Logic board fail? Macbook pro dies when sleeping, doesn't turn on, and Apple doesn't know why

strontium9d

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Oct 19, 2015
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4,510
I put this in motherboards because I think the logic board might be the issue, but honestly, I don't know. If it turns out to be related to something else, sorry for putting it in the wrong place.

let me start by saying this: I brought my Mac to the apple store for them to open up and find out what's wrong with my macbook pro (2013). They couldn't replicate the problem, therefore they couldn't give me any answers. I know of others who have this SAME problem, which I will explain now in detail, but I have found no solutions for.

I have a macbook pro, retina, 13" late 2013. I got it for school work and stuff last year. My Macbook has been fine normally, I haven't had any trouble until a few weeks ago when the volume keys would randomly toggle (without me touching them, as if a ghost was doing it). That happened maybe twice, but it hasn't happened since. 2 weeks ago I left my mac sleep/charging and when I came back, it was dead as a doornail. The green charger light indicated it was charged, but it sounded completely dead, no fan or anything. Even the caps lock light was not working. I tried all the tricks, like SMC resets, NVRAM resets, all of it. Still nothing worked.

So I brought it to the mac store a few days later and suddenly, when they plugged it in, it worked! The Apple employee helping me said I probably did reset the SMC, but didn't do it right, or something. She ran diagnostics on it, and there was no software trouble. I thought this was the end of the issue for good, but 2 days later, I put it in sleep mode and left it (unplugged, as it had 50% power) and when I woke up, it was once again dead! Again, I tried the SMC, and the NVRAM, and used a different charger, the only difference was that the green charger light went out when I did the SMC (or NVRAM, I don't remember).

So again, I went to the Apple store, and was given the same employee that helped me before, and again, it magically turned on! I told her every detail, and I left it with them for a few days so they could open up and see what the problem was. Well, when I picked it up they said because they couldn't replicate the problem, they couldn't solve it.

So that was a big waste of time. And the thing is, it works fine now! I'm posting this question using it, and it's fine, but I can expect that, at some point soon, it will again turn off and not turn on, and the cycle will continue.

So there's my problem. Some more additional details that might help:

-My charger wire is frayed, and I thought that shorted it out at first, but it still works, even at the store. I'll get a new one soon.

-My charger is connected to a surge protected strip, which I was told was bad, but because of a lack of other outlets, I don't really have a choice.

-The strip is connected to the same circuit a mini fridge is using, which I heard can cause problems with line noise, but my computer turned off even when it wasn't plugged in, so I don't know.

So that's about it.
 

BadAsAl

Distinguished
Only advise I can offer at this point is get a new charger ASAP! It is not worth potentially ruining a very expensive laptop when a charger is $80.
I have seen weird issues with bad chargers so that may be causing all this. But trying a new charger will eliminate it as the cause at the very least.
 

itmoba

Estimable
Aug 14, 2015
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4,660
As BadAsAl said, you need to buy a new charger immediately! Do not use the charger anymore. Toss it away and buy a new one. If your laptop's battery runs out of juice, it's your own fault for not having bought a new charger. I seriously mean it when I say toss the bad charger, as it can cause fires.

Never use a power-strip for a refrigerator, and never connect a power-strip or appliance to the other sockets possibly shared to the said fridge. A refrigerator (mini or not) deserves its own power-outlet, period. Nothing else should be plugged into that outlet. It may seem like a waste, but it isn't. Why? Because in the event of a leak, you may end up meeting your maker by means of an "improvised electric chair." You may use another outlet with the power-strip and connect your charger to one of its outlets -- that is perfectly fine.