Introduction
No wireless internet signal? Replace the antenna.
Tools
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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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Grasp the Airport antenna board and lift it off of the two plastic posts holding it in place. You may need to push back the black plastic tab jutting through the lower left corner of the board.
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Remove the three black Phillips screws securing the plastic framework to the logic board and lower case.
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Grasp the optical drive and mass storage unit in one hand and lift up enough so that you can see beneath it.
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With your free hand, pull the Bluetooth cable up from Bluetooth board and unplug the Airport antenna cable from the right of the Airport card. Caution: both of these connections are very small. When re-assembling unit after repair, you may want to remove the two screws holding the airport card to the assembly and lift the card up and out to re-attach the cables.
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Remove the yellow tape securing the Airport antenna cable to the black plastic framework.
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Deroute the Airport antenna cable.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
A spackle knife makes these steps go much faster.
jouniseppanen -
A double sided letter opener or a thin non-serrated butter knife will suffice.
To prenent cosmetic blemishes, place a matchbook cover or similar thin cardboard on the outer perimeter under the “jimmy”.
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