MacPro: Airport wire broken!

[vinylator]

Today, I installed another harddrive, but in the process, i broke the airport antenna cable. I can still connect to my wireless network, but only when I leave the case open. Can I buy such a cable, so I can repair it myself? Is the other end of that cable soldered? I hope not. And does anyone know a link to a 'MacPro airport take apart' site?

tia!

http://dajo.be/random/airportcable01.jpg

http://dajo.be/random/airportcable02.jpg

[SuperCompu2]

If you move the Auxilliary (AUX) wire over to the primary connection I think you should get most of your reception back without much hassle. I know PowerMac and Mac Pro AP wires are strung throughout the entirety of the case, so replacing one would probably be a pretty extensive process. Hopefully switching the connectors on the card will suffice for now.

Good Luck.

[vinylator]

That AUX wire, thats the one that is unused with that little plastic tube over it (also visible in the pics)? If so, what's it originally intended for?

[yippy]

It looks like you might be able to strip both of those wire ends and twist them together. I would give that a try as well.

[SuperCompu2]

No no, the AUX wire should be the second one attached to the AP card, just move it to the slot where the other one had been. I want to say that other wire is probably Bluetooth, so I wouldnt touch that one.

Good luck

[xUKHCx]

Can't see clearly from the picture but would twisting the wire together work or is it like a coaxial wire. Then just use something to insulate the connection.

[Bill Gates]

It looks like you might be able to strip both of those wire ends and twist them together. I would give that a try as well.
I second this. You could also crimp the ends together, but I would try twisting them together and insulating it with electrical tape first.

[vinylator]

No no, the AUX wire should be the second one attached to the AP card, just move it to the slot where the other one had been. I want to say that other wire is probably Bluetooth, so I wouldnt touch that one.

Good luck

Thx for clarification, but what does that other cable plugged into the Ap do?

I second this. You could also crimp the ends together, but I would try twisting them together and insulating it with electrical tape first.

I'll give that a try. It's not gonna be easy, that really is a tiny space, with tiny wires...

[Keebler]

Hey vinylator,

best of luck fixing it.

i'm about to buy a mac pro....can you tell me how you did this so i don't repeat it? which bay were you installing?

Cheers,
keebler

[vinylator]

Hey vinylator,

best of luck fixing it.

i'm about to buy a mac pro....can you tell me how you did this so i don't repeat it? which bay were you installing?

Cheers,
keebler

How I did this? Just slide the HD in Bay 2, that's all I did. The airport card is just underneath.

[xUKHCx]

Did you manage to fix the wire?

[SuperCompu2]

Thx for clarification, but what does that other cable plugged into the Ap do?

it acts as a backup antenna in low signal areas. If the primary antenna doesnt pick up any signal, the card will then try the AUX wire to see if that has any signal. By moving the AUX to the primary spot, you should regain some signal, in theory.

twisting or crimping should produce good results as well, but I'd still look around to see if you can find a replacement.

Good luck

[Tonewheel]

Reopening the discussion, as I have a similar problem.

A few weeks ago I rerouted my airport/bluetooth wiring to fix the famous BT reception problem (which worked, btw). Yesterday, I was conducting my bi-annual cleaning/dusting of my Mac Pro. When I pulled out the front fan assembly, the bluetooth wire got bound up and pulled clean off of the gold connector, which stayed on the bluetooth card. I removed the connector and examined it and the wire end. The wire, to my surprise, is coaxial, and it came out cleanly from the connector with absolutely no damage. In fact, it looks ready to be inserted into a new connector. The connector itself cannot be reused as it has already been crimped, obviously.

So, does anyone know if these little gold connectors can be purchased somewhere. I've looked online at various computer stores (Micro City, etc.) and cannot find them. Or, do I need to completely replace and rerun the wire through the Mac Pro. I would hate to do that, as it would require significant disassembly.

Help! ...and thanks.

[Tonewheel]

Been months...but can anyone shed any light on my previous question about these teeny gold coax connectors? Thanks!