By David Coe, founder and bench technician
MacBook not charging: port, controller or circuit
"Not charging" on a MacBook is one of three faults: the charger, the USB-C port, or the power circuitry behind the port. The tell is usually the ports themselves (which ones work, at what angle) and a USB-C meter settles the rest. Here is the ten-minute triage, written for shops.
The ten-minute triage
- A known-good charger and cable, on every port. Cheapest variable first, and it eliminates a surprising share of "not charging" jobs.
- Test each port separately. One port charging and another not is a port or controller fault, not a charger fault.
- Check the numbers. 20 V negotiated means the board is talking to the charger; 5 V flat means the port or its power controller is dead. This one reading decides which repair you are quoting.
- Look at the port. Bent pins, lint, corrosion, a cable that only makes contact at an angle. Physical damage is physical damage.
- Read the macOS charging states. "Not charging" with a live charger often points at battery-communication or charge-IC faults rather than the port at all.
What the fault usually turns out to be
- The port itself: damaged pins or solder after a cable was levered out once too often.
- The USB-C power controller: the chip behind the port (CD3215/3217/3218 family on Intel, comparable circuitry on Apple Silicon). A dead controller makes a good port useless.
- The charging circuit: charge ICs and the rails they feed; the fault when the ports negotiate fine but the battery never fills.
- Liquid in the port: corrosion that started small and only showed when charging stopped.
All four are the same job at this bench: board-level work on the original machine, not a port swap and a hope. The circuit behind the port is tested as part of the repair, because a new connector on a dead controller is a comeback wearing a receipt.
What it costs
Diagnosis is £35 + VAT, waived when the repair goes ahead. Charging faults land in the fixed £120 + VAT laptop logic board repair (post both ways included, 12-month warranty) or £180 + VAT in the priority slot. If it turns out to be a battery rather than the board, the diagnosis says that too, and it is a cheaper, quicker answer.
MacBook charging questions
One port works and one doesn't. Can that be fixed?
Yes. Each USB-C port has its own power-delivery controller on the board; the port and its controller are repaired together as board-level work at the fixed £120 + VAT price.
How do I tell if it's the charger?
A known-good charger and cable on every port. If the same port fails both times, it is the machine, and a USB-C meter (20 V negotiated vs 5 V flat) tells you whether the port or the circuit behind it is the fault.
Could it be the battery instead?
Sometimes, and the diagnosis says so. A battery fault is a cheaper, quicker answer than board work. You are told which before anything paid happens.
How long does the repair take?
Diagnosed within one working day of arrival, most repairs back within 2–4 working days. The priority slot puts it at the front: diagnosed in one working day, returned within two.
The books are full. Join the list
Our bench is at capacity, so we are not taking new jobs right this moment. Open a trade account and we will email you the moment we are booking again. No commitment. Questions? Email jobs@soldersector.com.
