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MacBook charging problem

I have a problem with charging on a MacBook5,1. The original MagSafe charger developed an intermittent DC wire and continued for two days before packing in and being replaced with a new one.


The replacement will charge the MacBook, but incredibly slowly. Both the bright orange and green LED lights do not show, instead there is a very faint green light. The Battery icon shows ‘Battery Is Not Charging’. The charger works perfectly on my MacBook2,1.

I have uploaded a screenshot of both MacBook's from the Power section of the System Report. From this it would appear that the info under AC Charger Information is blank for the MacBook5,1.


Does this indicate that the 1-Wire OverVoltage Protection is damaged? My understanding is that the 1-Wire system is shared with the DC+ wire from the MagSafe charger. Any advice or previous experience with a problem like this would be gratefully received.

User uploaded file

MacBook, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5), Upgrades SSD hard drive, 4GB memory

Posted on Jan 24, 2015 6:11 AM

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4 replies

Jan 25, 2015 8:24 AM in response to SeaPapp

Hi Mike


Yes, I have tried the SMC a number of times and it makes no difference.


To fill in the detail:

1. The MacBook has been trouble free in all the time I have owned it from new.

2. The MagSafe is new and works fine on my older MacBook2,1. The MagSafe is a bad design IMO as the cable always twists and breaks the coax at the charger. This is my third charger, which at £65 a pop is irritating.

3. The Macbook has never been water damaged.

4. The troublesome MacBook will not start up with the charger attached and the battery removed. This would indicate to me that there is not enough current being supplied to the MacBook, but enough to charge the battery over a prolonged period of time.


This is how I concluded that the 1-Wire system is not operating and stopping the MagSafe operating properly. I have looked at the logic board and am in the process of trying to trace the 1-Wire circuitry through, difficult without a circuit and no silkscreening! There are no obvious signs of scorched IC's.


If anyone knows of a source for the MacBook5,1 circuit diagram or specifically the 1-Wire circuit and components (I am having to look up part markings on the semiconductors at the moment), it would help a lot.

Jan 25, 2015 5:19 PM in response to SeaPapp

Thanks for the replies

I have checked the troubleshooting MagSafe page, but as I say the charger is new and works fine on the older Macbook.


My understanding of the 1-Wire is no more than yours probably! It is the middle pin on the MagSafe connector. From what I gather the Mac uses this pin to change the charger LED’s colour and retrieve the serial number and wattage of the power supply. My guess is that without this the charger circuit will not work properly.


The fact that the System Info > Power screenshot I posted shows no information under AC Charger Information for the MacBook5,1 indicates to me that the 1-Wire input circuitry was damaged while the DC+ cable was going intermittent with the old charger.


I’ll just have to trace it through to find the first semiconductor in the Mac from that centre pin.

MacBook charging problem

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