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Replace a broken AirPort card to regain wireless connectivity.
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Power down your Mac mini, disconnect all of the cables, and flip it over.
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Insert the Jimmy into the crack between the aluminum top housing and the plastic lower housing.
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The Jimmy should reach a stop about 3/8" down.
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Gently bend the Jimmy outwards to pry the crack open a little larger and lift the lower housing up a small amount.
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Once you have the first side free, rotate the Mac mini and start prying up on the front edge.
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Use the same prying motion to both bend the clips inward and lift the lower housing up out of the top housing.
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You may need to move the Jimmy along the edge to pry up all of the clips. Be patient and do a little bit at a time.
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Keep working around the perimeter, freeing the clips along the final edge.
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Flip the Mac mini back over and lift the top housing off of the lower housing.
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Slightly squeeze the two retaining arms toward each other and lift the AirPort antenna off its post.
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Use the tip of a spudger to slightly lift the left side of the ZIF cable lock up from its socket.
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Lift the audio board ribbon cable up out of its socket.
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0Tweezers$4.99
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Use a pair of tweezers to lift the hard drive thermal sensor cable connector up off its socket on the logic board.
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Remove the recessed Phillips screw near the power button securing the internal frame to the bottom housing.
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Remove the recessed Phillips screw near the sleep light securing the internal frame to the bottom housing.
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Remove the Phillips screw from the internal frame near the Bluetooth antenna.
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Remove the Phillips screw near the audio ports securing the internal frame to the bottom case.
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Gently lift the internal frame up from the bottom housing, minding the AirPort antenna and any other cables that may get caught.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort antenna cable connector up off the AirPort card.
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Remove the single Phillips screw securing the AirPort card to the logic board.
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Lift the AirPort card up slightly and pull it away from its socket on 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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What is the port (connector) nearest the wifi card?
I’ve managed to replace the built-in AirPort card in my Mac Mini with a different card. I bought a Broadcom BCM94321MC (which is natively found in Santa Rosa/Penryn Macs) and I installed it successfully into the Mac. Mac OS X picked it up immediately and I noticed a modest increase in speed compared to the previous AirPort card. My guess is that the single antenna in the Mac Mini is the bottleneck for WiFi speeds. Since it looks like the Mac Mini uses mini PCI-E for its AirPort card, I suppose any mini PCI-E WiFi card can work, assuming that it is compatible with Mac OS X and fits the longer size required by the Mac.
