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Backlight not working? Use this guide to replace a broken LED driver board.
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0Heavy-Duty Suction Cups (Pair)$14.95
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Stick a heavy-duty suction cup near each of the two top corners of the glass panel.
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While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle (as indicated by the third picture).
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Gently lift the glass panel perpendicular to the face of the LCD, enough to clear the steel mounting pins attached along the underside of the top edge of the glass panel.
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Pull the glass panel away from the lower edge of the iMac and carefully set it aside.
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Remove the eight T10 Torx screws securing the LCD to the outer case.
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Carefully lay the iMac stand-side down on a flat surface.
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Use a thin hooked tool to lift one side of the top edge of the display by its steel outer frame.
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crwdns2935267:0crwdne2935267:0Tweezers$4.99
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Use a pair of tweezers to pull the vertical sync ribbon cable out of its socket on the LED driver board near the top left corner of your iMac.
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Rotate the display out of the outer case enough to disconnect the LED backlight power cable from the LED driver board.
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Squeeze the two display data cable connector arms together to unlock it from its socket on the logic board.
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Pull the display data cable connector away from its socket on the logic board.
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Lift the display for enough clearance to disconnect the LCD thermal sensor cable connector from its socket on the logic board.
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Carefully pull the display toward the top edge of your iMac and lift it out of the outer case.
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Remove the four T10 Torx screws securing the LED driver board to the outer case.
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Lift the LED driver board out of its recess in the outer case, minding the DC-In cable still attaching it to the power supply.
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Disconnect the DC-In cable by depressing the locking mechanism while pulling the connector away from its socket on the LED driver 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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COMPLETED!
I took a ton of time taking the screen off since this was the first time I've opened up my iMac - the connections are fragile, but once you know where they are and how they connect, it's quite simple. I found that my inverter board and power supply had been corroded by moisture - a couple years right next to an AC unit were suspect, I guess. My screen is at full brightness and I've had no issue so far! Thanks, ifixit!
Thank you so much for posting these steps. I have a question regarding my iMac led board replacement. How to make sure of the exact type/model of LED driver board I need for my iMac? And what would be a good and reasonable place I may purchase it from?
My iMac is a late 2009 with 27" display.
Great guide, swapped the board without issue. Unfortunately didn't solve the problem, screen still goes black if brightness over 1/3 of full.
My iMac has a dark left side of the screen, I tried the fiddle with the left corner connector trick but that did nothing. I noticed the user had the display set to full brightness to get a useable image on the screen, this issue may have caused the Power Supply failure not sure, the cheaper easier fix would be to replace this board, but I don't want to replace the board if that is not the issue. For folks who had a bad board was the screen not working at all or did you get a half lighted screen like I mentioned above? Thank You
Wow- that was so easy a repair! Time will tell if the “new” board is up to the task but everything is working great right now. Thank you so much for this excellent tutorial! I would be buying a new Mac now if I hadn’t have been for your excellent advice!!!
