Brand new MagSafe adapter with older MacBook Pro

I recently bought a new MagSafe 85W power supply so I don't have to always move the one that came with my (early 2008) MacBook Pro 15" back and forth from home to work. The one that came originally with the MacBook Pro has the rectangular plastic plug at its end - see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2346#661-5036 . Apparently that one isn't manufactured anymore, so instead they sent me a new 661-5474 with the sleek "L-shaped" metal plug. Surprise: This one works SOMETIME, but after a while it stops working (neither the power supply LED lights up nor the MacBook Pro recognizes it's plugged in). When that happens, NONE of the usual tricks (unplugging and re-plugging into AC etc., see http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1713 ) work; the only thing that DOES work is doing a complete reset of the power management unit inside my Mac - unplug everything, remove the battery, then press the power-on button for at least 5 seconds. Note that the OLD power supply never had this problem and continues to work for me even if the MacBook is in this funky state where it doesn't recognize the new one. Apparently this can even happen to the newer MacBooks (unibody) for which the new power supply was originally designed - see the post at http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2484601&tstart=15 . Perhaps my older MacBook is overly sensitive to how (in which sequence) I unplug it - see the post at http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2499645&tstart=30 . Or the new adapter has slightly different voltages/currents that are just slightly out of tolerance for the older MacBook. There definitely is no problem with mechanical contact (dirt, stuck pins etc.) - even when the new MagSafe adapter doesn't work with my MacBook anymore, it still works with other (newer) MacBooks. Vice versa, resetting the PMU does the trick (so far, knock on wood) but is hardly a satisfying solution (if you have to do it several times a week, as in my case).
Just wanted to give a heads up to others and see whether anyone else has similar experience (and/or maybe even a SOLUTION???).

MacBook Pro early 2008, Mac OS X (10.6.4), 2.4 GHz 2GB 170 GB HD

Posted on Jul 16, 2010 7:06 AM

47 replies

Aug 9, 2010 8:34 PM in response to Sebastian Kuhn

I've got this problem too. Any solutions yet, or at least a diagnosis from a genius? I'm thinking of taking mine into the Apple Store but its a bit of a hike and the problem isn't consistent, my luck I'll get in there and it'll all work fine.

I can also confirm taking the battery out and putting it back in fixes the problem (temporarily).

Aug 30, 2010 9:47 PM in response to Sebastian Kuhn

I'm having the exact same problem. And I actually bought a new cord. 160 bucks wasted. Major #FAIL Apple. I will be waiting for resolution besides taking the battery out. Pain.

niklasg

Level 1

0 points

Aug 31, 2010 11:45 PM in response to Aaron Johns

I'm having exact same problem. It happens after starting from sleep. But it seems like shutting down and taking out the battery fix it :-((

I have my old magsafe working but I needed an additional,with the old one I have no problem. This is definitely a BUG!!

niklasg

Level 1

0 points

Aug 31, 2010 11:57 PM in response to Sebastian Kuhn

Sep 2, 2010 5:23 PM in response to niklasg

Same problem here. Only with me, I think it's frying my battery also. The whole battery has swollen out of the back of the computer and is getting too hot to touch. At the moment the only way I can work is by using one of those lapdesk supports with dual-fans blowing on the underside of the laptop. Insane.

I have a MacBook Pro 1,4 - 2.5ghz Core 2 Duo, with 4gb RAM, a 7200rpm 500gb HDD, and a Superdrive (DVD-RW combo)

Can I get a free new battery from Apple, and what's to stop this happening again?

carl wolf

Level 6

14,631 points

Sep 2, 2010 6:43 PM in response to Sebastian Kuhn

"Can I get a free new battery from Apple, "

Is your computer under warranty? Have you contacted Apple?

Sep 2, 2010 7:47 PM in response to carl wolf

Comp no longer under warranty. I haven't spoken to them yet. Thought I'd mention it in the forums first to see if anyone else has had this problem.

Sep 3, 2010 5:20 AM in response to Sebastian Kuhn

Fyi This morning somenthing similar happened to me. Bought an 85w L-connector for my Black MacBook (late 2007).plugged in and charged my battery.After few hours stopped working But, tested with others macbook (aluminium 13,3) the power supply is perfectly working.

Apple reseller let me test the 60W L connector on my MacBook and light goes on so I think it could be a Voltage problem..
They ordered a 60W for me, i will have it next week, i will test it , also after a sleep time or a complete battery recharge, to see if it really works or not.

it's also my intention to contact an apple service center, maybe they could help !

I'll let you know!!

tofkop

Level 1

0 points

Sep 9, 2010 9:44 AM in response to EclecticMunk

i had my battery swolling one week before my adapter fried...
It's like if it has a timer to selfdestruct after two years.
Anyway, 2 visits and 220€ poorer, i have the same problem as everybody in the topic, macbook doesn't recognize the adapter until the battery has been taken out.
I'm not going to make another trip to the apple store after the bad service i got there, just hope i somebody got some solution at another store...

thanks

Arnster

Level 1

0 points

Sep 14, 2010 3:40 PM in response to tofkop

There has to be a fixed to this. This just happened to me. It appears it only does this when you left your macbook unplugged for a period of time..

then somehow your macbook fails to recognize the adapter.

THe only solution thus far is removing the battery. Apple I love you to death, but please fix this. I almost freaked out in anger knowing i paid so much for this adapter.

Please fix this issue, please and thank you

Sep 20, 2010 7:01 PM in response to Arnster

I have this problem as well. My cat vomited on my T-shaped power adapter and shorted it. So I forked-over $79 for a new L-shaped one from Best Buy. Suffoce to say I am annoyed that the new one doesn't work properly with the 2008-model MacBooks. It's not very practical for me to find a coin and take the battery out every day when I fire-up the notebook. Oh, and the nearest Apple store is a two hour drive away...

I wonder if Apple could fix this by issuing an SMC/firmware update?

Message was edited by: redwall_hp

Cintos

Level 1

30 points

Sep 24, 2010 8:14 AM in response to Sebastian Kuhn

Greetings: reporting the exact same issue here with 2008 Unibody. It is totally unacceptable to clear the no-charge situation by UN-plugging the battery. That means that FIRST one must do a full shutdown. If I wanted a machine that had to be rebooted daily, I'd be in the windoze camp.

Problem is sporadic; makes it even worse. After two months, I find I often don't notice it until I attempt to perpare to leave, and - surprise, she is Deader than a doornail. Now, the only choice is to swap my old adapter back in, or pop the battery and crash it. In any case, I don't have a laptop to walk out the door with right then.

Apple: FIX this, or supply me with the old style in trade.

Oct 1, 2010 6:10 AM in response to Cintos

Exactly the same problem here.

The original 60W adaptor that came with my 15" black MacBook dies the other day. I bought a replacement new style L connector 60W magsafe adaptor. Plugged it in worked fine. Then stopped working.

If I remove the battery, the adaptor starts working.

I went into my local apple store and demonstrated this behaviour. They refused to do anything, saying that my computer was probably at fault since the new power adaptor is listed as 'compatible' by Apple. They insisted I book a 'Genius' appointment (come back another day) so that a 'Genius' could look into it in more detail.

Grrr.

Oct 3, 2010 10:13 PM in response to znowboarding

exact same problem here... it was plugged in and charging fine, i unplugged it for 2 seconds to move to a different location and now it won't charge any longer.

i hate that i just spent $80 out of loyalty to apple rather than buying a cheap third party power adapter from amazon.com.

vudutu

Level 1

0 points

Oct 6, 2010 11:20 AM in response to Sebastian Kuhn

I found this thread while researching the issue for one of my students. I called the Apple store and they say the one they sold her is the right one but it is exhibiting the same behavior described here. She has an early 2008 MacBook Pro.

We tried all of the suggestions: checked to make sure the receptors were clean, made sure her new charger worked on others' computers, made sure their chargers worked on her computer, made sure the outlet was good, etc. The L shaped 85W Magsafe charger does not work anymore on my older generation 15 in Macbook Pro. The T shaped Magsafe chargers did, however, work. Me thinks we are going to order a 3rd party charger and take this one back.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Brand new MagSafe adapter with older MacBook Pro