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Model A1312 / Mid 2011 / 2.7 & 3.1 GHz Core i5 or 3.4 GHz Core i7 Processor, ID iMac12,2

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Black Screen after HD replacement

I replaced the HD with a SSD. I now have no screen image or back lighting.

Here is where it gets intresting. I took it to Apple and they said it was the screen. They replaced the screen and the LCD cable and it did not work. They said next would be the logic board replacement but they were not sure. Apple just swamps out parts until they find the bad one. So this was just their best guess.

Here is some other info. External displays work. Fans are running at 100%. I installed a MC Fan Controller to slow them down and monitor them. The SSD and OSX are running fine.

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The fans and the display not working correctly may be two issues. Did you happen to keep the temperature sensor from the old HDD? If a sensor like that is missing, the usual effect is for the fans to run at full speed.

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Yes the temp sensor is on the SSD. It was not just the Hard Drive fan that was spooling flat out, all 3 were.

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Lets see if we can first identify what sensor is giving you trouble by running this app: Temperature Gauge Pro. Make sure you remove your MC Fan control application as it could conflict with Temperature Gauge. Post a screen shot for us to see.

I suspect your fan problem is due to the fact this model is the first to use Apples enhanced HD's. Here's a write up that helps explain things: Apple Further Restricts Upgrade Options on New iMacs. The good news here is OWC created a nice adapter cable which allows you to install other HD's or SSD's replacing your current Apple HD. Here's the needed cable: OWC In-line Digital Thermal Sensor for iMac 2011 Hard Drive Upgrade.

The other option here which is what I would recommend is to put the Apple HD back in and then using this dual drive kit you can add the SSD as a second drive mounting it just behind your optical drive. Here's the needed kit and the following IFIXIT guide to put it in: iMac Intel 27" Mid 2011 Dual Hard Drive Kit & Installing iMac Intel 27" EMC 2429 Dual Hard Drive Kit

iMac Intel 27" (Mid 2011) Dual Hard Drive Kit Image

Product

iMac Intel 27" (Mid 2011) Dual Hard Drive Kit

$27.99

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I have the OWC adapter on my SSD. It's also an OWC SSD.

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Can you post a screenshot of Temperature Gauge Pro so I can see whats up here.

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Your second issue with a black screen, let you have a working external monitor sounds like the backlight services is having a problem. Using a flashlight shining it at a sharp angle against the screen do you see a giant image of your desktop background & icons? If you do you know what we'll need to focus on here. Let us know what you see or don't see ;-}

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I have a similar problem. I replaced the HDD on a Late 2009 iMac with an SSD. I kept the circuit board off the old HDD and used it to connect the HDD temp sensor and thereby fool the logic circuits where it would not spool up the fans to top speed. Things worked fine until the backlight on the display stated to go out. I could still see the images on screen with a flashlight held close to the screen plus an outboard mirrored display worked fine. I could use keyboard strokes to put the system to sleep and the backlight would come back on when the system is awakened. If the display is run really bright, it fails more quickly than if run at a lower light setting. Any ideas?

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Take the HD logic board off! Get the needed thermal sensor OWC In-line Digital Thermal Sensor for iMac 2011 Hard Drive Upgrade Your logic board is likely shorting things out.

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kyle will be eternally grateful.
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