Originally wanted to go to the physical store for a replacement, but after going there, they said that the keyboard and battery needed to be replaced together, which was too expensive. And it would take almost half a month to replace the battery. As the main machine for daily use, it can't withstand such a long time. It's better to buy the battery on a certain online platform and replace it myself. Overall, it's relatively easy.
This installation was originally found online, but I couldn't find the relevant documentation after searching again... Now I'm posting it here for easy reference in the future.
I searched online for videos on replacing the battery of the MacBook Pro (A1708), and most of them guide you to remove the touchpad before removing the battery. Some even require removing the motherboard before removing the battery, possibly because it is difficult to remove the adhesive strip at the bottom of the battery, and there is a concern that the touchpad FPC or other components may be damaged during the removal. I replaced the battery without removing other accessories.
General Procedure#
Open the back cover -> Disconnect the touchpad interface -> Remove the battery control board -> Scrape off the adhesive strip at the bottom of the battery -> Remove the original battery -> Install the new battery -> Connect the battery control board -> Install the touchpad interface -> Install the back cover.
The initial difficulty in disassembling this machine is probably in opening the back cover and scraping off the adhesive strip at the bottom of the battery. It is especially important to be careful when removing the FPC of the battery control board, as the FPC interface lock is very small and delicate. The detailed steps and key points are recorded as follows.
Detailed Steps#
1. Open the back cover#
The first challenge in disassembling this machine for the first time is to open the back cover. The back cover has 6 screws, grouped in pairs, and a unified cross-shaped screwdriver is used. The corresponding positions and shapes of the screws are shown in the following figure.
After removing the 6 screws, be careful not to lose them. Use a pry tool (or a small card like a bank card that can be easily inserted) to pry open the back panel from the back, and then open the card slots on the left and right sides of the back panel, and then gently pull out the back panel.
If everything goes well, the back cover should open smoothly. Next, remove the ribbon cable on the touchpad interface and then disassemble the battery control board.
2. Disconnect the touchpad interface#
After removing the screws and clips on the touchpad interface, you can easily remove the ribbon cable.
Peel off the adhesive tape on the battery power board shown in the above image, exposing the battery control board. It is recommended to peel off the adhesive tape from left to right, as it is easy to accidentally disconnect the ribbon cable on the right side.
3. Remove the battery control board connection#
After removing the adhesive tape, the ribbon cable connecting the battery and the motherboard is visible. There are small plugs and locks on both ends of the ribbon cable. To remove the ribbon cable, the small lock must be bent into a vertical position, and then the ribbon cable can be pulled out from the plug. When reinstalling the ribbon cable, insert it first and then bend down the small lock to secure it.
After removing the ribbon cable connecting the motherboard and the battery, remove the 3 screws on the control board. There is a white piece of paper on the screw in the middle, which should be used to determine whether the battery has been removed. Just ignore it or remove it.
After that, it's time to remove the battery...
4. Scrape off the adhesive strip at the bottom of the battery#
The bottom of the original battery, which consists of three battery cells, is glued to the machine with adhesive strips. The adhesive strips are very sticky, so it is recommended to scrape off the strips on the sides of the battery first, and then the ones in the middle after becoming proficient. It is best to heat the adhesive strips with a hairdryer, which will make them easier to tear off... I still remember the first time I removed the battery of an iPhone by force, and the battery caught fire...
First, use a scraper to cut into the adhesive strip, push it in according to the position of the strip, and once the scraper is inserted and a small opening is made, it can be easily scraped off by twisting it.
When scraping off the adhesive strip in the middle of the battery, pay special attention to start from the side with more space on the left and right, and scrape horizontally according to the position of the strip on both sides. Be sure to avoid damaging the ribbon cable of the touchpad below, as it would be a loss if the cable is accidentally damaged...
After scraping off the adhesive strips at the bottom of the three battery cells, it will be easy to remove the old battery.
5. Install the new battery#
Installing the battery is relatively easy, and there are no more pictures. It's very simple.
The small locks on both sides of the ribbon cable must be operated in reverse order of disassembly. The ribbon cable must be inserted deep enough into the socket, otherwise the battery will not be recognized later. After installing the battery, you can try to turn on the power and test it. If the battery is detected without any problems, press the battery firmly and then reinstall the back cover.
6. Reassemble in reverse order#
Reinstall the touchpad ribbon cable and then reinstall the back cover in reverse order.