Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

11

Time Required

Suggest a time??

Sections

3

  • Lower Case
  • 4 steps
  • AirPort Card
  • 3 steps
  • Power Supply
  • 4 steps

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Lower Case
  • Flip the Apple TV over so that the bottom of the unit is facing up.
  • You need to remove the rubber base to get access to the screws.
  • Starting at one side of the device, use a hairdryer or a heat gun to soften the adhesive holding the rubber base in place.
  • The rubber base will be hot after heating, take extreme caution while proceeding to avoid personal injury.
  • While the adhesive is still warm, peel the bottom of the rubber base upwards to detach it from the metal plate.
  • The rubber base can tear if the adhesive hasn’t been softened enough.
  • Repeat the procedure described above until the rubber base has been completely removed.

Flip the Apple TV over so that the bottom of the unit is facing up.

You need to remove the rubber base to get access to the screws.

Starting at one side of the device, use a hairdryer or a heat gun to soften the adhesive holding the rubber base in place.

The rubber base will be hot after heating, take extreme caution while proceeding to avoid personal injury.

While the adhesive is still warm, peel the bottom of the rubber base upwards to detach it from the metal plate.

The rubber base can tear if the adhesive hasn’t been softened enough.

Repeat the procedure described above until the rubber base has been completely removed.

1024

Step 2

  • Remove the four T10 Torx screws that secure the lower case to the upper case.

Remove the four T10 Torx screws that secure the lower case to the upper case.

Step 3

  • Carefully lift the lower case from the upper case enough to allow access to the internals of the Apple TV.
  • Be aware that the hard drive is physically attached to the lower case and that a ribbon cable runs from the drive to the logic board in the upper case.

Carefully lift the lower case from the upper case enough to allow access to the internals of the Apple TV.

Be aware that the hard drive is physically attached to the lower case and that a ribbon cable runs from the drive to the logic board in the upper case.

Step 4

  • Carefully pull the hard drive data cable straight up from its socket on the logic board.
  • During reassembly, make sure the hard drive data cable is firmly seated in its socket on the logic board; otherwise, during boot-up you will see a flashing question mark “?”.

Carefully pull the hard drive data cable straight up from its socket on the logic board.

During reassembly, make sure the hard drive data cable is firmly seated in its socket on the logic board; otherwise, during boot-up you will see a flashing question mark “?”.

Step 5

              AirPort Card
  • Pry the AirPort antenna cables straight up from their sockets on the logic board.

Pry the AirPort antenna cables straight up from their sockets on the logic board.

Step 6

  • Remove the single T8 Torx screw securing the AirPort card to the logic board.

Remove the single T8 Torx screw securing the AirPort card to the logic board.

Step 7

  • Cautiously lift the AirPort card and pull it straight away. Slide it from its socket on the logic board.

Cautiously lift the AirPort card and pull it straight away. Slide it from its socket on the logic board.

Step 8

              Power Supply
  • Disconnect the power cable straight up from its socket on the logic board.
  • There is a release tab that must be pushed inwards in conjunction with pulling to release the power cable
  • Make sure to pull the connector straight up from its socket and not toward the face of the logic board.

Disconnect the power cable straight up from its socket on the logic board.

There is a release tab that must be pushed inwards in conjunction with pulling to release the power cable

Make sure to pull the connector straight up from its socket and not toward the face of the logic board.

Step 9

  • Remove the following three screws securing the power supply to the upper case:
  • One 4.8 mm T8 Torx screw
  • Two 5.8 mm T8 Torx screws

Remove the following three screws securing the power supply to the upper case:

One 4.8 mm T8 Torx screw

Two 5.8 mm T8 Torx screws

Step 10

  • Use your finger to push and dislodge the AC power connector inwards, towards the power supply.
  • This should pop out easily.

Use your finger to push and dislodge the AC power connector inwards, towards the power supply.

This should pop out easily.

Step 11

  • Power supply remains.

Power supply remains.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                    Celerityblur

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                       Cal Poly, Team 18-5, Maness Fall 2009                        

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                                            6 Guides authored

tandrewak - Oct 4, 2015

Reply

A couple of quick notes:

  1. In Step 3, you lift the cover first from the opposite end shown.

  2. Before assuming the problem is the power supply, try replacing the CR2032 3V lithium battery found in the photo for Step 6. If the battery has died, it can cause the unit not to power up. Replacing it is easier and cheaper than a new power supply. :-)

LesKangas - Apr 11, 2016

I think my battery is dead and your note says step 6 shows the battery. I don’t see it?

Sergey Troshin - Oct 6, 2015

Reply

Good advice, that is the easiest thing to check in the process described.

Nevertheless, I’m afraid it was not my case since I had checked the power supply with the tester and it had given no signs of life. Thanks for sharing your experience!

nessdufrat - Nov 23, 2017

Reply

Thanks for the guide. Once you open the device it’s kind of self explanatory but I was glad to find this tutorial to know that the replacement was possible. In my case, my power board was fried (and I mean, fried. The fuse blew in the house with an awful smell coming from the ATV. When I opened it the inside of the power board was a black mess). I didn’t see the link with the airport card but I guess this was steps for another tutorial.

David - Dec 2, 2017

Reply

My problem with my apple tv first generation is that it will not power up. When I do, an amber I get am amber light that blinks a couple of times and then shuts down. If I wait a couple of minutes and power it up again, the same thing happens. Is this an indication that the power supply needs to be replace or could it be something else?