In this Blog will talk on how to fully disassemble the 2021 model 14 inch MacBook Pro with M1 pro processor, Let’s begin the teardown, make sure to have your tool sets ready & safety glasses on!
You Can Read The Entire Blog Or Watch the Tear-Down Disassembly Video,
1- Now make sure laptop is fully off & remove the 8 P5 screws from the back,
2- Using a suction cup pull the back case upward about 2 inches until you hear two snapping sound ,indicating you can now pull the back case towards yourself in order to fully release it from the main chassis,
3- Now in order to disconnect the power you would need to disconnect & remove the trackpad flex cable from the logic board by removing the two T4 screws that holding the trackpad flex cable brackets in to Logic board and using your pray tool disconnect the cable.
4- Next using pray tool remove the battery to Logic board flex cable, using the tip of your pray tool unlock the two small mechanism that holding the cable and slowly remove it. Be very careful around this cable it is easy to break it
5- Now that you can access the Direct battery to logic board connection using your T5 screwdriver remove the one screw that is holding the connection & using your pry tool pull the connection away from the battery,
6- Next remove the ten T5 screws that holds the trackpad into the chassis in order to have access to start removing the battery adhesive tabs
7- Now crack open the laptop in order to remove the trackpad
8- Using your pry tool unlock the trackpad flex cable, locking mechanism and flatly pull the flex cable out, If you’re just replacing the battery in this laptop than you do not need to remove the cable and proceed to the battery removal,
9- In order to remove the battery first we need to pull the 8 adhesive tabs from the edges of the battery, using your pry tool dig for the tabs and then pull them out slowly, in my experience this wasn’t a very smooth experience as they all break halfway and that did leads me in digging back for the tabs and trying to remove the rest, this was the final effort on behalf of Apple to make battery replacement easier but not sure if they succeed, why not just secure the battery to the chassis using few normal screws!
10- Now it’s time to Flip the laptop open in order to access and remove the six other adhesive tabs located within the trackpad area that’s holding the battery to the chassis,
11- using flat wide pry tool I am separating the battery from the chassis, this can be hard or easy depends how much of adhesive adhesive tape you were able to remove initially, looks like I left a few behind because they were breaking on me before i where able to pull them fully out,
12- Alright! Now that All the battery glows are removed it is time to remove the one T5 screw that holds the battery board to the chassis and then you may fully remove and lift the battery!
13- Let stat disconnecting the cables from the Logic board to prepare the board for removal, start with the keyboard flex cable mechanism, unlock & pull out the cable out using your pray tool
14- Now unlocking and removing the keyboard back light cable
15- Remove the left speaker flex cable and Continue removing rest of the flex cables,
– Just a quick note, I’m not really removing the cables in a specific order so feel free to remove the cables on the order you like, main goal is to get all the cables disconnected and out of the way
16- Disconnecting both fans flex cables
17- Using T4 screw driver Removing two screws that are holding the headphone jack cable bracket and using pray tool I’ll disconnect the cable, if you ever need to change this board you can replace it easily as it’s accessible,
18- continue using T4 screw driver to remove screws that holding brackets above the two independent usb-c boards and disconnect using tip of the pry tool.
19- Using T4 screw driver will remove the MagSafe brackets and disconnect the flex cable,
20- Continue using T4 screwdriver, Will remove the display sleep mode sensor, cable bracket and disconnect the flex cable using the tip of the pry tool.
21- Keep using the T4 screw drive, and removing two screw per each bracket that hold the lcd display flex cables and disconnect each using your pry tool,
22- Next we remove the Touch ID power button bracket, using t4 remove the two screws that holding the bracket and next using the flat side of your pry tool separate the cable from the Logic board than disconnect the cable, this may be the most sensitive cable that is partially attached to the Logic board using double sided tape, be very very careful.
23- Now remove Two T4 screws to disconnect the right side USB-C
24- using T4 remove two screws that holds the Wi-Fi antenna cable bracket & one that holds all the cables to Logic board and using pray tool tip disconnect the 3 cables from the board.
25- using your tweezer remove 4 plastic screw covers and continue removing eleven T5 screws that holds the logic board and both fans to the Chassis of this MacBook Pro, note that there more screws holding the fans that needs to be removed once Logic board is out of the way,
26- continue removing the T6 screws from the Logic board
27- Finally It’s time to remove the Logic board , make sure all screws & cables are removed and out of the way, using your pry tool start separating the board slowly and without bending it , note! If the board is not willing to come out easily than it’s a good possibility that some thing is still holding it or on it way!
28- continue the disassembly by removing the final 4 T3 screws that hold each Fan,
29- It’s time to remove both fans out of way, but too bad in order to clean this fans you need to remove the entire Logic board unless you use compressed Air can to blow air through fans and get the dust out, cleaning the Fans can extend your laptop life.
30- Using your T5 screws driver remove two final screws that holds the audio jack board
31- Continue using T5 tip and remove two screws per each usb-c board, good thing this boards are easy to replace if you ever need t,
32- Four more screws are holding the Mag-Safe, remove the two T5 and fallow by removing the other Two special looking T3 screw,
33- Removing four T5 screws from the Wi-Fi antenna module
34- Removing last usb-c out by removing two T5 screws
35- Remove the two lcd hinge cover screws using T5 to prepare for display removal, and continue
36- removing the two T5 screws that seats on both ends of the Wi-Fi module, and continue removing the nine T2 screws to allow for final removal of antenna Module
37- it’s time to take the Wi-Fi module out of the way and take a quick look at the design
38- Using your tweezer get both hinge covers out of the way
39- To remove both speakers flatly slide your metal pry tool in between the speaker and the chassis of the MacBook Pro, speakers are attached using special type of glue so you may need to use some extra strength but be careful not to break the speakers!
40- Now In order to remove the entire display from the chassis all we need to do is to remove Six T9 screws that definitely takes some muscle power, these are the screws responsible to hold your LCD to the chassis,
41- Time to diss attach the display from the chassis or so called the top case, open the lcd and let it set in a 45 degrees angle and then give a some of down force push to see the display completely comes off!
42- Now To remove the Touch ID / power button bracket remove Five T3 screws and continue removing two more T3 screws that holds the spring bracket and remove using your tweezers
43- finally remove the one last T3 screw and remove the main back bracket, you can now freely remove the Touch ID power button, be careful around this very delicate cable!
