Repairing Apple AC Adapter Broken Cable

Written By: Angela Penaherrera (and 7 other contributors)

 Comments:  56  Favorites:  106  Completions:  178

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Steps 15

Time Required 1 hour

Sections 1

Flags 2

Introduction
Sometimes the cable starts peeling just at that place where it meets the AC Adapter. I've met too many people that throw away their chargers
because of this. It takes time and patience but repair is possible!

Tools  Buy these tools Parts

No parts required.
 Wire Stripper  Electrical Tape in 6 Assorted
Colors
 Zip Ties × 3
 Flathead Screwdriver
 Zip Ties × 4
 Crazy Glue
 Utility Knife
 Glue Gun
 Soldering Station
 Insulated Cover Tube
 Solder
Step 1 Repairing Apple AC Adapter Broken Cable

 Nasty cut.

 One comment

Step 2

 Unplug your AC power cord.

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Step 3

 Look at the line that goes though the charger. This

is all glued with some super adhesive that prevents
you from just taking it apart.

 You will have to cut through that plastic, go all the

way around following that small space with your
knife.

 This will take a while, you have to cut the plastic

from all the 4 sides. You will notice when you have
cut through most of it.

 Be careful with the side shown in the last picture.

There are a couple of components that might be cut
in the process.

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Step 4

 With a at headed screwdriver start separating

both plastic faces from the charger. You need to use
a little force to do this.

 Once you have separated all sides with the screw

driver, it still wont come off. This thing is glued to all
sides of the plastic.

 Insert the screwdriver into the top part of the

charger and carefully separate the foil from the
plastic enclosure. Be careful as to not rip off the foil
from the inner part of the charger.

 5 comments
Step 5

 In this step I already took off one face of the plastic

enclosure.

 Use the screwdriver to loosen up the adhesive on

both sides of the power connector.

 Insert the screwdriver on the remaining face of the

plastic enclosure and carefully loosen up the rest of
the adhesive.

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Step 6

 You should end up with this block. Put away the

plastic enclosure.

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Step 7

 Grab the small plastic piece that attaches the cables

to the AC charger.

 Cut the cables as near as you can to the plastic

piece.

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Step 8

 Peel the plastic off the cable with a knife or a wire

stripper.

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Step 9

 Take the cable that connects to your mac book and

carefully peel it off with a knife or a wire stripper.

 Untangle the outer wire to reveal the white cable

inside.

 Twirl up nicely the outer wire and peel a small bit of

the white cable to join the to the AC charger.

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Step 10  Edit

 

 Join both white cable wires and solder them

together.

 Remember that the white wire from the AC

adapter NEEDS to be soldered to the white wire
from the cable that comes from the MacBook
connector.

 The black insulated cover tube on the cable is to

isolate the cable later, you can use heat to shrink it.

 The last pic shows the black insulated cover tube,

you can cut it up to t the length you need.

 It is very important to isolate both wires, they

cannot touch each other or else they will short
circuit (in other words: Kaboom!).

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Step 11

 Proceed to solder the black cable from the AC

charger to the outer wire of your Macbook
connector.

 Isolate that wire. You don't need to cover up the

whole extension of the outer wire, just enough so
that it won't touch the white cable or the circuit
board of the AC adapter.

 You can use the black rubber tube or electrical

tape. If you use the black tube try to keep it as far
away as possible when soldering to prevent it from
shrinking before you cover the wire.

 One comment
Step 12

 Cover up with electrical tape the rest the white and

black/outer cable you just soldered.

 Join them together with electrical tape as to form

one cable and place the AC charger in one of the
faces of the plastic enclosure.

 White electrical tape makes this x look nicer.

 Take 3 small zip ties and tie them around the cable
to stop it from being pulled out of the plastic
enclosure.

 2 comments

Step 13

 Put small bits of super glue on the borders of the

enclosures. Place the other face of the plastic
enclosure and close up the AC charger.

 Don't forget the plastic tabs that let you wrap your
cable on the charger... Even though those are the
main cause for your cable tearing up! I usually
choose to leave them out or glue them to the
enclosure to prevent the cable breaking again.

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Step 14

 Tie 4 large zip ties to close up the enclosure, 2 on

each side.

 Some people prefer to use only super glue because

it looks nicer but zip ties make it safer. If you like it
better without the zip ties, take them out after a
few hours after the super glue has bonded
completely.

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Step 15

 Use a glue gun to close up the gap that remains.

 Don't use too much, just enough so that there is no

opening from the outside.

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 FINISH LINE

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178 other people completed this guide.

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Member since: 05/06/2013
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38 COMMENTS  Add a comment

 Some tips:
* There is a better way to open the enclosure without damaging the edge: using a pliers to push the two sides apart where the bunny ears lift
up (google for videos).
* The cable can actually be threaded through the rubber/plastic grommet if you have the patience to remove the broken cable from it and
make the two small holes bigger with a drill bit. This can be frustrating but is the only way to keep the original appearance. Be sure to leave
enough cable after the grommet for soldering.
* Thin (2-3mm) heat shrink is a good way to insulate the exposed wire after threading it through the grommet.
* If you trust your soldering skills, consider de-soldering the old cables from the terminals.
* Applying a little super glue along the edge and clamping for a few hours is all that is needed to keep it closed permanently.
don - 12/17/2013

Thanks for the tips! If you have pictures of the processes please feel free to modify this guide (especially the opening of the enclosure!)
^__^
* I have seen that in some tutorials and I wanted to to drill a hole through the rubber plastic grommet but didn't have a drill at my of ce =(
* I did consider de-soldering the old cables but that involved de-soldering other components that are attached to copper plates to get to
those terminals. In earlier versions of the AC Adapter this can be done with not so much trouble.
I really appreciate your feedback! Thanks!
Angela Penaherrera - 12/17/2013

I didn't try that... We actually ended up just heating it to soften the plastic and that worked, wouldn't advise it though
deavisdude - 03/05/2015

Same for me, don: see this as a much easier way to open the case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqa9uUKu...
Would be nice if you refer to this solution as alternative, befor starting to cut the case.
Thanks for the manual, I just xed it!
Lukas - February 25

 Is it possible to remove the cord entirely from the circuit board and solder new replacement? I have ordered a replacement and I wonder if its
safe to do so? Thank you for your prompt response!
Shawn - 02/14/2014

Yes it is possible. Depending on the model of your charger you might need to de-solder some copper plates on the bottom of the circuit
board in order to be able to reach the spots for soldering the replacement cable.
Angela Penaherrera - 02/15/2014

 I found out a more elegant way of disassembling this thing, and posted a guide here:
Restoring Apple AC Adapter Broken Cable
Darie H - 04/22/2014

Hi! thanks for sharing! I used that guide on another AC charger and was so much easier to take apart!
Angela Penaherrera - 06/04/2014

 this was so helpful I did a variation of what was described and I'm very happy!!!
jdebrofsky - 10/01/2015

 This worked great! It literally took me 15 minutes using a dremel tool.

stevenmcconnon - 02/18/2016
 I managed to reuse original wire hose instead of tape and hot melt glue.
That required some lengthy cleanup of remainders of the wire and some knife work but the charger looks almost as new.
Oleg Urzhumtsev - 02/24/2016

 Muchas gracias, muy buen material de ayuda

Javito - 02/28/2016

 Hello i did it and when i plug it into the power my MacBook only charge for like 5 seconds. Can anyone help please?
Thanks
Sarel Prinsloo - 04/17/2016

Hi ! I have the same problem. Did you manage to nd the answer ?

John Dupont - February 17

 omh my &&^& this is so %#*@ &&^&^$^ helpful thanks a lot man &&^&^$^ thanks
sai sorm - 05/13/2016

 10 min start to nnish just needed info on opening the case thanks work like new.
bullfrog8910 - 07/25/2016

 %#*@! Thank you so much for this. My charger is up and running. ;) Cheers!
Ankit Yes - 08/25/2016

 Mine does't work when I put both sides of the casing back on. Works ne with only one side. I tested the soldered contacts - they are ne. I did
rip off some of the tin foil by accident thoug. Any clues?
Simon Schneider - 09/12/2016

 1.5 hours and very straight forward. I would reiterate the importance of making sure ADAPTER MUST BE UNPLUGGED!! before attempting
to remove casing or anything further. I feel like electrical hazards were overlooked in the tutorial.
Joshua - 11/21/2016

Joshua, sorry to say that, but do you really think anybody in his right mind would attempt to remove the adapter casing before unplugging
the adapter? Is such a thing even possible? You gotta give people some credit. I doubt such morons even exist. If they do, maybe it's best
they don't reproduce. Darwin Awards, you know?
Anyway.
I'm attempting to do the repair as well. Just to say, I had two adapters I wanted to repair, one was a 85W: almost impossible to open. It took
ages. I cut it with the knife, all around, then took some pliers to it to force it open, I ended up cracking the case. All that before realizing my
soldering iron was toast. I was planning on borrowing one so I didn't give up. I took the other adapter, a 45W, this time, no knife, I went
directly with the pliers, it opened directly, no damage. I think there are a lot of different versions of the adapters. Depending on the one you
get, you might be lucky.
Both of mine, I need to unsolder to open any further. I'll come back with more news.
nessdufrat - 01/11/2017

 Thanks Angela - a very useful guide. I used a ne toothed saw to open up the power supply and a drill to scour out the plastic stopper. White
duck tape to keep it closed after I glued it back again. Sure beats buying a new one! Time spent - 45 minutes.
cshop - 01/09/2017

 Hello, I recently had the same problem and successfully xed it using this guide so thanks. However, I'm curios, if the adapter does for some
reason short circuit, what's the worst that could happen? Will the damage be in my macbook only or is there a risk that I might damage the
whole wirings in the of ce?
DevMan - 01/29/2017

 Inspired by this guide. I xed mine without opening the adapter. I hacksawed the upper part (protruding from the adapter) of the plastic piece
connecting the cable to the adapter. Then reconnected the wires as described here (without opening case).
marcellus124 - 03/01/2017
 Used the pliers method to open. I unsoldered the remaining cable at the supply and resoldered the cable directly to the power supply board. To

protect the cable from future damage, I added a strain relief. I drilled a 2 holes in the side of the case, looped a zip tie through, then strapped
the cable to the side of the case. Oriented cable so that it lies along the side of the supply rather than sticking straight out. It is possible to use
the plug prongs as a guide to wrap the cable around the case. I did not bother putting the bunny ears back on and closed up the supply with
tape.
tkarches - 03/23/2017

 The design of the Apple adapters is such that they will all eventually break with how the cable is attached. If you leave some slack in the cable
before wrapping the cable around the ears, it will last much longer.
tkarches - 03/23/2017

 I think mine must have shorted out before dissassembly. I replaced the charge cable with a new one but the charger must have been damaged
when it shorted. Is there like a safety component in the charger that stops charging in the event of a short, and maybe can be replaced??? Can
anyone advise??
Eduardo - 04/04/2017

 Mine process was just ne, but I have one problem. That thing gets unbearably hot now :( Is it because of extra resistance ?
Dominykas Sribikė - 04/06/2017

Please check that the connecting wires were insulated correctly and that they are not touching anything internally. That might be a hazard.
If it heats up so much I would not use it.
Angela Penaherrera - January 15

 Opening the case was a B!tcH. One thing I wish I knew ahead of time was more about the basics of soldering. I chewed through a lot of wire
just to practice to get the connection right before I ran out of slack and solder too close to the adapter. Buying a cheapo soldering iron (60-
watt) was a waste of time. Buy (or rent) an 100-watt so that you can heat the connection up BELOW the wire. Then you can bring in solder
from above so that it melts into the wire!! Just need an hot enough gun.
Sean Sumwalt - 04/11/2017

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqa9uUKu... This is a way better way to x it!

Stefan Seitler - 07/09/2017

 I had a frayed cord, with the conducting metal wire completely detached from the rest of the conducting wire (below the insulating material). If
that's the case for you, you can peal off the insulating layer from an old iPhone charger, remove the conducting wire and use it to join the two
dead ends on the cord of your macbook charger. Apply some electrical tape on top of it and you now have a working charger!
al 4515 - 08/18/2017

 there is an easier way to open the case. Get a number 10 spanner and use it to prise off the case below the cable tidy clips. Wedge the outer
'fork' into the near corner of the space below the cable tidy clips and push the spanner away from you. Pop! Off it comes. Takes 2 seconds with
very little physical effort. It is similar to the pliers approach but easier to do.
Stephen Ashworth - 09/12/2017

I have come across many chargers now. Some open the way you said, some are a pain to open. I believe it varies with the year they were
manufactured because some have way more glue than others and have a different setup of the circuit board. I now use a hot air gun to
soften the internal adhesive, will update the guide later.
Thanks for your comment!
Angela Penaherrera - January 15

 Fire hazard man. I’d just replace it.

brian2burnett - 12/22/2017

 I’ve managed to accidentally sever the white cord from the circuit board. Is it worth trying to solder it back on?
Guy Hide - January 9

It is, I have repaired chargers by resoldering the wires onto the circuit board. Just make sure that both wires are well isolated from each
other.
Angela Penaherrera - January 15
 I used epoxy to glue the enclosure back together, and molded Sugru around the cable to close up the gap and provide a exible but strong

sheath for the cable. Looks like it will turn out nicely!
edward - April 7

 I don’t own any soldering equipment but I spliced the wires with electrical tape and it works just ne.
JC Albers - April 22

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