Macbook Air 11 Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement Repair Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

                          15 - 20 minutes

Sections

Lower Case
2 steps
Battery
3 steps
Left Speaker
5 steps
Microphone
2 steps

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BackMacBook Air 11" Mid 2012
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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Lower Case

Shut down and close your computer. Lay it on a soft surface top-side down.
Remove the following ten screws:
Two 8 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws
Eight 2.5 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws
The special screwdriver needed to remove the 5-point Pentalobe screws can be found here.

Shut down and close your computer. Lay it on a soft surface top-side down.

Remove the following ten screws:

Two 8 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

Eight 2.5 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

The special screwdriver needed to remove the 5-point Pentalobe screws can be found here.

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Step 2

Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.

Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.

Step 3

              Battery

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both short sides of the battery connector upward to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.
Bend the battery cable slightly away from the logic board so the connector will not accidentally contact its socket.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both short sides of the battery connector upward to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.

Bend the battery cable slightly away from the logic board so the connector will not accidentally contact its socket.

Step 4

Remove the following five screws securing the battery to the upper case:
Two 5.2 mm T5 Torx screws
One 6 mm T5 Torx screw
Two 2.6 mm T5 Torx screws

Remove the following five screws securing the battery to the upper case:

Two 5.2 mm T5 Torx screws

One 6 mm T5 Torx screw

Two 2.6 mm T5 Torx screws

Step 5

When handling the battery, avoid squeezing or touching the six exposed lithium polymer cells.
Lift the battery from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.
If you’re installing a new battery, you should calibrate it after installation:
Charge it to 100%, and then keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Next, unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.
If you notice any unusual behavior or problems after installing your new battery, you may need to reset your MacBook’s SMC.

When handling the battery, avoid squeezing or touching the six exposed lithium polymer cells.

Lift the battery from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.

If you’re installing a new battery, you should calibrate it after installation:

Charge it to 100%, and then keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Next, unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.

If you notice any unusual behavior or problems after installing your new battery, you may need to reset your MacBook’s SMC.

Step 6

              Left Speaker

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the I/O board cable connector up off its socket on the I/O board.
Bend the cable away from the I/O board.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the I/O board cable connector up off its socket on the I/O board.

Bend the cable away from the I/O board.

Step 7

Use the tip of a spudger to de-route the left speaker cable from the notch cut into the edge of the I/O board.

Use the tip of a spudger to de-route the left speaker cable from the notch cut into the edge of the I/O board.

Step 8

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the left speaker connector up and out of its socket on the I/O board.
Make sure to pry upward from beneath the wires.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the left speaker connector up and out of its socket on the I/O board.

Make sure to pry upward from beneath the wires.

Step 9

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the left speaker off the adhesive securing it to the upper case.
Only pry up on the speaker from the areas of bare aluminum on the upper case. Prying up from the keyboard area may damage the keyboard and the speaker itself.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the left speaker off the adhesive securing it to the upper case.

Only pry up on the speaker from the areas of bare aluminum on the upper case. Prying up from the keyboard area may damage the keyboard and the speaker itself.

Step 10

Remove the left speaker from the upper case.

Remove the left speaker from the upper case.

Step 11

              Microphone

Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the microphone ribbon cable ZIF socket.
Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
Use the tip of a spudger to pull the microphone ribbon cable out of its socket.

Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the microphone ribbon cable ZIF socket.

Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.

Use the tip of a spudger to pull the microphone ribbon cable out of its socket.

Step 12

Use the tip of a spudger to pry the microphone away from the side of the upper case.
Remove the microphone from the upper case.

Use the tip of a spudger to pry the microphone away from the side of the upper case.

Remove the microphone from the upper case.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order. Take note of microphone position before removal so you can position the replacement accurately in place.

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                    Andrew Optimus Goldheart

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pohutukawa - Oct 5, 2018

Very straightforward replacement.

Take special care when removing the microphone and speaker connectors from their respective sockets. Just be gentle and methodical.

Ensure you press down firmly, but not hard, after microphone replacement when reconnecting the battery connector to the motherboard.

When re-attaching the speaker connector, also pay special attention to pushing down firmly on this to ensure a connection is made. Again, not too hard, but it is easy to push down enough to think it is connected but it can easily not be.

Introduction#

What you need#

Team#

Introduction

What you need

Team