MacBook Pro 15" Core 2 Duo Model A1211 LCD Panel Replacement

Written By: Luke Soules
  • Comments: 38
MacBook Pro 15" Core 2 Duo Model A1211 LCD Panel Replacement

Difficulty

Very difficult

Steps

33

Time Required

No estimate

Introduction

Replacing just your LCD panel can save you money.

  1. TG2LjpCTB2V64hbm

    • Use your fingers to push both battery release tabs away from the battery, and lift the battery out of the computer.

    Years ago, I had to return/replace this type of a battery several times because of erratic behavior in the laptop. Suddenly I had one that lasted for 5 years before not taking any charge anymore. So, I'm going to order a new one hopefully without having to restart the return charade BECAUSE:

    I observed that the battery's CONTACTs are unreliably INTERMITTENT. So far, it helped for a while moving it in and out in order to chafe the contacts' surfaces against each other.

    moise -

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    • Remove the three identical Phillips screws from the memory door.

    Tip for new players - print this guide, then use Sello tape to tape the screws from each step on the picture. Keeps them all organised and easy to know which screws belong to which step when putting it all back together

    MPB Monkey -

    Thanks a lot for this great advice. I followed it, and it turned out to be very useful and practical.

    Ralf Bergs -

    Quote from MPB Monkey:

    "...Tip for new players - print this guide, then use Sello tape..."

    It's one word: Sellotape, the biggest brand in Europe. :-)

    matthk -

    In regard to the incredible amount of TINY screws, get an Ice Cube Tray or something with AT LEAST 8 compartments, then, when taking out the screws, mark EACH compartment with the step # and how many screws that were taken out, and used for THAT STEP (such as Step # 3 = 4 of 4 screws. Label EACH compartment, and keep them in line of each step. When it comes time to put everything back together, just reverse your Ice Cube Tray, and follow the Steps in Reverse!

    As far as marking each compartment, try these POST IT PENS!!!

    http://www.staples.com/Post-it-Flag-Ball...

    GOOD LUCK! Take your time, it's not as difficult as it seems!

    JerseyJeepGurl

    JerseyJeepGurl -

    An ice cube tray is definitely the way to go!

    Martok Bulls -

    This guide helped me to remove the keyboard on my MBP, but it doesn't take you further to take the keyboard apart. If you REALLY want to look inside the keyboard, you'll need to remove additional phillips screws (10), and carefully remove the inner plastic/clear layers inside the keyboard.

    I did this to look for physical damage inside the keyboard and noticed that the black plastic? sheet was torn on my letter 'v', which was one of the keys not working. I did not see any physical sign anywhere else on the keyboard, though.

    So, after pulling the defective keyboard away and installing the new one purchased from iFixit, putting everything back together is not too difficult, just reverse.

    One thing, though: Check and double-check before you tighten the case screws to make sure your keyboard backlight is working. I noticed I had forgotten to plug it in, luckily for me before I put all the screws on the case.

    To avoid losing any screws, print this guide and use clear tape to tape the screws next to the step. Use double-tape to avoid tearing or one of the tiny screws from falling out.

    Good luck!

    Thanks iFixit for helping me replace my MBP's keyboard!

    juanortuno -

    Thank you for some excellent advice form JerseyJeep Gurl

    Quote from SubodhJ:

    SubodhJ -

    Worked perfect on my 4,1 mbp. Took ~15 min.

    I don't see a boost in speed... or is just me?

    I used 500 GB 7200 RPM Seagate SATA Hard Drive model ST9500420AS.

    (if has a G letter at the end (ASG) is the one with built in shock protection who conflict sometimes with the mac own G protection).

    crus -

    This guide was awesome. I used JerseyJeepGurl's suggestion and used an egg carton, numbering each cavity as a step in the guide. So for a step that had me remove 3 different kinds of screws, I had a cavity for each, numbered: 1a, 1b, 1c and wrote a,b,c on the guide itself next to each bullet point in the step. It was awesome.

    I guess that before starting I overlooked what a T6 torx actually was. I started this process at 8pm and realized right away that I did not have a set that small and of course all stores were closing. Lowes actually had an awesome fine torx driver set for only 7 bucks!

    So that you fixit.

    tech4eleven -

    Quote from tech4eleven:

    This guide was awesome. I used JerseyJeepGurl's suggestion and used an egg carton, numbering each cavity as a step in the guide. So for a step that had me remove 3 different kinds of screws, I had a cavity for each, numbered: 1a, 1b, 1c and wrote a,b,c on the guide itself next to each bullet point in the step. It was awesome.

    I guess that before starting I overlooked what a T6 torx actually was. I started this process at 8pm and realized right away that I did not have a set that small and of course all stores were closing. Lowes actually had an awesome fine torx driver set for only 7 bucks!

    So that you fixit.

    Thank you everybody for "thanking me" on the compartment advice! Also, just about ANY Auto parts store will have a set of Torx Screw drivers, in a handy little set, that is all together. Good luck everybody,,remember,TAKE YOUR TIME, BREATH, AND DON'T GET FRUSTRATED!!! (STEALING ADVICE FROM PEARL JAM,,BREATH,JUST BREATH),,,,AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DO IT YOURSELF!

    JJG

    JerseyJeepGurl -

    Quote from JerseyJeepGurl:

    In regard to the incredible amount of TINY screws, get an Ice Cube Tray or something with AT LEAST 8 compartments, then, when taking out the screws, mark EACH compartment with the step # and how many screws that were taken out, and used for THAT STEP (such as Step # 3 = 4 of 4 screws. Label EACH compartment, and keep them in line of each step. When it comes time to put everything back together, just reverse your Ice Cube Tray, and follow the Steps in Reverse!

    As far as marking each compartment, try these POST IT PENS!!!

    http://www.staples.com/Post-it-Flag-Ball...

    GOOD LUCK! Take your time, it's not as difficult as it seems!

    JerseyJeepGurl

    Michael Fredrickson -

    Quote from Michael Fredrickson:

    I get a piece of "corrugated" cardboard and draw an outline of the laptop and all the "compartments" that are accessed. When you take a screw out simply punch it threw top layer of the cardboard exactly where it goes. Multiple compartments - just draw another diagram on the cardboard. Voila!

    Michael Fredrickson -

    I just finished replacing my hard drive following these instructions and they were perfect. The only minor complication involved the ribbon cable connecting to the sleep light and IR sensor connectors. The entire cable was tightly glued to the hard drive. But I got it loose with 10 minutes of gentle prying with a spudger.

    To keep track of the screws I just sketched an outline of the bottom panel, taped the screws in the right places and numbered them with the step numbers.

    Tom McAuliffe -

    I just used that Glad Press' N Seal. I just cut a 4 in piece, cut slits in it to about half way, Put the screws on there, and fold the pieces over the screws. You can number them, i just kept track of them. Also, you might not need that much, i just cut that much just to be safe.

    benchallinor27 -

    I use magnet

    I use the magnet that close the refigerator door.

    The screws are put on the magnet, so it didnot fall from the table.

    i am french so sorry for my english

    Madoc -

    Just another idea for a container for all the little screws: pillbox. I got one for about $1.00 at the store with 14 compartments.

    Brian Littmann -

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    • Lift the memory door up enough to get a grip on it, and slide it toward you, pulling it away from the casing.

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    • Remove the two 2.8 mm Phillips screws in the battery compartment near the latch.

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    • Remove the following 6 screws:

    • Two 10 mm T6 Torx screws on either side of the RAM slot.

    • Four 14.5 mm Phillips screws along the hinge.

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    • Remove the four 3.2 mm Phillips screws on the port side of the computer.

    "port side of the computer" should read "starboard side". It's on the right-hand side when the computer is positioned normally in front of you.

    joeycoole -

    Port side as in I/O port side, as in the side that has the FireWire and ethernet ports. This is a MacBook, not a sailboat ;)

    Andrew Bookholt -

    Maybe I'm too used to running flight simulators on my Macs. But to us sailors or pilots, it would perhaps be clearer if the instructions mentioned "I/O port side" as Andrew did above.

    Honestly, it never crossed my mind that 'port' refered to in/out…

    joeycoole -

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    • Rotate the computer 90 degrees and remove the two 3.2 mm Phillips screws from the rear of the computer.

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    • Rotate the computer 90 degrees again and remove the four 3.2 mm Phillips screws from the side of the computer.

    In my machine the screw closest to the power connector had a slightly thicker head, and would not sit flush, upon reassembly, unless it was returned to the same hole.

    Martin Kenny -

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    • Do not yank the upper case off quickly. The case is attached to the logic board via a ribbon cable.

    • Lift up at the rear of the case and work your fingers along the sides, freeing the case as you go. Once you have freed the sides, you may need to rock the case up and down to free the front of the upper case (there are some hidden plastic clips that need to be clicked off).

    Be super careful not to bend the metal tabs that hook the upper case into the lower case. If bent these make it challenging to close and reattach the upper case.

    lama -

    I had already done this once and now have a larger SSD to put in and cannot get past this step as the back just will not pop off. In fact- the front comes off fine but the back, where you cannot get the spudger, is "glued" or wedged solid. I suspect that the rear screw tabs have jammed. :(

    Stefanie -

    I would not rock the case up and back. There are 4 plastic connectors that need to come loose, start on the left side with a spudger about a quarter of the distance from the edge and pop them up from left to right, one by one.

    maccentric -

  10. 5RtfYJ144IKnkpNR

    • Disconnect the trackpad and keyboard ribbon cable from the logic board, removing tape as necessary.

    • Remove the upper case.

    Kudos for this fantastic walk-through of replacing the hard drive. I just swapped in a new SSD and it was a piece of cake!

    On Step 10, I tried just propping up the keyboard and leaving it connected to the logic board. It worked for a while but eventually the ribbon popped off. Luckily it wasn't damaged and it's super easy to replace.

    DJR -

    Same happened to me. No damage here either. :-)

    Ralf Bergs -

    Since there is the ONE cable going from the top keyboard/touchpad assembly to the motherboard, you need to be careful lifting it up and removing it.

    Start at the front of the laptop, using a spudger to widen the gap so you can see inside where the ribbon cable attaches.

    When re-assembling, use a couple of spudgers to prop up the keyboard/touchpad assembly and hold it in place. Re-connect the cable, then starting from the rear, lower the assembly into place.

    ECJohansen -

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    • Disconnect the three antenna cables attached to the Airport Extreme card.

    • Apple was kind enough to include a label showing where each color antenna cable plugs in - just make sure to look at this when reconnecting the antenna cables.

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    • Deroute the Airport antenna cables from their channel in the left speaker.

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    • Disconnect the iSight cable from the logic board by sliding the cable to the left and out of its connector.

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    • Disconnect the inverter cable from the logic board by placing a spudger beneath the cable and lifting up.

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    • Disconnect the display data cable from the logic board by pulling sideways.

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    • Remove the silver T6 Torx securing the ground loop in the display data cable to the casing.

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    • Support the display with one hand while removing the following 3 screws:

    • Two 9.5 mm silver T6 Torx screws with threads on only part of the shaft on the inside of the display hinges.

    • One 9.5 mm silver T6 Torx screw with threads on the entire shaft on the outside of the left hinge.

    I have removed the display from two of these MacbookPro’s now and had problems with either the left or right partially threaded T6 Torkx screws. They either come out easy or they refuse to come out at all unless you put upwards pressure on the hinge;. Otherwise the screw turns but does not release.

    nzsteelersfan -

  18. tXI51IDdhKKAbd3D

    • Grasp the display assembly on both sides and lift it up and out of the computer.

    You usually continue on with REASSEMBLY! Where is the reassembly process? .... Obviously it's a reverse process but so much easier to see in step by step photos....

    William Porter -

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    • Remove the two 5 mm Phillips screws from the lower left and right corners of the display (two screws total).

    The screw fixing points on my MBP came away from the back case. They are spot welded to the back case and in the Photo's I have you can see the point's each. You may think that if this happens you lose the ability to use the screws to secure the enclosure but you still can use the screws if you position the fixing points before clipping the front panel in place. Have a needle of small nail to align though the holes before replacing the screws. This is not easy and you need to be practices at this sort of repair.

    They sit under the plastic surround and do! add the the string of the completed enclosure.

    substevew -

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    • Insert the flat end of a spudger perpendicular to the face of the display between the plastic strip attached to the rear bezel and the front bezel.

    • Do not insert your spudger between the plastic strip and the rear bezel.

    • With the spudger still inserted, rotate it away from the display to separate the front and rear bezels.

    • Work along the left edge of the display until the rear bezel is evenly separated from the front bezel.

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    • Insert the flat end of a spudger perpendicular to the face of the display between the plastic strip attached to the rear bezel and the front bezel.

    • With the spudger still inserted, rotate it away from the display to separate the front and rear bezels.

    • Work along the right edge of the display until the rear bezel is evenly separated from the front bezel.

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    • Insert the flat end of a spudger between the front bezel and the plastic strip attached to the rear bezel near the screw holes at the bottom corners of the display.

    • Rotate your spudger toward the rear bezel to separate it from the front bezel.

    • If necessary, enlarge the gap between the lower edge of the rear bezel and the clutch cover until the two components are completely separated.

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    • Lift the rear bezel by its bottom edge and rotate it away from the display assembly to separate the top edge.

    • Remove the rear display bezel from the display assembly.

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    • Remove the pieces of yellow kapton tape from the bottom left corner of the display.

    • Remove the pieces of tape securing the display data cable and camera cable to the display.

    • Peel the three green antenna ground straps off the copper tape along the bottom edge of the LCD.

    • The adhesive connecting these straps to the display is very strong. An edged tool is helpful to separate the adhesive while you peel the straps off.

    • Remove the piece of tape securing the camera cable to the LCD.

    these 'green' tapes are orange in my mbp

    Jon May -

    mine also. Does anyone know the function of these? They're called ground straps here, so I would guess they should have good contact, but how do you get them to adhere again? I replaced my inverter but the screen is still dark. I think worse than before, since before, it would blink and sometimes work for an instant. I'm going to go back in and check my connectors and such, but was trying to gather more info. Any thoughts to share anyone?

    David Muniz -

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    • Carefully peel the camera cable off the foam tape along the top edge of the LCD.

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    • Use the tip of a spudger and carefully flip the ZIF connector bar up to release the before the camera cable.

    • Gently pull the camera cable away from its socket on the camera board.

    • Pull the cable parallel to the face of the LCD.

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    • Pull the display data cable connector away from its socket on the LCD.

    • Pull the connector parallel to the face of the LCD.

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    • Remove the four black Phillips screws along the left and right edges of the display (eight screws total).

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    • The next few steps will require you to separate the LCD from the adhesive applied to the upper and lower edges of the front bezel. A heat gun may be helpful to soften the adhesive to prevent damaging the LCD panel during removal.

    • The adhesive is applied such that it sticks to a thin steel strip around the perimeter of the LCD. When prying your LCD away from the front panel, be sure you are separating the front panel from the steel strip on the LCD.

    • Use the flat end of a spudger to gently lift one of the top corners of the LCD out of the front bezel.

    I needed to use heat gun to remove lcd from bezel.

    2nfinite -

    Same here, needed a heat gun. P.S. Harbor Freight had them on sale cheap (tip, not advertisement).

    Michael Lance -

    This is easy if you use the small lugholes on the left and right sides near the top edge (which cover philips screws) to insert a spudger or fine slotted screwdriver and then work along the top with another spudger as if you were using tyre levers on a bicycle tyre. when you get to the middle, repeat from the other side.

    Jon May -

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    • Work your way along the top edge of the LCD, slowly prying the attached steel strip away from the front bezel.

    Push the spunger gradually along the gap between screen and rear bezel. Dont use a back and forth motion to prize them apart, as is suggested in earlier steps. I initially tried using a back and forth motion to prize them apart which slightly bent the rear bezel.

    rupertshanks -

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    • Now that the top edge is free, slightly lift the LCD out of the front bezel for enough room to pry the steel strip along the lower edge of the LCD away from the front bezel.

    • Pry along the lower edge of the LCD until it is freed from the adhesive on the front bezel.

    Prying with plastic spudger at the lower edge of the display housing bent the aluminum frame for me. Suggestion: if you don't plan on keeping the old glass, pry it away from the aluminum slowly (opposite direction than shown in step 33).

    Michael Lance -

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    • Lift the inverter out of the clutch cover.

    • Disconnect the LCD backlight connector from its socket on the inverter board.

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    • Lift the LCD out of the front bezel, minding any cables that may get caught.

    I finally finished this, it took a few hours. After I finally got the LCD separated from the bezel, I got the replacement screen out of the box ready to install and I couldn't believe I had been sent the wrong part (NOT ORDERED FROM THIS WEBSITE!!). Anyway I thought I would put everything back together until the correct part arrived...I turned the computer on and the screen was fixed...no new part required. Now I am thinking that maybe the screen wasn't stuffed but maybe a connector was loose.......anyway these instructions were a godsend and next time i am ordering my part from here.

    rlgriffo -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Luke Soules

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