Chosen Solution
iMac 12,2 A1312 EMS 2429 Hey guys, I’ve got a 2011 iMac. A few years ago I installed a SSD as the main drive and it’s been running great with 16GB or Crucial RAM. A few days ago it started with the beach ball while in Photos.app. I left it alone without force closing Photos and the next time I checked in (18+ hours) it was turned off and would not power on. No power. No fan noise, no back light on the screen nothing. So far I have:
- Reset the SMC
- Tried a different outlet
- Tried a different cord
- Unplugged all devices connected to it
- Pulled the RAM and installed Apple RAM
- Opened it up and examined for any gross problems, nothing noted
- Bought a new PSU and replaced it I examined the troubling shooting LED’s and the only that comes on is #1. Currently I have the LCD panel off (the only way to see the LED’s) and RAM out. The only time I can get it to do anything is if I hold the power button for 10 seconds while plugging the power cord in. Then I can get the fans to turn on full blast, but I still only get the #1 LED to light up. Is it the logic board? I don’t know what else it could be at this point. I sure hope it’s not, but after replacing the PSU I’ve lost all hope. Any ideas?
So I think I’ve got it figured out. We had a major power issue in our house. The neutral line coming into the house from the utility pole was broken, so our house was receiving power but it was not able to leave our house appropriately, so we were having all sorts of surges for the past few months. Are dryer is on the fritz and my iMac died. Then we started having internet issues, so our internet company came and started testing their lines. As the repair man disconnected the coax line we had a major power surge throughout the house. So as it turns out the cable line had be grounded outside out house to our electric meter. As soon as the tech disconnected his line at the splitter, where the line comes from the pole then to our house, he cut off the only way the electricity in the house was getting grounded. That caused a major surge spike in our house and fried a lot more electronics in my house. Ceiling fans, oven, A/C, can lights, surge protector, modem, etc… But lots of equipment had died in the last few months like my iMac and dryer, plus numerous light bulbs. I did take my iMac to Apple and they have come to the conclusion that the Logic Board is dead and needs to be replaced. As far as they can tell the PSU and GPU are still ok, but they recommend replacing the GPU anyways since this model year had a recall, even though my serial number wasn’t in the list.
All the #1 LED indicates is that there is trickle power to the PSU. The power supply is the first thing to replace. LED 1 - Indicates that the trickle voltage from the power supply is detected by the main logic board. This LED will remain ON while the iMac is connected to the AC power. The LED will remain on even when the computer has been shut down or put to sleep. The LED will turn off only if the AC power is disconnected or the power supply is faulty. LED 2 - Indicates that the main logic board has detected proper power from the power supply when the computer is turned on. This LED will be ON when the computer is turned on and the power supply is working correctly. LED 3 - Indicates that the computer and the video card are communicating. This LED will be ON when the computer is communicating properly with the video card. If LEDs 1 and 2 are ON and you heard the startup sound, but LED 3 is OFF, then the video card might be installed incorrectly or need replacement. LED 4 - Indicates that the computer and the LCD display panel are communicating. This LED will be ON when the computer is turned on and video signal is being generated. If the LED is ON and there is no image on the LCD display panel, the LCD display panel or inverter might be installed incorrectly or need replacement.
Try booting from a USB drive the SSD could be compromised
If you find anything insulting in a 100% technical discussion, then you are part of the problem. Again, if lights flicker, then a defect exists. Just because other houses also have that defect does not mean it is acceptable. When lights flicker, find and fix what is a defect. Most light flickering is traceable to bad workmanship; not a serious human safety problem. But it is still a defect that should not exist and should not be ignored. That is not condescending (an emotional response). That is you now learning from your mistake (a logical response). Lights changing intensity, in most cases, is not a human safety issue. In one case it was the obvious warning before a house exploded. In your case, flickering would have been severe, obvious, and completely unacceptable. Lesser intensity changes in other houses is also unacceptable. Others can also learn from your mistake. Did you inspect and fix that earth ground? If not, do you know what to look for? Changing light intensity was the symptom that reported a defect. Earth ground was another defect that could have averted so much damage. Two defects apparently existed. Were both investigated and corrected?
In each case when emergency services were called for, “Light bulbs reported a serious human safety issue months ago. Damage because a consumer ignored obvious. " In one case, an electric company borrowed Infrared goggles from the fire department. A TV cable inside the walls was glowing red. They had also ignored dimming lights that could have been solved without any 911 services had they ignored the naive who said, “Dimming is normal”. If a laser printer causes lights to dim, that is a defect often traceable to workmanship. Lights do not change intensity when wiring is done properly. A fact - not an emotion. Your symptoms imply a power controller inside the Mac sees its power button pressed and orders a PSU to power on. It sees a defective voltage. And immediately powers off that PSU. Thing such a RAM, SSD, and UPS are obviously irrelevant. That is also not insulting. That is also fact based upon what was posted.
