After Hours

Apple TV 2nd Generation (2010) Teardown

By // October 4, 2010, 3:49 AM PST // billdetwiler

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  • Cracking Open the Apple TV 2nd Generation

    In September 2010, Apple released the 2nd generation Apple TV. The new device is significantly smaller than the 1st generation Apple TV (released in 2007) and is focused on streaming media rather than downloading and storing it.

    To disassemble the 2nd generation Apple TV you'll need a screwdriver with Phillips #1 and Torx T6 bits and a thin metal blade or plastic spudger.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple TV box

    The 2nd generation Apple TV costs $99 (US). It lets you rent movies and TV shows from iTunes and stream them to your television. The device can also stream music and videos from your PC or Mac running iTunes. It supports Netflix streaming and can be controlled with either a remote control (included) or via an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch--using Apple's free Remote app.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Back of the box

    Unlike the 1st generation Apple TV, this device is focused exclusively on streaming media from either the Internet or from a local machine running iTunes. As such, it lacks an internal hard drive.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • In the box

    The 2nd generation Apple TV is significantly smaller then its predecessor. It measures 0.9 inches high, 3.9 inches wide, and 3.9 inches deep. It weighs 0.6 pounds.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple Remote in the box

    The aluminum Apple Remote sits under the Apple TV.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Power cable and documentation

    The power cable and documentation sit under the remote.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Box contents

    In the box, you'll find the Apple TV, Apple Remote, power cable, and documentation.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple Remote - Front

    The Apple TV remote has the familiar Apple navigation buttons along with Menu and Play/Pause buttons.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple Remote - Back

    The Apple Remote's battery compartment is easily accessible. To remove the battery cover, twist it counterclockwise.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple Remote - Battery

    This Apple Remote came with a Panasonic CR 2032 3V battery.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple Remote - Battery Compartment

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple TV - Top

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple TV - Bottom

    The 2nd generation Apple TV has a model number of A1378.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple TV - Front

    There is not much to see on the front of the 2nd generation Apple TV. When powered on, the unit's LED status light is visible from the front. The unit's IR receiver is also located behind the front edge.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple TV - Ports

    On the back of the 2nd generation Apple TV, you'll find the power port, HDMI port, Micro USB port, optical digital audio port, and Ethernet port. The new Apple TV also supports Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n).

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • 1st and 2nd generation Apple TVs - Top

    This photo shows the 2nd generation Apple TV on top of the original. The newer version is about a quarter of the size of the 1st generation Apple TV.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • 1st and 2nd generation Apple TVs - Front

    The 2nd generation Apple TV is also thinner than its predecessor.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • 1st and 2nd generation Apple TVs - Ports

    Besides not including a hard drive, Apple shrunk the 2nd generation Apple TV by doing away with the Component video and RCA audio outputs. The newer unit also has a Micro USB port instead of the standard USB port found on the earlier version.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Opening the bottom cover

    To crack open the 2nd generation Apple TV, you'll first need to remove the case's rubberized base. I used several thin, metal spudgers to pop the base free from the shinny black case. The base is held in place with plastic tabs. It may take a few minutes, but you should be able to pop the tabs free without breaking them.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Bottom cover tabs

    Here you can see two of the base's tabs. ?Although I didn't break the base of any of the tabs during removal, I did mar the base's rubberized surface.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • First look inside

    With the base removed, we get our first look inside the 2nd generation Apple TV. At this point, there's not much to see other than the power supply, a large black heat sink, and a pink thermal pad stuck to the heat sink. Unlike the 1st generation Apple TV, the newer model lacks a hard drive or cooling fan.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Bottom cover - Inside

    Luckily, I was able to remove the bottom cover without breaking any of the tabs.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Bottom cover - Outside

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Thermal pad and heat sink

    A black, metal plate covers most of the printed circuit board (PCB). This plate likely serves as a heat sink to draw heat away from the chips on the PCB. A large, pink thermal pad is stuck to the heat sink. I assume this pad and the others like it inside the Apple TV help transfer heat from the internal components to the outer shell.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Heat sink and PCB screws

    You should be able you remove the thermal pad in one piece. Once it's removed, we can see the five Phillips #1 screws that hold the heat sink and PCB in place.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Removing the Phillips #1 screws

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Five Phillips #1 screws

    Luckily, all the Phillips #1 screws within the 2nd generation Apple TV are all the same length.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Heat sink removed

    Once the five screws are removed, you can left the heat sink away from the PCB. A second thermal pad is stuck to the underside of the heat sink.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Heat sink - Top

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Heat sink - Bottom

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • With the heat sink removed

    With the heat sink removed, we get our first good look at the 2nd generation Apple TV's PCB. As expected, a metal EMI shield covers most of the chips. We'll need to remove the PCB from the case and then remove the shields to see what really makes this Apple TV run.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Disconnecting the power supply and LED status light

    There are two connectors attached to the PCB--a smaller one for the front LED status light and a larger one for the power supply.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Power supply and status light cable disconnected

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Removing the PCB

    With the power supply and status light cables disconnected, we can lift the A2nd generation Apple TV's PCB away from the case.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Logic board, case, and power supply

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Power port screws

    Two Torx T6 screws hold the power port's plastic housing to the 2nd generation Apple TV's case. You'll need to remove both screws before removing the power supply.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Removing the power port screws

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Power supply and case

    With the two Torx T6 screws removed, you can lift the power supply away from the 2nd generation Apple TV's case. A small amount of adhesive holds the power supply to the case, but supply should come free with minimal force.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Power supply - Top

    According to Apple's technical specifications, the 2nd generation Apple TV uses a 6-watt power supply.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Power supply - Markings

    The power supply's markings show it's rated for and output of 3.4V

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Nearly empty case

    With the PCB and power supply removed, all only the LED status light remains in the case. Unfortunately, it is glued to the case. As I want to reassemble and use this Apple TV, I'm going to leave it in place.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • PCB with shields - Bottom

    A single, large EMI shield hides the chips on the bottom of the PCB.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • PCB with shield - Top

    The chips on the top of the 2nd generation Apple TV's PCB are hidden beneath three separate EMI shields--each with its own thermal pad.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Side view of PCB

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • IR receiver

    The raised sensor on the right side of the PCB in this photo is the IR receiver for the Apple Remote.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • PCB with EMI shields removed - Top

    With the thermal pads, and two large EMI shields removed from the top of the PCB, we can see several of the 2nd generation Apple TV's main chips. The small EMI shield that covers the wireless chips appeared to be soldered to the small circuit board on which the chips were mounted. As I don't to damage any of the internal components, I'm going to leave the shield in place.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • A4 processor and NAND Flash

    The large chip on the left is an 8GB Toshiba NAND Flash module. The large chip of the right is the Apple A4 processor. The small chip beneath the processor bears the markings Apple 338S0891. The EMI shield covering the wireless chips has the markings 339S0134 LGA76-P USI 100903.

    Interestingly, there appears to be space on the PCB bellow the current NAND flash chip for a second one.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Another view of the chips on the PCB

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • PCB with EMI shield removed - Bottom

    One the bottom of the PCB, we find several chips.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Bottom chips close up

    Unfortunately, the markings on most of these chips are either too faint or blurred to be read.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Completely disassembled

    The 2nd generation Apple TV was one of the easier cracking open projects I've tackled recently. Its has relatively few internal components, and the case opens without special tools.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Cracking Open the Apple TV 2nd Generation

In September 2010, Apple released the 2nd generation Apple TV. The new device is significantly smaller than the 1st generation Apple TV (released in 2007) and is focused on streaming media rather than downloading and storing it.

To disassemble the 2nd generation Apple TV you'll need a screwdriver with Phillips #1 and Torx T6 bits and a thin metal blade or plastic spudger.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Related Topics:

After Hours Innovation Hardware Tech & Work

By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...