Mac mini Logic Board Removal Tool

Mon problème

One day my Mac Mini would not wake up. Leading up to this it was acting a bit unreliable.

Ma solution

I started with first unplugging the power supply from the logic board and measuring the power supply output with a multi-meter to ensure that was not the issue. It puts out a simple 12V to the logic board so it is easy to check. In my case that was rock solid so I assumed that was not my problem, which took me to the logic board. Checking the power supply only required removing the plastic back and the metal antenna cover plate. This provides enough access to pop out the power supply connector and measure the output voltage.

The Logic Board repair was actually quite easy following the directions on iFixit! There are a lot of screws so keep them sorted in the order you took them out so you can put them back in the order they where removed. I have a silicon mat with pockets all around the mat to help keep them from rolling away and to keep them organized in groups.

Mon conseil

Make sure you buy the Logic Board removal tool, your not going to get it removed any other way. You will also need the special heatsink compound they sell if you don't already have some and I used isopropanol alcohol and cotton swabs to clean the original heatsink; they do sell a special cleaner. (You could see where they missed a corner of the original processor when they applied the heatsink compound at the factory and hence probably the reason for the failure.) Less is more when applying the heatsink compound, but a complete coverage is nessesary to ensure heat transfer to the heatsink; it is used to fill all the micro gaps between the processor and heatsink to create 100% contact between the two.

Mon problème

Not a problem but an upgrade. A friend of a friend was in the market for a new computer and I convinced him to buy a Mac. A large selling point was the ability to purchase an older Mac and install a second drive and install Windows on it in the off chance he'd ever want to go back to it.

Ma solution

"Repair" itself went along fine. I had previously placed an SSD in a 2014 Mac Mini so was familiar with the system. The 2011 I worked on this time was nearly identical except I was putting in a second drive which is much easier in the older models of Mac Minis. It was as easy as the 2014. Ample time was set aside for the "repair" and I followed the step-by-step on ifixit.com very carefully.

Mon conseil

Working on a Mac Mini, ifixit's guide says to be aware of the holes on the inside of the case that the HDD fits into while putting back together. I cannot help them stress this enough. Inside the system is tight and if the pegs on the drive aren't seated perfectly in these holes everything won't fit well enough. Beware the rubber washers on some of the bolts. These are amazingly cool to keep everything held together and buffer parts from one another but if they are forced even moderately they will shred from the friction and be useless. This is especially important when placing the antenna grate at the end of installation if the HDD is not seated perfectly.

Advice not pertaining to the actual repair but to the use of a second HDD to install a second OS on. It was the most difficult part of the process. Via Boot Camp I found it IMPOSSIBLE to install Windows on the second drive. I've built many dual boot machines and this is the first time it was a problem. It seems Boot Camp has an issue installing Windows (in my case, unsure if it's true for others such as Linux) onto a second installed drive (without a faster port, it can't be done from an external at all). I attempted it with this Mac Mini and a Mac Pro and was unable on both. The caveat is, I think, is that ONLY the main drive can be partitioned and Windows be installed on that partition. When I attempted it there was no issue at all. The friend I was doing this project for only had a 500 GB drive and his personal data left him with little space on it, leaving little expandability for his Mac much less a second OS on the same drive. It was the whole reason for installing a second drive! In the end, I had to partition the second drive in a Mac Pro, stop the installation process from Boot Camp Assistant, remove Mac OS drive, place the now FAT formatted drive into slot 1 and boot up from Windows install disk, install Windows as if it's a PC, then install that drive into the Mac Mini's second hdd slot to get it to work. Horrible to do the same repair twice but it was a learning experience.

Mon problème

My original 500GB hard drive was very SLOW .

Ma solution

Super easy. Followed the instructions provided on ifixit.com, easy to follow and step by step. I was up and running within an hour. Now my Mac Mini is FAST!!

Mon conseil

1. Backup to Time Machine First - restore is fast and easy.

2. Follow the instructions for a complete and clean install of MacOS

3. BUY THE TOOL KIT and logic board removal tools! The ifixit toolkit is complete and makes this job a breeze!

4. Lay everything out on a large piece of poster board or cardboard, with a sharpie, draw a circle for each screw and outline of each part - makes putting everything back together a breeze!!

Mon problème

I was receiving a SMART report of imminent failure, so I replaced it with a Crucial MX300 SSD

Ma solution

Two issues: the IR sensor was not observed. And the insertion into the drive slots was very tedious. The drive did not want to go into the two holes in the case. I also replaced the Mac mini cooling fan while it was open. That went very smoothly.

Mon conseil

None, really.

Mon problème

Slow mechanical hard drive - upgrade to SSD.

Ma solution

Went smoothly.

Mon conseil

Could have used some closeups on the removal of the power plug clip - you just pull it out, but it wasn't clear if it was supposed to levered up or down. Also, could have used a closeup on pulling the power connector off the logic board; it did not seem safe to just pull the wires themselves, so I used a spudger. But it wasn't clear where the separation point on the connector was and thus where to apply the spudger.

Mon problème

I was tired of long boot times and slow program launches on my late 2014 Mac Mini. Even with 16 GB of RAM, the thing was pokey.

Ma solution

The 2014 Mac Mini wasn't the most difficult Mac to work on that I've ever encountered, that honor goes to the pre-Unibody Macbook Pro. Ugh. Replacing the hard drive in the Mac Mini required pretty much completely disassembling the computer, though. It was tedious, but, thanks to the iFixit guide, it wasn't difficult. No hitches in re-assembling, either. After installing the Crucial SSD, boot time dropped from a couple of minutes to under 20 seconds. Programs that took a minute or more to launch now launch in seconds.

Mon conseil

Just follow the iFixit instructions. They were flawless.

Mon problème

I thought I could live with a slow spinning drive - I couldn't...

Ma solution

The replacement went without a hitch. I was dreading some kind of hiccup along the way, but the directions were so clear and detailed, I knew what to expect at each step. So in the end, I was able to successfully replacement my stock 500 GB 5400 RPM hard drive with a 128 GB SSD, and that has made all the difference.

Mon conseil

I went through this process once before on an older, probably 2012 era, Mac Mini. I did so without instructions like the ones provided by iFixit. I accidentally severed the a cable that went to the fan, so after my repair and had a non-working fan. This is why I was so nervous about this replacement. But thanks to iFixit, all went well!