Can a A1297 2010 boot without a battery?

[rip]

I have had this problem before with a A1286 of which the MacBook did not boot without a battery and I am wondering if this could be the same problem for this model before I go out to buy a battery for it.
It currently has a battery in it however it does not seem to charge at all. After leaving it to charge 2 hours it still shows flashing on the fast bar of the battery checker. It does not boot with the currently battery plugged in and does not hold charge at all, could the battery be the issue or could this be more than the battery?

Thanks for reading

 

[pigoo3]

It should be able to boot without the battery...I know both of my 2011 MBP's will.

What's the deal with this computer...is it new to you (just got it somehow)?

I'm not surprised that the battery won't charge...especially if it's the original battery...or if the battery was abused in some way. It's most likely a dead/old battery.

My guess is if the power adapter/power supply is ok...then this computer may have bigger issues.

- Nick

 

[rip]

It should be able to boot without the battery...I know both of my 2011 MBP's will.

What's the deal with this computer...is it new to you (just got it somehow)?

I'm not surprised that the battery won't charge...especially if it's the original battery...or if the battery was abused in some way. It's most likely a dead/old battery.

My guess is if the power adapter/power supply is ok...then this computer may have bigger issues.

- Nick

I was told the A1286 should work without a battery however that was the issue in the end.

This is the anti-glare version of the MacBook as was the A1286, if that helps.

I just got it, I thought it could be the powerjack at first so I have replaced that.
The battery does not seem to be inflated or anything, there is some residue on top of it and on the bottom of the shell where something did indeed seep through however I do not see how it would have got into the battery.
I have checked over the motherboard and it looks clean with no liquid damage or chip damage, it is in very good condition.
The fans do not spin, no HDD activity.

So it seems to know the battery is attached however it does not boot nor charger with the battery installed. It only shows a green light on the charger.

 

[rip]

Quick update!: I changed out charger from 60W charger to an 85W and the light changed to orange so it seems to be charging the battery now! I will leave it for a while to see if it chargers before I attempt to boot it up.
I had a quick look at the keyboard connector to see if it just the keyboard is being the problem and it seems to damaged slightly and frayed on a corner which could be been me as it took a while to put it back in beforehand. I would boot via the jump pads on the logic board but they are missing the solder?

 

[pigoo3]

I was told the A1286 should work without a battery however that was the issue in the end.

While that may be true..but we're not concerned with an A1286...I think we're talking about an A1297 here. What may be true for one model computer...is not always true for other models.

The battery does not seem to be inflated or anything, there is some residue on top of it and on the bottom of the shell where something did indeed seep through however I do not see how it would have got into the battery.

It's could be as much as an 8 year old battery...so it simply could be old & worn out...especially since this computer is new to you.

I have checked over the motherboard and it looks clean with no liquid damage or chip damage, it is in very good condition.
The fans do not spin, no HDD activity.

Physical or liquid damage is not always visible. This computer could have been exposed to some sort of "electrical trauma" (electrical spikes, short circuits, lightning damage, etc.)...which isn't necessarily visible.

If it's not booting with or without the battery installed...I'm still sticking with the conclusion that this computer has more serious issues.

I'm guessing you got this computer for free or really cheap...and you're trying to resurrect it. Always a great project. But sometimes a dead computer...is truly a dead computer.

- Nick

 

[pigoo3]

I was told the A1286 should work without a battery however that was the issue in the end.

I should also mention that the "A1286" designation actually covers about 15 or more MacBook Pro computers..spanning multiple years. So all A1286's are not the same.

- Nick

 

[pigoo3]

Quick update!: I changed out charger from 60W charger to an 85W and the light changed to orange so it seems to be charging the battery now! I will leave it for a while to see if it chargers before I attempt to boot it up.

Many (or all) of the A1286 MacBook Pro models are the 15" display version. If this is a 15" MacBook Pro...the 60 watt charger you were using was meant for 13" MacBook Pro's.

- Nick

 

[pigoo3]

I had a quick look at the keyboard connector to see if it just the keyboard is being the problem and it seems to damaged slightly and frayed on a corner which could be been me as it took a while to put it back in beforehand.

Easilly tested & confirmed by using an external keyboard.

- Nick

 

[rip]

While that may be true..but we're not concerned with an A1286...I think we're talking about an A1297 here. What may be true for one model computer...is not always true for other models.



It's could be as much as an 8 year old battery...so it simply could be old & worn out...especially since this computer is new to you.



Physical or liquid damage is not always visible. This computer could have been exposed to some sort of "electrical trauma" (electrical spikes, short circuits, lightning damage, etc.)...which isn't necessarily visible.

If it's not booting with or without the battery installed...I'm still sticking with the conclusion that this computer has more serious issues.

I'm guessing you got this computer for free or really cheap...and you're trying to resurrect it. Always a great project. But sometimes a dead computer...is truly a dead computer.

- Nick

I got two in a low price fix em up type thing, the first just had a dodgy HDD and had curry inside however that is all working fine now. The A1297 is the other and I cannot seem to find an exact issue, I took the charger out while holding down the battery status button and it did 3-5 very fast flashes and shut off?

 

[rip]

Ah, I was not aware you could boot from an external keyboard, I thought it was the on board button or the jumpers.

 

[rip]

Many (or all) of the A1286 MacBook Pro models are the 15" display version. If this is a 15" MacBook Pro...the 60 watt charger you were using was meant for 13" MacBook Pro's.

- Nick

It has finally actually started to charge now but still no luck with booting

 

[pigoo3]

Ah, I was not aware you could boot from an external keyboard, I thought it was the on board button or the jumpers.

It's not really booting "from" the external keyboard. In the earlier post you seemed concerned that there was something wrong with the MacBook Pro's keyboard...that's why I suggested the external keyboard.

If your true concern was the power button (different than the keyboard)...that's a different matter.

- Nick

 

[rip]

It's not really booting "from" the external keyboard. In the earlier post you seemed concerned that there was something wrong with the MacBook Pro's keyboard...that's why I suggested the external keyboard.

If your true concern was the power button (different than the keyboard)...that's a different matter.

- Nick

Ah, Yes I am rather concerned if it could have been the power button all along. it has some dents and scratches in the cable and its frayed on the ends. A replacement keyboard is cheap enough that it may be worth it to test if it that.

 

[rip]

It's not really booting "from" the external keyboard. In the earlier post you seemed concerned that there was something wrong with the MacBook Pro's keyboard...that's why I suggested the external keyboard.

If your true concern was the power button (different than the keyboard)...that's a different matter.

- Nick

I looked up the serial number and it is the 2009 model. Would a 2010 palmrest fit the 2009 model?

 

[pigoo3]

Sounds to me you may be talking about putting more money into this computer than it may be worth (2009 not worth a whole lot...even in the UK). At this point it would be best to see if you can get to to boot before investing more money into it. The keyboard & the trackpad I do not believe are items that would prevent it from booting...and it being a bad power button would be rare.

- Nick

 

[rip]

Sounds to me you may be talking about putting more money into this computer than it may be worth (2009 not worth a whole lot...even in the UK). At this point it would be best to see if you can get to to boot before investing more money into it. The keyboard & the trackpad I do not believe are items that would prevent it from booting...and it being a bad power button would be rare.

- Nick

From looking it over the only thing that seems to be in bad condition is the keyboard connector, I would buy a keyboard replacement however I am not sure if they keyboard is screwed or riveted in.

 

[pigoo3]

From looking it over the only thing that seems to be in bad condition is the keyboard connector, I would buy a keyboard replacement however I am not sure if they keyboard is screwed or riveted in.

As I mentioned previously...can't necessarily rely on visual inspection to uncover all issues. Many times electrical issues that have fried the computer have no visible signs of an issue. If it's not booting up...highly probable it's dead.

That's how you got them cheap...could be parts computers only. Or at least this one.

- Nick

 

[rip]

An update, I ordered a cheap keyboard replacement and that was the issue, it seems the keyboard had be severely water damaged and had been corroded as well.

 

[pigoo3]

Thanks for the update...and congrats on identifying the issue.

- Nick

 

[rip]

Thank you for all the help and suggestions on the way