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Tag Archives: battery

I’ve had my Macbook Pro ever since my wife bought it for me back in 2014 for Christmas. It’s been a great machine for me and has provided years of reliable service. Unfortunately, it has gotten to the point where the battery will only last about an hour while unplugged.

After I started working from home, I moved my office to the space that was previously my wife’s studio. And since I am now separated from the main house by a garage, I need reliable mobile computing to move around the house. Yes, the other macbook works, but it’s SO SLOW.

ifixit.com made this task easy. I bought the appropriate battery replacement kit from them and followed this guide of theirs.

Once I had the parts and the instructions printed out, I got to work on a Saturday morning. First, I drained the battery to the point that the laptop went to sleep to reduce power hazards as much as possible. Then, using the stardriver provided in ifixit’s kit, and under Bandit’s supervision, removed the back plate and was greeted with the laptop’s innards.

No going back now.

After working for a bit, my stomach reminded me that it was lunch time. However, my workspace was a mess of tiny screws, disassembled components, and tools. I could just see Bandit jumping down and causing a problem or two while I went in to eat. I couldn’t take him inside with me because he was comfortable and cat law was in effect. Then I realized the incredibly fortuitous fact that my desk is a roll top! I just dropped the cover and my workspace was protected.

Picture of Bandit resting on top of my rolltop desk
Shield’s up!

Getting back to the project after eating, the biggest part

Picture of the removed battery
Old malfunctioning battery has finally been removed
picture of the new battery installed in the Macbook Pro
New battery installed

ifixit battery successfully found by MacOS
Post-installation battery details

I am happy to report it has survived it’s first complete power cycle and lasts MUCH longer than previously. Very good investment of time for this project.