Chosen Solution
Hi, about a month ago I was working on my Macbook as usual and the screen started to glitch and blink badly. I turned it off and on again, after letting it cool for about 5 minutes. It seemed normal, so I proceeded to work. About 20 minutes later, the screen started to glitch again, so I turned the computer off. Then, it wouldn’t turn on normally again. I could see it was on, the screen was lit but in black, displaying no information. I called Apple Support and ran a few tests, pressing and holding keys but nothing solved the problem. I took it the next day to an Authorized Support center and my Macbook wouldn’t turn on anymore, at all, not even connected to the charger. After analysis, they told me there was an issue with the logic board and it needed to be replaced. Since I found their price very high, I decided to take the computer to another authorized support center. When I got there, my MacBook turned on normally, as if nothing had happened. I noticed, however, that the battery percentage was jumping, for example, I looked and it was 32%, when I looked again it was 34%, then again it was 31%. This happened more when it was charging. The battery was also draining quickly, so I left it for analysis, even though the system information indicated no battery trouble. They replaced my top case because of a keyboard recall of this model and ran the Mac Resource Inspector test on it, which did not accuse any issue with the logic board. However, I’ve noticed that if I take the charging cable out when it’s charging and is still at a low percentage, sometimes the indicator will change immediately. For example, it’s charging at 3%, I take the cable out, it shows 4%, I put it back in, 3%. I added a screen recording of this happening. Also, if I restart the computer, on the login page it shows X%, but after I log in and the system starts, it changes to a number about 3% higher. I’ve reset the SMC several times and it has not resolved this issue. Other than that, I have no issues, the battery doesn’t drain anymore and the machine is running pretty well. After some research, I found that maybe there could be a problem with the SMC chip itself? I would really like to hear what could be happening. Thanks in advance!
P.S. The computer is running on the latest OS — Catalina 10.15.16 Coconut Battery With the battery at 100%
Sadly, you do have a logic board issue. The Thunderbolt ports front end chips, there are three of them (Texas Instruments 69C2HQW) marked in Orange here:
Likely has a bad solder joint so it looses connection to SMC. Which in turn causes the OS’s power management it loose its data so the menu bar indication fluctuates! While you would think this is not such a big deal you do run the risk of the system failing hard so your data won’t be accessible! So first thing I would do is make a good backup (TimeMachine) and make sure you keep it upto date. Time to visit an Apple Store or someone which has deep knowledge of micro-soldering and access to the needed chips.
