Can Airport/Bluetooth ribbon contact cause a shutdown?

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Level 1

8 points

Can Airport/Bluetooth ribbon contact cause a shutdown?

Hello Apple Community,

symptoms:

I am having an issue with my laptop that I need to resolve. While powered on, it has a tendancy to power down when I move it or pick it up. I noticed that weight on the bottom right side (optical drive location) causes it to immediately power down. There is no data loss or any other resulting issues, simply a total shut down and varying times/numbers of attempts at pressing the power button before it will restart again.

likely cause:

I first noticed this issue one day after I hopped over a small brick wall while holding my laptop with it being in sleep mode with the screen closed. I only lightly impacted the ground, as I was being as careful as I could be (other than not being able to turn off gravity temporarily lol).

digging deeper:

Upon removing the back cover, I did some "tests" in the form of applying light pressure to the hard drives and various ribbons. I discovered that the power down happens immediately once I contact the Airport/Bluetooth ribbon with my finger.

What I don't understand is why this triggers a full shut down. Can anyone offer an explanation?

Also, given the fact that my battery is at low health, could that also be a factor? The back cover and location of the ribbon are exactly the same as when it was all brand new, so why would this all of the sudden be a problem? I can confirm that this problem did not exist prior to the impact from jumping the small brick wall. So that is definitely the starting point. So its not the "what" that needs an explanation, but the "why."

If I get a new Airport/Bluetooth ribbon and replace it, do you think that will fix the issue? Should I try a new battery first? Other ideas??

Here are the specs of my machine:

early 2011 Macbook Pro 13" 2.7 i7

OS X Sierra 10.12.6

Upgrades:

Data Doubler (replaced Optical Drive)

(2) 1TB Samsung EVO 860 SSD's in a Raid 0 configuration (replaced stock HDD)

Corsair 16gb RAM

Things to note:

new keyboard (replacement; ifixit.com)

new battery (replacement; ifixit.com) [new battery bloated after 1 year, reinstalled OEM battery; health status="replace soon"]

Any input is welcome.... :D

Posted on Feb 15, 2022 12:50 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 15, 2022 8:04 AM in response to oneadam211

oneadam211 wrote:

Hello Apple Community,

symptoms:

I am having an issue with my laptop that I need to resolve. While powered on, it has a tendancy to power down when I move it or pick it up.

Here are the specs of my machine:

early 2011 Macbook Pro 13" 2.7 i7

early 2011 Macbook Pro 13"

This sounds like it could be RAM issue.

Try re-seating the RAM sticks

MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory - Apple Support

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Answer 2

oneadam211 Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 2, 2022 9:59 AM in response to oneadam211

Update: My Mac had the Sabrent Data Doubler with a second hard drive installed. There are various soldered spots on the Data Doubler. One of them had become sharp and was also leaking electric current to the Airport/Bluetooth ribbon.

As such, it was physically piercing and burning into the ribbon. My Mac was detecting the electrical short and consequently shut down to prevent any real damage or data loss.

I purchased the OWC Data Doubler and a new ribbon and that resolved the issue. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to respond to posts like mine, it is very much appreciated! :D

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Answer 3

oneadam211 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 16, 2022 11:10 AM in response to oneadam211

The issue seems to be getting worse. Now, when the shut down occurs, I cannot get my mac to turn back on at all. Also, the battery indicator on the side is behaving strange. It will not light up at all.

Only when I take the back cover off, disconnect the battery and then reconnect it, will it turn back on again. This is with my original battery from when I bought the computer 11 years ago. The condition is "replace soon."

[I am typing this from my macbook currently, but I must be careful to only lightly contact the keyboard.]

Would a new battery fix my issue? I need one regardless, but no sense in buying one if the shutdown probem does not get resolved.

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Answer 4

Apr 2, 2022 10:02 AM in response to oneadam211

oneadam211 wrote:

physically piercing and burning into the ribbon. My Mac was detecting the electrical short and consequently shut down to prevent any real damage or data loss.

I purchased the OWC Data Doubler and a new ribbon and that resolved the issue. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to respond to posts like mine, it is very much appreciated! :D

Good computing oneadam211 !

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Answer 5

oneadam211 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 15, 2022 4:32 PM in response to leroydouglas

I tried researting the RAM to no avail.

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Can Airport/Bluetooth ribbon contact cause a shutdown?

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