The Two 17" iMac Necks

*NOTE: The Inverter Charts have been updated.  As I noted earlier, a reader noted flickering of the backlights with 12V connected to the RED line and it stabilized when connected to 5V.  I initially thought there was some inverter variation but after another confirmation from a reader I checked my old notes and had clearly written "Red - 5V".  I made a mistake when putting together the Inverter diagram for the blog.  Thank you to my readers and my apologies for any inconvenience.  Please note the charts have been corrected to reflect that RED is connected directly to 5V for both 17" iMac necks.

So I have fairly intact versions of both of the 17" necks and they are VERY EASY to tell apart - even if you don't know which 17" iMac the neck originally came from.  They are also VERY DIFFERENT - so know which one you are using before proceeding.  These are the only two part numbers for 17" necks I have been able to find.  Other variations or small differences may exist, I can not be certain.  Remember, you always have the option of opening up the monitor and looking at the JAE connector.  Because they all use the same LCD, the pin number/position will always be the same.  I will focus on the differences.
My previous post/17" pinout detailed what I will call:


NECK A: This is part #661-2825 and is the for the 1ghz and 1.25ghz 17" iMac G4.

 Here is a picture of the JAE connector.  Notice that the pins are glued onto a black board which is then encased in a silver connector with prominent push clasps on the sides.

 Here is the inverter - LCD side.  Notice the colors from left to right (Blue, Black, Red, Green, Purple, ORANGE)

 Bottom of the inverter again you can see the presence of an ORANGE wire

 The bottom of the video cable that plugs into the motherboard had this number on it (620-2305).  I don't know if this is universal across all of these necks, but I wanted to point it out).

DVI pinout A - 1 or 1.25ghz iMac neck

Inverter Pinout A: 1 or 1.25ghz Neck

So here again is the DVI and Inverter pinouts for Neck A recognizable by:
1) Part #661-2825
2) Comes from a 1 or 1.25ghz 17" iMac G4
3) Has a black/silver JAE 30 pin connector to LCD
4) Has an Orange Wire in the inverter cable
5)??Has the number 620-2305 on the motherboard side of the video cable

NECK B: This is part #661-2716 and is the for the 800mhz 17" iMac G4.

I have peeled back the aluminum foil, but you can see that the JAE connector that connects to the LCD is one where the pins snap into a beige connector and there are no clasps on the side.

Here is the inverter (LCD side).  Notice the colors from left to right (Blue, Black, Red, Green, Purple, OFF-WHITE) 

 The bottom of the inverter (removed from connector) again shows the OFF-WHITE colored wire [NOT ORANGE].  There is also a number on the motherboard side of the video cable.  Again, I'm not sure how specific this is.  (620-2122).

So here is the new TMDS to DVI and Inverter pinouts for Neck B recognizable by:

1) Part #661-2716
2) Comes from a 800mhz 17" iMac G4
3) Has a beige JAE 30 pin connector to LCD
4) Has an Off-White Wire in the inverter cable
5)??Has the number 620-2122 on the motherboard side of the video cable

DVI pinout B - 800mhz iMac neck

Inverter pinout B: 800mhz neck

*** I have come across a neck that has the LCD cable of a 800mhz iMac, however, its inverter cable has an orange wire.  As I obtained this second hand, this could have been the result of a repair and may not be standard.  As both are left floating, it doesn't matter for the inverter, however, I can now have doubts if this can be used to differentiate the two necks.  Luckily, there are other differences.

Conclusion:
There are so many differences, there is a Brown cable in one, an Orange in the other.  The order of the rest of the wires is completely different.  Even the Clock/Data cables are reversed White/Black.  While I myself have set up Neck A, a reader of my blog has gotten it working with neck B.  Obviously the color of the wires really doesn't matter its what pin they connect to thats important.  As there may be a slight difference in what I call "blue vs. purple" etc.  Here is a close up of the 2 JAE connectors and the order of their wires (pin 1 position is on the left to pin 30 on the right).

NECK A: 1 or 1.25ghz 17" iMac

I'm excited to see some of the projects people come up with - I also like confirmation that things are written clearly and are correct.  So comments are appreciated - thanks.  Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.

17" TMDS-DVI Neck Variation

There are indeed two different types of 17" iMac G4 necks and the wire color does vary between them.

1) Part # 661-2716.  This neck comes from the 800mhz 17" iMac

2) Part # 661-2825.  This neck comes from the 1Ghz and 1.25Ghz 17" iMac

I believe that thee are the only two variations that exist, as I have not been able to find any different part numbers for iMac 17" necks, though I can not be certain.

I am fairly certain that my neck came from a 1.25Ghz machine, so those modifying a 1 or 1.25Ghz iMac should be able to use the pinout I have posted.  However, those modifying an 800mhz will have different colored wires.

As of right now, I would still recommend opening up the monitor and looking at the JAE connector and following PIN NUMBER instead of WIRE COLOR.  As the LCD panels are the same the pin number will always be correct.

I am trying to obtain a completely intact version of each of these necks to detail the differences and will post the differences when I do.  Several people have gotten this working, while others seem to be having some trouble.  I will try to go through this step by step and post detailed instructions of how t connect this.  I will also try to do it using a spliced DVI cable as most people seem to be going this route.

I am also working on the step by step for the cinema display 20" mod for those interested in doing that