Used MacBook Pro adapters?
May 23, 2019 12:45 PM Subscribe
I've got a 2011 MacBook Pro I'm stubbornly attached to, but I'm sick of splurging on new adapters (60W Magsafe). Are there any sites that sell refurbished or gently used adapters from people who have upgraded? They're all lasting me about a year before shorting out.
Can't bring the most recent one back to Apple, because I ended up making a Franken-adapter splicing together the cords from two older ones. That bought me a few more months. Adapter itself is fine, but this is the second one to start smoldering in the metal attachment-indicator light barrel with no prior visible damage.
Can't bring the most recent one back to Apple, because I ended up making a Franken-adapter splicing together the cords from two older ones. That bought me a few more months. Adapter itself is fine, but this is the second one to start smoldering in the metal attachment-indicator light barrel with no prior visible damage.
While I totally respect the previous poster's perspective -- I mean, it's certainly true or at least best practice! -- I have bought two third-party power adaptors for my 2014 MacBookAir on eBay from China and they've been very reliable. I love the convenience and sleekness of Apple products but hate their monopoly and planned obsolescence.
posted by smorgasbord at 2:35 PM on May 23, 2019
posted by smorgasbord at 2:35 PM on May 23, 2019
My puppy was very fond of MagSafe adapters a few months ago, and I discovered they were easily found for about 20 bucks on both Craigslist and Facebook marketplace in my midsized university town.
posted by rockindata at 5:31 PM on May 23, 2019
posted by rockindata at 5:31 PM on May 23, 2019
If you're gunshy about third-party, get the official 85W model, and grind the head with a file or dremel until it fits the magsafe connector on your Macbook Pro. The voltage and pinout (pin orientation) are the same; the 85Watter just allows more power to be drawn through.
It's okay to fit the 85W where you used to use 60W; your Macbook will not suddenly start drawing more power, nor will it explode. You can think of it as "power up to 85W," and your Macbook will only request up to 60W of power from the connector. So, for the same reason, you're not suddenly going to start seeing faster charging.
posted by Sunburnt at 6:11 PM on May 23, 2019
It's okay to fit the 85W where you used to use 60W; your Macbook will not suddenly start drawing more power, nor will it explode. You can think of it as "power up to 85W," and your Macbook will only request up to 60W of power from the connector. So, for the same reason, you're not suddenly going to start seeing faster charging.
posted by Sunburnt at 6:11 PM on May 23, 2019
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EBay, Craigslist , etc, and some thrift stores usually can find you a match.
There is a long, meandering post on Hacker News which has some ideas for extending the charger lifespan.
posted by blob at 1:02 PM on May 23, 2019