Mac mini Model A1283 AirPort/Bluetooth Combo Card Replacement

Last updated on September 17, 2016

No estimate

Moderate

Introduction

Replace your broken AirPort/Bluetooth combo card to regain wireless connectivity.

Tools

You'll need a putty knife in order to open the case. A 1.5 inch thin putty knife will work well, but you'll want to grind the edge down. Rub the putty knife's short edge back and forth on a sheet of all purpose rough grit sandpaper (100 grit will work fine) until it attains a beveled edge.

Carefully insert a putty knife into the crevice in between the top cover and bottom housing. Start on the left side first. Push the blade down until you meet firm resistance (roughly 3/8 of an inch).
Gently enlarge the existing crevice by rotating the putty knife downward and away from the mini.
This is easier if you use two putty knives. Insert the first putty knife at the point on the left side where the gap is largest, press the handle of the knife downward and away from the mini.
Then insert the second knife next to it and push that knife down and out.
Take the first knife out of the mini and put it back in on the other side of the second knife, push down and out.
Repeat this process all the way around the mini.

Repeat the prying motion until a portion of the bottom housing has been nudged upward.

The top cover should now be marginally separated from the bottom housing. Use your fingers to completely separate the two, starting with the I/O side of the mini.

In the next few steps you will be removing the AirPort and Bluetooth antennas (shown in red) from the internal frame. Be very careful, as breaking the brackets will require replacing the internal frame.
We will first remove the AirPort antenna, located in the lower left corner of this picture.

Slightly squeeze the two retaining arms toward each other and lift the AirPort antenna off its post.
Squeezing the two posts excessively will surely break them off the internal frame. Work delicately.
During reinstallation, you will have to slightly squeeze the two posts together so they fit into the openings on the AirPort antenna board.

The two Bluetooth antenna boards simply lift off the internal frame.
Grab the Bluetooth antenna nearest the port side of the computer by the edges of the board and pull it straight up off the internal frame.
Pull carefully, as it may offer significant resistance and release suddenly.

Remove the antenna board near the front of the mini by pulling it straight up off the internal frame.
If necessary, remove the piece of tape securing the antenna leads to the internal frame.
Be sure to keep track of the springs under each of the three antenna boards.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the audio ribbon cable connector up off the audio board.

Remove the following four screws securing the internal frame to the bottom housing:
Three 6.7 mm Phillips #00 screws
One 9.5 mm Phillips #00 screw
The screw in the lower right corner of this image is recessed deep in the internal frame and longer than the other three screws. A flashlight and a thin screwdriver aid in removal.

Lift the internal frame off the bottom housing, starting at the rear edge, until you feel the concealed edge connector on the motherboard disconnect. Then lift straight off, minding the bluetooth and 802.11 antenna cables.
When reassembling, the wifi antenna wire routes to the inside of the vent and then over the top of the vent.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the three antenna connectors off the AirPort/Bluetooth combo card.
The black/blue antenna cable attaches to the AirPort card near the corner of the mini, and the white antenna cable attaches nearest the center of the mini.