Chosen Solution

I went to replace the hard drive in a Mac Mini Mid 2011. When I used a spudger to pry loose the fan connector from the logic board, I think the connector sheared away from the logic board, which is a bummer. I went ahead and made the replacement of the hard drive. When I went to re-install the fan, since the connector wouldn’t simply attach, I have tried taping it in place with electrical tape. Wishful thinking, I know. I started it up with the cover off, and the fan isn’t moving, so I’m pretty sure the fan isn’t getting power. Questions.

Is there any other remedy other than replacing the logic board? Is this connector super delicate,? Other connectors I have been able to disconnect. Would a closeup photo help trouble shoot this? Thanks in advance for any advice. Update (01/31/2016) Here is a photo

https://www.dropbox.com/s/62r2aginh5rudf…

In theory, you can solder a new connector on, which would require micro soldering skils. The bad news is, looking at the picture, the pads on the board were torn off. This means you don’t have anything to solder the new connector to, without running jumper wires to reconnect those pads.

Yes, including photos always help paint a better picture of your problem. My understanding is that you will likely have to replace the entire logic board based on the damage. The fan kicks in only when the CPU is under load, so make sure that it is hot before you consider it damaged. Also, the connector in Mac Mini’s are very fragile, so take care when handling and removing components. Hope I answered all your questions!

Sadly its either time for a new logic board or you’ll need to find someone with the needed skills to graft back on the fan. They will need to trace back to pads that can used instead of the missing pads.

You need to have some solder pads replaced and we have a member her at ifixit that’s more than capable of doing this . You can contact her through her user id @jessabethany . She has a mail in business. ship your board to her and she can probably help you out there’s a email on her page you can use to contact her

Hello, I have exactly the same issue this week. I’d like to plug the fan on a 12V power supply. With this solution the fan will be always ON but my MacMini will survive. Without fan I think it’ll dye as I’m watching HD movies on it. Can someone help me to find the pinout of the fan ? Wich pin is Ground, PWM, Positive, etc. ??? Thank you for your help