Testing a MacBook After A Liquid Spill

Mijn probleem

My client had spilled coffee onto the keyboard. I removed the keyboard assembly and noted that there were a few spots where the liquid had entered the computer. It didn't appear that any of the spill reached the main logic board, only the optical drive and one of the fan housings. This was good news, but I needed to test further before ordering the upper case assembly.

Mijn oplossing

Once I knew the computer was healthy, the repair went very smoothly.

Mijn advies

I keep a damaged keyboard assembly around, because its power button still functions. (That power button is shorted, however, so in a few seconds the computer would shut off.) I connect the "tester" upper case, power up, then immediately pull the keyboard cable. The computer continues to run.

This allows me to verify that the system boots normally, even though there's no longer a keyboard connected. Doing so gives me some confidence that a new keyboard assembly is worth ordering.

In retrospect, I'll bet a USB keyboard and mouse would let me operate the computer normally once it's running. Since the external keyboard lacks a power button, however, it isn't a long-term workaround.