Originally wanted to go to the physical store to exchange, but after going there, they said that the keyboard and battery had to be replaced together, which was too expensive. Moreover, it would take almost half a month to replace the battery. As a daily main machine, it cannot withstand such a long time-consuming process. It's better to buy the battery on a certain online platform and replace it myself. Overall, it is relatively easy.
This installation was originally found online, but later I searched again and couldn't find relevant documents... Now I'm posting it here for easy reference in the future.
I searched online for videos on replacing the battery of the MacBook Pro (A1708), most of which guide to remove the touchpad before removing the battery, and some even require removing the motherboard before removing the battery. This may be because it is difficult to remove the adhesive strip at the bottom of the battery, and there is a concern that the touchpad FPC or other components may be damaged during the removal, so further disassembly is done. I replaced the battery without removing other accessories.
General Process#
Open the back cover -> Disconnect the touchpad interface -> Remove the battery control board -> Remove the adhesive strip at the bottom of the battery -> Remove the original battery -> Install the new battery -> Connect the battery control board -> Install the touchpad interface -> Install the back cover.
The initial difficulty in disassembling this machine may be in opening the back cover and removing the adhesive strip at the bottom of the battery. It is especially important to be careful when removing the FPC of the battery control board, as the FPC has a very thin interface connector that is very small. The detailed steps and key points are recorded below.
Detailed Steps#
1. Open the back cover#
The first challenge in disassembling this machine for the first time is to open the back cover. The back cover has 6 screws, grouped in pairs, and a unified cross-shaped screwdriver is used. The corresponding positions and shapes of the screws are shown in the figure below.
After removing the 6 screws, keep them safe and be careful not to drop them. Use a pry tool (or a small card like a bank card that is easier to insert) to pry open the back panel from the back, and then open the card slots on the left and right sides of the back panel, and then slightly pull out the back panel.
If everything goes well, the back cover should open smoothly. Next, remove the ribbon cable on the touchpad interface and then disassemble the battery control board.
2. Disconnect the touchpad interface#
After removing the screws and clips on the touchpad interface, you can easily remove the ribbon cable.
Peel off the adhesive tape on the battery power board shown in the above picture to expose the battery control board. It is recommended to peel off the adhesive tape from left to right, as it is easy to accidentally disconnect the ribbon cable on the right side.
3. Remove the battery control board connection#
After removing the adhesive tape, the ribbon cable you see is the connection between the battery and the motherboard. There are small plugs and clips at both ends of the ribbon cable. You need to bend the clips into a vertical state and then pull the ribbon cable out of the plugs. When installing the ribbon cable later, insert it first and then bend the clips down to secure it.
After removing the ribbon cable connecting the motherboard and the battery, remove the 3 screws on the control board. The middle screw has a white piece of paper on it, which should be used to determine whether the battery has been removed. You can ignore it or remove it.
After that, it's time to remove the battery...
4. Remove the adhesive strip at the bottom of the battery#
The bottom of the original battery, which consists of three battery cells, is glued to the machine with adhesive strips. The adhesive strips have very good stickiness. It is recommended to remove the strips on the two sides first, and then remove the one in the middle after becoming proficient. It is best to heat the adhesive strips with a hairdryer, which will make them easier to tear off... I still remember the first time I removed the battery of an iPhone by force, and the battery caught fire...
First, use a spatula to cut into the adhesive strip, push it in according to the position of the strip, and as long as the spatula pushes in and opens a small opening, it will be easy to remove by continuously twisting.
When removing the adhesive strip in the middle of the battery, pay special attention to start from the side with more space on the left and right sides, and use a horizontal motion to remove it based on the position of the adhesive strip on both sides. Be sure to avoid damaging the ribbon cable of the touchpad below. It would be a pity if the ribbon cable is damaged...
After removing the adhesive strips at the bottom of the three battery cells, it is easy to remove the old battery.
5. Install the new battery#
Installing the battery is relatively easy, and there are no more pictures, it's very simple.
The clips on both sides of the ribbon cable must be operated in reverse order of disassembly. The ribbon cable must be inserted into the socket long enough, otherwise the battery will not be recognized later. After installing the battery, you can try to turn on the power and test it. If the battery is detected without any problems, press the battery firmly and then install the back cover.
6. Install in reverse order#
Install the touchpad ribbon cable and then install the back cover in reverse order.