MacBuild Laptop Build
Building a laptop in MacBuild is a fairly freeform process. Aside from the Laptop Build Checklist, there is no standard method for resolving or repairing laptops with issues. It is not uncommon to swap optical drives and displays in an effort to turn two broken laptops into one working one. We presently only build up a few different models, so it's easy to learn the basics of working with each type.
Laptop Build steps
The idea behind the steps in the Laptop Build process is to provide volunteers with an easy, worry-free way to acquire the skills they need to successfully build Apple laptops. The step sequence is as follows:
- Harvesting
- Evaluation
- QC
- Build
Harvesting
The idea behind harvesting is to get volunteers used to working with Apple laptop hardware by having them disassemble and pull out reusable parts that can be put to use in other Apple laptops. Given the intricate nature of these systems, volunteers can cut their teeth on machines destined for recycling or as-is sale without worrying about damaging machines.
We should only harvest components from laptops when we have a need for individual parts and don't have a backstock, as it's easier to get rid of laptops when they're in one piece.
When there is no need for additional parts, only the HD, RAM, and AirPort card should be removed, and all screws and adapters removed from the HD should be taped to the inside of the HD cavity in the laptop.
Evaluation
The Evaluation process involves sorting through the incoming stack of Apple laptops and determining whether or not they should be built or have parts pulled from them. The Evaluation flowchart documents the procedure.
What we build
We presently work on translucent white iBook G3s and better, PowerBook G4s and better, and any newer models that come in. The specs we build the most common models to are as follows:
Minimum Specs
PPC Systems
PowerBook G4 Aluminum
Note: 800 MHz PowerBooks (Aluminum) and all PowerBooks (Titanium)can be built "as-is" |
iBook G4
Note: 800 MHz iBooks can be built "as-is" |
Intel Systems
No minimum, build them all
What we don't build
We don't build anything below the specs listed above.
As-Is Procedure
Before running a system through the as-is process, look at what we don't build to make sure it should be tested through the as-is process. If you are uncertain, please ask an instructor.
- Fill all RAM slots with RAM
- Boot the system into OS X:
- Connect the OS X 10.4 FireWire HDD to the system
- Make sure the FireWire HDD is turned on (there's a power switch on the back of the drive)
- Hold the Option key on the keyboard while system starts up to enter the Startup Manager
- Select the FireWire drive from the Startup Manager to boot into OS X 10.4
- When at the desktop, insert a CD into the optical drive and check if it mounts on the desktop
- Click on the apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen
- Select the About this Mac option from the menu
- Click the More info button to launch the System Profiler
- Check the information for ATA and Memory in System Profiler to ensure that the system can see all devices on IDE channels and each memory module in each memory slot
- If it fails to see the HD or reports the amount of memory incorrectly, the system should be recycled
- Eject the CD
- Power the system down and remove components
- Leave only 256 MB of RAM in the system
- Fill out the appropriate information on an As-Is sticker and attach it to the system
- For the HDD:
- Run it through our HDD wiping procedure before continuing the as-is process
- If the HDD wiping procedure tells us the system has a bad HDD, let an instructor know so we can either replace the HDD during a less-busy day or use it as a training tool for newer volunteers
- If the laptop has a bad HDD, the HDD MUST be removed before it leaves the area
- Run it through our HDD wiping procedure before continuing the as-is process
- Take it to the store
Wiping HDs in laptops
If you've just received a Mac laptop from TARDIS and need to wipe its drive without opening the laptop up, refer to the Hard drive wiping checklist for wiping instructions.
Tips
- Use a guide - some procedures for removing/exchanging parts are very complicated, so it's always good to have documentation. iFixit's guides for laptops are particularly good, as they provide not only fairly easy steps to follow but also make note of the different types of screws and parts removed in each step, which makes it easy to keep track of.
- Keep track of your screws/part - it is not uncommon to end up removing 50+ screws from a system when swapping a HD in a laptop. You can use either an ice cube tray or a screw guide from iFixit (it should be linked in PDF form to whatever guide you reference) to keep track of what came from where.
- Allot sufficient time for a project - working on Apple laptops can be very time-consuming due to the level of deconstruction one has to go through to swap parts. For example, swapping a hard drive in an iBook can easily take over an hour and a half if you've never done it before (or if you don't do it on a regular basis). If you decide to start a project, make sure you have enough time to at least put the system back together before you leave or develop a good system for keeping track of your progress.
Laptop Build Checklist
Please refer to the MacBuild Laptop Checklist for build instructions.
Special Configurations
| Steps | Notes/Detailed Instructions | Done |
| Starting up Ubuntu on a difficult system |
There are startup options set by default in the bootloader, so startup will usually not require any input. However, the following are the default options that you can enter yourself if you don't want to wait for the bootloader to do it automatically.
Some systems will not boot properly due to video issues. These systems will usually hang with a white or black screen after the yaboot boot prompt. For these systems, providing it with Linux video=ofonly at the yaboot boot prompt should fix the problem. If Linux video=ofonly does not work, try using Linux nosplash vga=1 instead. |
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| Permanently make the video=ofonly or nosplash vga=1 addition to yaboot NOTE: Normally for PowerBookG4 and iBookG4 laptops, you should NOT need to do this. Simply manually entering Linux nosplash vga=1 the first time you boot after installation should be sufficient. To test this, after you log in, modify the splash screen, run sudo update-initramfs -u and then reboot. If the system reboots to the login prompt no further mods are necessary. If the system hangs at a blank screen you will need to modify yaboot.conf |
If you needed to use the video=ofonly option to get the system to start up properly, you can permanently make the addition to yaboot. This is how you do it:
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| Enable the Ubuntu startup splash screen |
Sometimes a system will show a blank screen during startup instead of the normal Ubuntu splash screen. If this is the case, we can enable the Ubuntu splash screen by doing the following:
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