MacBook Unibody Model A1278 AirPort Card Replacement

So, it turns out that Apple used the model code A1278 for quite a few different Mac models, including both Pro and non-Pro versions! This guide is for the non-Pro Macbooks. There’s also one for the Pro models with the same A1278 identifier.

Great tutorial ! great step !

Even though it’s specifically stated, you have to make sure the access door latch is vertical or the battery won’t be removable.

On my model, it seemed the top-left was 3.5mm and the bottom 4 were 3 mm.

Make sure you have a good quality Phillips screwdriver. Mine had removable tips and had a small play at the connection. As a result I didn't have a good feel and damaged my screws (those securing the fan and the top left in step 23). Game over for me installing new thermal paste...

Be very carefull with your screws! Especially those on the inside.

Thanks for the guide!

It's implicit in the two photos, but worth mentioning because it blocked my progress in this step for a bit: You have to put the release latch back into its horizontal, closed position before you can lift off the lower-case panel.

Be EXTREMELY careful when removing and re-inserting the 'camera' cable. The contacts can be easily bent beyond repair if you try to force it back in. Damaging this cable at this connection or near the display may disable your ability to use your iSight camera, AND both your Bluetooth and WiFi. I had to pay apple $300 to replace the entire display assembly because one prong was faulty, causing my WiFi card to not be recognized.

"orange" is the short one, that goes in the middle ;)

My model has different bracket, you need to remove the subwoofer first

1. With my Laptop, the left screw was partially threaded, not the right one. 2. Before removing the camera cable bracket, I needed to unscrew the subwoofer.

i can't understand what I need to do in this step, I'm afraid with this step, i think i can "hurt" my mac and i don't want to do that, anyone knows what i need to do?

Thanks

There is a steel 'latch' that flips over from the left side of the connector, to the right side. After you flip this latch over, the cable will easily slide out.

as I pulled the monitor cable out of the bracket after flipping the lock over one side of the bracket broke loose. Now the monitor will not turn on. Can anyone help?

Note for Step 10 during reassembly: Be careful when replacing the screw for the display cable bracket closest to the magnetic power cord receptacle. The interior magnet might attract the screw causing the screw to get pulled under the DC power circuit board which might then require that you disassemble things again to retrieve the screw.

Hey guys, with these older models Do Not interchange different colored LVDS cables. Note the connector here is gold, do not use a silver connector on a gold one or vice versa. I fried a logic board this way on an A1278. Note that the core i7 lvds connector is different than the core i5.

I never thought that I’d be required to use PB Blaster to remove computer screws. Had to use two tiny drops for each screw, letting it soak in for 20 minutes or so. The display screws, coated with blue thread lock, did not want to budge. I was so fearful that I would strip them using a T-6 driver. Ended up using a 1/4” drive ratchet with a T-6 bit, pressing down firmly and blocking the MacBook from turning with my elbows. I’ve had a lot of experience doing this kind of work, but wow!

i've found this impossible to get back on correctly.

i cant get the plastic to slide back that 1/4" it needs to fit properly

Does anyone know any tricks? :(

imagine the monitor upside down and the screen facing away from you. You have to put the cover over to the right of where it goes about an inch or 2 and it will go in, then, slide it left to lock it into place

I was replacing a clutch cover that had cracked into a few pieces. I found the replacement didn’t slide to the left on installation. On further investigation I found the tabs from the old one were broken off inside where the cover slides. Once they were removed the install wen much better.

I found my replacement cover on Amazon.ca in case someone needs a Canadian source.

The flat face goes on the bottom edge of the display. The display and wifi cables must be routed below the hinges in the display, that is, closer to the bottom edge of the display.

this is on the other side, watch the glass of the display below

Thank you! I thought the photo was looking at the left hand side.

In the second picture for this step the U notches on the wifi connector are facing out when in the socket, and this is quite misleading. Putting them in like this will not work and could potentially cause some serious damage to wifi card or motherboard. Be wary of this guide, and make sure you take pictures of how things are before you touch them.

How do I find out the specifications for the Airport Card? There is none here…

How do I know if the problem is on the card or the cable?

Sorprende como reparar mac fácil y rápido

A super closeup photo of these notches would very helpful.

If the note in this step can be updated to more accurately describe why the notches must be visible, that would be most helpful.

Perhaps written as per “The camera cable (ie the AirPort cable) whilst it can fit in both ways, you WILL cause damage to either the card, the motherboard or both if the orientation is not correct.

The cable MUST be installed so that the notches on one side of the cable are not visible”

This photo can be slightly misleading if you're not careful. It appears that unlike my cable, the pictured cable has the gray dot on both sides. In this photo you can see the 2 little sideways U notches that should be on the OTHER side. In photo 22 you can see that there are NO such notches as he is sliding the cable out of the connector.

My gray dot is only on the underside (not visible when the cable is plugged in correctly. When I first took the cable out to replace my Airport board, I thought maybe it had been inserted the wrong way which will damage the motherboard. So the gray dots are not a good indicator, just look for the sideways U notches as indicated in the iFixit directions.