Replace iMac G3 speakers suffering from foam rot
The Apple iMac G3, aka the first generation iMac is well-known as the first computer that wasn’t a beige or black tower and was iconic thanks to the various bright colors it existed in. Something the 2021 iMac generation refers back to with its colorful line-up.
20 years after its release, the built-in speakers degrade. As speakers need to vibrate to produce sound, the material used to allow that vibration to happen while keeping the material in place is rubber in this case. Polymers, such as rubber degrade over time by becoming brittle or liquid.
To restore the speakers to working order, the easiest way is to replace them. The speakers inside the machine are a pair of 34mm 4Ω, 4W speakers. The speakers are used in various products and replacement parts are widely available online.
You start to disassemble the iMac by turning it on its top, taking off the VGA door and bottom housing. Before even removing the EMI-shield, we’re greeted by the speakers housing.
People often struggle removing the housing from the machine, suggesting to twist and pull the speaker housing away from the machine. However, I found it to be easiest to use a small screwdriver and push the little tab from the housing down to unhinge the speaker and slide it away from the machine.
Once out, we need to disconnect the plug from the machine to take it out.
With both speakers removed from the machine, we can now open up the individual pods.
I found the silicone holding the unit glued down to be giving away quite easily.
We don’t even need to use a soldering iron as the internal wire uses a tab wire-terminal, often used in automotive. This way, we can slide the wires off the speaker tabs and drop-in the replacement.
The closed-off unit held the new speaker in place without requiring to add any additional glue. I kept the existing silicone as dampening and screwed the units back shut. To reassemble the machine, the steps can be followed in reverse order.
