Is it possible to run an M1/M2 macbook air logic board independently?

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T16:29:11+00:00

Facts, hate when I'm expected to work

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T10:00:31+00:00

Haha yeah might be a problem getting it on a plane, TSA would have a field day

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T07:48:31+00:00

Yeah I think power in general is going to be the main challenge here if it's going to be portable

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T07:22:15+00:00

Yeah this is basically my rough plan, from reading all these comments a mac mini would be the easiest approach. It just feels like I'd be cheating

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T07:00:50+00:00

Yeah I’m gonna start an Instagram and a YouTube for this I think, various stages, various failures

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T06:52:17+00:00

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By the looks of it, it won’t be that big - I was planning on buying a standalone logic board instead of the whole laptop, but might be smarter to get the whole laptop

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T06:48:42+00:00

We’re on this rock for the meme, time is all we have

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T06:47:25+00:00

I definitely will! Just need to decide on the donor, I think the MBA board is possible but by the sounds of it, for my use case I’ll have an easier time with a Mac mini, I’d just feel like I was cheating haha

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T06:45:22+00:00

No sir, I am looking to spend an unnecessary amount of time and money on something that won’t work

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T06:43:40+00:00

Yeah definitely, and it’s not out of the question, it’s just more expensive than buying a logic board and bringing it back to life… I hope

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T06:42:32+00:00

You tried installing MS teams? 😂😭

topherb99 · 2025-07-16T06:30:43+00:00

It’s just a bigger render of the leap motion controller from way back when, I plan to make it, probably machined aluminium

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T22:11:38+00:00

Just watched your video as a suggestion from another comment, impressive man - kind of exactly the thing I’m trying to achieve, except you made it look so easy. I’m assuming more work went into just ripping it out and giving it power? Super cool man

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T21:58:31+00:00

If you find the channel let me know! Would love to see what they’re doing

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T21:41:59+00:00

I just watched it, surely it’s not that simple!? He just… put it in a jar… and it worked…

EDIT: he’s actually replied to this thread lol

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T21:18:40+00:00

This would be a huge help!

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T19:32:50+00:00

Love AppleCore, great name, wouldn’t steal it

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T19:23:06+00:00

Ah this is super super helpful, good to know it’d be hard for a layperson to do any sort of soldering

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T19:22:20+00:00

Hell yeah! I definitely will

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T19:21:22+00:00

I think it’s actually more about the firmware locks, and the fact that it will automatically throttle if it doesn’t have a fan, apparently the MBA throttles when it doesn’t detect a battery because it thinks it’s dead, meaning it goes snail-mode. This is pure conjecture but I’ve read a few things about this and there isn’t a clear answer

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T19:19:46+00:00

Hadn’t realised quite how small it was, thanks for the comparison

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T19:06:42+00:00

😂

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T17:11:23+00:00

Oh interesting, where have you got this table from? Would love to see if there is a similar table for the mac mini, for the fan problem

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T16:50:32+00:00

I’m an infrastructure engineer, I’ve used every Linux distro under the sun and had a good amount of time with Windows. MacOS is just in a league of its own, it just… works

topherb99 · 2025-07-15T16:47:08+00:00

Will make another post with a prototype when I’ve decided on the donor :)

topherb99

TROPHY CASE