Mac Mini 2014 hdd connector/molex

[skinniezinho]

Hello all,
I was changing my HDD for a SSD on my late 2014 mac mini.
The connector/molex get out, and when trying to put it again one of the "pins" got damaged.
I have a person that can solder a new one, but we can't find it...
Does anyone know the specs or name of this connector? I can only find fan/ir connector.

Thank you by now

 

[diego.caraballo]

Hello all,
I was changing my HDD for a SSD on my late 2014 mac mini.
The connector/molex get out, and when trying to put it again one of the "pins" got damaged.
I have a person that can solder a new one, but we can't find it...
Does anyone know the specs or name of this connector? I can only find fan/ir connector.

Thank you by now

Hi there and Happy New Year!

What I'm seeing in your picture is the IR sensor connector damaged. Not the hard disk connector.
If what you need is the part marked in red here:

You can found it on eBay:

INFRARED IR BOARD MOLEX CONNECTOR 5-Pin - Mac mini A1347 2010,2011,2012,2014 | eBay

Mac mini Unibody A1347. Connects the logic board to the IR board cable on Mac mini. 1 - Wire-to-Board Connector (5 Pin). Connects the logic board to the battery indicator board cable on MacBook. Vertical wire-to-board connector with side friction locks and 5 circuits.

www.ebay.com

Is not critical for the correct working of the Mini. You will lose IR functionality and the power ON LED (If I recall correctly) if you don't plug it in back. However you must carefully remove the bended gold pin still on the board to avoid logical board damage.

 

[Jdanham]

Hi there and Happy New Year!

What I'm seeing in your picture is the IR sensor connector damaged. Not the hard disk connector.
If what you need is the part marked in red here:

View attachment 1939289

You can found it on eBay:

INFRARED IR BOARD MOLEX CONNECTOR 5-Pin - Mac mini A1347 2010,2011,2012,2014 | eBay

Mac mini Unibody A1347. Connects the logic board to the IR board cable on Mac mini. 1 - Wire-to-Board Connector (5 Pin). Connects the logic board to the battery indicator board cable on MacBook. Vertical wire-to-board connector with side friction locks and 5 circuits.

www.ebay.com

Is not critical for the correct working of the Mini. You will lose IR functionality and the power ON LED (If I recall correctly) if you don't plug it in back. However you must carefully remove the bended gold pin still on the board to avoid logical board damage.

I am going to ask a dumb question here but my situation is a little different. I am OK if I lose the IR functionality, this was all in aid of upgrading the 5400 RPM mechanical drive with an SSD. I accidentally pulled the logic board out too fast (while this was connected to it!), and basically the connector is still attached but the bare wires are all pulled out and exposed. Can I just tape them up or do I need to do something else in this context? Thanks!

 

[diego.caraballo]

I am going to ask a dumb question here but my situation is a little different. I am OK if I lose the IR functionality, this was all in aid of upgrading the 5400 RPM mechanical drive with an SSD. I accidentally pulled the logic board out too fast (while this was connected to it!), and basically the connector is still attached but the bare wires are all pulled out and exposed. Can I just tape them up or do I need to do something else in this context? Thanks!

Hi there!
The cables are scrambled right now and it would be risky to put them back on the connector without being sure about the correct order.
So I will recommend to put tape on each end of the individual cables, and when you are sure that all metallic parts are covered, tape them together.

 

[Jdanham]

Hi there!
The cables are scrambled right now and it would be risky to put them back on the connector without being sure about the correct order.
So I will recommend to put tape on each end of the individual cables, and when you are sure that all metallic parts are covered, tape them together.

Ok that was exactly what I was thinking of doing; nothing more dangerous than loose bare wires! Thank you!!

 

[Jdanham]

Just to tie off the loose end to this post, here is how it ended up looking, and so far, the system has had no issues with the new SSD, and I am extremely pleased with the speed of things now: 20 second boot times vs several minutes!

Thanks again!!

 

[Heynonny]

I broke only the left hand pin. I removed the rubble & plugged back in with only the four remaining making contact. So far the only thing I've noticed is no power light. Anybody know if that's going to be the only impact?