Magsafe melts [UK Mac]

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From: J. J. Lodder on 25 Feb 2010 13:39

Flavio Matani <flavio_mataniTAKETHISBITOUT(a)mac.com> wrote:

> Off to the Apple Store. Probably will need to buy yet another MacBook
> power adapter. Taking the old one, though, as there is a known issue
> with these things: the point at which the lead joins the magsafe
> connector melts; it has done on this one -it started by having to wiggle
> it to keep connection, then it started getting very hot at that point,
> at which point I wasn't trusting to leave the mb plugged into it if I
> wasn't present, as I like that machine -and my flat- in their current,
> unburnt state. Last time (perhaps a year and a half ago) this happened
> with a magsafe power adapter the Apple Store replaced it for free. Not
> holding my breath for that, of course, but just in case...

Some careful cutting of isolation with a pen knife
and equally careful soldering and taping may restore it to life,
with some luck,

Jan

From: Flavio Matani on 25 Feb 2010 19:12

From: zoara on 26 Feb 2010 08:43

Jim <jim(a)magrathea.plus.com> wrote:
> On 2010-02-25, Flavio Matani <flavio_mataniTAKETHISBITOUT(a)mac.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> They should. They said that any fault like that would be replaced.
> > > Last
> >> time I went they replaced my power supply free, and it was a 2 year
> > > old
> >> laptop.
> >
> >
> > They didn't. Apparently the adapter that failed had a serial number
> > 'not
> > covered', was 'too new' and of an 'improved design' so that what
> > happened to it couldn't happen.
>
> ?!

Go to http://consumerdirect.gov.uk and get help telling Apple where they
can stick their faulty MagSafe.

-z-

--
email: nettid1 at fastmail dot fm

From: J. J. Lodder on 27 Feb 2010 05:16

Flavio Matani <flavio_mataniTAKETHISBITOUT(a)mac.com> wrote:

> J. J. Lodder <nospam(a)de-ster.demon.nl> wrote:
>
> > Flavio Matani <flavio_mataniTAKETHISBITOUT(a)mac.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Off to the Apple Store. Probably will need to buy yet another MacBook
> > > power adapter. Taking the old one, though, as there is a known issue
> > > with these things: the point at which the lead joins the magsafe
> > > connector melts; it has done on this one -it started by having to wiggle
> > > it to keep connection, then it started getting very hot at that point,
> > > at which point I wasn't trusting to leave the mb plugged into it if I
> > > wasn't present, as I like that machine -and my flat- in their current,
> > > unburnt state. Last time (perhaps a year and a half ago) this happened
> > > with a magsafe power adapter the Apple Store replaced it for free. Not
> > > holding my breath for that, of course, but just in case...
> >
> > Some careful cutting of isolation with a pen knife
> > and equally careful soldering and taping may restore it to life,
> > with some luck,
>
> Maybe. Bit too close to the magsafe connector for clumsy me to get that
> right, but that's a possibility, thanks.

It looks harder than it is,
and you don't have to catch all the fray
to make it work again.

Jan

From: Rowland McDonnell on 2 Mar 2010 09:56

J. J. Lodder <nospam(a)de-ster.demon.nl> wrote:

> Flavio Matani <flavio_mataniTAKETHISBITOUT(a)mac.com> wrote:
>
> > Off to the Apple Store. Probably will need to buy yet another MacBook
> > power adapter. Taking the old one, though, as there is a known issue
> > with these things: the point at which the lead joins the magsafe
> > connector melts; it has done on this one -it started by having to wiggle
> > it to keep connection, then it started getting very hot at that point,
> > at which point I wasn't trusting to leave the mb plugged into it if I
> > wasn't present, as I like that machine -and my flat- in their current,
> > unburnt state. Last time (perhaps a year and a half ago) this happened
> > with a magsafe power adapter the Apple Store replaced it for free. Not
> > holding my breath for that, of course, but just in case...
>
> Some careful cutting of isolation with a pen knife

`Insulation' does indeed electrically isolate things, but it's
`insultation' that you want to be cutting here.

> and equally careful soldering and taping may restore it to life,
> with some luck,

My wife's bike was blowing the headlamp fuse.

She examined the wiring and switch gear carefully, finding no problems.

So did I. Ditto.

So I dismantled things to an extent my wife couldn't figure out
(Japanese switchgear needs a special head), cleaned 'em up, put 'em back
together.

Now the bike does not blow its headlamp fuse.

There was no fault - nuffin' wrong wiv it. Nuffin'. And I know how to
spot dodgy intermittent electrical problems, I really do. I've solved
enough of the bloody things. Except this bike's not an 1970/80s Jap
bike or Czech or one of those ancient Brit contraptions juiced by Joe
Lucas, Prince of Darkness. Or Italian[1]. So maybe I'm wrong.

It was a gremlin in the left-hand switch gear unit, that's my bet. I
anaesthetized it with isopropyl alcohol, pulled it clear as I wiped
clean, and kept it out with a cautious application of silicone grease.
They don't like it on their feet and hands, do gremlins - silicone
grease is very slippery stuff, you see. Keeps gremlins out pretty
effectively, does silicone grease[2].

Rowland.

[1] There is nothing more atrocious in the world than Italian
motorcycle electrics, which is why the Eyties buy Japanese these days.
Nah, the electrics, look at the current crop of Ducatis, see? It's all
Japanese, the electrics.

I once re-wired a Moto Morini. It handled like a dream. The engine was
fine jewelry. The bike was given the once-over - minor tuning job on
the engine, few sensible crash-guarding mods to the frame and bodywork,
repainted all over (red frame, pearl white bodywork). And of course
re-wired, if only because the lights were being replaced with custom
parts.

That was my job.

The wiring was unspeakable - well, until I'd finished with it and sat
there looking at the huge old wiring loom that I'd made redundant in a
single afternoon, using a mere score or so of crimp connectors and not
that many more plakky ties.

The owner then crashed the thing - with me as pillion[3]. First and
last time he tried crashing me. Generally, when /that/ rider crashed a
pillion, the pillion came out of it much worse. This time, I got the
soft landing[4].

[2] But it only works on the sort of gremlins that affect brakes and
electrics and rubber.

[3] A bit of a sod, because he had genuinely been riding very sensibly
and got done for by a combination of spilt diesel and the
suddenly-braking-for-unexpected-cat car in front.

[4] The rider was a soft mat to land on, so I used him. No, it was
*not* an accident that I took the soft landing. I'm good at some
things. His injured leg wasn't so happy about it, but I was entirely
undamaged. Not a single graze, not one bruise - nuffin! Heheheheh.
That'll teach yer to crash me.

--
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Sorry - the spam got to me
http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk
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