Okay, so I got one of these at a thrift store for $15, and had the galaxy brain idea to open it up and swap out the old plate hard drive with an SSD, even though I don’t have much experience repairing Apple devices.
You quickly come to the realization that while these machines are user-friendly, they’re very UNfriendly to repair. There’s a glass cover for the screen which must be suction cupped off, and eight Torx screws holding the display in place. When the screws are removed, they’re quickly grabbed by the (STRONG!) magnetic edges of the system, making them an absolute “joy” to deal with. And what’s worse, there are four data cables on the display, all difficult to reach. I accidentally pulled one of these out while reaching for the other three, and I’m a little worried that I may have damaged it. (It’s the flat cable attached to a bronze connector, likely the screen data port.)
Anyway. I put the crazy thing together, and while I can hear it boot and the fan spin, the Apple logo does not glow white and the display does not turn on. So I’m a little worried I may have screwed myself on this attempted repair.
My two questions are this:
- Does anyone know the specific size and thread of the screws around the edge of the display? I’d like to swap them with something that isn’t magnetic, and I’ve heard brass screws will do the trick.
- Next time I open this machine, I’ll check the four display cables to make sure they’re properly connected, but… what recourse do I have if the cable and/or connector are damaged? It seems like a display or motherboard swap would be necessary, and it’s hard to justify that for a $15 computer, as much as I’d like to bring this back to life.
Thanks for any help you can provide, and my apologies if I’ve put this in the wrong magazine.
You may be able order the cable off eBay. Some of the cables have a connector on each end which means you can replace it. If you damaged the connector on the logic board side you are a bit more screwed as that will mean a board replacement. Don’t spend money on new screws, just use needle nose pliers to hold the screw while you screw it in.
There must be some technique for this that I’m not getting right, because I do have needlenose pilers, and that just takes it from impossible to nearly so. Those magnets are really strong, man! They’d probably suck out my fillings if they were still metal. Since the pliers are also metal, they get attracted to the sides, making it tough to pilot the screws into their holes. Should I be using a pair with an angled end, for better reach with the screwdriver? (Heh, too bad they don’t make non-metal pliers.)
Y’a, it’s a total pain in the butt. Angled pliers do work best. Good luck with your fillings. Also having the iMac laying down on the workbench helps.
I did eventually put the system back together with the SSD inside, and it’s fully functional. I didn’t get in all of the screws, though… I think I used six of them, instead of eight. I just couldn’t take anymore of Satan’s Operation… being thorough wasn’t worth sacrificing my sanity.
I can’t remember a problem dealing with the screws but one thing you could try is making a shroud around the screwdriver head with a bit of masking tape to help hold the screw in position as you start it. Just use that to start all of the screws then take the tape off and torque them down properly.
Can’t help with the cable issue but head over to ifixit and look through their repair and disassembly guides. I did the same swap on my old iMac following their guide and it wasn’t too bad.
Good news, everybody! It was just a display data cable that came loose… I don’t think I secured it properly. After that was fixed, I spent the night installing El Capitan, and it seems to run pretty well. Now I just need to button the thing up and we’re off to the races.
