Slot-loading iMacs and stuck power buttons: Readers confirm the problem

We received numerous confirming reports of our item yesterday on the power button of slot-loading iMacs getting stuck. In fact, the bottom line of the messages we received is that, if anything, the problem is more prevalent and harder to fix than yesterday's item indicated. Here are the highlights: This is a known issue with all "slot loading" iMacs, and is known as the LED / Power Button issue. It is caused by a misalignment of the internal power button LED and the power button itself. The repair even has an Apple "part number" that is used to compensate the dealer for the repair, which is 011-0206. The fix for this is to straighten out the LED, and touch the edges of the power button itself, which solves this problem. We have seen this on all slot loading iMacs, and it has become a real problem with schools and 350 MHz slot loaders. [Name withheld by request] I have been called out on several service calls dealing with this issue. Primarily, as I see it, it is a problem with the "casting" or formation of the plastic housing that surrounds the power button on the inside of the case. The tolerance is much too close. Actually, Apple's instructions to me for a fix are to take an X-acto knife and whittle out the plastic surrounding the button! I kid you not. I have primarily been called out on the $999 slot-loading iMacs. I have yet to see a DV with the problem, and we have sold a ton of them. [Name withheld by request.] I am responsible for the care and feeding of over 800 Macs at 13 school buildings. We have purchased 140 slot loading iMacs and the power buttons on the front of the unit are "stinko." The buttons start to "hang" until, finally, they stick in the "off" position, effectively disabling the unit. I have seen this problem on all models of the slot loading iMacs. Apple's supposed "fix" does not permanently cure the problem. I have returned over a dozen units for warranty service and some machines are on their second trip to the shop. Our local Apple technician and I were talking it over, and it appears to us that the problem is threefold: 1) Yes, sometimes the LCD is off center; 2) Sometimes the sides of the button have rough edges from being molded; 3) the springs are too flimsy. [Earl Britt] 15 minutes to fix? They must have a quick take apart or I'm missing something here. The take apart requires taking the bottom housing, top rear housing, the front bezel, disconnecting the microphone wire, pulling the degauss cable, and divider panel. Not to mention the fact that there are numerous screws and screw tabs, and you should discharge the CRT. After all of that. then you can take your emory board or sandpaper to the button and/or hole, but this does not always help. I've run across a couple that the actual outer button on the bottom housing is the actual problem and the only effective solution is to replace said bottom housing! Lining up the LED is simple enough but it's poor design, when you have to practically take the entire computer apart to get to the button. [Nate Esteban] My iMac DV had the same problem but it went deeper. The motherboard had to be replaced (Apple did it free of charge). The person at the tech shop doing the repair said he was getting a lot of iMacs in with the same problem. I have since followed his instructions to not power up the machine with the power button on the front of the unit and use the keyboard power button only. [Elias Savada] A couple of readers reported random shutdowns of slot-loading iMacs that appear unrelated to the power button issue. Another hardware problem may yet be involved. Finally, one report suggests that Apple may have fixed the problem in its latest shipping units: Working in a shop that does a lot of stuff in the school system down here, I've seen this stuck button thing quite frequently. The LED is supposed to be the first thing to check, but that has never (and I mean never) been the root cause of the problem. The answer is to carve or shave some of the plastic from around the hole the button goes into. This is also part of the "official" fix from Apple. Very easy to fix. 15 minutes is about 10 minutes longer than it should take. My insight is that none of the iMacs that were delivered from Apple recently seem to have the problem. I checked on a batch that came to our office a couple of months back and the problem seems to be fixed. The iMacs that have the problem were all shipped to the school system at the end of last calendar year. [Jeff Preischel] Update: We have confirmation that Apple believes it has resolved the "LED alignment issue" in currently shipping iMacs. This source further confirms that Apple describes the symptoms of this problem as: 1) An inability to start up from either the front power button or the keyboard; 2) iMac will randomly shut itself off or put itself to sleep. Apple's repair instructions are consistent with what we have already posted here.