Just fixed a 2015 MacBook Air with a weird trick for the backlight fuse

So a friend brought me this MacBook Air, the screen was totally black but you could see a faint image with a flashlight. Classic backlight issue, right? I figured it was the fuse on the board, the usual suspect. I checked it with my meter and sure enough, it was blown. I didn't have the exact replacement fuse on hand (it's a tiny 2 amp one), but I remembered reading on a forum about using a 0 ohm resistor as a jumper in a pinch. I was desperate to test the rest of the system, so I carefully soldered one in place of the fuse. The screen lit right up, which was great for testing, but I learned you absolutely cannot leave it like that. It removes the safety feature, so if there's a real short, you could fry the whole display assembly. I told my friend the fix was just for testing and ordered the proper fuse. Has anyone else used a jumper for testing like this, or is it considered too risky?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota8631mo ago

I mean, that's a solid way to test if the fuse is the only problem.

the_nathan1mo ago

Honestly, that's a terrible idea even for testing. You're just asking to cause more damage.

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