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Level 1

8 points

Vesa Mount Adapter HELP!

Just bought an Apple Vesa Mount Adapter so I can mount my 27" iMac on an articulating arm. I can release the latch so that the 8 screws on the top of the stand are visible, but it will not lock into place. If I release pressure, the stand clicks back to the original position (where the screws are not accessible).

On this video, once the screws are exposed, it stays that way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmm7jWU-g2s&feature=related

I can loosen the 8 screws if I keep pressure on the stand, but was warned not to do this because once the stand is removed, the flange will snap back and disappear into the display...and getting it back out doesn't seem like an easy task.

So what am I doing wrong? Why won't the stand lock into place with the screws exposed?

27" iMac 2.8GHz i5, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Apr 10, 2011 11:54 AM

Best reply

Midi Tech

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Jan 27, 2017 10:21 PM

Hey Alex,

You posted this in 2012 and here it is in 2017 and the same thing happened to me including the initial panic. Thank you very much for the solution. I didn't have a spare ethernet cable so I used cable ties as another contributor did. Your instruction was clear and concise and I wouldn't have gotten through this without it.

After I got the flange back up and carried on with the installation, the bracket wouldn't go down far enough by a milli or nanometer or so. Instead of using the supplied allen key, I went and bought an allen key set with a screw driver handle. It's narrow enough not to bang into the back of the screen and you can get a good grip on it and get some decent torque to be able to get the side screws to bite. They seem to need a bit of force and finesse to bite and grip. I finished them off with the supplied allen key never over forcing anything.

You really have to take your time and be patient. This is a poorly constructed kit that is necessary for a Vesa stand. I did two 27" screens. The first one was no trouble at all. What's all the hoopla! The second one was a patience tester and required some out-of-the-box creative ideas to successfully complete.

Thanks again for the method.

Yes, I had a drink when I was finished.

Whew!

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19 replies

shrfu31

Level 1

5 points

Apr 2, 2014 8:04 AM in response to bwebb71

This is what worked for me:

Use a vinyl siding removal tool.

http://www.amazon.com/Wiss-WSR1-Vinyl-Siding-Removal/dp/B00826H7RS/ref=sr_1_1?ie =UTF8&qid=1396450975&sr=8-1&keywords=vinyl+siding+removal+tool

Sounds crazy expensive, but at most they are like $5.

After you remove the screws, there is a little pole sticking up from the center. The vinyl siding removal tool has a hook that is very strong and thin so you can fit it into the hole with next to no effort and with a lot of leverage.

I placed my Thunderbolt display on a towel on a table.

I hooked the tool onto the little screw.

I pulled until I reached the internal point where you should push the top latch out of the way.

I then continued pulling and *click* there it was. I couldn't believe it.

I had ordered fishing lines, went through hangers, and all other types of tools. In the end, the $3 dollar tool from lowes is what saved my display. lol.

I ended up doing it again (just to test) and I actually didn't have to push the latch to get it to stay up. I don't know if that is a defect with mine or just because of how the sliding mechanism is built (take a look at the corners with a flashlight while pushing with the credit card. Notice the part that moves.)

Oh well, good luck future people!

sophiamf

Level 1

0 points

Sep 24, 2014 5:13 AM in response to shrfu31

I shredded the card trying to reattach the base. But after reading a post that instructed pushing the base down further to expose the latch I found it in a snap.

Jul 16, 2016 1:21 AM in response to bwebb71

I had this same problem. In addition to that, apparently the latch got bent so even though this forum led me in the right direction, I wasn't able to secure the VESA mount the proper way...

So, I'm trying something else. I'm going to secure the mount to the iMac using a little something I call Redneck Engineering. I'm sharing because, as hacky

Jul 16, 2016 1:53 AM in response to bwebb71

I had this same problem. In addition to that, apparently the latch got bent and won't click. I'm using a little Redneck Engineering to secure my mount. Feel free to try this as well, at your own risk:

Unfortunately I need a couple more things before I do this, so I'll give it a shot early tomorrow morning.

What you'll need:

Electrical wire.

Needle nose pliers.

Wooden dowel (1/2" is too small so I think I'll try 3/4")

Wood screw, one short and two a little longer.

Liquid Nails (or other strong adhesive)

Maybe a dremel or small saw.

1) Find electrical wire, the bigger the better (so long as it fits in the screw hole). Use the needle nose pliers to feed one wire through each hole and lead both out of the gap. These will be permanently installed for stability so don't use something too thin and try not to move it around too much.

2) Cut your wooden dowel to the same length as the gap in the iMac and lay it in place over it. It should slightly sink into the gap, with one end of each wire going on top and one going on bottom. If you'd like it to sit more flush, cut notches into the back of the iMac with a small saw or dremel to hold the wires.

3) Wrap the wires around the dowel and tighten it into place.

4) Place the VESA mount on top of the dowel, making sure that it fits flush with the iMac chassis but the dowel is still snug behind the mount.

5) Move the VESA mount aside as you use Liquid Nails to secure the dowel to the iMac chassis, and also secure the wires. You might want to let the Liquid nails dry before continuing to the next step.

6) Place the VESA mount back over the dowel and chassis, with liquid nails secureing wherever they touch. Put one screw into the hole in the center of the mount (make sure it's short so it barely goes through the dowel). Put one longer wood screw into the hole on the left and right side of the mount, so it goes into each edge of the dowel.

7) Once the Liquid Nails dries, it should be ready to hang.

Vesa Mount Adapter HELP!