Forums | MacLife

Wow. I guess Apple didn't want anyone to open these http://www.kodawarisan.com/imacg5_isight/imacg501i.html heres how to do it but there isn't any words.... I guess I won't be opening it up.

rufio wrote:

There's a special high-powered magnet designed to open the iMac G5 and white Intel iMacs. It isn't completely impossible to open one without it, but it's very very difficult. The magnets are very expensive and are such a special item that they are hard to transport and not safe to be air shipped.

How is this special magnet used? Where on the case is it brought? Any pictures?

I have a collection of rare earth magnets. Maybe I could use one of those.

Thanks.

rufio wrote:

There's a special high-powered magnet designed to open the iMac G5 and white Intel iMacs. It isn't completely impossible to open one without it, but it's very very difficult. The magnets are very expensive and are such a special item that they are hard to transport and not safe to be air shipped.

I could be wrong, but I thought all it took to open an iSight iMac was a credit card to slip into the slits in the back and push up on some tabs. I know thats how I took apart an intel imac with an isight. I didn't think it'd changed. But perhaps it did.

Lol... a special magnet to open a computer. Not.

You remove all screws on the bottom and lift the face upwards being careful of the iSight cam.

D'Eyncourt wrote:

dvpierce wrote:

Check your sarcasmotron.

Magnets and computers don't mix.

The aluminum iMacs do have magnets holding the protective glass in place. Check out this disassembly to replace the hard drive.

Sure, and the latches in macbooks are magnetic, iirc.

Perhaps I should have said, "rare earth magnets and computer?"

dvpierce wrote:

Check your sarcasmotron.

Magnets and computers don't mix.

Didn't seem that far-fetched to me. It could be a very elegant way to open the case. Magnets seem to be used in various places, as prior posters noted. Even to hold the power cord on the MacBooks. In the old days (read: CRTs), magnets could damage the display, but a magnetically-operated latch seemed reasonable to me. Seemed a bit overblown that it couldn't be mailed. Guess I swallowed it hook, line, & sinker.

When my friend installed my 750gb HD on my iMac 17" with iSight, all he used was a screwdriver. Then again i was pretty drunk after beer pong.

On the 20" iMac with iSight, you at least need a Torx and #1 Phillips. I think that's all you need to get access to the inside. Once I got inside, I decided not to tear components out. I took some pictures, but I don't know how to post them here. Someone can tell me the best way in a private message, perhaps.

dhack21 wrote:

iMan wrote:

dhack21 wrote:

Lol... a special magnet to open a computer. Not.

You remove all screws on the bottom and lift the face upwards being careful of the iSight cam.

Really? When I pulled up nothing happened. I though only the older iMacs could be opened like that, due to the no iSight.

When my friend installed my 750gb HD on my iMac 17" with iSight, all he used was a screwdriver. Then again i was pretty drunk after beer pong.

Oh well. It will be replaced with either a base mbp or a black mb sometime this summer.