Macbook Air 13 Early 2020 Audio Board Replacement Repair Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

                          10 - 30 minutes

Sections

Lower Case
2 steps
Battery Disconnection
2 steps
Audio Board
6 steps

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BackMacBook Air 13" Retina Early 2020
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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Remove the screws securing the lower case

Before starting this procedure, you should disable your Mac’s Auto Boot feature. Auto Boot powers on your Mac when you open the lid, and may be accidentally triggered during disassembly. Use this guide to disable Auto Boot.
If your MacBook is running Big Sur v11.1 or later, disabling Auto Boot may not work. You can proceed normally, but make sure to disconnect the battery as soon as you’re inside.
Completely power off and unplug your MacBook Air before you start. Close the display and flip the entire laptop upside-down.
Use a P5 driver to remove the following screws:
Two 7.9 mm screws
Two 7.1 mm screws
Six 2.6 mm screws
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your MacBook.

Before starting this procedure, you should disable your Mac’s Auto Boot feature. Auto Boot powers on your Mac when you open the lid, and may be accidentally triggered during disassembly. Use this guide to disable Auto Boot.

If your MacBook is running Big Sur v11.1 or later, disabling Auto Boot may not work. You can proceed normally, but make sure to disconnect the battery as soon as you’re inside.

Completely power off and unplug your MacBook Air before you start. Close the display and flip the entire laptop upside-down.

Use a P5 driver to remove the following screws:

Two 7.9 mm screws

Two 7.1 mm screws

Six 2.6 mm screws

Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your MacBook.

1024

Step 2

              Remove the lower case

Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.
Remove the lower case.
To reinstall the lower case:
Set it in place and press firmly to engage the two hidden clips underneath. You should feel and hear them snap into place.

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

Remove the lower case.

To reinstall the lower case:

Set it in place and press firmly to engage the two hidden clips underneath. You should feel and hear them snap into place.

Step 3

              Disconnect the battery

Peel back the tape covering the battery connector enough to reveal the connector underneath.

Peel back the tape covering the battery connector enough to reveal the connector underneath.

Step 4

Use a spudger to slide the battery connector parallel to the logic board and out of its socket on the logic board.

Use a spudger to slide the battery connector parallel to the logic board and out of its socket on the logic board.

Step 5

              Disconnect the right speaker

Slide the pointed end of a spudger underneath the speaker cable and pry straight up to disconnect it.

Slide the pointed end of a spudger underneath the speaker cable and pry straight up to disconnect it.

Step 6

              Disconnect the audio board

Use a T4 Torx driver to remove the three 1.4 mm screws securing the audio board connector cover.
Remove the audio board connector cover.

Use a T4 Torx driver to remove the three 1.4 mm screws securing the audio board connector cover.

Remove the audio board connector cover.

Step 7

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the audio board connector straight up to disconnect it from the board.
To re-attach press connectors like this one, carefully align and press down on one side until it clicks into place, then repeat on the other side. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the audio board connector straight up to disconnect it from the board.

To re-attach press connectors like this one, carefully align and press down on one side until it clicks into place, then repeat on the other side. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.

Step 8

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the Touch ID cable straight up to disconnect it from the audio board.
Continue to slide the spudger underneath the Touch ID cable to release it from the audio board.
The Touch ID cable is secured to the audio board with some light adhesive.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the Touch ID cable straight up to disconnect it from the audio board.

Continue to slide the spudger underneath the Touch ID cable to release it from the audio board.

The Touch ID cable is secured to the audio board with some light adhesive.

Step 9

              Remove the audio board

Use a T4 Torx driver to remove the three screws securing the audio board:
Two 4.3 mm screws
One 2.4 mm screw

Use a T4 Torx driver to remove the three screws securing the audio board:

Two 4.3 mm screws

One 2.4 mm screw

Step 10

Remove the audio board.

Remove the audio board.

Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.

To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.

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Author

                    Carsten Frauenheim

Member since: 03/10/2020

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Introduction#

What you need#

Team#

Introduction

What you need

Team