The Premise
This MacBook Air M1 has had a broken screen for a while. Rather than spend $500+ on a replacement display, I’m exploring what it would take to repurpose it as a compact desktop machine - a custom box that sits right in front of my mechanical keyboard, retaining the speakers and trackpad.
Inside the Machine
With the bottom case off, the layout is clean. Battery dominates the left side, logic board on the right. The trackpad controller and speakers tuck into the remaining space.
Key components to extract:
- Logic board (M1 chip, RAM, storage - all soldered)
- Speakers (stereo, surprisingly good)
- USB-C/Thunderbolt daughterboard
- Trackpad assembly
- Battery (optional - could go wall-powered)
Extracting the Logic Board
The logic board is remarkably compact. Disconnect the battery first, then the various ribbon cables. A few screws hold it in place. The flex cable to the trackpad is delicate - take care.
The underside shows the connector array - display, trackpad, speakers, USB-C daughterboard. Any custom enclosure needs to account for these connections.
The USB-C Daughterboard
Both Thunderbolt/USB-C ports live on a small daughterboard with a flex cable to the logic board. This could potentially be repositioned in a custom enclosure for better port access.
Battery Pack
The battery is a 4-cell design. For a desktop build, I could either keep it for UPS-style backup or skip it entirely and run direct power.
What’s Next
The idea is a compact desktop box that:
- Houses the logic board and essential components
- Keeps the trackpad functional (positioned in front of the keyboard)
- Retains the speakers for built-in audio
- Exposes both USB-C ports
- Possibly includes the battery for portability
This is still in the ideation phase - need to figure out cooling (the M1 is fanless but still needs passive dissipation), physical dimensions, and how to cleanly mount everything.
Teardown completed: December 24, 2025 Status: Ideation / planning phase
