Mac mini Mid 2010 Logic Board Replacement

Written By: Andrew Bookholt
  • Comments: 80
Mac mini Mid 2010 Logic Board Replacement

Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

38

Time Required

No estimate

Introduction

Completely replacing the logic board requires removal of the logic board itself as well as all components attached to it.

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    • Place your thumbs in the depressions cut into the bottom cover.

    • Rotate the bottom cover counter-clockwise until the white dot painted on the bottom cover is aligned with the ring inscribed on the outer case.

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    • Tilt the mini enough to allow the bottom cover to fall away from the outer case.

    • Remove the bottom cover and set it aside.

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    • Remove the two 11.3 mm T6 Torx screws securing the fan to the logic board near the antenna plate.

    There are actually 3 T6 screws securing the fan. The third screw is out of the screenshot, just below the RAM.

    inferno10 -

    Nope, that third screw is actually just a post that the rubber grommet attached to the fan body slips over. Step 4 shows how the fan comes off of it. When you go to remove the fan, you simply remove the two screws closest to the antenna plate and then lift the fan off this post. The screw you are talking about is removed in Step 14 and does not need to be removed until this point.

    Andrew Bookholt -

    Successful install completed, but I had some trouble getting the fan reinstalled. When I removed the fan from the "Step 14" post, the rubber piece stayed on the post. When attempting to reinstall the fan, it was impossible to get the loop to go back over that rubber piece. So, I had to remove the post (again), and with the help of the spudger and some patience, worked it through. Then installed the fan using the 2 screws and the post. I think it may have saved some time and trouble if I just removed all 3 in the first place, leaving the post in the fan.

    meag -

    On mine I needed to remove the 26 mm T6 Torx standoff during this step rather than step 12

    philipashlock -

    on my mid-2011 mac mini, that 3rd T6 post/screw had to be removed to get the fan out. It goes right through a hole in the fan housing. No way the grommet is slipping over anything without wreaking major havoc.

    Derek Shaw -

    On my mid-2010 mac mini, also removed the 26 mm T6 Torx standoff during this step instead of step 12. Having completed the steps, it appears my hard drive is from mid 2011, so maybe the production line for mine had changed.

    jstraath -

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    • Lift the ear of the fan nearest the RAM up off the standoff secured to the outer case.

    • If the fan doesn't separate from the standoff screw with a moderate amount of force, you can use a T6 Torx driver to simply remove this screw.

    Pulling on the ear didn't do anything, so I removed the whole screw at this step. The screw stayed fixed on the fan and I didn't have to remove it at the step where you remove the logic board screws.

    Probably I didn't want to use too much force .. but it worked

    Alexander Kogler -

    This is the approach I used. no way was the "ear" pulling over the head of the standoff without breaking something. The standoff simply unscrewed from whatever is under the logic board and stayed with the fan assembly. WAY safe

    Derek Shaw -

    Loosen the fan standoff from the motherboard using a T6 driver.

    bobcloninger -

    When I pulled the fan ear off the standoff the rubber grommet stayed on the standoff. That's fine, but it makes it difficult to put the fan ear back on during reassembly. So I just pulled the rubber grommet off the standoff and put it into the hole in the fan ear. Then I was able to push the fan ear onto the standoff with out trouble during reassembly.

    Dave Hein -

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    • Lift the fan out of the mini for enough clearance to access its connector.

    • Carefully pull the fan cables upward to lift the fan connector up out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Remove the fan.

    Be careful here, this is not a simple action. Pulling on the wires risks them coming out of the sockets of the connector that attaches to the pins on the board. I had to use an Xacto knife to push on the end of the connector to push it off the pins rather than pull.

    Brian -

    Actually, just sliding a spudger under the wires and edging upwards is the easiest way to disconnect this connector - and most others, too.

    Aleks Gekht -

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    • Remove the single 3.5 mm T6 Torx screw securing the cowling to the heat sink.

    This is a screw into the head of another screw below it that holds the main board. When I took out the fan, the top screw AND the longer 26 mm screw came out together so when I was putting my mini back together I thought for a moment I had lost a screw.

    info -

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    • Lift the cowling from the end nearest the antenna plate.

    • Rotate the cowling away from the outer case and remove it from the mini.

    This is wrong step. If you need remove this out, it would be better to pull out logic board, and remember to remove cables attached on it before pull out.

    Lin Adison -

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    • Remove the following screws securing the antenna plate to the mini:

    • Two 6.6 mm T8 or T9 Torx screws

    • Two 5.0 mm T8 Torx or 2.0 mm Hex screws (either will work)

    The red circled screws are T9 in my Mac mini (not T8).

    Sven Harmstorf -

    ditto here - the 6.6 mm screws that anchor to the HD (now SSD) are T9

    Derek Shaw -

    I have tried several times but I have been unable to get all four holes to line up when replacing the antenna plate. I can get the two closer to the center of the mini just fine but no matter how I align the plate, one of the screws closer to the edge of the mini will be so far out of alignment that I cannot get the screw to go in. I had to leave one screw uninstalled. The plate is not distorted in any way. It is installed the same way it was before I removed, as far as I can tell. I am baffled! Has anyone been through this?

    GalvanicMacPro -

    Galvanic, it pops in.

    bkbkbk -

    I had a really hard time with this. I was able to resolve it though: secure the other three screws first. Then I pushed my precision screwdriver into the hole and levered the wayward tab into position: it wedged in with an audible snap sound! Then I was able to fasten the final screw.

    Aaron Vegh -

    I have trouble with this step every time I repair one of these minis. Aaron, your tip worked perfectly for me, thanks. -Anne

    DA IT Department -

    The antenna plate assembly is a tongue and groove type. The plate has a "groove" and the rim of the outer case is the "lip". You have to slide it in and align the parts ant it fits perfectly .

    jvilella -

    To solve this, just pick on the plate on the semi circle side and with the tool "open" just slighter the space where the semicircle have to fit

    Pedro -

    Had the same problem - the reason was the replacement drive I used - it is thinner than the original one. So I could not get the far side of the drive correctly into the holes for the notches mounted on the drive; that is - the drive was always a little bit too far to the center of the mac case. Everything works fine until you try to install all four screws.

    I found a simple solution: I attached some adhesive tape temporarily to the drive cover. By pulling on the tape while pushing the drive in its space the notches slipped into their holes. After this installing the antenna was no problem any more.

    Erwin Sommerauer -

    The key to this is to use needle-nose pliers to grasp the grate between the black plastic circle and the edge of the mini's case, and pull upwards (away from the hard drive beneath it). It will snap into place, and then the screw holes will line up.

    Brian -

    I had a similar problem with getting the antenna cover to fit back into place. I tried putting 3 screws back in and levering the 4th, but it did not work in my case. Finally, with three screws in place,, I carefully placed a thin pair of forceps into one of the holes in the cover and levered the entire cover upwards. That worked for me.

    Don -

    Pulling up on the cover worked for me too. I found that the best place to pull up on the cover is at about "true north" in the picture ... near the black dot used to indicate lid-is-closed. I did it before installing any screws and all four screws went in fine.

    Fred Cat -

    As others have noted, the hardest part of the whole process is getting the holes lined up in reassembly. I ended up stripping one of the short screws, but it fits well enough to engage the slots in the circular plastic cover. If you leave a short screw out, I don't know how the bottom cover would fit securely. I would carefully note how the antenna cover fits while you remove it. The longer screws go into the actual hard drive, so I think alignment of the hard drive is part of the problem.

    Steve Dollar -

    I had same problem..! U tried EVERTHING, and what worked PERFECT for me, and with very little effort is what "x10target" described here (scroll about half way down): Difficulty in re-installing Antenna Plate

    Mikey Marvel -

    To replace the antenna plate, you need to patiently align the sides of the antenna and slide it in. I had similar problems as described above but, instead of using force, I resorted to patience. The plate's fit is very snug, just a little bit off the straight line and it won't sit properly. And when it sits, it really sits tight, you don't even need to hold it in place while screwing the screws back in.

    Eric Schneider -

    In the “arch” of the plate is sort of a tongue & groove that fits over & under the lip of the body. I used Kelly Forceps to coax everything back together.

    tom -

    After replacing the HDD with an SSD, I found that one of the front locating screws didn’t fit back in (no corresponding screw hole on the new drive caddy). I also found it hard to fit the antenna plate back in the slot, but found that removing one of the rubber “feet” (where there was no longer a corresponding screw hole on the disk) helped a lot, as did gently folding back the edge of the antenna plate. Refitting this was definitely the hardest part of the process - excellent instructions!

    Tim Cutting -

    After completing the whole operation, impossible to screw the two T8 5mm (orange ones) screws back in place. The plate sit properly, but the screws just wobble, even with full force when trying. I can’t close the backplate. Anybody had the same issue?

    Pierre Prézelin -

    BEFORE putting any screws in, you have to get the antenna place to “snap” intot he Aluminum chassis first. Once that is snapped in, the screw holes all line up nicely.

    I installed an SSD, which is thinner than the original HDD, so the two recessed screws don’t reach it… Going to just leave them taped into their holes. I’m hoping that will not affect antenna function too much (It will remove some potential grounding to the HDD).

    Demis John -

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    • Slightly lift the antenna plate from the end closest to the RAM.

    • Carefully pull the antenna plate straight away from the circular rim of the outer case.

    • Do not remove the antenna plate yet. It is still attached to the AirPort/ Bluetooth board.

    When I tried to do step 9 and disconnect these connectors, I found that not only the cable/connector but the receptacle tore off the logic board -- momentary panic! This happened to both connectors.

    Left on the logic board were two tiny fragile gold pins (per connector). Fortunately they were pretty straight, and upon re-assembly, I was able to gently slot the receptacles back into the tiny pins. Upon reassembly, everything's working fine (no crazy fan noise) so I guess I got lucky...maybe VERY lucky. :)

    Thanks iFixIt for a fantastic guide. I've got a replacement drive in there and it's definitely going to extend the life of my Mini for another season.

    David Das -

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    • Use the tip of a spudger to carefully pry the antenna connector up off the AirPort/Bluetooth board.

    I broke the connector on the bluetooth board when trying to remove the antenna when I tried to replace the hard drive. Currently, the exact replacement bluetooth board 607-6509A is very hard to find or otherwise, expensive. Instead, I was able to use a cheap replacement that can be found on eBay: Apple Macbook Unibody A1342 Airport Bluetooth Module 607-6771A. There is a black plastic sheath at the back of the 607-6771A. Just cut out the part that cover the 2 holes, you are good to go.

    millicurie77 -

    Good info, thanks

    maccentric -

    Hmmm just broke the port as well; it is tricky and sticky even after the port came off …

    Choat -

    Thanks for the info; my port just broke here as well :( It is sticky and port connector is so fragile!

    Choat -

    it’s so painful ! almost all the time is spend to try to put this ridiculous connector. my last mini mac is a server, and use ethernet not the wifi so i gave up after 1 hour .

    admin -

    It would be nice if there was a close up pic of the different connectors. Then, one would know how the connectors attach. In this case, this connector is kinda like an old “F” plug. Used Kelly Forceps to pull straight up. Came off and went back on. No sweat.

    tom -

    Tom, it was bear trying to put this “F” connector back on. There’s a torx screw right where the connector should lay down, and it appears to put it in a bind making it difficult to seat. I’ll try to post a picture of mine.,

    Kirk Carver -

    2nd time I did this step (due to breaking the HD heat sensor board the 1st time - see all the comments below!) I didn’t disconnect the airport antenna, since it was so difficult for me to re-plug back in (took ~5 minutes of trying); very hard to line up properly. Instead, I carefully flipped the cover over and to the side, pushing down on the connector to keep it from unplugging. (Since I already had put in a 7mm SSD the 1st time around, the antenna wire also wasn’t in the way when pulling it out.) I recommend trying this due to 3 comments above who broke theirs.

    amiller770 -

    I left it plugged in and flipped it over to tape it to the chassis.

    chris warren -

    Reconnecting the antenna connector to the Airport/Bluetooth board was the second most difficult step for me. It was not just the reverse step of using the spudger to disconnect the connector.

    Marc -

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    • Remove the antenna plate from the mini.

    When you replace the antenna plate, it can be tricky. The curved edge of it actually slots both over and under the edge of the case. If it doesn’t seem to fit properly, the edges of the cut perforations may be slightly squashed. Tweak them with a small screwdriver and it will suddenly seat properly.

    Ben G -

    This is as far as I needed to go. The only connection I needed to remove was the fan (I probably could have left that connected and just moved it out of my way). I was able to set the antenna to the side without disconnecting it. I was able to pull the hard drive out after step 11. I did not disconnect the temp sensor from the board. I removed the tape holding the sensor wire to the side of the hard drive and then removed the sensor from the hard drive and moved it out of my way. It has to be pulled off the hard drive anyway, so better to do it this way then messing with connection on logic board. When replacing the hard drive, reapply the sensor to the end of the hard drive with a very small amount of clear silicone and a piece of black electrical tape to hold it into place while the silicone sets up. Not having to disconnect all the wires from the logic board is the way to go. Stop at step 11 and go straight to step 17.

    Kevin Ginther -

    Excellent advice, Kevin…I did the same and HDD came out no problem…Thank you for the pointer.

    Jurgen -

    If you look at the edge of the antenna plate near the Mac mini body, you'll see a groove where the metal from the unibody fits. I found that if you turn the mini around so the antenna plate is closest to you and us the pointy end of a spudger to lift and place the antenna plate, you can get this groove to fit properly and the screws pop into place.

    rothgar -

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    • Remove the following three screws:

    • One 5.0 mm T8 Torx or 2.0 mm Hex screw (either will work)

    • One 16.2 mm T6 Torx screw

    • One 26 mm T6 Torx standoff

    In my case, the yellow circled standoff already came out with the previously removed fan.

    Sven Harmstorf -

    My standoff screw was really tight and my T6 stripped the screw. :( But, because it's effectively just used as a post to stabilise the fan, I ended up using some surgical clamps, grabbing the standoff where the rubber grommet sits, and gently twisted the screw loose. No major damage because that part of the screw isn't really used! Just be careful and gently twist (patience is KEY) to loosen.

    alc217 -

    The weak design of the long standoff screw (not enough material around the star-patterned socket head) has probably caused damage of the internal head during production of the Mac Mini!

    The standoff screw was in my case extremely tightened and the T6 Torx screw driver could not be used anymore (due to damage of the socket head after applying too much torque during the original assembly).

    I needed to use a High Leverage Combination Plier in vertical position to loosen the screw without damage to other parts. I tried to keep the rotation axis of the screw at the centre of the flat nose of the plier. Minor scratches to the screw can not be avoided in this way.

    Marc -

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    • Carefully pull the wires for both hard drive thermal sensors upward to lift their connectors up and out of the sockets on the logic board.

    The thermal sensor is VERY delicate, hold the connector down with a spudger and lift the cable with some tweezers. Long list of people online who have accidentally removed the connector from the logic board because the solder is insufficient.

    anthonypshaw -

    I second the comment about using something, say a small screwdriver, to carefully put some pressure on the connector whilst then prying the cable up.

    Simon Martin -

    Excellent advice - thanks. I used a small set of tweezers to gently lift up enough cable to hold onto, and then to hold the sockets onto the logic board whilst I pulled! Success!

    Mike Haines -

    Note: the clips lift straight up, although after they are removed, it appears that tiny "prongs" are in the remaining socket. What look like tiny prongs are just horizontal wires. To replace, push the clips straight down. I used metal picks (like fine bent ice picks - available at Harbor Freight) to get under the edge of the plastic clip and lift up. I pulled gently on the wires with tweezers as I pried up the clips, but I would not count on pulling alone to get the job done.

    Steve Dollar -

    Don’t have these, solid state drives?

    chris warren -

    I wanted to change the Superdrive on a 2010 Mac mini and when I took off the thermal connector from the hard drive, one of the two cables came off.

    The hard drive has 2, it is the one on the other side of the SATA connector.

    If you don't connect that cable, the fan always starts at 5000rpm. It is Apple Part Number: 076-1369

    I was looking on Ebay/Ali and the cable is for €9, luckily you can insert the cable back into the connector and put a drop of thermal silicone to apply force and so far it works ok.

    morrit -

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both the hard drive and optical drive connectors up out of their sockets on the logic board.

    The removal of the SATA connectors for the hard drive and the optical drive should probably be separated into two steps. It's easy to miss the second one and pull a SATA connector off.

    Not confirming that I did it, but I am looking for someone to solder a SATA connector back on. ;)

    jrmn -

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    • To disconnect the optical drive thermal sensor, pinch its cables between your thumb and a spudger and pry the spudger upward to lift the connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.

    These sensors are too fragile in some cases. In my case both the hard drive and optical sensor cables tore off despite all my best efforts. The plastic holding down the cables appears to be too fragile or brittle and simply tears as the cables are pulled away.

    nirv -

    Pulling the socket off the board seems to be a common problem. I am going to investigate making a tool to hold down the socket while prying up on the plug.

    For the time being I am using an app that controls the fan speed by sampling other sensors, such as the CPU heat sink.

    papa Hajek -

    There are two problems with these connectors. First off they're made of very thin plastic so break easily (something addressed in later Mac mini's). Second the socket melts to the connector making it impossible to lift it.

    If you do break it the metal tabs of the socket should we easily resoldered. Some practice beforehand, a fine tip solder iron, some leaded solder and your away.

    Brent -

    En mi caso perdi el sensor de la unidad optica y ahora el ventilador se mantiene acelerado y no se si para que vuelva a su velocidad normal habré de conseguir el sensor optico. (cuando hice las pruebas con el equipo abierto, mientras probaba otra unidad optica no me daba esa falla).

    Monserrat Bojorges Flores -

    Don’t see this connection, wires, only an empty connector.

    chris warren -

    When in doubt which of the two nearby sensors is the HD or the optical drive thermal sensor during assembly (!), look for instance at the guide to remove the hard drive. The two thermal sensors of the hard drive (see step 13 of this guide) are taped to the outside of the HD. The cable of the optical drive thermal sensor is below the HD (with the Mac mini upside down).

    Marc -

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    • Use the tip of a spudger to lift the IR sensor connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.

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    • To remove the logic board, two cylindrical rods must be inserted into the holes highlighted in red. Inserting instruments into any logic board holes other than the ones highlighted in red may destroy the logic board.

    • Insert a Mac mini Logic Board Removal Tool into the two holes highlighted in red. Be sure it makes contact with the outer case below the logic board before proceeding.

    • If you don't have a Logic Board Removal Tool handy, you can use two tools having a maximum diameter of 2.5 mm instead. Just insert one into each of the highlighted holes.

    • Carefully pull the tool toward the I/O board. The logic board and I/O board assembly should slightly slide out of the outer case.

    • Cease prying when the I/O board is visibly separated from the outer case. Remove the Mac mini Logic Board Removal tool.

    I had a couple of 3/32" drill bits in my tool chest. Worked perfectly (2.38 mm)

    Derek Shaw -

    two fischertechnik screw drivers work perfectly as well!

    Norbert Wagner -

    Used 2 bigger paperclips. Straightened into single wire. Then in one of the previous bends I had bent it again and squeezed with pliers together so I have 2 "legs" of this improvised tool for better stiffness of wire. Went out nicely. It actually looks like a older hairpin, but more flattened...

    But now I see there is a lot of paperclips on the market. Only the "smaller" ones I might use to bent it into 3 parts. So it depends of what is lying around.

    Petr Sourek -

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    • Simultaneously push the two plastic clips on the far left and right sides of the I/O board toward the middle of the I/O board and pull the I/O board away from the outer case.

    I’ve popped the logic board out a little bit, but it won’t move any further. I can’t see what the clips are or how to work them.

    Ben -

    Look at step 20 below - you see one of these connectors on the side of the IO board, just under the fingers.

    Aleks Gekht -

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    • Pull the I/O board/logic board assembly out of the outer case enough to access the power connector.

    • Use a pair of tweezers to disconnect the power cable from the logic board.

    • Pull the power cable connector toward the optical drive opening.

    Tweezers aren't strong enough. Use some small needle-nose pliers. Hold the I/O board and it pull away.

    Tyrone Steele -

    By the time you get to this step, the hard drive can be easily removed by simply sliding it out over the logic board. Then you can simply pull off the cable with your fingers. When re-assembling, again, attach the power cable connector first, with your fingers and slide the logic board all the way in. Then slide the hard drive in over the logic board.

    Aleks Gekht -

    I suggest to list this specific type of tweezers as shown in Step 19 at the beginning as useful/recommended tool to reconnect (!) the power cable. I could pry the power cable with the blunt side of a scalpel knife. But I sorely missed something like this tweezer when trying to reconnect the cable.

    Marc -

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    • Carefully slide the logic board assembly out of the mini, minding any cables that may get caught.

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    • Remove the following two screws securing the speaker to the logic board assembly:

    • One 4.2 mm T6 Torx

    • One 3.7 mm T6 Torx

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    • Carefully lift the speaker wires upward to lift the speaker connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the antenna connectors up off the AirPort/Bluetooth board.

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    • De-route both antenna cables from the clips securing them to the top side of the logic board.

    • Be careful when removing the cables from their retaining clips, as the thin metal contacts crimped to the antenna cables can be easily torn off. If any contacts become separated from the antenna cables, use a pair of pliers to gently crimp them back into place.

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    • Remove the single 2.6 mm T6 Torx screw securing the I/O bezel to the logic board near the RAM.

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    • Carefully un-clip the antenna from the logic board near the PRAM battery.

    • Gently de-route the antenna cable through the hole in the logic board.

    • De-route the antenna cable from the clips on the logic board near the I/O bezel.

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    • Lift the power button cables upward to gently pull the power button cable up and out of its connector on the logic board.

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    • Remove the four 2.6 mm T6 Torx screws securing the I/O bezel to the logic board.

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    • Pull the I/O bezel away from the logic board, minding any cables that may get caught.

    • Try not to handle the small steel EMI fingers on the logic board and I/O bezel, as oils from your fingers may cause interference issues. Before installing the logic board assembly, clean the EMI fingers to remove any oils transferred during the removal process.

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    • Use the tip of a spudger to carefully pry the PRAM battery up and out of its holder on the logic board.

    • Remove the PRAM battery and set it aside.

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    • Release the tabs on each side of the RAM chip by simultaneously pushing each tab away from the RAM.

    • These tabs lock the chip in place and releasing them will cause the chip to "pop" up.

    • After the RAM chip has popped up, pull it straight out of its socket.

    • Repeat this process if a second RAM chip is installed.

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable connector up off the AirPort/Bluetooth board.

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    • Remove the three 2.6 mm T6 Torx screws securing the AirPort/Bluetooth board to the logic board.

    • Remove the AirPort/Bluetooth board and set it aside.

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable up off the logic board.

    • Remove the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable.

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    • Remove the single 5 mm T6 Torx standoff from the heat sink.

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    • To disconnect the heat sink thermal sensor, pinch its cables between your thumb and a spudger and pry the spudger upward to lift the connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.

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    • Remove the four 8.5 mm T8 Torx screws securing the heat sink to the logic board.

    • Keep track of the springs held beneath each of the heat sink screws.

    Whats the apple part number for these screws?

    Brian -

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    • Carefully lift the heat sink off the logic board, minding the thermal sensor cable that may get caught.

    • If the heat sink appears to be stuck to the logic board after removing all six screws, it may be helpful to use a spudger to separate the two components.

    • If you need to mount the heat sink back onto the logic board, we have a thermal paste guide that makes replacing the thermal compound easy.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Andrew Bookholt

592004 Reputation

7 comments

I'm confused, in step 11 the antenna plate is removed from the case, then in step 12 the bare logic board is out. What happened to the rest of the removal process?

barmour04 -

Hey sorry about that, the guide was missing a prerequisite. I went through and made sure all the guides are OK. It should be fixed now. Good catch!

Andrew Bookholt -

Does the logicboard of the Mac mini 2011 or 2012 fit in the Mac mini 2010?

Kristian -

I’d really like to know this as well if anyone knows

Daniel W Olson -

I'd like to know also

Collin Babb -

It depends what you mean by “fit”. If you want to put a 2011 or 2012 logic board in a 2010’s case and get the additional optical drive, then no. The 2011 and 2012’s logic boards include capacitors that get in the way of the optical drive, so you cannot re-insert the logic board to fit. The 2010 server model will fit, as the case has the correct dimensions.

Ritchie Swann -

Does the Mac Mini 2010 desktop have the same hardware as the Mac Mini server model? Can I swap parts between the two of them?

jkbmjp -