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I have been consistently having problems with my Macbook Air Purchased in Dec 2012 (Model A1369)

Following is the sequence of problems I have faced :

  • Magsafe 1 charger pins burned out (2 years ago), thrown away charger
  • charging port pins burned out and replaced I/O board from ifixit.com (1 year ago)
  • Purchased 2 Magsafe 1 chargers (1 year ago)
  • Now both the new chargers pins have burned out.

I am faced with a decision to either buy another charger (for about 90$) or buy a new non apple laptop altogether (I have seen the magsafe connector heating issue on many people's laptops). Because this is really affecting my ability to use my laptop while being on the move. Everything else in my Macbook Air is working great and I am very happy with everything else. It is just this charging problem that is frustrating me. I have to wiggle the port and try different combinations to get the green light to come. Even if the green light comes on, charging may or may not start until the orange light comes on.

Question : If I keep the burned out charging port as it is, and just replace the charger, will it also burn out the new charger ? Or do I have to again replace both the charger and the I/O board ? Is there something fundamentally wrong with the Magsafe 1 charger that it burns out the contacts ? Because a friend of mine has a newer Macbook pro and the same problem happened with him and the contacts are burned out but the laptop still charges (though the magsafe port gets really HOT)

So I am currently left with 3 burned chargers and 2 burned out I/O boards. Do I take the decision to replace the I/O board again and also buy new chargers. How do I avoid the connectors getting burned out again ?

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  • Which wattage charger are you using (see this on the brick) and which model macbook are you using? If you're using too high or too low a wattage brick this could theoretically happen. And can you try using a different power adapter brick in a different outlet, it's possible it's one of those things' faults. – owlswipe Jan 15 '17 at 21:33
  • How does it keep burning out? It's not standard for the connection to have that happen. It also depends on usage and environment. Here, it's not very humid, and never extremely cold or extremely hot. Laptop and charger (MBA and MBP from 2011 and 2012) still original power parts, no cracks in cables, no burnt pins, no frayed strain relief. I take them in/out bags in turns, daily, every day. I also know of users that have to get a new charger every year and they have broken cables, broken connectors, melting plastic etc. but I don't understand the difference. Maybe usage or environmental? – John Keates Jan 16 '17 at 0:34
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My theory is that is due to very high humidity.

It is 84% in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India right now!

Humidity can form conductive film between the pins that lead to continuous eddy currents.

eddy curents

So how does that apply to your situation?

Magsafe is a magnet (strong magnet). There is always a lot of microscopic particle attracted and magnetized. Normally that would not do anything, but with high humidity it dissolves the micro particles in the water droplets and allows them to flow between Positive and Negative pools of the plug, thus leading to burn marks.

Make sure your Magsafe plug is dry, and only charge it in low humidity environment. Use Compressed Air can and frequently blow dry the magsafe.

Also put can put your Mac in a fridge YES fridge (not freezer) and charge it there.

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Without knowing your exact model of MacBook Air and the models of chargers you've been using, it's a bit hard to give you a definitive answer.

Since you purchased it in December 2012, most people (me included) would assume it's a Mid-2012 MacBook Air. Both the 11" and 13" models used a 45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter (although the batteries differed in these models (35 watt hrs in the 11" and 50 watt hrs in the 13").

However, since you refer to MagSafe 1 in your question, you really need to clarify the exact model of MacBook Air you have. Perhaps post a screenshot of the About This Mac screen (under the  menu).

Either way, to be sure you're using a correctly specified charger for your MBA, you should refer to Find the right power adapter and cord for your Mac notebook.

To answer your two actual questions:

Do I take the decision to replace the I/O board again and also buy new chargers? - This is really a personal decision you have to make. Asking the community this will only solicit a range of opinions. However, if you're using the correct chargers etc, then you shouldn't be burning out your pins. If everything you've replaced parts with were the correct specs, then something else is going on here for it to be an ongoing issue.

How do I avoid the connectors getting burned out again? - Once again, I refer you to Find the right power adapter and cord for your Mac notebook.

Finally, it may be worth contacting iFixit to check what they may be able to do for you? If you had the right I/O board and only purchased it a year ago, that'd be something you could raise with them

I'd also do the same for wherever you bought the chargers from (after all, they were only purchased a year ago and now they're both dead). Of course, if all items were purchased from iFixit you may want to consider what you do raise with them (i.e. just the chargers, one charger and the I/O board, etc).

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