Mac Studio M2 won't boot - led flashes once

I have the same problem as the one described in this post: Mac Studio M2 won't boot - led flashes on… - Apple Community


The “Me Too” count is currently at 29 but there are no fixes available.


My Mac Studio will exhibit this behavior randomly: there will be cycles where I will be able to boot up successfully and cycles where I will not. The transition between those two states is a mystery.


It’s not linked to any external devices or specific plug, it’s quite capable of doing it on its own.


Apple has already changed the motherboard but I believe this is not where the problem is.

The problem happens specifically at boot time, something fails (or not) after the led flashes once.


If the boot process is allowed to continue then I hear the chime and it’s smooth sailing afterwards.


I am bringing it again today to iCare.


Any help would be appreciated.

Posted on Sep 2, 2024 8:37 PM

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Posted on Sep 7, 2024 6:43 AM

if they have replaced the main logic board, you are still using the same power supply board.


On the old Mac Pro, they way you discharged the power supply Voltage capacitors to get to Zero Volts inside was the remove the AC power cord, then press the power button for a few seconds. Doing that might get you ready for the next trial of your experiment more quickly.



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Sep 7, 2024 6:43 AM in response to françois230

if they have replaced the main logic board, you are still using the same power supply board.


On the old Mac Pro, they way you discharged the power supply Voltage capacitors to get to Zero Volts inside was the remove the AC power cord, then press the power button for a few seconds. Doing that might get you ready for the next trial of your experiment more quickly.



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Sep 7, 2024 2:34 AM in response to françois230

Doubt this is an issue with plugs or power chord. Tried with new chord and didn't make a difference.

However, I noticed that after I plug the Mac Studio into new outlet, it doesn't boot up and flashes once, but if I wait about an hour it does power up. After shutting it down it restarts multiple times without any problem. If I unplug, replug in same outlet and try to restart it fails again. Same pattern on any plug, with or without PSU, with or without any external hardware connected (including monitor). Ran diagnosis and everything shows up as OK.

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Sep 20, 2024 7:46 AM in response to françois230

I got my Mac Studio back from iCare. The power supply board was changed.

  • I checked all the power connections: the monitor one was a bit wonky,
  • Distributed the SSD disks to other devices: one to the monitor and one to the Apollo,
  • Disabled my Mac from going to sleep
  • Leaved it plugged and on all the time.


I am happy to report that the problem is gone and that my configuration is stable now.



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Sep 6, 2024 1:03 PM in response to den.thed

There was in issue on older MacPro models that featured a power cord with a larger rubber block around the computer end of the power cord. Sometimes, users were 'too delicate' when inserting that end of the cord into the computer.


The solution was to JAM that end of the cord into the computer as hard as you reasonably could -- which produced much more stable and reliable results.


That solution might be applicable in this case as well.





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Sep 20, 2024 3:23 AM in response to françois230

OK looks like many people took this to Apple for repair with the problem persisting. I'm inclined to think this might be a capacitor issue.

Same problem recently after I unplugged the MacStudio from wall, wouldn't start. Then I totally unplugged it from the back, pressed start button several seconds without unit being plugged at all. Replugged, & unit started fine. If other people experiencing same problem can try this?

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Sep 6, 2024 7:17 PM in response to den.thed

Thank you all for your replies.


When it is failing to boot, I can disconnect all the devices, plug into a different socket and it would still fail to boot.


For your information, in the target configuration, I use all four thunderbolt ports:

  • BenQ PD3220U Monitor
  • Universal Audio Apollo Interface
  • Sandisk 4TB SSD
  • Sandisk 2 TB SSD
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Sep 5, 2024 11:27 AM in response to françois230

The classic error in Intel Macs that was reported by single flash of the power indicator was firmware checksum error.


It is unclear what error is being reported by a single flash today, but a mainboard replacement should have fixed the original problem.

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Sep 5, 2024 5:41 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Yea, for some reason the "If you still need help, contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider" punch line, is up at the end of the "Firmware recovery mode" paragraph, instead of at the bottom of the article.


Perhaps the later "If the SIL flashes" paragraph was an add-on or after-thought....?

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Sep 5, 2024 10:42 PM in response to den.thed

After the change of the motherboard, the problem happened again so I took the studio to iCare.

In the shop, it worked so we could not observe the issue.

I asked them to run Apple Diagnostics, everything was OK.

So I took it back home and a few days later, the problem happened again.

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Sep 6, 2024 8:15 AM in response to françois230

At home:


1) Are all of your power connections good and tight?

A week or loose connection could easily prevent the Mac from starting up properly.


2) Are you using external drives or devices with the Mac Studio?

A bad USB cable, device or display could easily prevent the Mac from starting up properly.

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Mac Studio M2 won't boot - led flashes once

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