How to learn to self-service Apple computers.

Question

Hi everyone!
I'd like to learn how to service my own and my friends' Apple computers and figure out what's wrong with them. I found a bunch of training titles on OSX (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R34M2923941JWY/102-6726532-4 460127?%5Fencoding=UTF8), but not on the internal stuff. These books are huge! Does anyone know if you can get them for free as ebook PDFs from apple? I found one version here (http://www.chmpdf.com/book/apple-training-series-mac-os-x-system-administration- reference-volume-1-apple-training--1916/), but when I try to download it tells me to disable ad-blocking software (even when I turn mine off!).
In other words, if I call Apple and tell them that my computer's acting funny and I've repaired permissions and done all the standard stuff, what do THEY do when they get it? How do they learn what to do when they get it?
Thank you!
Alec

Answer 1

The problem with Mac's is that they don't tend to use separate component parts. Apple likes to integrate everything into the logic board when they can.
So, troubleshooting a Mac is going to require a good foundation in electrical diagnostics.
Since you won't be replacing video cards, sound cards, etc., you'll need to know how to troubleshoot on the circuit level and how to determine specifically which chip, capacitor, resistor, etc. has failed.
With this level of trouble-shooting, a book on Macs is less useful than an education in electronic circuitry.
Your best friends would be an Oscilloscope, logic probe, and multi-tester.
A working knowledge of how circuits work, how to know if a chip is good by reading the hi / low state of a pin, and knowing what type of activity you are supposed to see on each pin, etc. are going to be much more useful in these types of repairs.
Basically, you are looking at replacing specific parts that are defective as opposed to replacing the controller card that is defective.
So, this requires a lot more specialized tools and knowledge.
You'll also need a soldering station, a desoldering pump. And, some of the finer soldering tools to work with surface-mount IC chips.
In short, you're not going to learn all this out of book that deals with Macs. No one actually works on this level anymore in the consumer computer field. So, your best educators are going to be people who work with electronics as a hobby. Those who work with micro-controllers, those who build their own electrical devices and even their own micro-computers. That's an entirely different field.
I've worked with components on that level, and even designed my own devices, etc. But, it's been a while. And, your best teacher is going to be time and tinkering.
You'll need some good detailed book on electronic circuits (which are generally older publications, and a few thousand pages in size), and all the right tools.
Now, when it comes down to just replacing larger components such as hard drives, airport cards, CD-ROM drives, etc., you can do that. But, almost everything else is going to be a circuit on the main logic board.
For disassembly information, you can refer to the documents at:
http://www.apple.com/support/diy/
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/
Apple does have some guides that detail disassembly and replacement of all the systems for their techs. And, you'll find them on the Internet. But, they are considered private property of Apple. So, therefore anyone who gets caught hosting them usually gets shut down. So, I can't provide you with any links here. It would result in having this topic deleted.
But, there are also training programs you can enter to become certified by Apple to trouble-shoot and repair their systems. But, you do need to understand that the kind of repair you'll be trained to do, is just replace the major component that failed.
This would mean that they would train you to just replace the entire logic-board rather than the part of the logic-board that failed.
With this type of service, you are basically looking at replacing the logic-board anytime the failure isn't the hard drive, CD-ROM drive, memory, or an external part. Even the AirPort and BlueTooth are integrated on the logic-board on the newer systems.
Good luck with your training
I hope this helps.