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Mid 2012 model, A1278 / 2.5 GHz i5 or 2.9 GHz i7 processor.

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Keyboard unresponsive on start, solves by tapping bottom of computer

Hi,

I’m a lucky owner of a Macbook Pro 13” Mid 2012 with a recurring problem.

When I start my laptop it often starts up with an unresponsive keyboard and trackpad. The only button that works is the power button which turns off the computer if I hold it for a few seconds.

After years of troubleshooting this, I think I’ve found a pattern.

When the keyboard is unresponsive and I tap the bottom of the laptop quite hard in the middle, closer to the trackpad then the screen, of the bottom enclosure, the keyboard and trackpad starts to work again and I can log in to my computer, until I turn off the computer again.

Over the years I’ve upgraded the RAM, switched the hard drive to an SSD and changed the battery following the guides here on ifixit (thanks for those!).

Any help on what my current problem could be caused by?

All the best,

Malmoola

Update:

Here's a screenshot from the app coconutBattery main window:

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Here’s a photo of the cables to the keyboard and trackpad:

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Here’s a couple of photos of the connectors for the trackpad and the keyboard after cleaning:

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3 opmerkingen:

@malmoola - What does CoconutBattery tell you? It’s best to check it just after the event. The issue could be a bad charger or the systems MagSafe connector needs cleaning if it’s a power issue.


As far as the battery as you can see the battery hasn’t past the 50% mark so while a bit long in the tooth it should be able to support most uses.


What are you running on the system? Intense processing app or game play? Are you using the system still connected to AC or is this failing when on battery?

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@malmoola disconnect the cables and inspect the connectors. Post some images of those after the cables are disconnected.

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@oldturkey03 I’ve now cleaned the cables and connectors and uploaded a few photos of them.

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It sounds like there is some sort of connection issue with your top case. I would recommend disconnecting, cleaning, and reconnecting the trackpad and keyboard cables and their connectors and inspecting them for damage. Here is an image showing the connectors. Good luck!

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Hi!

I followed your advice @zpl and cleaned and reconnected the two cables (the keyboard cable was difficult to get back in place but it worked after a while).

After a first start up the keyboard and trackpad worked directly, which happens from time to time normally as well, so I will now do some restarts during the day and see if the problem comes back.

I'll keep you updated!

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Hi again,

It first seemed like disconnecting and cleaning the cables solved the issue, it worked for ~20 restarts during a day.

But then the problem came back and tapping on the bottom of the computer didn't work this time.

Now this leads me to another suspicion, that it starts to work again if I open the bottom enclosure and disconnect and reconnect the battery cable from the large PCB it's connected to.

Could this mean that a new battery replacement would be a good idea? After all the last time I swapped the battery was 5 years ago.

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That's possible! You could also try removing the battery for a while and just using the computer with the charger connected for a few days to see if the issue persists without a battery connected.

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Hi again,

I disconnected the battery and removed it from the laptop, running only on an original Apple charger for a few days.

Unfortunately the problem kept coming back, so I guess this removes a potential bad battery from the equation.

So, I still get an unresponsive keyboard and trackpad at start-up sometimes, and what seems to solve it is to tap hard on the bottom of the laptop.

Any other ideas what I could try out?

Thanks for the help so far!

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I’m suspecting your battery is shot! Install this gem of an App CoconutBattery it will allow you to see more clearly what’s going on. Take a snapshot of the apps main window and post it here so we can see it too.

My own 2012 battery is on the edge and needs replacing suffering the same symptoms!

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Hi,

I downloaded the Coconut app as you suggested @danj and I'm attaching a screenshot of the main window of the app. I switched the battery in 2019 following the guide here on ifixit and it seems like the app is saying that the battery is in good quality.

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@malmoola - Good! Most of the time it's the battery being worn out. Still keep an eye on it.


Did your system suffer from a spill? As that would aim us to the keyboard with a stuck switch or as @zpl pointed out a dirty/loose cable connection.

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Hi Dan!

So far no spills on this one, but I'm re-thinking my hypothesis, that disconnecting and reconnecting the battery from the large PCB solves the issue.

So maybe it's a bad battery again after all?

door

Hi again,

I disconnected the battery and removed it from the laptop, running only on an original Apple charger for a few days.

Unfortunately the problem kept coming back, so I guess this removes a potential bad battery from the equation.

So, I still get an unresponsive keyboard and trackpad at start-up sometimes, and what seems to solve it is to tap hard on the bottom of the laptop, or press on it.

Any other ideas what I could try out?

Thanks for the help so far!

door

@malmoola - Just noted the CoconutBattery snap, this systems battery was replaced in 2019 so it’s not the original one and looks like it’s in reasonably good health.


Are you sure the ribbon connections are sound? Is the cable damaged are the contacts properly secured and not damaged? The ZIF connectors have a latch which folds up and down are the in the correct position?

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I don't know why all this talk about the battery. It is obviously a bad connection someplace. If it were a battery issue, the computer would not be running and a hard tap on the bottom would not fix it temporarily.

Since reseating the connectors helped, it could still be corrosion on the contacts, slightly bent pins or a bad solder connection on the board.

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Ja Nee
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Sounds reasonable.

But what intrigues me is that I never have a keyboard problem when the computer is running.

It’s only a problem during start-up. So I guess the system is waiting for some sort of response from the keyboard during start-up that it doesn’t get due to some hardware problem as you say.

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@malmoola - Batteries swell up which can press against the cables which pass over it. Just making sure the batteries health wasn’t the issue.

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Malmoola zal eeuwig dankbaar zijn.
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