Firmware Download

Category: Laptop Repair and Service 

Contents of this article 

• Airport/Bluetooth card replacing  
• How to remove the battery connection
• How to replace the display 

Apple MacBook Air 13

AIRPORT/BLUETOOTH CARD REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE 

Before proceeding, power down your machine. Close the display and lay it on a soft surface top-side down. Remove the following ten screws:

Two 9 mm P5 Pentalobe screws Eight 2.6 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
The special screwdriver needed to remove the ten 5-point Pentalobe screws.

Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air. Remove the lower case and set it aside.

As a precaution against accidental discharge or shock, disconnect the battery connector from the logic board.

Grab the clear plastic pull tab attached to the battery connector and pull it toward the front edge of the Air to disconnect the battery from the logic board.
Be sure to pull the connector horizontally toward the battery, and not straight up from the Air, or you may damage the socket on the logic board.

AirPort/Bluetooth Card

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both antenna connectors up from their sockets on the AirPort/Bluetooth card.

Remove the single 2.9 mm T5 Torx screw securing the AirPort/Bluetooth card to the logic board.

Slightly lift the free end of the AirPort/Bluetooth card and pull it out of its socket on the logic board.

To avoid damaging its socket on the logic board, do not excessively lift the free end of the AirPort/Bluetooth card.
Remove the AirPort/Bluetooth card from the Air.

DISPLAY REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE 

I/O Board Cable

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the I/O board cable connector upward out of its socket on the I/O board.

Carefully peel the I/O board cable from the top of the fan.

The following connector has an especially deep socket. Use care when disconnecting it. While gently pulling the I/O board cable upward near its connection to the logic board, use the tip of a spudger to pry upward on alternating sides of the connector to help "walk" it out of its socket.

Remove the I/O board cable.

Use the tip of a spudger to carefully flip up the retaining flap on the fan cable ZIF socket.

Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
Peel the rubber gasket off the adhesive on the top of the fan.

Remove the following three screws securing the fan to the upper case:

One 3.6 mm T5 Torx screw
One 2.7 mm T5 Torx screw
One 3.6 mm T5 Torx screw with a short head
Lift the fan out of the upper case and carefully pull the fan ribbon cable out of its socket as you remove it from the Air.

Disconnect the I/O board by pulling the power cable away from its socket on the logic board.

Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board toward the right edge of the Air.
Pull the camera cable parallel to the face of the I/O board toward the corner of the Air to disconnect it from its socket, using the tip of a spudger to help push the connector out of its socket.
Do not lift upward on this cable as you disconnect it, as its socket may break off the logic board.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the left speaker cable connector up and out of its socket on the I/O board.

Pry up from beneath the wires. De-route the left speaker cable from its retainer on the I/O board.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the microphone cable connector up and out of its socket on the I/O board.

Pry up from beneath the wires.

Remove the single 3.6 mm T5 Torx screw securing the I/O board to the upper case.

Carefully lift the I/O board from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.

Remove the following five screws securing the battery to the upper case:
Three 6.3 mm T5 Torx screws
Two 2.4 mm T5 Torx screws

When handling the battery, avoid squeezing or touching the four exposed lithium polymer cells.

Lift the battery from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.

Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the trackpad ribbon cable ZIF socket.

Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
Pull the trackpad ribbon cable straight out of its socket toward the front edge of the Air.

Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard backlight ribbon cable ZIF socket.

Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
Use your spudger to help pull the cable out of its socket.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the right speaker cable connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.

Pry up from beneath the cables.

Gently push the tip of a spudger under the black plastic flap stuck to the display data cable lock to make the lock pop upward and away from the socket.

While holding the lock away from the socket, use the tip of a spudger and your fingers to gently remove the display data cable from its socket.
Do not pull upward on the display data cable as you disconnect it, as its socket may break off the logic board.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both antenna cable connectors up and off their sockets on the AirPort/Bluetooth card.

Gently de-route the antenna cables from the slot cut into the logic board.

Remove the single 2.85 mm T5 Torx screw securing the SSD to the logic board.

To avoid damaging its socket, do not lift the end of the SSD excessively.

Pull the drive straight out of its socket and remove it from the logic board.
When reinstalling the SSD, be sure it is properly seated before reinstalling its retaining
screw.

Remove the six 6.3 mm T5 Torx screws securing the logic board to the upper case.

Remove the inner two 4.9 mm T8 Torx screws securing the antenna cable retainer and left clutch hinge to the upper case.

Push the antenna cable retainer away slightly and remove the 3 mm T5 Torx screw securing the end of the heat sink to the upper case.

Carefully remove the logic board assembly from the upper case, minding any cables that may get caught.
Hold the antenna cables out of the way as you lift the heat sink end of the logic board out of the upper case.

Gently de-route the antenna cables out of the channel cut into the upper case.

Remove the inner two 4.9 mm T8 Torx screws securing the right display hinge to the upper case. We intentionally have you leave the third screw in to aid in future steps.

Open the display until it is perpendicular to the upper case and place it on a table as shown. While holding the Air steady, remove the remaining 4.9 mm T8 Torx screw from the lower display bracket.

Before removing the last display screw, be sure to hold the display and upper case steady with your other hand. Failure to do so may allow the components to fall onto the table, causing potentially expensive damage.

Remove the last 4.9 mm T8 Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.
Push the upper case slightly toward the display assembly, then rotate it away from the front of the display assembly. Once the two display hinges have cleared the upper case, remove the display and set it aside.