HippieTechs

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Spring 2018 Availability Notice

TL;DR HippieTechs in Boise will be closed to drop-offs and pick-ups temporarily while I am out of town. You can still utilize my service via a mail-in option.

The project I am working on in Southern California has grown to an even larger, more time intensive project than I expected. I will not be able to have regular office hours or provide onsite service for a few months in the Boise area.

What I can do is offer my Mac repair and Data Recovery services via a mail-in service. If you would like me to repair your Mac or recover your data, start by filling out the mail-in form. Once I receive the mail-in form I will send you a shipping box with a prepaid Fedex ground shipping label to get your device to me in CA. I will start with a free diagnosis and let you know the cost for the needed service. If you decide to not go through with the service, the charge for the shipping is $15. If you decide to go with the service, there will be no extra charge for shipping.

The best way to contact me while I am away is via text or email. If you call and leave a voicemail I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible, but I can respond faster via email or text than I can via phone.

I am sorry for the inconvenience this will cause. I hope to still be able to help you with your Mac repair or Data Recovery project!

Please text or email with any questions: (208) 288-1793 info@hippietechs.com

-Nathan

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MacBook Air LCD Repair

MacBook with cracked LCD

MacBook Air LCD Repair

MacBook Airs have one of the more fragile displays that Apple has designed. The thin LCD panel coupled with the thin display housing makes bending more possible which in turn can crack the display. This MacBook Air was not bent as it obviously has impact points on the display from a hit, but in general the MacBook Air does have a more fragile display than other Apple portable notebooks.

Replacing just the LCD panel

Apple designed the MacBook Air display assembly to be replaced as a single part. Most repair shops will replace the display assembly rather than taking it apart and replacing just the broken component. HippieTechs is one of the few shops nationwide that offers LCD only replacement.

LCD replacement process

In order to replace just the LCD panel, the metal bezel that surrounds the screen and helps hold the components into the assembly must be removed. The bezel is the piece that says “MacBook Air” along the bottom. Once the bezel is removed, the LCD panel has to be removed next. The LCD panel is attached with double sided tape that is very strong. Under the LCD is a series of diffuser sheets that are very easy to scratch so extreme care is necessary to remove the LCD panel without damaging those sheets.

Once the LCD has been removed, new adhesive is applied and the new LCD is installed. The bezel is re-attached and you have a fully working display again for a fraction of the cost of replacing the entire display assembly.

Turnaround time

While the LCD only replacement on MacBook Airs is a time intensive process, we are able to complete it within 24 hours of receiving your computer. This allows you to get your computer back as quickly as possible.

What if you are outside of Boise?

While we are located in Downtown Boise, we do offer the repair nationwide through our mail-in repair service. We can also recommend another shop in Los Angeles called “MacScreenRepair”. They offer screen repair services for the entire Mac line and do great work. Learn more about their Mac screen repair services.

 
 

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iMac Logic Board Replacement Due to Faulty GPU

This iMac was brought in with the description of the display not coming on when turned on + no chime. After testing we found that the computer would receive power, but never past POST or get to the point where it would chime. Furthermore, after about a minute of being on, the fans would spin up to full power.

Diagnosing the Issue

After completing the standard diagnostic step of resetting the SMC, we continued with removing the display to check the LED lights on the logic board. We wanted to double check our hunch that the computer was not booting due to a faulty GPU (graphics chip).

A Word About Removing the Display

I have seen a couple cases where people who normally work on PC’s or older Macs don’t understand that the display on this model is not removed by pulling it off with sunction cups. Rather, a special tool (available at fixit) is used to very carefully cut through the double sided tape that is holding the display on. Once that tape has been cut, the display will pull away from the computer easily. Don’t try to use a suction method on the newer thin iMacs as it will almost always result in a cracked display.

LED Diagnostic Lights

On this model iMac there are four LED lights that are visible after removing the display assembly. The first LED light shows that the computer is receiving a trickle of power from the power supply as it should when plugged in. After pressing the power button, the second light should illuminate showing that the computer is receiving full power. After a few seconds of receiving full power, the third LED will illuminate confirming that the logic board is able to talk to the GPU. Once that light is lit, very shortly after that the fourth light will light up showing that the GPU is able to send information to the display.

This particular computer had the first 2 LEDs light properly. Number 3 and 4 never lit during testing. As a precaution we tested the Logic board battery and replaced the RAM with known good RAM just to be 100% certain that the GPU was the issue.

Replacing the GPU

There are a couple different models of iMacs. In this particular model, there is no separate gracphics card that can be replaced. The GPU is soldered onto the logic board, so in order to replace the graphics chip, you either have to send the board out to somebody who is very skilled in replacing GPU chips, or replace the entire board. For this model, the cost of the board was the same as the cost for repair, so a new board it is!

 
 

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