Battery broken during SSD install

[Matthi70]

Hi, after reading all the positive experiences with the Runcore SSDs in this great forum I went ahead and ordered a 128 G for my Macbook Air, first generation.
I am very happy with it. It is a difference like night and day. Installation was easy, I used the ifixit guide. But - and I am still slapping myself for it - I broke the battery during installation. Following the ifixit guide I removed the battery to have more room for the installation of the SSD. The battery came off very easily, but unfortunately with the socket from the motherboard still attached. I have tried to reinstall it, but apparently the contact is to loose. It does not stick to the motherboard and I am wondering how Apple attached it in the first place.
My Macbook Air still works on AC - and the Runcore is a breeze - but it will not recognize the battery. That means my svelte MBA is no chained to my desk.
I posted a help request in the ifixit forum and hope, that somebody can help me. I also took it to my friendly repair store and the gentlemen over there told me that he has to phone around if somebody does repairs on a component level.
To make a long story short - has somebody encountered a similar problem during the installation of a hard drive or just battery removal and found a solution? One advice form ifixit was to to solder the socket back in place, but this is way over my head. Thanks.

Matt

 

[Synchromesh]

I've taken these apart. You do indeed need to have somebody who can do repairs on the deep hardware level. Imho, you can go the easy and expensive way of replacing the entire board OR you can get somebody who can solder it back on which will be cheaper but there isn't a guarantee it won't stop working again down the road if it becomes loose again.

 

[Matthi70]

Thanks, Synchromesh. Well, I think getting the board replacement does not make sense economically, since my Macbook Air is already two years old. I found quotes in the Internet for board replacement ranging from 600 - 1000 USD. I hope the battery connector can be somehow attached to the board. Lets see what the repairstore recommends. I will report back.
It is just so sad, because the runcore SSD really rocks, but having an outlet bound MBA is not really fun.

 

[Matthi70]

Well, it is at least 300 Dollar for the repair plus shipping. I am wondering if it is worth to invest that amount in my two year old MBA, buy a refurbished one for 700 Dollar more or just wait for the new MBA.

 

[Synchromesh]

It's your call. You can probably take a look at your local Craigslist and purchase a used one for $700-900. Then sell your old one for parts and you have a fully working machine for not too much money. You can always take out your SSD and either reuse it if you buy a Rev A MBA or sell it off to buy a new SSD if you buy a B/C system. Waiting for D Rev is also an option if you can handle living with no battery for a while. I suppose it could be rather difficult since most people buy these for mobility to begin with.

Not to be a solicitor but if you want to sell your system at any point feel free to contact me.

 

[MacModMachine]

i can fix the logic board for you, you will have to send it to me though.

 

[Runcore]

I did this install on both a Rev C and A and taking the battery out did not come to mind.

Does anyone see any advantage to taking the battery out while doing the install?

Matt

 

[douglasgb]

fixable unless it's cracked or traces wrecked

Hi Matt,

I can fix it for you - the connector needs to be soldered back to the board which is a delicate process but not impossible. In fact connectors (being somewhat larger) are easier than other surface mount components you'll find on the rest of the board.

Message me if you're interested.

-douglasgb (former Mac Genius)

 

[errrlend]

iFixit - or maybe not?

Same thing almost happened to me. Was putting an SSD into my MBP, used the iFixit guide, which told me to remove the battery. However, my battery connector didn't look like the one in the guide (though I am sure I used the correct guide). So after a bit of unsuccessfull trying, I saw a YouTube guide which didn't mention the battery at all. So I skipped that, just opening the alu case and removing and replacing the harddrive, leaving the battery alone.

Worked like a charm. The moral? Do not trust iFixit.

 

[Matthi70]

follow up

I owe a follow up. Thanks for the great advice in this forum. I got another quote from the Applestore and the Mac Genius told me that the repair would be at least 800 Dollar. So I took the MBA to my local dealer who quoted at least 300 Dollar. Just got it back today and the final bill was 240 Dollar including shipping and handling. Seemed to be an easy fix. I guess it makes sense to shop around and thanks god that there is an alternative to Apples repair options.
I am enjoying the MBA with the runcore flash very much, feels like a new computer.

 

[Runcore]

I owe a follow up. Thanks for the great advice in this forum. I got another quote from the Applestore and the Mac Genius told me that the repair would be at least 800 Dollar. So I took the MBA to my local dealer who quoted at least 300 Dollar. Just got it back today and the final bill was 240 Dollar including shipping and handling. Seemed to be an easy fix. I guess it makes sense to shop around and thanks god that there is an alternative to Apples repair options.
I am enjoying the MBA with the runcore flash very much, feels like a new computer.

Glad to see it got resolved to your satisfaction.

I wonder why it is suggested to take the battery out?

Maybe they believe you could accidentally connect 2 circuits together with your screw driver if you accidentally put it down in the wrong place or something. But I don't think anyone is going to be rubbing the screw driver all over their main board.

Taking the battery or anything else out is overkill in my opinion.

Anyone else have any other ideas?

Matt

 

[silverblack]

Removing the battery is a standard practice when working on the internal components of any computer. Just because the laptop is off, there could still be current flowing through the broads with battery attached. While SATA is in theory hot-swappable, you never know if you touched or loosen connections where you were not supposed to.