[NTLK] [OT] MacBook Pro 2006 -- various problems

[Владислав Коротнев]

Hello list.

Recently I've got back to using my good old MacBook Pro, the late-2006 model.
Also I've ordered a replacement battery (not feeling like getting the
original A1189 since I've already had two of these and both decided to
swell at ~300 cycles for no apparent reason).
It feels so much better than the 2012 Retina one with it's huge screen
and the sound is much more awesome :)
Gonna use it for my university work mostly I think :)

However there are a few problems I've encountered with it.

1. Crashed screen spacers and escaping feet
The top lid has the gray rectangle spacers on the left and right
edges, as well as some on the top above the iSight camera.
Today I've noticed that the left and right ones are crushing into
small pieces, like the plastic just decided to decompose itself for no
apparent reason. The top ones seem like decomposing too, but did not
break so far.
// As I am writing this the top right one also crashed out.
Also the bottom rubber feet are escaping the machine. One of them was
lost back in late-2012, however just now I've noticed that another one
is missing and the white base under where it was is cracked. In
particular, the cracking resulted in a part of the white base going
missing as well.
Are there any online stores to obtain replacement for any of those
plastic parts for the 17" MBP?

2. Cleaning the keyboard
The keyboard feels kinda odd, like something is totally stuck under
some of the keys. What is the recommended method apart from
disassembly?

3. Heat issues
I've replaced the thermal compound to clear out the problem of the CPU
being at 55-60 degC when idle. However the fans now kick in much
earlier, right after I turn it on. Is there some way of recalibrating
the machine's thermal profile?

4. iSight not working
The iSight camera would be mostly not detected by the OS, either OS X
or Windows 8.1. Sometimes it is detected but it only shows a black
screen. Is that a cable issue or am I missing something out?

5. Portability
I have seen some mentions of a combo WiFi + LTE mPCIe card on the web.
However, I could not find any at all for a reasonable price. Is there
a way of adding an LTE modem internally either on PCIe or in exchange
for the now defunct iSight, or maybe an ExpressCard option that would
not stick out of the slot like hell?

6. MagSafe
The MagSafe light would sometimes go out for no reason. The computer
still continues to work. Anybody else had this issue with their
MacBook Pro back in the day?



That's all I've encountered so far I think.
Please let me know if these are common or not and what might the solutions be.
The machine is surely great if not for those issues. I've had it for
about 10 years so far so it wouldn't be any good if it selfdestructed
for no reason now :(

- Ak.R.