Chosen Solution
I have one of these machines with a liquid damage. The keyboard does not work, thinking about replacing it, but can’t find any video about it online, just one about tearing apart the machine, by PowerMedic, but they do not remove the battery or the backlight or the keyboard, so I am a bit scared. I have replaced about 200 macbook keyboards, but first time new model… any help? Thanks!
hi @reecee and @mac010 I’ve not as of yet, had to replace just the keyboard on its own for the A1706, as we haven’t seen very many of them come through yet with just keyboard damage. But as of yet, i’ve never done a keyboard replacement on a retina MacBook pro with more than 3 snap rivets left over. In my opinion, if you have more than 5 left in with no space for a screw to go, the responsiveness of the keyboard is too compromised to be considered an adequate repair. When you press hard on a key without screws behind it, the keyboard sinks in. The average user may not notice it, but i dont sign off on any repairs that ‘sponge’ in this way. The secret to getting the left over snap rivets out after you’ve carefully peeled the faulty keyboard out, is to use a small blunt flat head screwdriver and a mallet. At a very low angle, gently tap the rivets on their side and they will pop out. If you hit it too hard, or use a chisel, it will just cut the rivet and leave a flat stump. if only one or two are left like this, then use a very small dab of metal aroldite. Just enough to cover the screw hole. you then need to leave it to set upside down, which will delay the repair. but its as strong as if it were screwed. Using just a small dab also means the keyboard will still be easy to remove if you have to do a repair again on the same machine down the line. (Don’t over do it, otherwise it’ll never come out again) But if you are replacing the battery and the keyboard, most find it easier and cheaper to replace the service spare that Apple uses, which is the complete top case unit (including battery, trackpad, keyboard, top case) I’ve stripped out the batteries on this model, and it is the same process as the earlier retina ranges. With health and safety in mind, i train my engineers to ensure no stress is put on the battery cells while stripping. if the cell gets folded, its integrity is altered, and it can become volatile. if the black casing on the battery gets punctured, its an immediate fire risk. Most assume that because the battery is encased there is no risk, so are quite rough with the removal process, but they dont realise how close to setting off a firework they are. always resist the urge to pull up on the battery cells to get better access to the tape. Most of the batteries my guys take out barely have a ruffle on the outer casing because of the methods we use. a small amount of label remover carefully aimed on the tape underneath, leave to soak for a few minutes, then go at it with a credit card sized piece of plastic, or in our case, a 6 inch long guitar pick. making sure to only aim at the tape strips and not the batter cell. take your time and be patient. it’ll take you less time than you think if done carefully, and will be a far better result. i hope this helps.
