Introduzione
Follow the steps in this guide to remove or replace the logic board in a 21.5" Retina 4K Late 2017 iMac.
Some images in this guide use a 2015 iMac, which has minor visual differences. These differences do not affect the repair procedure.
This guide is marked "potentially dangerous" because it requires you to handle a power supply that contains large capacitors. Unplug the iMac and hold the power button down for at least 10 seconds to help discharge the capacitors. Handle the board by the edges and do not touch surface components.
Cosa ti serve
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Attrezzo utilizzato in questo passaggio:iMac Intel 21.5" Cardboard Service Wedge$4.99
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Before beginning any work on your iMac: Unplug the computer and press and hold the power button for ten seconds to discharge the power supply's capacitors.
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Starting on the left of the display, near the power button, insert the iMac Opening Tool into the gap between the glass panel and the rear enclosure.
Don’t get too worried about starting exactly where the picture says. The glue is stronger in some parts so just start wherever is easier and then work slowly and patiently around in the direction shown.
As this guide doesn’t cover replacing the adhesive strips, I found referring to the following was useful (noting that it’s not for the same model of iMac, so the modification they mention wasn’t necessary): Sostituzione strisce adesive iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2544
This part of the exercise should be done with extreme patience. I took my sweet time with the opening tool, rolling it through the entire panel and enclosure gap over and over again, until I was very sure no parts were sticking together anymore. And when I thought I was I done, I decided to do it over again.
You can "warm up" the adhesive before try to cut it with the tool using a hair dryer. Heat the edges for about a minute, keep moving it so you don't cause stress in the glass. Also the above note.. use the tool and then the cards. Do not use a guitar pick or other objects as the thickness will cause you to break the front glass, which is a bonded part of the display (expensive).
Merci pour ce conseil
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Use the tool like a pizza cutter—roll it along through the gap, and it will cut the foam adhesive through the center.
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Run the tool up along the left side of the display.
If re-opening a screen that was opened and re-attached using iFixit’s adhesive strips, I would strongly recommend heating it first with an iOpener, heat gun or hair dryer. 20 minutes after attaching with the iFixit adhesive I tried to open it again with the pizza slicer to fix something and cracked the screen on the left-hand side.
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Continue along the top of the display.
In this step can I cut along the display without make any damage to the front camera?
Hi! Actually - there is no need to cut the tape around the camera area - there is no tape to cut at all! And so, the way go is easy - just pass 10 mm to the left and to the right from camera and start cutting!
P.S. Just did the whole procedure to replace a RAM and to add SSD on PSIe an hour ago! Seems to be different reading the instructions... you know - 2/10 and so on. But it's really not that hard, trust me. I'll give it 5/10.
P.P.S. By the way there is one trick to pass the difficult steps. Any action which requires pulling smth (motherboard, speaker, power supply unit) from the narrow crack (or should i say - slit?) at the bottom of your Imac is really not so easy.
And the trick is to first remove a thin metal stripe with some kind of insulation on it which held by 5 small (very small!!) screws at the bottom of your Imac. After you done it - it's easy to pull everything! Pay attention to the fact that one of this 5 screws at the center are more shortly than others.
If you're changing cracked EMC 2638 display to new assembly, there's two more steps:
Step 24: Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the metal retaining bracket on the display data cable.
Carefully pull the display data cable from its socket on the display assembly.
Step 25: Use the tip of a spudger to unplug bracket of the thermal sensor small cable near display data cable.
Carefully remove scotch tape covering thermal sensor. Using iSesamo or flat tip of the spudger carefully peel the thermal sensor away.
omg - forgot to switch the termal sensor from the old display...
now fan runs like crazy...
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Finish pushing the opening tool to the bottom of the right side of the display.
Yes, do it many times to loosen the adhesive.
Would be good data to show the 3 areas (wifi antennas where the "tape" is larger and covers them. The rest of the "tape" is 1.4" and easy. Also after removing the display, be sure to remove the old "tape" from both the display and the rubber parts of the case. Use the spudger to start an end and it should pull off easily. Careful on the baackside of the display as you can scratch off the black paint/covering.
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Attrezzo utilizzato in questo passaggio:Plastic Cards$2.99
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Starting from the top right corner of the iMac, wedge a plastic card between the display and frame.
this step is extremely important NOT to stick in the cards too far….. doing so, you risk a 600 euro replacement as I experienced………
I drew a 3/8” line on my cards with a marker first.
I’m reading this on the EU store, please change all measurements to cm/mm.
@ifixit The next batch of cards you create should have a line printed on the card 3/8” in from the edges. Would make a nice reference.
Better to remove stand wedge at this point? Can’t see from pics
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Gently twist the plastic card sideways to create a gap between the display and frame.
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Move slowly and be careful not to stress the display glass too much—you only need to make a gap of about 1/4".
This part must be done very carefully or you can damage the flat cable from display, despite it was under a iron cover.
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Slide the card toward the center of the display to cut any of the remaining adhesive along the top right corner of the iMac.
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Hold the display with one hand while using your other hand to unplug the display power cable.
Can this cable be replaced? I am worried mine is damaged. I have no display after the screen fell and stressed the display flex cables following an SSD upgrade.
This step should be done with extreme caution and care, as this step 19 is not described in great detail (sorry, author).
The first (most outward) cable will slide out by gently pulling it by its tabs. The second (inner) cable is more tricky, as the locking lever must be moved backward first, before gently pulling backward on the cable connector. The angled tweezers are useful here, to help lift that locking lever, because fingers are too big for this.
I found the best way to unplug this display power cable was to use my right hand, and the fingernails of my index finger and thumb to grab the ends of the tabs on either side of the connector, squeeze, and pull the connector out gently.
i think the cable nearest the case edge is held in by friction and can be gently pulled, maybe with fingernails or a spudger. The next cable is held by a wire lever clip as described above it unlocks so the cable can be removed. These cables are also fiddly to re-insert, I didn't get one of them home and had no display after power-up, so at the end, don't re-seal the screen until tested.
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Continuing to support the display with one hand, flip up the metal retaining bracket on the display data cable.
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Carefully pull the display data cable from its socket on the logic board.
Cannot seem to find a replacement cable for this, as I suspect mine is damaged. Can’t even find a part number. Anyone know what it might be?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TTL...
That's the part I ordered for mine and it seems to work ok. I did make a point of contacting the seller and advising them of my requirement and they ensured I got the right part and it matches the description of the link. Bear in mind I bear no responsibility if yours does not work since I am just sharing what I did and what I ordered. Thanks.
I also need that cable.
It's a little difficult to tell... but looking at the connection to the logic board on the video data cable, are the pins faced up or down?
On the display, same question since it appears you have to "twist" the cable during the reconnection step.
For this particular cable, take a good look before pulling on anything. Plug is locked on its socket with a bracket. You can lift this bracket by holding the small, flat black plastic handle that is attached to it. If you're struggling to grab it, use the end of the pizza roller handle to lift it, or the tweezers. Cable then comes off by pulling parallel to the main board.
How can I tell if either of this cable is bad? My iMac display won't turn on after reconnecting it. I'm using an external display and everything is working except for the iMac display. If I go to settings - display the built-in display is recognize. But again nothing shows up in the screen - not even the apple logo when turning it on.
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Lift the display up to a near-vertical position.
The best way to remove the chin adhesive is to use the tabs at either end (there are two strips that run from each outside corner to near the centre). Carefully pull the tabs up and the strips should peel off.
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Attrezzo utilizzato in questo passaggio:Plastic Cards$2.99
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Grasp the small tab at the end of one of the bottom edge display adhesive strips and pull the adhesive toward the top of the iMac to remove it.
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Repeat this step with the other adhesive strip and remove it.
At step 21-22, releasing the adhesive strips from the bottom of the display, I noticed a tab on the outer end of each strip. Pull the tab to remove the whole strip, no need to mess around with the plastic cards!
Instead of the plastic cards, use the flat end of a spudger. Use it as scraper. Be careful as there are antennas mounted on the inside edge of the frame on the right side (facing you), and the top right (facing you). The original adhesive strips are on those as well. - ECJ
A little bit of hot air (eg. hair dryer) will help soften the adhesive. Use a piece of cardboard or equivalent if you want to avoid blowing hot air towards the electronics.
Be careful to remove absolutely everything - any remainder will create a bump and prevent your screen from sticking back to the frame when reassembling.
A little bit of hot air (eg. hair dryer) will help soften the adhesive. Use a piece of cardboard or equivalent if you want to avoid blowing hot air towards the electronics.
Be careful to remove absolutely everything - any remainder will create a bump and prevent your screen from sticking back to the frame when reassembling.
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Lift the display up from the frame and remove it from the iMac.
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It may be necessary to slowly lift from one side to peel against the remaining adhesive.
Après l'étape 23, j'ai suivi les instructions de la vidéo intitulée: Upgrade RAM in a mid-2017 21-inch iMac without complete disassembly.
Lien: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k9I7N9B...
J'ai pu upgrader la RAM en enlevant juste le ventilateur.
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Remove the following five Phillips screws holding the lower support bracket in place:
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Four 3.2 mm screws
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One 1.7 mm screw
2 notes for reassembly, carful with screws not to strip the heads as they are really really small, make note to cut a gap in the the adhesive over the whole for the microphone.
I managed to strip the head of one of the screws when putting it back in. So be carful with them when putting in / taking out. If you strip it on the way out you will need to take a fine drill and rill it out. Going back in, well as long as you never need to strip it down again not a problem.
The second problem is a real pain, you need to make sure to cut a gap in the adhesive just to the right of Center at the button to allow for the microphone opening. If you don’t, the adhesive tape will stop any real pick up on the Mic, so you just need to cut a small gap in it before putting on the screen. Unfortunately I didn’t find this out (or do my checked before sticking it all back down, so have to pull screen back off and reapply new adhesive
with
a cut out in it at an other time.Refer her for more info on the mic / adhesive work around —> Muffled Microphone - iMac 21.5" (mid 2017) - Following Adhesive Strips
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Remove the following T10 Torx screws securing the hard drive brackets to the iMac:
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Two 21 mm screws
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One 9 mm screw
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One 27 mm screw
At step 26, when reassembling, it's super easy to over-tighten the 9mm screw and strip the brass ferrule out of its hole in the plastic bracket (%#*@).
Mine has 4 different length screws, the two red colored 21mm screws in this guide are actually two differ lengths
buongiorno, l'imac del 2019, non monta alcuna ssd, ma monta una m2 direttamente sulla scheda madre!
pertanto nella guida andrebbe aggiunto il cavo sata con sensore temperatura da aggiungere sulla scheda madre, per poter collegare un nuovo hd ssd altrimenti rimarrete come me bloccati con un imac aperto e non assemblato, in attesa di ricevere il cavo acquistato su internet da amazon o terze parti.
vi consiglio inoltre di aggiungere una foto reale del ò'imac 2019 nella guida in cui manca l'ssd, renderà subito la problematica che avranno in molti!
Hi, mine doesn’t HAVE an HD/SSD to remove, the bay is empty (yes it was fully working yesterday. So what do we do ? I see someone else with the sane issue above….
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Use the tip of a spudger to push each side of the power button cable connector and gently walk it out of its socket.
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To disconnect the cable, squeeze the release clip on the back side of the connector, behind the logic board, and pull the connector straight out.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to press the release clip on the side of the AC inlet cable connector inward.
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While pressing on the release clip with the spudger, grasp the AC inlet cable, and pull the connector straight out of its socket.
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Gently pull the fan cable connector straight out of its socket on the logic board.
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Lift the hard drive from the edge nearest the logic board and pull it slightly out of its recess.
The newer drives have rubber ends and an adhesive side, be careful removing them if replacing the drive and be sure they are securely pushed back into the holder
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Use a spudger to disconnect the single SATA power and data combo cable by gently prying its large plastic connector away from the hard drive.
When reconnecting the SATA cable, there is nothing to make the connector hold still, and it is hard to reach, so it took several tries. I ended up taking off the rubber baby buggy bumpers to get more room, and then jamming them back on after getting the SATA connector snugged up.
If by rubber baby buggy bumper, you mean left speaker, then yes, I agree. Reinstall the hard drive before the left speaker.
Kudo to @jerrid_foiles! I was going crazy trying to attach the SATA cable until I took the two screws out of the left speaker and slid the top end of it aside by about 3/4 inch. Make the whole process SO MUCH easier!!
We solved this by removing the hard drive tray screw, then inserting the cable into the SATA hard drive. Then hold the hard drive a bit out of the way to insert the 7.3mm hard drive tray screw.
Agree with this method, found it an impossible task to reconnect the SATA connector until removed the tray screw, then it was relatively easy to reconnect and then replace the tray screw.
Also agree with this method!
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Remove the hard drive assembly from the iMac.
When reassembling, I found it easier to loosen the HD tray screw from Step 48 and pull the tray outwards from the left side in order to plug the SATA cable in more easily.
Thanks! I, too, had a hard time reconnecting the SATA cable.
I found this helpful too!
Anwar -
I did loosen the speaker so I could get a tool behind the SATA cable to push it on to the SSD drive. Otherwise hard to align cable.
I found the easiest way to connect the SATA cable was to not screw the plastic hard drive tray down until you plug the drive in. That way you can easily push the connector in and due to the cable you’ve got some wiggle room. You can position the tray then just lift one end of the drive up and secure the screw. Then just push the drive down.
This was the step that I had the most trouble with. I’m used to replacing a hard drive in a MacBook Pro, where the “plug” that you plug the drive into is a rigid thing that you can firmly press the hard drive into.
With the iMac, the plug is situated on the end of a non-rigid cord, so the plug moves back when you try to snap a drive into it. Also, those two rubber gasket things that you adhere to the side of the drive really make it difficult to maneuver the now-overly-chubby drive towards the plug.
After must frustration/concern, what I ended up doing was temporarily removing the rubber gasket things, using the “spudger” as kind of a lever behind the “plug on a cord” so that it didn’t move as much, and then pushed the gasket-less SSD into the plug.
Once I got it connected, I put the rubber gaskets back on the sides of the SSD and kind of coaxed it down into place, using the pointy end of the spudger to get the chubby corner pieces to “sit” correctly in the rigid plastic tray that the SSD kind of rests in.
From another comment elsewhere on this repair, I *highly* recommend removing the two screws holding the left speaker in place, then sliding it just a tad out of the way to be able to easily attach the SATA cable. You don’t have to move it much to make the whole process so much easier!
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Remove the 7.3 mm T8 Torx screw securing the hard drive tray to the rear enclosure.
it`s a t10 screw..! ;)
I found it easier to connect SATA cable before fixing tray.
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Remove the hard drive tray.
I am following these procedures for the following: iMac Retina 4K - 21.5" - 3GHz Quad Core - Radeon Pro 555 2GB - 4GB/4GB (8GB total - 2 slots) 2400MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM - Mid 2017 - Model: MNDY2LL/A - iMac18,2 - A1418 - 3069. In my case, the SATA cable is clipped into the bottom of the hard drive tray. Pull the hard drive tray up slightly and angle to reveal clips. SATA cable pops out from the side of each clip.
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Gently pull the left speaker cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.
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Use the tip of a spudger to flip open the retaining flap on the microphone ribbon cable ZIF socket.
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Gently pull the microphone ribbon cable straight out of its socket.
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Tilt the top of the logic board away from the rear enclosure.
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As you tilt the logic board, pull the right speaker connector to the right and out of the way of the board.
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Lift the logic board straight up and out of the iMac.
When repairing, I accidentally broke a small piece of what it seems to be a resistor. Mac still works fine and diagnostics reports no errors. Be careful when removing the mother carefully so it doesn’t hit the aluminium cover.
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While pressing on the clip with your thumb, lift and disconnect the SATA data connector from its socket on the logic board.
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Two clips secure the RAM module in place, one on each side. Using your fingers, spread the clips away from the RAM module.
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Peel off the four black tamper-evident stickers covering the heat sink mounting screws.
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Remove the four T10 screws that secure the heat sink from the backside of the logic board.
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Remove the two 3.3 mm T5 Torx screws securing the AirPort/Bluetooth card to the logic board.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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5 Commenti
Hello, very good explanation .
Got a question please
I have the imac 4k 21.5 late 2015, can I change the motherboard? To be able to upgrade ram, does or fits in the 2015 body and with all parts?
I did it. Everything went very well, but the two thunderbolt plugs are not working after all. LAn and USb is doing well. Any suggestions about it?
I am running into the same issue after upgrading the RAM and SSD. Have you found a fix?
Can the GPU be upgraded?
Re” I did it. Everything went very well, but the two thunderbolt plugs are not working after all. LAn and USb is doing well. Any suggestions about it?” You need to disassemble the iMac again to the point where the logic board is loose (step 58-59 on this guide). Connect a thunderbolt cable, a USB cable and and ethernet cable to the back of the iMac with the logic board in place but the logic board screws not tightened. This will ensure the ports are correctly lined. Tighten the logic board screws and finish the reassembly (at this point you can disconnect the cables.) . This should solve the problem.
The wedge is an extremely tight fit for this model. I was worried that the amount of force needed to use it as shown might damage the stand, so I used it with the long side down instead. It worked fine that way and didn’t need anywhere near as much force to insert.
roberttrevellyan - Replica
Here’s a good YouTube vid on upgrading the RAM: Can a Normal Person Upgrade the RAM in the 2017 21.5" iMac?
Dan - Replica
Here are a couple tips from me:
1) Expose the adhesive to extreme temperatures. I did this by transporting my iMac in my car, screen-down on a piece of cardboard on a cold February morning (in Chicago). When I went to pick up the iMac, the screen practically fell off the chassis. I would have been distraught by this if I hadn’t already planned this replacement. So it was a happy accident.
2) Remember to expell the residual power from the power supply by pushing the power button while the iMac is unplugged. This does NOT guarantee it’s safe to touch, but when I accidentally brushed the solder and exposed capacitors, I didn’t get shocked.
jerrid_foiles - Replica
Instead of using the wedge, I placed the iMac faced up with the top side (web cam) facing me while I ran the pizza roller around. It worked out great!
Sam Fung - Replica
“All iMacs also come with a traditional hard drive” mine doesn’t!! it’s HDD bay is completely empty, no SATA cable or anything. I guess I’ll have to upgrade the PCIe SSD instead.
Chris Hughes - Replica
There is no replacement glass for this model, it is part of the LCD and impossible to remove or replace- the entire LCD has to be replaced unfortunately if the glass is cracked or damaged. You will have to Google search for a replacement. Also be careful with some of the lock tight tork screws as I broke one of my screw mounts taking one out.
Phil Tesone - Replica
I used this service wedge but also found it a very tight fit. The same stabilization can be achieved by using a big rolled up towel.
Ernst - Replica
While this is a good instruction guide, I recommend to also look at OWC’s instruction video about drive installation, before starting the exercise. Those install videos are very detailed and useful.
Ernst - Replica
Main advice: TAKE YOUR TIME with the pizza roller.
Make several passes, until you really feel like there's no more sticker in the way. Stay away from the camera though (approx. 1inch / 2.5cm on both sides). This will reduce the work left with the plastic card. Adhesive is really on the edge of the screen so there is absolutely no need to go any further than the recommended 1cm / 3/8inch depth.
Where are the sensitive parts?
Facing your iMac, imagine you're looking at a watch. There are antennas on 1, 2 and 4 o'clock. Do not insert any metal piece there (nor anywhere else, btw). Other than that AND the screen cables underneath the camera, not much danger.
Froggy Manny - Replica