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I think my SMC is dead...

A1229 MacBook Pro 3’1

17” 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

6GB 667 MHz Ram

1TB Crucial SSD / OS 10.11.6

Recently i’ve been having a number of issues that suddenly started occurring one evening, for no apparent reason.

So first off, I use this machine without a battery. I rely on the AC plugged in. I had been using the machine for half the day fine with no problems. In the evening though, it wouldn’t turn on. I realised the MagSafe light was not on at all (usually lights green).

I assumed the AC was dead so got a replacement. The light showed ‘green’ but the machine still refused to turn on. My worry at this point was a dead logic board.

These worries were alleviated eventually as i’d managed to turn it on by googling SMC fixes (holding down the power button for 10 seconds with the MagSafe disconnected / power cycling). It boots fine but i’ve noticed some VERY odd behaviours;

  1. The MagSafe light is OFF in operation
  2. The fans are constantly at full speed from the chime
  3. The keyboard backlight does not work
  4. The machine takes long to enter sleep on closing, only sleeping after the set time
  5. screensaver seems to be slow to initiate and is a little pixelated
  6. The same process has to be followed to switch the machine back on once it’s been powered down (using power cycling method)
  7. The machine also takes fairly longer than it should to restart when this option is selected

I've used the PRAM method numerous times and attempted the SMC fix, without joy. I’ve also tried booting in safe mode but the result is the same.

I’ve not long installed a SSD in place of the old HDD and upgraded the OS to El Capitan just to give this machine a little more life. I can’t think of what the problem could be, but the behaviours I think point to the SMC. I’ve checked the firmware / SMC version and boot ROM and these are also up to date.

Any ideas on a fix please?

Thanks in advance.

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The system was not designed to support the logic board by AC power only! You really need to have a battery installed and working!

At this point the MOSFET logic on your logic board and the one wire circuit between the charger and the logic board needs to be repaired. Your SMC is likely just fine unless you had a liquid spill at some point. MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Logic Board Replacement

Between the expense, availability of parts and the limits this series has. I would recommend looking for a used Mac system which is newer like a 2012 15” Unibody. The very last 17” model is the late 2011 model as well but its dedicated GPU tends to fail under heavy work loads.

Apple has released a newer larger displayed system late last year the 16” MacBook Pro. If you can jump to it I think you’ll like it but it will require changing out your FireWire devices for Thunderbolt/USB-C.

I finally had to put my Late 2011 i7 17” system down last year as the GPU finally failed. I really miss it! This year I’m planning on getting the new 16” model to replace it. Which will also allow me to use newer apps!

Update (05/23/2020)

  1. ''The MagSafe light is OFF in operation -'' Thats the one wire comm link between the charger and the systems charging logic
  2. The fans are constantly at full speed from the chime - Thats SMC being told by the thermal and voltage sensors the system is in trouble! SMC goes into Safe Mode pushing the fan to high RPM to keep the system cool
  3. The keyboard backlight does not work - Thats a condition of the backlight power logic on the logic board
  4. The machine takes long to enter sleep on closing, only sleeping after the set time - Given the age of the system you could have a corruption on the drive and/or the drive is not suitable for your system and/or the drive is wearing out.
  5. Screensaver seems to be slow to initiate and is a little pixelated - GPU/power issues
  6. The same process has to be followed to switch the machine back on once it’s been powered down (using power cycling method) - SMC lock state when in Safe Mode the system is designed to prevent restart which you are over-riding resetting SMC
  7. The machine also takes fairly longer than it should to restart when this option is selected - If I kicked you in the head it would take a while to clear the stars too! ;-} Fully expected

You have a tired old system which has major issues. Either get your system to someone who can fix the logic board or just replace the logic board if you can find one that’s still good! Which I think is not the most cost effective approach.

Again, I would look for a newer system. I still cry for my 17” system too!

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Hi Dan,

Thanks for your response. Could you explain in a little more detail please? As I don't fully understand; the machine boots up (switching on not straight forward as explained) and I can use it, but don't understand the symptoms / behaviours the machine is now displaying (as I listed 1-7), and how your answer relates to those.

I never did plan to use the machine without a battery, but have had two fail and swell over time and was dubious of getting another 3rd party replacement.

Thanks for such a quick response.

Kind regards

por

Hi Dan,

Thanks again for your responses and advice.

I took your advice and found a 2012 15” Unibody (9,1) with Catalina and will be upgrading it with the 1TB SSD and 16GB of ram, which I guess will keep it going for a little while.

Strangely, when I plugged the genuine AC cable into the old 17” MBP, it switches on fine and all of those issues I listed before have now disappeared with it running as normal! It would be interesting to know what your expert opinion is on this.

Given that those issues occured with 3rd party adapters, i think i will be keeping away from those now. Nevertheless, the 17” will now be my back up machine if needed…

Regards!

por

I've always preached on using REAL Apple power adapters! Don't Replace Your MacBook Charger With a Cheap Knockoff. So it's not surprising a knockoff can cause issues.

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