Computer with exploded battery

Removing the battery from the machine

Sep. 14, 2017 - Willem L. Middelkoop

Last night I had a nasty surprise: my original MacBook Air was swollen due to an exploded battery. I immediately had to take action, for reasons of safety and to preserve this piece of modern computer history. Don’t try this at home, but if you do... read along for some practical tips.

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The keyboard and casing is deformed

This battery is dead.

Swollen and cracked. I carefully looked for any leaks.

Make sure to remember what screw went where...

Steve Jobs unveiling the MacBook Air in 2008 from a vanilla envelope

I disconnected the battery from the logic board using a plastic tool (that does not conduct electricity).

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