OT: Carefully Extracting Pins from a TINY Molex Connector

whoamonga

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OT: Carefully Extracting Pins from a TINY Molex Connector

Okay, i'm doing an intricate LCD Displpay swap on a Powerbook G4 for a friend of mine.

Got the replacement panel in and....whomp whomp... what used to be a 4-pin connector, was now a 6-pin connector!!!

I'm going to try and do without the extra 2 pins, and just use the 4 that were there before. They are the same colors, and in the same position, so it's worth a shot.

So the question is... how do i make a 6-pin connector, 4 pins...

I thought about splicing the wires, but they're awfully tiny. So i thought about removing the pins from the molex, and inserting them into the 4-slot molex. Only problem with this is, I've never done it before and don't have an extractor...

So does anybody have any advice on how to get these tiny pins outta this connector so I can replace them in another one. Other than the number of slots, the connectors are identical...

Thanks tremendously in advance!

Here's a pic of the tiny molex: http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk259/whoamonga/misc repairs/molex003.jpg
 
Should work just the same as any other connector like that. Use a tiny little instument like a straight pin to push in on the tab that you can see from the side of the connector, and gently pull the wire out. Once you've got the pin out, carefully unbend the tab so it'll latch in the next time it's inserted.

On larger connectors, a paper clip is an ideal tool - but here I'd use a pin or something similarly thin and pointed.

-Ian
 
Dental picks work good. I have some that are very sharp and pointed, and work good for removing pins and sockets from connectors.
 
Dental picks work good. I have some that are very sharp and pointed, and work good for removing pins and sockets from connectors.

Jewelers screwdrivers work fairly well once you get the hang of them. Being flat they can slide the little flap on the side of the connector closed and they will pop right out.

ken
 
i ended up using a straight pin to pop 'em out. it worked flawlessly! the connectors have been swapped.

it turns out those wires go to a set of tiny speakers in the powerbook. they're connected correctly now, and i'm insanely excited about the fact that i know where they go, and that they don't go to anything important!!! I was really worried it'd go to the backlight or something, and i'd screw it up somehow...

now i can continue to put this thing together and hesitently turn the power on and hope i hear that apple chime!!!!! cross your fingers folks.
 
Nice job. I have put new backlights in and it always feels good when it goes from non-working to working.
 
Nice job. I have put new backlights in and it always feels good when it goes from non-working to working.

The 15.4 LCD's you can get for $65 NEW.... So I have been replacing alot lately. But mostly non macs.

Use to be a throw away, since the screens were $280+ labor = new PC at $480 or so, since the laptops were usually a few years old anyway, and usually dropped, so the hard drive is probubly going to go or is gone.

The only major difference is when you will get a WUXGA or WSXGA+... the connections are diifferent. most laptops are WSXGA or Wide XGA+...

I upgraded my laptop to WUXGA, that just included buying a new cable too, as they were an option I missed when I bought mine.

-Mike
 
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