Mac Mini i5 HDD black plastic wrap

[jetcat]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone would know where I can get a new black plastic wrapper that Apple put around the hard drive in an i5 Mac mini.
Mine looks tatty and torn after swapping out the hard drive a few times.
Thanks in advance.

 

[maflynn]

A quick search on google came up with this.

http://www.amazon.com/Antistatic-Bags-Resealable-6X10-Pack/dp/B000BSN274

 

[jetcat]

No, that's not it I'm afraid. What I mean is if you see the original HDD inside an i5 Mac mini, and perhaps many other models, they've stuck on a black plastic sheet so it looks nice cosmetically. I think also to make everything look black under the wifi grate when you open it up.

A quick search on google came up with this.

http://www.amazon.com/Antistatic-Bags-Resealable-6X10-Pack/dp/B000BSN274

 

[maflynn]

I'm not sure what you mean, can you take a picture and attach it to a post.

 

[jetcat]

This is just a stock photo but you can see how the hard drive has a sheet of black plastic covering it. The thing is, I can't just use any black sheet as the OEM one is perfectly cut to size and has adhesive on the edges.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/07/mac-mini-mid-2011-teardown.jpg

I'm not sure what you mean, can you take a picture and attach it to a post.

 

[paulrbeers]

This is just a stock photo but you can see how the hard drive has a sheet of black plastic covering it. The thing is, I can't just use any black sheet as the OEM one is perfectly cut to size and has adhesive on the edges.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/07/mac-mini-mid-2011-teardown.jpg

I've never reused it. None of my Mini's have it on there anymore. Just FYI.

 

[scottsjack]

Both of my 2012 minis came with their HDDs mounted in the lower bay and covered with that fragile, black plastic cover. I thought it might have something to do with shielding since the HDD sits next to an antenna.

As I recall my 2008 MBP had a similar cover over its HDD which was noticeable when the battery cover was removed. My 2012 MBP has the HDD mounted in the exact same place as the 2008's but without the plastic cover. Since the entire back cover of the 2012 has to be removed in order to see it I concluded that the cover is just for looks.

It would be nice to find a source of new ones before selling a mini.

 

[oneMadRssn]

I thought that this covering was more a physical protection / barrier. So someone poking around to change the RAM wouldn't accidentally harm the hard drive if their screw driver slipped and stabbed the hard drive, or something. I removed it when changing around my drives, and I have not noticed any negative consequences.

 

[AppleNewton]

Its not an individually sold item, it come part of the replacement drive kit for the lower bay. you can get any EMI shielding to cover it, its general purpose is to limit potentially interference from the drive mechanics and the antennas.

you'll may just have to custom fit one to the drive, or scrounge eBay for pulled mac mini drives.

 

[westrock2000]

Have you considered putting a black SSD over it? 😎

Data Doubler kit plus Fusion drive is AWSOME!

 

[hfg]

I suspect the purpose of the black shield is simply to cover the exposed contacts on the hard disk controller board. This assures that there is no possibility of a short to the perforated metal shield it mounts to if the shield is accidentally deformed or something metallic pokes through a hole and contacts the disk drive electronics, shorting to the shield which is probably grounded. Some heavy packing tape, or thin mylar sheeting would probably suffice as a replacement ... or mount your sealed SSD in the lower bay.