I have here a MacBook Pro A1708 (MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 2 Thunderbolt
ports) that's refusing to power on - as in, come to life at all.

It's one of those models that's very hard to tell if anything is happening,
because there's no MagSafe light or start-up bong for feedback. I don't know
if the fan would normally give a little twitch at power-on.

Could a faulty battery prevent power-on? And can it (try to) power on with the
battery power connector and battery data cable both disconnected?

Thanks,

Daniele

On 25. Oct 2023 at 00:16:37 CEST, "D.M. Procida"
<daniele-at-vurt-dot-org@invalid.com> wrote:

> I have here a MacBook Pro A1708 (MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 2 Thunderbolt
> ports) that's refusing to power on - as in, come to life at all.
>
> It's one of those models that's very hard to tell if anything is happening,
> because there's no MagSafe light or start-up bong for feedback. I don't know
> if the fan would normally give a little twitch at power-on.

Maybe it IS on but hanging.
I would hold the power-button down for about 15 seconds. Then it should
definitely be off.
Then try to power on again.

>
> Could a faulty battery prevent power-on? And can it (try to) power on with the
> battery power connector and battery data cable both disconnected?

If the battery is dead the above tip would of course not work. I would try
with power connected.

D.M. Procida <daniele-at-vurt-dot-org@invalid.com> wrote:
> I have here a MacBook Pro A1708 (MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 2 Thunderbolt
> ports) that's refusing to power on - as in, come to life at all.
>
> It's one of those models that's very hard to tell if anything is happening,
> because there's no MagSafe light or start-up bong for feedback. I don't know
> if the fan would normally give a little twitch at power-on.
>
> Could a faulty battery prevent power-on? And can it (try to) power on with the
> battery power connector and battery data cable both disconnected?

I don't know that particular model but in general I believe it is possible
to power up without the battery connected. If the battery was faulty I
wouldn't be surprised if it refuses to power up.

A little twitch sounds positive: until the chip is hot I doubt it'll run the
fan, but it indicates there is some power.

Have you tried an external monitor to see if there's any signal? If you
plug in a USB keyboard do the lights come on? Does Caps Lock toggle its
LED?

Theo

On 25 Oct 2023 at 14:32:35 BST, "Theo" <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk>
wrote:

> D.M. Procida <daniele-at-vurt-dot-org@invalid.com> wrote:
>> I have here a MacBook Pro A1708 (MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 2 Thunderbolt
>> ports) that's refusing to power on - as in, come to life at all.
>>
>> It's one of those models that's very hard to tell if anything is happening,
>> because there's no MagSafe light or start-up bong for feedback. I don't know
>> if the fan would normally give a little twitch at power-on.
>>
>> Could a faulty battery prevent power-on? And can it (try to) power on with the
>> battery power connector and battery data cable both disconnected?
>
> I don't know that particular model but in general I believe it is possible
> to power up without the battery connected. If the battery was faulty I
> wouldn't be surprised if it refuses to power up.
>
> A little twitch sounds positive: until the chip is hot I doubt it'll run the
> fan, but it indicates there is some power.

I wish there were a little twitch, but I don't know whether I should be
expecting one.

> Have you tried an external monitor to see if there's any signal? If you
> plug in a USB keyboard do the lights come on? Does Caps Lock toggle its
> LED?

No, none of those signs of life, unfortunately.

My only hope is that the battery, whether faulty or disconnected, is the
issue.

Daniele

On 25/10/2023 14:32, Theo wrote:
> D.M. Procida <daniele-at-vurt-dot-org@invalid.com> wrote:
>> I have here a MacBook Pro A1708 (MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 2 Thunderbolt
>> ports) that's refusing to power on - as in, come to life at all.
>>
>> It's one of those models that's very hard to tell if anything is happening,
>> because there's no MagSafe light or start-up bong for feedback. I don't know
>> if the fan would normally give a little twitch at power-on.
>>
>> Could a faulty battery prevent power-on? And can it (try to) power on with the
>> battery power connector and battery data cable both disconnected?
>
> I don't know that particular model but in general I believe it is possible
> to power up without the battery connected. If the battery was faulty I
> wouldn't be surprised if it refuses to power up.
>
> A little twitch sounds positive: until the chip is hot I doubt it'll run the
> fan, but it indicates there is some power.
>
> Have you tried an external monitor to see if there's any signal? If you
> plug in a USB keyboard do the lights come on? Does Caps Lock toggle its
> LED?

This is the same model I have here now (obtained from my daughter a few
months back). The battery is borderline (says it needs servicing in
Prefs, but coconut battery says it's still OK - just).

I did some searching on this very matter myself, thinking I could run it
as a desktop device without the battery.

Apparently you can, but the processors slow down, so you may have
performance issues there. Also, apparently, there is a mod you can do to
work around that, but not sure how reliable it is.

Of course if it's just matter of testing, then I would expect
disconnecting the battery would at least serve that need.

As an indicator, the keyboard should light up on this one when it powers up.

--
Andy H