A lot of the aluminum Intel iMacs are reaching the age where they are no longer covered by
Apple’s warranty, so a problem like a failing power supply might make it seem like you are
going to be shopping for a new computer.
But before you break out that credit card, keep in mind repairing these machines yourself
is quick and much cheaper than buying a whole new computer.
And while the lack of obvious screws might make you think you won’t be able to do your
own repairs, the truth is it is actually very easy!
Hi, I’m MJ with iFixit and today I’m going to show you how easy it is to replace the
power supply in an aluminum Intel iMac; you can replace the power supply on any iMac,
but chances are they’re going to use different power supplies, so before you order your replacement
power supply, make sure to find our your machine’s EMC number, which is found on the base of
the iMac.
If you can’t find your EMC number, head to the ID your Mac page on our site.
Also, make sure to look up your iMac’s step by step repair guide on our site.
Today I am working with a 20” iMac EMC number 2210.
For this repair you are going to need: A pair of heavy duty suction cups
A spudger A phillips #1 Screwdriver,
three Torx Screwdrivers a T6, T8 and a T10, and of course your new power supply.
I’d opt for something like our 54 piece bit driver kit,
and of course your new power supply.
All of these things are available at iFixit.com.
Removing the glass is my favorite part, but before I can do that I’ve got to remove
the RAM access door.
The screw won’t come out of the door, so once it’s loosened, just lift the whole
door off.
Now, using my suction cups, I can lift the glass off the iMac.
I don’t know why I enjoy this part so much, but hopefully you do, too.
You just press them on there, flip the handles over, and once they’re both sealed, lift
the glass directly upwards.
The glass is held on by magnates, so it should come off fairly easily.
With the glass removed, we can see all of the screws holding the bezel in place.
I’ll switch to my T8 Torx bit and remove all of those screws.
Now that all of the screws are removed, I’m going to lift the bezel off of the computer,
starting at the top and working my way towards the bottom.
Once the bezel is free you’ll notice that it’s still attached to the iMac by the microphone
cable, so I’ll disconnect that so I can set the bezel aside.
The next big step is to remove the LCD, and to do that I’ll need to disconnect a couple
of cables and remove a few more screws.
Once everything is disconnected and the screws are removed, I’m going to carefully lift
the LCD from the left side, and rotate it towards the right side.
Again, it’s still attached to the iMac by its inverter cables, so I’ll have to disconnect
those first.
This is probably the trickiest part because you’ve got to support the LCD while disconnecting
the cables.
You could use something to keep it propped open, or you could ask a friend to hold the
LCD for you for a second while you disconnect those cables.
The LCD is free, so I’m going to set it aside.
Be very careful where you put your LCD.
You don’t want it getting dinged or scratched or dusty.
Now we can see the power supply, and before we go any further a word of warning: even
when the computer is not connected to power the capacitors in the power supply can hold
voltage so be careful not to touch the face of the panel.
With that warning in mind we can remove the 4 screws holding it in place.
There is a small cable on the underside of the power supply that is pretty delicate,
so instead of pulling the connector by the cable, use your finger nails to get a good
hold on the connector itself.
Two more cables and it’s out!
Both of these cables have a lock that needs to be depressed before they can be pulled
up.
And that’s it!
It’s out.
Now all I have to do is attach the new power supply and reassemble my iMac.
I have one quick tip about reassembly: make sure to thoroughly clean both the LCD and
the front and back of the glass panel to, that way you don’t put the whole thing back
together only to have smudges and dust trapped inside
the iMac.
You can find the parts and tools you'll need for this and many other repairs at iFixit.com.
And if you run into problems during your repairs, there are lots of solutions in each iMac’s
repair guide on our site.
Thanks for watching, and happy repairing!