[Colonel Panic]

I have a 12" retina MacBook (2017) which has not been used for a while (possibly a year). But it won't start up. I have tried the suggestions in https://macpaw.com/how-to/mac-wont-turn-on but none work.

The USB-C power supply works fine on my 16" MacBook, and whilst larger than the one that came with the rMB, I had thought that that would be OK to use. (I can't find the original charging brick).

Whilst be-devilled with a butterfly keyboard, I am loathed to throw it away as it is otherwise in pristine condition.

Any suggestions? ( #RobP_look_away_now )

[rikur_]

Have you tried leaving it on charge for a while?
And check the caps lock light doesn't toggle (i.e. that it's not just a dead screen)

(I can't wait to get rid of my 2017 MacBook Pro .... worst piece of Apple kit in a long time)

[Colonel Panic]

Yes to both.

And I would agree that the butterfly keyboard is beyond dreadful). And all for shaving a gnat's crotchet off the thickness.

[rikur_]

All I wonder if it needs an original charger. If it's completely dead, can it 'negotiate' with the charger to provide the required charge voltagee? (I might be talking carp, but I vaguely recall that a USB-C charger needs to communicate with the device to provide 20v, so needs some sort of response from the device on the other end).

[Colonel Panic]

Will have a rummage to see if I can find the original brick.

[Rob P]

All this is at odds with what I have been told about Macs

Rob P

[Mr Bags]

Could you have a dud battery? My 2012 MacBook pro recently would not start (no chime, no bluescreen, just nothing!) - even when using different power leads. After trying every restart key combination known failed to enliven the machine, and thinking it was terminally dead, I opened up the back to remove the hard drive . I noticed the battery looked a tiny bit swollen - hardly noticeable. I took a gamble and bought a new battery, fitted it and hey presto, it works again.

Good luck, hope you sort out your machine.

[Colonel Panic]

I think it could well be the battery; just picked it up after it had been on charge (via the wrong brick) for an hour or two, and the back was notably hotter than warm. The iFixit instructions for replacing the battery look doable, albeit more involved than I'd like (mainly due to the glue used). A replacement kit from them is £126, or a repair by Apple is £199. Not sure either are worth it due to the keyboard really. Shame.

[Flyin'Dutch']

My FOMO forces me to ask what a butterfly keyboard is?

[Colonel Panic]

The mechanism under each key is different to a "normal" keyboard, but whilst thinner it suffered very badly from dust, dirt (& food crumbs) rendering some keys inop. Apple fairly quickly realised the issue, tried to fix it by adding a rubber membrane between the keys and the mechanism, fixed faulty keyboards FOC, but the damage was by then done ...

[Flyin'Dutch']

I presume I missed it as anything that gets impeded by breadcrumbs has zero (nil) chance chez moi to remain in a functioning state.

Apple Lappies procured in 13, 16 and 21 so probably safe to assume nil chance I have encountered one?

[Colonel Panic]

Butterfly keyboards have VERY little travel; you would know you have one if you have one!

[rikur_]

The mechanism under each key is different to a "normal" keyboard, but whilst thinner it suffered very badly from dust, dirt (& food crumbs) rendering some keys inop. Apple fairly quickly realised the issue, tried to fix it by adding a rubber membrane between the keys and the mechanism, fixed faulty keyboards FOC, but the damage was by then done ...

However the rubber membrane didn't properly fix it either, and they ended up redesigning the mechanism.
2015 - 2019 were the affected years IIRC. For any affected laptop under 4 years old they will do a FOC replacement of the keyboard, which actually replaces quite a lot of the laptop.
If rumours are to be believed, many of Apple's poor decisions of 2015 are to be reversed this year, and I may even be able to give up the bag of adapters.

[Flyin'Dutch']

Well that rules mine out, it has been umpteen times to the UK and back, in fact been all over Europe.




Anyway just checked - my 2016 Macbook Retina 12 inch does have one, and come to think of it, it did get sticky at times but being not particularly fine tuned with coordination I suspect I might just have hammered through the crumbs...

[Flyin'Dutch']

If rumours are to be believed, many of Apple's poor decisions of 2015 are to be reversed this year, and I may even be able to give up the bag of adapters.

I applaud the move away from the mag-safe connector, the connector itself wasn't to bad but the design which required the replacement of the whole charger for a duff cable was naff beyond believe.

Not having a boring USB connector on the Laptops is the one thing I don't like. It means you are frequently having to lug an adapter around sort of defeating the object of being able to travel light.

Apropos thinness, I did enjoy the lighter weight and smaller dimensions of the previous macbook over the current lot.