Saving a MacBook Air with expanded battery

Don’t try this at home - but I did

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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Make sure to remember what screw went where...

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

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

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

MacOS X correctly concluded that there are no batteries available, it works fine using a Power Adapter.

Swollen and cracked. I carefully looked for any leaks.

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