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MacBook: burnt out magsafe connector repair

My MacBook (A1342 model from 2009-2010) stopped working, thanks to a cheap knockoff magsafe charger. The magsafe connector looked burnt with heat-distorted melted plastic and some black carbon surfaces.  Plugging in the charger resulted in no lights and no action.  My MacBook was dead.

First I tried to clean up the connector with some Q-Tips, tooth picks and solvent, but that did little, as seen in this "after" picture (below).   The heat generated by the aftermarket charger permanently deformed and distorted the MacBook's magsafe connector.  Clearly the damage was significant.


Burnt Magsafe Connector - Replacement Required!
Looking at iFixIt, I determined that it would not be difficult to replace only the magsafe connector with the right tools.  I hoped and prayed that the problem was isolated to the connector assembly and not the logic board.

I bought a replacement magsafe connector assembly (available from Amazon) for under $20 and started to replace it by following the instructions on iFixIt, using a proper tool kit like this one.

When I pulled out the old Magsafe, and boy did it look nasty.

My removed Melted Magsafe Connector, thanks to a crappy 3rd party charger.
While I was in there, I also cleaned out a lot of dust that accumulated inside of the MacBook.  I cleaned up the following locations:
  • Fan, heat sink, and vents
  • Logic board (front and back)
  • Case
  • Battery
  • DVD Drive
To remove the dust, I first quickly vacuumed up the big blobs.  Then I used a dry, unused paintbrush and lightly brushed dust off of all the surfaces.  This was followed by more vacuuming.

Also, while I was in there, I carefully cleaned out any scum that developed around the port openings, using some Q-tips and some solvent.

After re-assembly, my MacBook fired right back up and I was back in business.  Success!  I'm very happy, and will certainly never use a cheap aftermarket charger ever again.

My new Magsafe connector allows charging once again!


Now that this MacBook is again in operation, I have since updated its memory and the hard drive, as seen in my other articles.



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