Upgraded my 2009 iMac with ssd drive

Question

Hello
I wanted to share my experience with upgrading my late 2009 iMac replacing the DVD drive with a 240GB SSD drive and upgrading the hard drive to a 3TB hard drive. Back a year ago I upgraded the factory 1TB with a seagate 2TB which was the main internal drive holding the osx. With needing more room I discovered the seagate 3TB also had the necessary heat sensor connector, so I knew that 3TB drive would work. Adding the 240GB SSD was a last minute decision. Plus, I seldom use the factory standard DVD drive and discovered that my LG brand USB dvd drive actually works when attached to the iMac. Operates just like the factory DVD drive.
So having done an upgrade before on this machine, I was not too concerned, but have to add that all did not go well this time.
Alter removing the screen and all the screws, then while carefully unplugging all the wires attached to the monitor, that one plug labeled LCD TEMP, that tiny little plug, broke at the circuit board. I was not using too much pressure and suspect the stress on these delicate connections had reached the limit. Both from the previous upgrade, and now another. The plug was simply stressed and ready to give way.
Maybe this plug was defective, I don't know, but the snap-in plug pulled the top of the black plastic circuit board connector off, exposing the two copper connector prongs. Not only that, but the two copper prongs that were now exposed were curled upward. Making re-attachment of the plug near impossible. So I figured maybe i could re-attach the tiny LCD TEMP plug back onto the exposed prongs and then electrical tape over to hold in-place. But first I had to somehow get the curl out of the two copper connector prongs for the plug to connect.
Well, while using a small screw driver to try to flatten out the curled copper prongs, one copper prong exceeded its stress level and broke off. Could not take the stress of being bent and messed with. Everything inside these machines are extremely delicate, as everyone knows only too well that has ever opened up their imac.
And now, a broken LCD TEMP circuit board connector. What to do, what to do?
Kill two birds with one stone.....
But first I wondered if this LCD TEMP sensor would keep the system from operating, so I put the machine back together, half way together, and powered it up.
The machine came to life, however, the CPU fan was running crazy fast 3800 and noisy as ****.
Googling this, I came across another person that had the same LCD TEMP cable break, and saying their CPU fan went crazy in the same way.
So I realized somehow the system needed this LCD TEMP connector, connected.
What to do, what to do?
I ran over to radio shack and bought the lowest wattage soldering iron they sold.
Now, this killing two birds with one stone part...
I had to somehow solder two new wires onto the spot where this LCD TEMP board connector attached to the circut board.
No easy task since there was only a hair-lines space between the two circuit board connectors. I had to somehow achieve the impossible.
And while at it, killing off the second bird, I could replace this LCD TEMP wire itself with new much longer wire set, making this disassemble - reassemble thing much easier.
Well I pulled it off.
I was able to solder two new wires to the spots on the circuit board where this LCD TEMP connector sits.
Without bleeding solder onto the partner connector just a hairs-line spaced between.
Then I patched in this new and longer pair of wires from the circuit board LCD TEMP to the monitor LCD TEMP sensor.
And finally, replaced the DVD drive with the new 240GB SSD drive, slapped the machine back together half way just enough to power it up, cloned the osx hard drive to the SSD drive, "option-restart" the machine and booted from the new SSD drive, everything working as it should.
I even dismounted the orginal internal hard drive holding the osx, and ran the system to ensure everything worked, which it did.
Next, tore the iMac back down, replaced the 2TB hard drive with a new 3TB hard drive, and for a final time slapped the system back together.
Everything is operating perfect,
Naturally, had to format the new 3TB hard drive, and will move all my iTunes media back to that new drive I had temporally stored on an external USB drive.
Fans are all running at normal speeds.
System is once again silent when running.
And this is the last and final time I will ever upgrade this particular machine sober.
Just some advice, this is some of the unforeseen mishaps that can occur when upgrading any iMac.
And this could have ended in disaster.
Luckily however, I had just enough luck and experience to get thru the hurdles, now I have a better, bigger, faster iMac.
Like they say, this self upgrading is not for the faint of heart.
For awhile I seen myself listing this on eBay as a dead 27" late 2009 iMac for sale for parts.
Not the case, well at least not the case this time....

Answer 1

Congratulations on not panicing and stating it like it is. Clearly upgrading the internals of an iMac is not for the faint of heart, I plan on keeping your post if for no other reason to show others why a do-it-yourself on an iMac is a pretty foolish thing to undertake.