iMac G4 - removing the TMDS connector

[TimHD]

Refurbishing a few iMac G4s and finding the TMDS connector attached to the motherboards are hard to disconnect. What's the trick? Should it just lift up or is there a catch / pinch needed?

 

[techknight]

I think they pull out sideways, I got a proto imac g4 logicboard here someone tried to pull up and ripped the whole connector from the board. I still dont know how to fix that yet. 

 

[TimHD]

Bump. Anyone actually removed one of these connectors?

 

[SlateBlue]

Can you provide a photo of the connector you're referring to? I've disassembled a couple of iMac G4s to make lamps, and I want to say that each connector on the logic board simply pulled straight up. I really don't want to give you bad information, though.

 

[IIciNov90]

I had this problem a couple of years ago. I can't remember the exact of it but I was almost ready to dig out a hammer it was so bad for one of my 2 iMac G4s. I remember pushing and maybe wedging hard to the point that I thought for sure I would break it when it finally let go. I can't remember how I did it though so please be careful. I love my iMac G4s and consider them to be among the best Macs ever despite them also being one of the worst dust inhalers ever. When you finally get your machines apart, they will be incredibly filthy with dust. I am really interested in your restorations. Both of my iMac G4s still work but have startup problems when cold due to what I am pretty sure are bad caps in the power supply. I would like to reopen up both of mine and fix this problem for good with better caps. There are one or 2 small electrolytic type silver can caps on the motherboard as well that I would like to replace with tantalums if I am going to go to the trouble.

There may be a good movie or two of iMac G4 breakdowns on YouTube did you check there?

 

[TimHD]

There may be a good movie or two of iMac G4 breakdowns on YouTube did you check there?

Yes, although on the ifixit and the YouTube videos they flash past this step (or not cover it). Looking at one video the guy seems to be pulling it up (or across, as someone has suggested) but it seems to give easily. Against that, have read about the base falling off tables and ripping the connector out of the motherboard - so these are not MagSafe attachments!!

 

[mattst88]

The connector is protected by a U-shaped piece of black plastic that is attached to the motherboard with some adhesive strips.

It feels very uncomfortable to pry it up, but I don't see how you could damage the connector itself. Just firm pressure (but quite a bit) is needed to detach the adhesive strips.

 

[theirongiant]

Without a reference photo of what the TDMS connector looked like, and being unable to see what was underneath that plastic connector, I spent the better part of 15 minutes surgically slicing through this gummy double-sided nonsense with an X-Acto knife, and gently prying up with a spudger, to finally lift the connector out of its housing.

This is from a 20" iMac G4 — a very recent acquisition of mine — that I recently disassembled in order to upgrade the internal memory module to 1GB. Once opened, it was so dusty that I decided to completely disconnect the bottom housing, take it out back and blow out the dust with a compressed air can. For the top half of the computer, I removed the drive cage and did the same.

The remaining components inside the computer were the speaker, fan, and neck assembly. Nothing particularly sensitive to ESD. So I grabbed my Dyson stick vac and vacuumed the interior of the dome while gently blasting the insides with compressed air. The vacuum helped to minimize the spread of dust in the room.

 

[Lucretius]

Without a reference photo of what the TDMS connector looked like, and being unable to see what was underneath that plastic connector, I spent the better part of 15 minutes surgically slicing through this gummy double-sided nonsense with an X-Acto knife, and gently prying up with a spudger, to finally lift the connector out of its housing.

This is from a 20" iMac G4 — a very recent acquisition of mine — that I recently disassembled in order to upgrade the internal memory module to 1GB. Once opened, it was so dusty that I decided to completely disconnect the bottom housing, take it out back and blow out the dust with a compressed air can. For the top half of the computer, I removed the drive cage and did the same.

The remaining components inside the computer were the speaker, fan, and neck assembly. Nothing particularly sensitive to ESD. So I grabbed my Dyson stick vac and vacuumed the interior of the dome while gently blasting the insides with compressed air. The vacuum helped to minimize the spread of dust in the room.

As a ( really general! ) comment @ working on complex & delicate items: I always use a Loupe. Many loupes clip to eyeglasses, while others are of the Old Fashioned type, that are held by a wire that loops around your head!

My idea here is just to suggest that most things 'tell you how to work on them' if you can get a really good, close look. I've used my ( Bausch + Lomb, 2-element, 4x / 7x, clip-on ) when working on old watches and cameras and many, complex mechanisms, and it's really helpful--necessary!--to see what's in front of you.

I've installed mSATA drives in several iBook G4's and PowerBook G4's, and using my loupe has allowed me to succeed every time...no damaged connectors or mishaps. It's a lot like the old carpenter's saying: 'Measure twice / cut once', and using a loupe is simply another way to 'measure' ( as in getting a REALLY GOOD look ) twice!