Charging a MacBook Pro 2019/2020 battery

[fzabkar]

I am currently watching a thread where an owner of a water damaged MacBook Pro needs to recover the data from the soldered onboard SSD. The battery has gone flat and can't be charged, but the laptop was otherwise working OK on battery power. I would think that the cheapest option would be to recharge the battery out of the laptop, recover the data, and then junk the motherboard (I wouldn't trust it).

Are these batteries too "smart" to be externally charged? Does anyone have any suggestions other than borrowing a similar laptop to charge the battery? Is there a cheap and easy solution for an end user who is not electronically savvy?

[wasedadoc]

Almost certainly the battery is a lithium based one.  Charging one of those with anything other than the proper charger circuit is not something that should be attempted by anyone who does not know exactly what they are doing.  There is substantial risk to life. limb and property.

[kripton2035]

if you bring to an apple service center, they have tools (and proper authorisations) to recover datas on an almost dead motherboard.
you won't get the datas if you don't have these tools.

... and as always, why no backup ?

[fzabkar]

if you bring to an apple service center, they have tools (and proper authorisations) to recover datas on an almost dead motherboard.
you won't get the datas if you don't have these tools.

Apple's "Geniuses" are just board jockeys. Apple would be the last place I would consider. And nobody gives a rat's about Apple's "proper authorisations". In fact, I've just been told, by someone who has the "proper authorisations", that the battery costs US$1400. To hell with that ...

[kripton2035]

I am an apple certified technician... but not in an apple store, not a "genius" ... and for 30+ years...
I changed a battery last week in a 2018 16" macbookpro and it was EUR 250, with labor and taxes.
even a whole main board exchange is around $800
and I have have access to needed tools to do that data recover, but they only work in the lab with the proper local server connected to apple headquarters.

[fzabkar]

This is the thread I'm referring to:

https://ww.reddit.com/r/datarecovery/comments/zm08rd/recommendations_for_where_to_send_my_macbook/j09nd7b/

I understand the difference between "geniuses" (Apple employees) and Apple certified techs (external businesses). The problem with Apple's certification is that you are restricted in what you can do under the terms of your arrangement with Apple. As for connecting to an Apple server to recover a customer's data, how does that sit with the EU's privacy regulations?

[kripton2035]

you only connect to the apple servers to get the authorisation to recover datas. once you get it the datas you recover don't leave the room.

[amyk]

Are these batteries too "smart" to be externally charged? Does anyone have any suggestions other than borrowing a similar laptop to charge the battery? Is there a cheap and easy solution for an end user who is not electronically savvy?

If you can hook onto the cell terminals directly they're chargeable like any other lion, but given that it's Apple, the BMS may be serialised to the mobo and can't easily be swapped with one from another of the same model, or be locked out from supplying power. This model is much newer than the ones I worked on when I was still doing this stuff, but it used to be possible to just remove the battery and then apply the right voltage to the terminals to power the laptop.

[kripton2035]

yes it should still possible to simulate the battery with a power supply connected at the battery place.
and yes, you can't exchange parts inside the macbook with known good boards, it simply doesn't start anymore on these models.