peanutismint

Q: May have broken my AirPort card.....

Today I successfully installed a second hard drive into my Macbook Pro - well, i say 'successfully' because although the hard drive works perfectly, my AirPort is saying 'no AirPort card installed'.....

I don't even know where the AirPort card is located on the mainboard, but as far as I can tell, the only things I disconnected to install the second hard drive were both of the SATA headers, the audio header and what I assume is the display connector (leading to the screen). I actually had a bit of trouble with the display connector (a bit of the plastic casing actually snapped off (!!) while I was trying to get it back in....I'm thinking in worst case scenario this has somehow caused the AirPort issue even though my display functions fine - is the antennae built into this display connector??)

I've tried a few things; resetting the SMC and the PRAM as is usually suggested for any hardware issues, but to no avail.

Anybody know where the AirPort connectors are located? I'm hoping I haven't broken it whilst fiddling about inside.....

MacBook Pro 13", Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Jan 22, 2011 7:02 AM

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Q: May have broken my AirPort card.....

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  • by eww,

    eww eww Jan 22, 2011 7:06 AM in response to peanutismint
    Level 9 (52,994 points)
    Jan 22, 2011 7:06 AM in response to peanutismint
    The Airport card is inside the black plastic hinge cover. You undoubtedly damaged it while you were mucking around with that.
  • by peanutismint,

    peanutismint peanutismint Jan 22, 2011 7:17 AM in response to eww
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 22, 2011 7:17 AM in response to eww
    Ok cool thanks, I'll crack her open again and poke around a bit more, sure I can get it working again.
  • by peanutismint,

    peanutismint peanutismint Jan 22, 2011 8:21 AM in response to peanutismint
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 22, 2011 8:21 AM in response to peanutismint
    ****UPDATE****
    I think I'm pretty sure what went wrong now.... the connector that I assumed would be the display connector I think actually handles the wifi/bluetooth/camera and maybe the invertor power for the screen.

    The instructions I followed for installing the optibay didn't mention that there's a little sliver of plastic that's supposed to stop this connector from pulling out easily. I thought it was just being stubborn so I pulled it out, managed to break one side of the little plastic tabs that protrudes from the end of the pin header clean off. Only one pin on the cable end was damaged, and that bent back into place, but unfortunately I didn't notice anything was wrong until after I'd tried to force it back into the header on the board..... I can't be sure without a magnifying glass but i THINK one of the pins in the socket on the actual mainboard may be slightly bent.... and that's beyond my level of expertise!

    Only my wifi is gone - bluetooth and camera still work fine (although I'd probably rather have wifi than both of those features combined!). Hopefully I can find someone who has tools small enough to straighten out my mess! Ah well, you live you learn.

    Also, about 2 months before me, someone else did this exact same thing....

    http://forums.mactalk.com.au/24/77178-ergh-broken-internal-cable-mbp-13-no-camer a-wifi-bluetooth.html#post1071417
  • by eww,

    eww eww Jan 22, 2011 8:25 AM in response to peanutismint
    Level 9 (52,994 points)
    Jan 22, 2011 8:25 AM in response to peanutismint
    Good luck with it. This is why there are trained technicians.
  • by Robotics09,

    Robotics09 Robotics09 Jan 27, 2011 5:32 PM in response to peanutismint
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 27, 2011 5:32 PM in response to peanutismint
    peanutismint: actually, what you may have done could be the same thing I just did with my MBP. Neither the AirPort card, bluetooth, nor the camera would work. You probably pulled the connecting cable out at an upward angle, thus loosening the female connector on the motherboard.

    Try taking a flathead screwdriver and press down evenly on the female connector. When you reconnect the cable, it should fit snug and everything will work again. At least, mine did.