MacBook Air with exploded accu

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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Opening the MacBook Air is possible by removing the bottom lid.

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

Once removed the deformation in the battery pack is clearly visible

Swollen and cracked. I carefully looked for any leaks.

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

That bobble is not supposed to be there.., causing the keyboard to be bend

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