Laptop with exploded battery

Opening and repairing 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 original MacBook Air: Groundbreaking due to its thinness and lack of ports

The damage to the battery pack is clearly visible

This battery is dead.

Once removed the deformation in the battery pack is clearly visible

Swollen and cracked. I carefully looked for any leaks.

Make sure to remember what screw went where...

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