Chosen Solution
I bought a new battery for my macbook pro 2016 touch bar 13" (A1706) and it’s not charging. The OS says I have to replace the battery. I’ve measured the voltage coming from the battery and it says about 2.7 volts. I’ve read somewhere that I might have to charge the battery externally until the voltage rises above the cut out voltage so the mac can recognise the battery and start charging it. Does anyone have an idea how to charge it externally?
No, you don’t (nor can you) charge the battery externally. Lets back up here… How was your original battery was damaged? This is such a new system I can’t see needing to replace the battery from age or being worn out. Did you have a liquid spill? If you did then it’s likely the charging logic on the logic board is damaged. Update (01/19/2018) The SMC within the system controls the charging not the battery its self. When you do a SMC reset it will allow the system to charge the battery. The onboard cutout only applies to the failure of a battery cell. More likely you have other issues within the charging logic. You’ll need to find a copy of the schematic & board layout drawings (X362 - 820-00239) to trace out the circuit.
