% OK.

This one showed up with OS X 10.4, and I used my OS X 10.5 to install Leopard...seems just fine. I must admit that I did not consider whether or not Lion would install on this Intel Mac! Updates were available, and all are installed.

I had quite a lot of trouble a few years ago, trying to go to Apple and buy 10.7. I DID buy a copy, but could not install it...forget what happened. I went to a small company-- Operator Headgap-- and asked it they'd make me an HDD with Lion, and they did, and it works just fine. They added lots of neat extras, and were really nice to do with business with.

I'm absolutely going to make an SSD copy of my current HDD. I've done this several times, using a stand-alone duplicator ( Ebay, about $30 USD ). With something like the iBook G4, I use an mSATA card in an enclosure, and have had 100% luck installing OS X 10.4 and 10.5 after everthing's put back together...I'd prefer to make a copy of an existing SSD, but my duplicator will not accept the earlier HDD designs...SATA only.

And: the built-in DVD is working as we speak...there may have been a 'spell' while the A1181 was getting used to being awake after several years ( ! ), and once things loosened-up a bit, came back to Life. I have seen the type of deformation you mentioned, and managed to straighten-out one of my machines that had suffered it.

Thanks again.

And: it's finally warming up a bit here in Maine. I'm right on the line between Central and Northern Maine, and we have to wait until mid-May to see all the leaves appear. It can still dip-into the low 40's, F, at night, and a frost in not unheard of. Days are usually in the 60's-70's, and we rarely see 90...there are a few, but ( so far! ) very few...GOOD!

 

[rampancy]

My A1181 is currently running on one, 2GB RAM card. Thought I'd at least try it, and the machine seems 100% OK.

I know that the Core Duo A1181s do not support more than 2 GB of RAM due to chipset limitations, but I wasn't 100% sure if they'd support 2 GB DIMMs. So that's great that your machine can still get to its max limit even on one
functioning RAM slot!

One important thing to mention is that the Core Duo A1181s, like the Core Duo MacBook Pro and Mac mini, won't run Lion; you're good all the way up to Snow Leopard (10.6.x).

 

[Michael Maddan]

I didn't know that Snow Leopard would run on this A1181...thanks again for the info! Turns out I do have the official, Apple OS X 10.6 DVD. Seems I bought it several years ago...must have got a Good Deal, and couldn't pass it up.

And: I just re-pasted this Macbook. Used MX-4 @ a single dot, and reckon all's well. I did overlook the two wires ( temperature sensor? ) that were meant to be routed along one side of the heat sink assembly, and decided to remove the darn thing and re-do the paste. Just took a few minutes, and it WAS a good way to see how the paste had behaved...looked just fine to me. I might have been able to connect the wires without routing them, but it looked as if they might not be able to reach their plugs if they were not able to get a 'straight shot' by running where Apple wanted them to. A few, extra mm's would have been nice...!

 

[rampancy]

I didn't know that Snow Leopard would run on this A1181...thanks again for the info! Turns out I do have the official, Apple OS X 10.6 DVD. Seems I bought it several years ago...must have got a Good Deal, and couldn't pass it up.

And: I just re-pasted this Macbook. Used MX-4 @ a single dot, and reckon all's well. I did overlook the two wires ( temperature sensor? ) that were meant to be routed along one side of the heat sink assembly, and decided to remove the darn thing and re-do the paste. Just took a few minutes, and it WAS a good way to see how the paste had behaved...looked just fine to me. I might have been able to connect the wires without routing them, but it looked as if they might not be able to reach their plugs if they were not able to get a 'straight shot' by running where Apple wanted them to. A few, extra mm's would have been nice...!

The easiest thing to do is to disconnect the temperature sensors, as it can be really awkward to work with the heatsink still attached to the motherboard via the sensor wires (see the ifixit instructions here: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Core+Duo+Heat+Sink+Replacement/292 - from my personal experience it's better to remove the entire fan and heatsink assembly as it's really annyoing to deal with the OEM heatsink tape.) That and there's a risk of the wires potentially getting damaged.

If you want to use the machine for more than just parts, make sure to invest in a working (it doesn't necessarily have to be new) battery too, as the system's firmware will downclock the CPU to 1 GHz if it doesn't detect a battery that works.

 

[Michael Maddan]

The easiest thing to do is to disconnect the temperature sensors, as it can be really awkward to work with the heatsink still attached to the motherboard via the sensor wires (see the ifixit instructions here: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Core+Duo+Heat+Sink+Replacement/292 - from my personal experience it's better to remove the entire fan and heatsink assembly as it's really annyoing to deal with the OEM heatsink tape.) That and there's a risk of the wires potentially getting damaged.

If you want to use the machine for more than just parts, make sure to invest in a working (it doesn't necessarily have to be new) battery too, as the system's firmware will downclock the CPU to 1 GHz if it doesn't detect a battery that works.

Good idea @ disconnecting the heatsink wires...that's what I did, when seeing how tender they looked, and how easy it is to protect them by just unplugging the little critters. I've learned from experience, though, in many other situations to 'let sleeping dogs lie' when it comes to these 20-ish year old connections...I do what I can to leave them alone.

One of my other A1181's uses 10.7, while the newest is happy with 10.11.

I was not able to install 10.6 on this MacBook1,1. The process started, but decided to stop after a few minutes. I saw some Green on the status bar, but then the Old Apple decided against it / sounded its Start-Up Chime, and ( all by itself...) eject the DVD. Weird.

BUT: turns-out one of my other A1181's DOES have 10.6, and after a little cloning with my stand-alone device, had a drive that works on both machines. It's been several years, and I do not remember installing 10.6...I probably bought the install DVD on Ebay 'just' to have one around.

The nice thing ( one of several ! ) about these A1181's, is that they're available on Ebay for what I'll call a Great Price...with just a little luck, one can be delivered to your door for well-under $50 USD...sometimes, half as much.

Thanks for the battery tip...these machines DO seem fussy @ power supplies!

 

[rampancy]

The nice thing ( one of several ! ) about these A1181's, is that they're available on Ebay for what I'll call a Great Price...with just a little luck, one can be delivered to your door for well-under $50 USD...sometimes, half as much.

I love the A1181, and I've worked with them for almost two decades, but the problem I have with them now is that the one part that is arguably most prone to failure, and arguably one of the most important parts of the MacBook - the topcase/keyboard assembly - is starting to climb in price for my counry. I've seen A1181s in my area for relatively low prices for a while now, but in my area, when factoring in the cost of a new battery, and a new/functioning topcase (plus RAM and SSD), that $20 MacBook all of a sudden starts to cost a lot more than just $20. And it gets even worse if the display needs replacing.

But, if you've got access to cheap (or at least cheaper) parts, that's great!

 

[Michael Maddan]

I love the A1181, and I've worked with them for almost two decades, but the problem I have with them now is that the one part that is arguably most prone to failure, and arguably one of the most important parts of the MacBook - the topcase/keyboard assembly - is starting to climb in price for my counry. I've seen A1181s in my area for relatively low prices for a while now, but in my area, when factoring in the cost of a new battery, and a new/functioning topcase (plus RAM and SSD), that $20 MacBook all of a sudden starts to cost a lot more than just $20. And it gets even worse if the display needs replacing.

But, if you've got access to cheap (or at least cheaper) parts, that's great!

I know what you mean...the A1181 is simply a nice machine. It's Soul Satisfying to get one that needs some help, and bring it back to Life. I'm on its successor at the moment--the A1342--and it's probably the nicest looking laptop I've ever seen. Apple really got it right with the A1342, and I've always felt that the metal-cased Models that came afterwards, were a real step down. If you look at one of the metal Creations the wrong way, it WILL be scratched, and the damage is Forever.

I'm Retired, and just like to take a look on Ebay from time to time, and see if there's an older Apple laptop that seems to have aged gracefully, but needs a good cleaning and a little tune-up. With some experience, it seems pretty easy to determine if a machine is mechanically OK, and just needs to have its case cleaned and and perhaps, the RAM upgraded and the fan unplugged. If the original feet are intact, and the battery release is not all chewed-up, it's been my experience that there's a good chance that the rest is OK, too. Cosmetic condition tells a lot.

Then again, 100 years ago none of these things were on my Mind, and I daresay the same situation shall obtain 100 years hence, and subsist unto Eternity. While I'm here and scurrying around, it sure seems fun to take a few hours every now & then, and help an Old Apple, Live again.