magsafe burnt power pins and power port 2012 macbook pro retina

Question

Level 1

12 points

magsafe burnt power pins and power port 2012 macbook pro retina

After a year of owning my macbook pro late 2012 retina model, it started having difficulty charging, it wouldn't charge even when green on the magsafe, and had difficulty turning orange, basically right after the 1 year warranty was over by one month, I went into the apple store and they told me that I simply needed to replace the power adapter and cord and it would be fine, but that it most likely was caused by me plugging it into a power strip, and that I had to plug it directly into the wall in its own power slot, which they never said that was what you were supposed to do when I purchased the laptop and could not find it anywhere in the literature. It was fine in the store for the apple worker, but after even just a few months I had to to constantly twist and unplug and replug the magsafe adapter from different angles just to get it to work, and it was like a living ****, as I am a digital artist and my wacom tablet will not work until my macbook pro is charging and the magsafe is orange, so everyday I would waste 30 minutes to an hour with the finicky magsafe, until recently my macbook pro will not turn on at all.

Since the problem arose after warranty I had to pay out of pocket for the replacement magesafe cord, which was a temporary solution, I pointed out that the magsafe power port on the laptop itself also had burn marks just like the magsafe cord that had a few pins pushed in and was slightly blackened but the attendant ignored that and said it was fine and just swapped out the cord. The "genius" attendant claimed if I just plugged in the macbook pro directly into the wall, everything would be fine and back to normal, and I did just that, I never plugged it into a power strip ever again, and still we arrive to my current predicament.

I believe I have to repair the actual power port the magsafe plugs into on the laptop, and get a new magsafe cord all over again, but it will be much more expensive than simply swapping out a cord this time, and I don't think the reason this happened to begin with has been truly identified, and I'm worried I have to make this repair every year, and I can't afford this kind of planned obsolescence, and I thought I was getting the best laptop in the world, and it was, everything was perfect not one single problem, except for this power issue, which now won't even allow me to use the computer at all and is now a giant paper weight, and leaves a dirty taste in my mouth when it comes to apple products.

I live in San Francisco in a house that was built around 1910 and don't know much about what or when renovations were made for power, but I have a feeling some kind of incorrect voltage is happening, and I was never instructed on this, and every other macbook is fine, my roommates have earlier models like the 2007 and 2009 MacBooks and have no problem like mine.

Please help me

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Dec 14, 2014 4:34 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

spudnuty

Level 5

7,116 points

Dec 14, 2014 5:18 PM in response to Ziilch

Hello Ziilch and welcome to Apple Support Communities,

>I had to to constantly twist and unplug and replug the magsafe adapter from different angles just to get it to work<

The only time I've seen that is if there is dirt or debris in the port, connector or if the port has been damaged. The most dangerous thing to get in there is metal shavings or the like. That can cause a short.

>also had burn marks just like the magsafe cord that had a few pins pushed in and was slightly blackened<

So clearly the connector/port was damaged. From that point on it wouldn't have worked properly.

What size is your MBP?

Sounds like you'll most likely need to replace the DC in board.

Reply

Answer 2

Ziilch Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 15, 2014 3:56 PM in response to spudnuty

It's a Macbook Pro 15 inch Retina mid to late 2012.

How much is it to replace the DC board and how can I prevent this in the future?

I am interested in getting a magsafe snuglet, some advertise sturdier connections, and mine seems to just pop right off all the time, which probably lead to it getting dirty, but I clean it often and the particles are so small there nigh impossible to get out, sometimes I use a small bristle toothbrush or a toothpick but often doesn't work.

Do I also need to keep the plastic cover for the magsafe to prevent dirt when transporting in my laptop bag? I'm not sure if I still have one.

But if I get the repair on the DC board is there any kind of new warranty in case it happens again because someone once told me there were separate wattage magsafe adapters, and I only use the one my macbook pro came with, and I'm still worried about this old house, because this seemed to only happen on the new magsafe connectors.

Reply

Answer 3

spudnuty

Level 5

7,116 points

Dec 15, 2014 4:16 PM in response to Ziilch

>How much is it to replace the DC board<

> is there any kind of new warranty<

Dunno, you'd have to ask Apple or whoever you have do the repair.

The repair manuals are here:

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_15%22_Unibody

The part for the MagSafe board is here:

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/MacBook-Pro-Unibody-13-Inch-Model-A1278-and-15- Inch-Mid-2009-through-Mid-2012-MagSafe-DC-In-Board/IF163-011-1

Mid 2009 - Mid 2012

>because someone once told me there were separate wattage magsafe adapters<

Yes there are 45, 60 and 85 Watt power adapters. You only get into trouble if you're supposed to be using, say an 85 Watt and plug in a 45 Watt. You'd be straining that adapter.

>Do I also need to keep the plastic cover for the magsafe to prevent dirt when transporting in my laptop bag?<

I have clients that do that. I can't do it because I always lose those caps.

Reply

Answer 4

Aug 30, 2015 10:32 AM in response to Ziilch

I have a Macbook Pro Retina 15" and have the exact same issue

Reply

Answer 5

ivanz

Level 1

0 points

Sep 29, 2015 7:43 PM in response to bluewavemaui

Dido! I have a macbook Pro 15" Mid 2012. I'm on my second Magsafe2 charger and it is just about dead and now I need a third. However, the charging pins on my laptop are very badly burnt and will have to be replaced. I've noticed the charging port area of my computer gets quite hot when charging. Has anyone used a lower wattage charger to lower the charge rate and Heat and hopefully stop the pins from overheating?

Reply

Answer 6

Oct 20, 2015 11:26 AM in response to ivanz

Same issue here, 2 burned pins out of 5 (pins 1 and 5 left to right). Apple MacBook Pro 15.4" A1286 (Late 2008). Need to continually wiggle magsafe connector, then it charges and works fine as long as I don't tough it. But when I'm on the road it's a constant bother and battery discharges to zero if I'm not watching it. Is there a fix for this other than replacing parts? I've tried contact cleaner with no results.

Reply

Answer 7

kooz123

Level 1

0 points

Jan 18, 2016 4:27 PM in response to Ziilch

From Apple's website:

Unplug the power adapter from the wall, let it sit for 60 seconds, then plug the adapter back in.

If the adapter works after this 60-second "rest", you most likely have a line noise issue with your power source. You should reset the adapter periodically by repeating this moment of rest. This issue occurs when the AC adapter's "over voltage protection" feature senses ground noise and then turns off the adapter.
Some possible sources of line noise include lights with ballasts, refrigerators, or mini-refrigerators that are on the same electrical circuit as your computer. This behavior may not occur if you plug the power adapter into an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or plug it into a different circuit.
Unless the adapter continues to exhibit this behavior on a known good outlet, it does not need to be replaced.

Check this website: Apple Portables: Troubleshooting MagSafe adapters - Apple Support

Reply