The connector to the "magnetic" power supply to my Intel iBook (white) is broken. This was a very early model. The connector contains five spring-loaded pins. The springs for the two outer ones no longer work properly, and the pins refuse to extend enough to make an electrical connection to the computer.
Has anybody tried to repair this? Successfully? Hints? Or is this a lost case?
I don't know about your particular model, but on my macbook pro, the board hosting the magsafe and audio connections is replaceable.
Sounds to me more like the OP is having problems with the MagSafe connector on the power adapter, not the socket on the MacBook itself.
I think you're right. Well on that note, when my original magsafe adaptor died, instead of paying $80 for the genuine apple product, I went on ebay and found a generic yet identical product for a mere $20. All it lacks is an apple logo, I swear they are identical.
Ghost-shifted Apple products are pretty much impossible to find; they probably look identical on the outside but I bet if you crack them open, you'll see a huge difference.
To answer the OP's question: If you can't just bend the pins back into their original position so they make proper contact again, I'd just pick up a used adapter on eBay or the Low End Mac swap list.
The trouble with the magsafes, though, is that itty bitty skinny wire they insist on using. I wouldn't feel comfortable buying a used one under any circumstances.
I had hoped that somebody would have had the same problem and solved it... Yes, I already bought a new Magsafe. But it would feel as a defeat if this silly little magnetic connector coudn't be repaired somehow. It's a challenge!
I'll try to "open" it by shaving off the plastic with a razor blade, perhaps aided by heating it a little with a solder iron...
I'll let you know if it works...
I had the same problem and have seen it in a number of other peoples power supplies. A spring in behind the pin breaks. I thought that if you pulled out the pin you might be able to replace the spring but the housing around the pin came out with the pin and that was the end of that.
Don't lose your receipt. Some people have had the same problem show up in under a year.
I have now got the broken MagSafe power adaptor to work. It is not a repair but a work-around.
Please note that the cord was OK and the spring loaded pins were straight. The problem was that the springs for the two outer pins did not work properly. The pins were too short to make contact although there was still some residual spring function.
I removed the white plastic covering the metal surrounding the pins. This was done by simply cutting off the plastic along two diagonal edges and prying off the cover along the cord. Everything underneath was a solid block of something resembling silicon glue but a bit harder. Removal of the silicone revealed a small circuit board onto which the cord was soldered onto the back end. The front end contained the metal part that hides the 5 pins and that attaches to the computer. This part could easily be removed by punching out two very small pins otherwise hidden by the white plastic cover.
I immediately realized that it would be impossible to repair the pins or the springs: they had been molded into solid plastic.
The simple work-around was to file off about 1 mm from the front end of the metal piece surrounding the pins. It took about 5 minutes, and the MagSafe adapter now works again.
I still recommend that the white plastic cover is removed so that the metal piece can be detached from the connector. In this way you can file off as much as you need without the risk of starting to file down the pins too.
I hope this helps somebody...
(for those of you that don't know how much 1 mm is: use Google to find out