MacBook Pro 13 A1989 won’t turn on — USB-C controller replacement (ACE1 CD3215)

This MacBook Pro 13 A1989 wouldn’t start at all. The cause was a failed USB-C port controller — the ACE1 chip (CD3215).

The ACE controllers work together with the SMC and Thunderbolt chips. When one of them fails, the others don’t get all the information they need, the boot sequence never starts and the charger doesn’t even switch to 20 V. In the first photo the old chips lie next to the spot they were removed from.

After the replacement the computer boots, and the tester shows 19.4 V at almost 3 A — charging at full power.

More about MacBook logic board repair.