MagSafe 60W charger goes on and off when Macbook is on

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MagSafe 60W charger goes on and off when Macbook is on

Dear fellow Mac users,

I have an odd problem with the MagSafe 60W Power charger of my 13" Macbook for the last 2 weeks. The charger sporadically keeps going on and off when my Macbook is on. This problem can either persist as long as the Macbook stays on or suddenly stops after about 10 minutes. When my Macbook is off, however, the charger works fine. The strange thing is that this problem does not happen all the time. I haven't seemed to figure out any consistent patterns.

I bought a new charger just before this problem started. My former charger died on me (most likely due to a tear in the cable). I had the former charger for about a year and a half. Nevertheless, I think it is a software problem rather than a hardware problem, because the charger works fine as soon as I turn off the laptop.

Any ideas?

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 28, 2011 5:48 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 28, 2011 8:45 AM in response to Readazoid

The same thing happened to me; the light dissapeared and then reappeared randomly.

To fix this, just push in the charger once it's been pulled in by the magnet; letting it sit there from the magnet's power alone doesn't seem to work.

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Answer 2

Readazoid Author

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Aug 13, 2011 12:07 PM in response to Galactic_Emperor

Thank you for the tip Emp, but the problem still persists.

What you suggested does not solve one of the riddles I presented, namely that the charger works fine as soon as I turn off my Macbook (not sleep mode)

It especially happens when my battery is down. As my battery is more and more charged, the randomly interludes where it turns off and on become shorter and less and less. As far as I can tell, as soon as my macbook is charged (i.e. green light) the problem stops.

I have developed a new theory for the problem. The new charger I bought was a European charger (I bought it in Amsterdam), while the old one is a American charger (from Miami, Florida). Mac chargers are supposed to be global, but we all know that there is difference in voltage in every country. Maybe this plays a role as well.

I wonder if there are any Mac specialists out there that could help.

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Answer 3

cm1096

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Sep 12, 2011 9:38 AM in response to Readazoid

I have just noticed exactly the same thing on my charger. Its the new L shaped connector and i have had it about 4-6 months. It charges just fine when the mac is shut down but when its on the charger continuously turns on and off.

Most annoying as this new charger now cost £50 in the UK.

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Answer 4

Jul 23, 2012 12:12 AM in response to Readazoid

just clean the magnet

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Answer 5

kidury

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Aug 8, 2012 11:16 AM in response to Readazoid

Even I am facing the exact same problem. When the macbook is ON, the orange light glows for 30-40 seconds then turns green and then becomes orange. When the macbook is powered off, it keeps charging.

I tried cleaning the adaptor with spirit but still no luck.

Any suggestions ?

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Answer 6

Oct 5, 2012 5:21 PM in response to Readazoid

I, too, am having the exact same problem. I've tried resetting the SMC, cleaning the magnet, etc. etc. but nothing works. My charger is not foreign; it's the one that came with the computer (MacBook Pro 13" purchased only a few months ago). Have you had any luck?

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Answer 7

Feb 5, 2013 1:58 PM in response to Readazoid

I got the same problem. Anyone knows what is causing this? It's really annoying.

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Answer 8

Jun 15, 2013 9:59 AM in response to Readazoid

I got the same problem but it seems nodbody is respoding, I have been in severa apple store, they also didnt know what is going on?

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Answer 9

Jun 15, 2013 9:59 AM in response to cm1096

Hi dear , I got the same problem and it seems your post is old, so have you solved it?

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Answer 10

Readazoid Author

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Jun 15, 2013 11:36 PM in response to Readazoid

Hey all,

I got mine replaced at the macstore. I still had my one year warranty.

After that, problem solved.

I belive its a glitch in the product. Cleaning it up will not help.

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Answer 11

Aug 29, 2013 10:42 AM in response to Readazoid

BUMP.

Having the same problem. I know I should probably replace it but I'm still hoping to find a solution.

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Answer 12

Jan 5, 2014 8:24 AM in response to Readazoid

i live in germany now bought my laptop in uk so i used an adaptor in the begin was alright now starting to happen to me alsp when laptop is off its charging when on keeps going on and off....dont know what to do

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Answer 13

Evola

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Jan 9, 2014 6:44 AM in response to Readazoid

I have the same problem!!

Is there a fix for this??

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Answer 14

Readazoid Author

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Jan 9, 2014 11:39 PM in response to Evola

Both Evola and Alex: The oly solution I can give you guys is to replace the charger. This is product error by Mac.

I thought it also had to do with the fact that I have a US laptop with a Dutch charger. But this is not the case. I had my charger replaced at a Dutch store and it's working fine ever since. It's just a product error. Even if you have no garanty I would still try negotiating with Mac, since there is no clear cause to the problem. Refer them to this forum discussion if it helps.

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