MacBook Unibody Model A1278 Camera Board Replacement

Schritt 1

With the case closed, place the Unibody top-side down on a flat surface.
Depress the grooved side of the access door release latch enough to grab the free end. Lift the release latch until it is vertical.

This is not a a1278 unibody MacBook Pro. A1278 MacBooks backs are one solid metal piece not two separate pieces. This guide is for a different MacBook Pro.

Brad Burgeson - 25/10/18

This guide isn’t for a pro; it’s a MacBook unibody.

Nicholas - 19/09/19

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.

tempelmann - 11/11/20

Schritt 2

The access door should now be raised enough to lift it up and out of the Unibody.

Schritt 3

Be sure the access door release latch is vertical before proceeding.
Grab the white plastic tab and pull the battery up and out of the Unibody.

Great tutorial ! great step !

Leo Etcheverry - 12/07/15

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

Henry Kim - 11/01/19

Schritt 4

Remove the following eight screws securing the lower case to the chassis:
One 3 mm Phillips screw.
Three 13.5 mm Phillips screws.
Four 3.5 mm Phillips screws.

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

Jim -

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.

Nickolas Michelinakis - 08/05/16

You can get away with a Phillips #00 for many of the screws involved but the 4 at the bottom case split are likely to strip if you don’t use a JIS #00 or, in a pinch, a Phillips #000.

Bill Cole - 25/09/17

I used the Phillips #00 tip from my Pro Tech Toolkit, and it worked well enough. But yes, maybe #000 might have been better on the lower row of screws. Note to myself: Always read the comments first.

Les Kitchen -

When replacing these screws, the order to replace them in is as follows:

1, Top left

2. Top right

3. Top center-left

4. Top center-right

5. Bottom center-right

6. Bottom center-left

7. Bottom right

8. Bottom left

I hope this information is helpful.

facebook - 20/08/19

I followed my usual process of putting in all the screws loosely, then tightening them gradually in distributed pattern, to help ensure that the panel settles in place evenly. But maybe some orders are better.

Les Kitchen -

Schritt 5

Using both hands, lift and remove the lower case off the upper case.

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.

Les Kitchen -

Schritt 6

Disconnect the camera cable by pulling the male end straight away from its socket.
Be careful not to pull up on the cable as you remove it from the socket.

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.

seanheff17 -

Schritt 7

De-route the camera data cable from the channel in the optical drive.

Although I ordered the screen for an A1278 MacBook Unibody Aluminum, the screen glass was marked as a MacBook Pro. The iSight/WiFi /BT cable was about an inch longer than the Macbook one and took a bit of creative re-routing, but everything works fine.

tjod - 03/07/14

has it got the airport and bluetooth modules built in separately in the display assembly as in the macbook late 2008 and mbp mid 2009?

fericcio - 07/07/14

Schritt 8

Remove the following screws securing the camera data cable and right speaker to the upper case:
One 9.9 mm partially threaded Phillips screw
One 9.6 mm threaded Phillips screw
One 4 mm Phillips screw
Slide the camera cable bracket out from under the subwoofer and remove it from the computer.
The iSight cable has an eyelet through which passes the left-most screw in these pictures.

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

MrGreen -

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

Andrea Ghensi -

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.

Edgar Fuß - 16/04/17

Schritt 9

Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the display data cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-in side of the computer.
Pull the display data cable connector straight away from its socket.
Make sure to pull the connector straight away and not straight up from its socket.

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

Lucas Borges -

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.

madmaxmedia -

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?

boldtu -

Schritt 10

Remove the following two screws from the display data cable bracket:
One 7 mm Phillips screw.
One 5 mm Phillips screw.
Lift the display data cable bracket out of the upper case.

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.

wintermute -

Schritt 11

Remove the two outer 6 mm Torx screws securing each side of the display to the upper case (4 screws total).

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.

rjpoirier_nb - 14/05/18

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!

randy3833 - 10/12/20

Schritt 12

Open your MacBook so the display is perpendicular to the upper case.
Place your opened MacBook on a table as pictured.
While holding the display and upper case together with your left hand, remove the 6 mm Torx screw from the lower display bracket.

Schritt 13

Be sure to hold the display and upper case together with your left hand. Failure to do so may cause the freed display/upper case to fall, potentially damaging each component.
Remove the last remaining 6 mm Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.

Schritt 14

Grab the upper case with your right hand and rotate it slightly toward the top of the display so the upper display bracket clears the edge of the upper case.
Rotate the display slightly away from the upper case.
Lift the display away from the upper case, minding any brackets or cables that may get caught.

Schritt 15

In the following steps, you will use a heat gun to soften the adhesive securing the outer black border around the underside of the front glass panel to the display. The area the adhesive is applied to is shown in red in the second picture.
With the heat gun set to low, start by heating the outer black border near the upper right corner of the glass panel.
Always aim the heat gun away from the soft rubber strip around the display glass. Heating the rubber will cause it to melt slightly, turning its finish from matte to glossy. Touching overheated rubber can cause it to permanently deform.
Due to the heat applied, it is normal for a layer of condensation to develop on the inside of the glass panel and/or the outside of the LCD. It can be removed with glass cleaner once the glass is separated from the display.

Temperature?

Alex - 23/03/20

Schritt 16

With the panel sufficiently heated, fasten a heavy-duty suction cup near the upper right corner of the display glass.
Don't fasten the suction cup on top of the rubber strip around the edge of the display glass.
To attach the suction cups we sell, first position the suction cup with the movable handle parallel to the face of the glass panel. While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle.
Slowly and gently pull the corner of the display glass up off the display assembly.
If only the top edge of the glass lifts up (as seen in the third picture), repeat steps one and two until you can lift up the corner of the panel.

I'm having trouble getting the display glass off. I was able to put a card into a gap, but it wasn't the display case, but the entire lcd panel. Any ideas?

Taylor Vanderwarker -

My display glass had multiple, long cracks, which is why I set out to replace it.

Lifting the screen didn't work as the suction cup was always over a crack and didn't take. I ended up lifting a piece of screen from the middle, existing cracks making it easy, and then had to go around the edge with a metal scrape to lift and remove the glued edge of the glass.

Took about two hours but it worked. Small splinters flying everywhere (goggles!). Made three inspection passes with a magnifying glass to clean up every little shard of glass and leftover glue. Everything else went fine!

sergioduroux -

If you have cracks on the screen, use packing tape on the screen to get better grip with suction cup.

Jesse Nayak - 30/03/15

Really need to amend this step... I think it is easier to break the double sided stick by SLOWLY rocking it side to side motion w/ the suction cup (macbok logo to camera) from either side of the Macbook logo.

Steve Yeung - 07/12/14

I overheated rubber strip and it is permanently deformed, as you said. Where can I find it ? Do you have it ? hanks a lot, regards

Juanpablo - 02/02/15

Schritt 17

Gently lift the corner of the display glass enough to insert a spudger between it and the display assembly.
Use the flat end of a spudger to gently pry up the adhesive securing the front glass to the display.
Pry up the glass panel a few inches away from the upper right corner along the top and right edges of the display.

Schritt 18

Use a heat gun to soften the adhesive under the black strip along the right side of the front glass panel.
Attach a suction cup along the right side of the front glass panel.
Pull up on the glass panel while you use the flat end of a spudger to separate it from the rest of the display assembly.
Continue working along the right edge of the front display glass until it is separated from the display.
It may be helpful to use a guitar pick or another thin plastic object to keep the upper right corner of the front glass panel from sticking back down to the display assembly.

Schritt 19

Use your heat gun to soften the adhesive under the black strip along the top edge of the glass display panel.
Attach a suction cup near the top edge of the glass display panel and use it to pull the glass panel up off the display.
Work along the top edge of the glass panel, carefully using the flat end of a spudger to separate the adhesive if necessary.

Schritt 20

Use a heat gun to soften the adhesive under the black strip near the upper left corner of the glass display panel.
Attach a suction cup near the upper left corner of the glass display panel.
Pull up on the suction cup and use the flat end of a spudger to carefully pry the glass display panel out of the display assembly.
Once the upper left corner has been separated from the display, it may be helpful to use a guitar pick or another thin plastic object to keep the glass from sticking back down to the display assembly.

Schritt 21

Use a heat gun to soften the adhesive under the black strip along the left side of the front glass panel.
Attach a suction cup along the left side of the front glass panel.
Pull up on the glass panel while you use the flat end of a spudger to separate it from the rest of the display assembly.
Continue working along the left edge of the front display glass until it is separated from the display.

Schritt 22

Now that the top, left, and right edges of the glass are free from the display, slowly lift the top edge of the glass panel and gently rotate it out of the display.
If necessary, use the flat end of a spudger to free the bottom edge of the glass display panel from the display assembly.
Before reassembling, be sure to clean both the inside of the glass display panel and the LCD as any dust or fingerprints trapped inside will be annoyingly visible when the machine is on. It is recommended to use a silicon roller and sticky sheets to clean well.

Schritt 23

Insert the edge of a plastic opening tool between the display glass and the camera bracket, and run it around the camera bracket to separate it from the display glass.
Do not forget to stick the camera bracket down to the new front display glass before reassembly.

Schritt 24

During the glass removal process, the AirPort & iSight data cable may stick to the adhesive on the glass panel, disconnecting it from the camera board as the panel is lifted. If your AirPort & iSight data cable is still connected to the camera board, skip this step.
If your objective is to remove the camera board, skip this step as reconnecting the AirPort & iSight data cable is not necessary.
To reconnect the cable, first use the tip of a spudger to remove the piece of foam tape over the AirPort & iSight data cable ZIF socket.
Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the ZIF cable retainer on the AirPort & iSight data cable socket.
Insert the AirPort & iSight data cable into its socket on the camera board and use the tip of a spudger to snap down the ZIF cable retainer, locking the cable in place.
Reapply the piece of tape covering the AirPort & iSight data cable socket.

I used this guide to successfully replace the glass on a 2012 unibody 13” Macbook Pro.

If you are replacing the glass due to cracking/breaking, you’ll want to cover the entire surface with clear packing tape to keep shards from going everywhere. You can’t use the suction cups, since the glass will continue to crack as you pull on it, breaking the suction. I used an iSesamo and heat gun to pry the edge up, and then scrape off remaining shards around the edges.

Mark - 23/11/17

Schritt 25

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the iSight cable connector off its socket on the camera board.

Schritt 26

If the AirPort & iSight data cable was accidentally disconnected while lifting the front display glass from the display assembly, skip this step.
If present, use the tip of a spudger to remove the piece of foam tape over the AirPort & iSight data cable ZIF socket.
Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the ZIF cable retainer on the camera cable socket.

Schritt 27

Pull the AirPort & iSight cable straight out of its socket on the camera board.
Lift and remove the camera board out of the display assembly.

MacBook Unibody Model A1278 Camera Board Replacement

Einleitung

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Tinte & Feder

Walter Galan

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