MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement

Andrew Optimus Goldheart and 2 other contributors

Last updated on April 4, 2023

45 minutes - 1 hour

Difficult

Introduction

Go to step 1

Use this guide to replace a broken microphone.

What you need

Parts

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Microphone
Sale price $9.99

Tools

Step 1 Lower Case

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement, Lower Case: step 1, image 1 of 1

Remove the following ten screws:
Three 14.4 mm Phillips #00 screws
Three 3.5 mm Phillips #00 screws
Four 3.5 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws
When replacing the small screws, align them perpendicular to the slight curvature of the case (they don't go straight down).

Edit

Step 2

Use your fingers to pry the lower case away from the body of the MacBook near the vent.
Remove the lower case.

Edit

Step 3 Battery Connection

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement, Battery Connection: step 3, image 1 of 2

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement, Battery Connection: step 3, image 2 of 2

Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.
It is useful to pry upward on both short sides of the connector to "walk" it out of its socket. Be careful with the corners of the connectors, they can be easily broken off.

Edit

Step 4

Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.

Edit

Step 5 Fan

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement, Fan: step 5, image 1 of 3

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement, Fan: step 5, image 2 of 3

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement, Fan: step 5, image 3 of 3

Use the edge of a spudger to gently pry the fan connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.
It is useful to twist the spudger axially from beneath the fan cable wires to release the connector.
The fan socket and the fan connector can be seen in the second and third pictures. Be careful not to break the plastic fan socket off the logic board as you use your spudger to lift the fan connector straight up and out of its socket. The layout of the logic board shown in the second picture may look slightly different than your machine but the fan socket is the same.

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Step 6

Remove the following three screws securing the fan to the logic board:
One 7.2 mm T6 Torx screw
Two 5.3 mm T6 Torx screws

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Step 7

Lift the fan out of its recess in the logic board, minding its cable that may get caught.

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Step 8 Logic Board

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement, Logic Board: step 8, image 1 of 2

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement, Logic Board: step 8, image 2 of 2

Use the tip of a spudger to pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable out from under the retaining finger molded into the upper case.
Pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable upward to lift the connector out of its socket on the logic board.

Edit

Step 9

Disconnect the camera cable from the logic board.
The camera cable slides out from its logic board connector. If your cable feels fragile, use a spudger to walk the cable out from the metal tabs on each side of the connector head.

Edit

Step 10

Disconnect the following four cables:
AirPort/Bluetooth cable
Optical drive cable
Hard drive cable
Trackpad cable
To disconnect the cables, use the flat end of a spudger to pry their connectors up from the sockets on the logic board.

Edit

Step 11

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement: step 11, image 3 of 3

Use your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard ribbon cable ZIF socket.
Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
Use the tip of a spudger to pull the keyboard ribbon cable out of its socket.
The cable may be difficult to insert. If you are having trouble, temporarily attach a piece of tape to the cable to help you guide the cable into the socket.

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Step 12

If present, remove the small strip of black tape covering the keyboard backlight cable socket.

Edit

Step 13

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement: step 13, image 3 of 3

Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard backlight ribbon cable ZIF socket.
Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
Pull the keyboard backlight ribbon cable out of its socket.

Edit

Step 14

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the sleep sensor/battery indicator connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Edit

Step 15

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement: step 15, image 3 of 3

Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the display data cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-In side of the computer.
Pull the display data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.
Do not lift up on the display data cable, as its socket is very fragile. Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board.

Edit

Step 16

Remove the following nine screws:
Five 3.6 mm T6 Torx screws
Two 4.3 mm T6 Torx screws
Two 7.2 mm T6 Torx screws
In some models the screws may be slightly shorter as follows:
Five 3.0 mm T6 screws
Two 3.6 mm T6 screws
Two 6.7 mm T6 screws

Edit

Step 17

Remove the following two screws:
One 8.6 mm Phillips screw
One 5.5 mm Phillips screw
Remove the display data cable retainer from the upper case.

Edit

Step 18

Use the tip of a spudger to gently peel the microphone off the adhesive securing it to the upper case.

Edit

Step 19

Minding the many connectors near its edges, lift the logic board from the end nearest the optical drive.
Without flexing the board, maneuver it out of the upper case, minding the flexible connection to the DC-In board that may get caught in the upper case.
Remove the logic board.

Edit

Step 20 Microphone

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement, Microphone: step 20, image 1 of 1

De-route the microphone cable from the channel molded into the left speaker housing.

Edit

Step 21

Remove the small piece of black tape covering the microphone connector.

Edit

Step 22

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the microphone connector up from its socket on the logic board.
Pry up from beneath the wires.

Edit

Step 23

Remove the microphone from the logic board.

Edit

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

17 other people completed this guide.

Author

with 2 other contributors

Andrew Optimus Goldheart

Member since: 10/17/09

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One Comment

The instructions say, in order to reassemble, just reverse the steps. However, they do not say what adhesive to use for the microphone, or how to properly position it against the frame. Is Barge's Cement adequate?

Theo Wallace - Sep 30, 2022 Reply

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 Microphone Replacement

Introduction

What you need

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