Chosen Solution
Hello all, I’ve torn the lid angle sensor while trying to clean the inside of my computer. I’ve attempted to work around this by putting the computer to sleep before closing the lid however the screen turns back on as soon as it is closed. Also strange that the screen will stay on indefinitely until the battery is dead, even though i’ve changed my power savings settings are to turn the display off after one minute of inactivity. Its odd because if the sensor is broken and the computer thinks that it’s still open, it should turn off after inactivity. The only solution i’ve found is to shut the computer off before closing it which is not ideal. Finally, i’ve found replacement cables online however i’ve been reading that this will need to be calibrated by a professional? Can anyone confirm if this is true? Thank You Update (01/09/2023) Thank you all for the wealth of information. Just to provide an update to you all, i made sure to purchase a used angle sensor that was taken from a working computer and replaced it on my own. So far everything works as it should!
If your question is, does the lid angle sensor need to be programmed by Apple, then yes. When you replace the display, it is mandatory to replace the Lid Angle Sensor under Apple’s repair guidelines. The Lid Angle Sensor can be replaced alone, but in either of these scenarios the system needs to be run through System Configuration. Without this, you might experience some strange issues related to sleep/wake. UPDATE: After having done some extra research on this, I am finding that it is less likely the sensor is paired and more likely the little chip on the cable which reads the magnets orientation needs to be programmed or calibrated. As long as the sensor has been programmed it is likely to get you going again. So a used cable would be the way to go, but still may not be a guaranteed fix due to potential variances in the magnets in use as well as positioning. ~—–~ For Bonus Points: Because I did an awful lot of research on this, here’s the full picture.Since the magnet is mounted on the display hinge. Apple replaces them in tandem to calibrate the Lid Angle Sensor to the new display’s magnet rather than using the older calibration. That way the results are as Apple expects. Without the programming altogether (as would be the case for a new cable), this is the sort of behavior others have reported. The screen just doesn’t go to sleep. Ever. People in the repair community have circumvented Apple’s programming by desoldering the chip from the original cable and soldering it to the replacement cable. This way all the original programming is retained. This isn’t a “for everyone” method, since it requires some pretty specific skills, but it’s a viable solution.
Sadly, I don’t have a solid answer as we still don’t know Apples reason for the sensor as they never offered even a clue! Now we have done some speculation, the only logical reason is if you don’t close the lid but instead place it at 45 angle 📐so the speakers sound is reflected outward to the front. So in my opinion unless that’s important, I would just replace it.
