MagSafe toggles green/orange
Jan 27, 2010
macos
In my last entry, I wrote about the many problems that I’ve had with my MacBook. In this post, let’s have a look at the green/orange MagSafe disco light.
The last problem in the long list of problems that I’ve had with my MacBook, was that the battery did swell and had to be replaced. Apple really sucks here, since batteries are not covered by the guarantee. So, instead of buying a new Apple battery for $190, I found an unofficial battery web site, where I could by it for almost half price.
After installing and calibrating the new battery, I was confused to see that the MagSafe adapter started to toggle between orange (loading) and green (loaded). I had the battery fully loaded, but the indicator seemed to reach 100%, drop to 99%, reach 100%, drop to 99% and so on. I did receive a replacement battery, but the problem remains.
The problem can be either:
- The replacement battery (two in a row == unlikely).
- The unofficial battery together with my computer.
- The MagSafe adapter.
- The computer’s battery connection (due to the previously swollen battery).
To investigate further, I took my computer to a friend of mine and installed the battery in her MacBook, where it worked like a charm.
- Her computer, MagSafe and battery = OK
- Her computer and battery, but my MagSafe = OK
- Her computer, but my battery and MagSafe = OK
This didn’t look promising. However, when I put the battery back in my computer, using my MagSafe, it suddenly worked! Baffled, I returned home, where everything continued to work for a while. However, after a couple of hours, the MagSafe indicator started to blink once again! It still does, so I am once again stuck with a MacBook component that doesn’t work.
To sum up, the battery seems OK, since it did work in my friend’s computer. So did the MagSafe. Is it possible that the MagSafe is damaged and only happened to be ok when I tried it my friend’s place?
I will call another friend and ask to try his MagSafe. If it works, it seems like I have to go back to where I bought my computer and get help.