Apple logicboard and micro soldering repair in Paris

We repair faulty motherboards and graphics cards

Is your motherboard or graphics card having a problem? We repair all types of failures when these components are damaged (shocks, oxidation, misuse...).

We continuously maintain the high quality of our repairs thanks to our research and development team!

Graphics card problem
I/O, USB, HDMI connector problem
Charging problem
Backlight failure
WiFi not working
Oxidation, liquid damage
Does not turn on
Power surges
No MagSafe light...

How to repair a MacBook motherboard?

There are many types of motherboards from the MacBook Pro to the MacBook Air, including the iMac and also the Mac Pro.

Many customers ask us if their Mac can be repaired or not and if they can recover their data; usually, they have gone to other repairers who recommended replacing the motherboard or even the entire Mac. In this kind of situation, since 2016, Apple has changed the design of its computers: the SSD or hard drive is now integrated into the motherboard, and since 2018, with the arrival of Apple's T2 chip, the data is now encrypted. The only solution to recover it is to repair the motherboard.

When the motherboard needs to be changed, customers lose all their data, which is very important to them, such as professional documents or family photos. We therefore recommend repairing the motherboard to try to recover this data, and since the diagnosis is free, you take no risks.

Apple has neither the technical skills nor the personnel to repair motherboards. It may sound crazy, but Apple computers are manufactured in China by independent companies like Foxconn and Pegatron; they are the ones who have the knowledge.

The products refurbished by Apple often come from the repair of these motherboards covered under warranty by Apple and repaired in China by these companies, but Apple does not perform repairs for these customers, and in the case of a repair, it systematically erases all data, which causes great dissatisfaction among customers. They also offer a monthly iCloud account, which quickly becomes very expensive when you have a lot of data.

On Macs from 2016 and 2017, Apple had integrated a connection port that allowed, in certain cases where the motherboard fails and with a specific case, to recover data, but they removed it starting in 2018, justifying that the new Macs with the T2 chip could not technically have this feature, certainly with the aim of selling more iCloud subscriptions, which is an endless financial boon for Apple.

What is the success rate of our repairs?

It all depends on the motherboard model

On Apple computers from 2008 to 2015, the success rate is generally very high, between 90 and 100%

On computers after 2016, it becomes complicated as Apple has implemented processes that prevent repairs,

For example:

If the T2 chip has been damaged, it is impossible to repair the motherboard and the data is lost.

If the SSD has been damaged, a defective NAND or the NAND controller, it is also impossible to repair it as Apple has added a partition on the SSD named iBoot, this partition is directly related to the T2 and if communication does not occur, the Mac cannot be restored.

It becomes even more complicated with the arrival of Mac OSX Monterey, which links together a whole bunch of chips; for example, the serial number of the Wi-Fi card is linked to the T2, which is linked to the serial number of the SSD, which is linked to other chips.

This means that it is impossible to change a faulty Wi-Fi chip on a Mac post-2018, for example.

The case of oxidation.

We repair all boards that have suffered liquid damage.

Whether it's water, tea, wine, beer, milk, perfume, etc...

The only cases that are usually irreparable are oxidation caused by cat urine.

We generally manage to repair all kinds of oxidation with a very high success rate; we use micro soldering techniques and work under a microscope, as the components on these motherboards are often smaller than a millimeter!

The cost of a repair.

In general, the cost of an Apple motherboard repair ranges from €190 including tax for a simple repair to €390 including tax for a complex repair.

This represents a significant saving compared to the price of a new machine and even a used one! Repairs at Apple can easily exceed the price of a new machine.

Furthermore, if we are unable to repair your motherboard or recover your data, we do not charge any diagnostic fees.

Ecology

It is very important today to advocate for repair rather than the purchase of new products.

A MacBook consumes about 290kg of CO2 for its manufacturing

For its transport to the user, another 37kg of CO2

and it doesn't stop there, if the MacBook ends up in a drawer and then in a trash can, the ecological damage is catastrophic, and even in the case of recycling by destruction to recover raw materials as Apple does, new machines must be produced again to meet demand.

Studies show that one would need to use their MacBook for more than 30 years to significantly limit the ecological impact, which is of course impossible currently with the speed of evolution of these machines, even though today using a computer older than 10 years has become the norm.

Micro soldering

Motherboards are printed circuits that allow all components to communicate with each other. If a component fails, it is generally the entire motherboard that fails. Each component has a unique function to fulfill. To the naked eye, not much is visible. A microscope is necessary to see the components in order to diagnose failures. Replacing defective components is not as simple as it may seem, as it is first necessary to know which integrated circuit or filter is defective. To find the faulty part, the motherboard schematics from the manufacturer's specifications are used. Once the defective chip is identified, the next step is to remove the defective chip and solder the new chip in its place. Only a qualified micro soldering specialist should perform this work. At Place du Mac, we repair all Apple motherboards.