Weird USB problems on vintage Macbook

Question

Weird USB problems on vintage Macbook

Good morning everyone!

I have recently (in the last decade) developed this hobby (or obsession) of restoring "vintage" Apple computers to at least get them functional... for no other reason than for my own enjoyment. However, I recently got my hands on a 12" Retina Macbook )Early 2015) and I may actually make this my daily carry! It's apparently the lightest Macbook EVER and I really love the portability of it. I only need a machine for very light browsing or word processing while on the go, so it's actually a perfect choice. I have several modern Macs and an iPad, but I dunno, there's something about this machine that I like.

About the computer: it seems like it's working... But, I am struggling to get the USB to function properly. To sum it up, it will charge the laptop, very very slowly (usually at 4 Watts, but sometimes higher, it's kind of random). It also only likes the cable put in one way or the other, which shouldn't be a thing since it's USB-C. Also, it won't recognize any device plugged in (USB flash drive, etc.). I guess my question is, could it be the USB port itself or the logic board? Is there anything that I could do to eliminate one or the other? I just don't want to go through the trouble of finding a buying a logic board, when all I needed was a USB port assembly. Or maybe a better option would be to find ANOTHER dead machine for parts.

Side note: It appears as though the battery is good! It's actually says "normal", and upon further diagnostics, the battery IS at 80% capacity, which is okay by me. However, no matter what I do, I cannot get it to charge "fast". The charging rate appears to be limited to either 3 Watts or 8 Watts, but it's kind of random. If I let it charge overnight, it will charge the laptop to 100%, which is great! So yeah, I think I have eliminated the battery as the culprit. I have also done all the fancy resets via various key combinations, I have reinstalled the OS, and even upgraded the OS to the latest officially supported release, Big Sur (which BTW, I will have to downgrade, because it drains the battery very very quickly).

Obviously, this is a just a fun little project I'm working on, and it's technically an obsolete machine, so I can understand if this is stupid. I appreciate any and all advice. Have a good day.

MacBook, macOS 11.7

Posted on Oct 16, 2024 8:38 AM

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Answer 1

OldGoat67

Level 2

404 points

Oct 16, 2024 4:49 PM in response to madeforbychris

Well, madeforbychris… our terms of use here on Apple communities says we can’t post any repair/take apart links here… I’d try to find an independent AASP ( apple authorized service provider) and see what they say … Apple supports Macs for up to 8 years, then they are considered officially obsolete… so you’re on your own on this one… there are sites and places that could help you, maybe Facebook… not here though

john B

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Answer 2

Oct 17, 2024 5:04 AM in response to OldGoat67

I greatly appreciate your response! I know exactly where to look for step by step instructions so I can Fix It (hint hint). It does look like this one is considered vintage at this point, so Apple would most likely just laugh at me. I am leaning toward it being an issue with the USB port. Although it's very difficult to see in the port, it kind of looks like one or more of the pins is damaged in some way. Oddly enough, I noticed that it seems to charge quicker when connected to a 5V adapter using a USB-A to USB-C cable. This makes absolutely no sense to me, but at least I am able to get it it charged. I'm not sure if the battery just needed a few full charges and discharges, but it's actually holding a charge really well at this point. That said, I still plan on fixing the problem at some point. I think I'll start with removing the USB port, getting a closer look at it, and confirming that it is indeed damaged. Thanks again for your response!

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Answer 3

HWTech

Level 9

60,062 points

Oct 17, 2024 9:24 AM in response to madeforbychris

I am not familiar with this specific model laptop so I don't know if the USB-C ports are on an I/O Board or integrated onto the Logic Board.

I do find the USB-C ports on the Macs tend to get damaged by liquid quite a lot since it only takes a tiny drop of liquid to splash into the port from the table. With a bright light and magnifier you can try checking the contacts in the USB-C ports to see if they show any signs of corrosion or burn marks. Unfortunately while I've gotten quite good at looking at these ports, many times I still cannot see some signs of corrosion especially at the back of the contacts without removing the I/O Board or Logic Board for examination.

As for the charging issue, try rotating the USB-C connector on the charging cable 180º upside down to see if that makes any difference. Try all ports in both directions. If the port is half bad, sometimes this will make a difference.

FYI, the USB-C ports on the 2016 & 2017 models (I guess it would also include this 2015 MacBook as well) tend to wear down quickly with use since the slight protrusions on the USB-C connector is made from the fiberboard which wears quickly (Apple fixed this oversight with 2018+ models where the edges of the ports are covered in metal).

I personally would not spend any money to repair any of the Apple USB-C Intel laptops for a number of reasons (known issues with the "internal" display cable, the issues with the butterfly keyboard). Plus purchasing a used USB-C Mac (or just the Logic Board) is very risky since it may have a firmware password lock, or the board/Mac may still be managed by the previous owner with an MDM or AppleID....there is nothing you can do to remove those security/management locks/restrictions. Be extremely careful buying from unknown sources.

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