Apple uses very low profile pin headers, just like everyone else, in order to minimize the space occupied by hardware. However, over time, due to corrosion and the decaying elasticity of plastic components, pin headers tend to degrade to the point where removing a component, such as a fan on a Mac Mini ends up with the socket torn away long with the cable.

There is no easy solution except for ordering a new pin header socket and thankfully pin header socks are available on eBay from China, but the price and waiting time is huge. Buying from the US incurs a large delay and buying from the EU will end up with the buyer being scalped and also waiting a very large amount of time as if they ordered from the US. However, depending on the damage incurred, it is sometimes possible to resolder a pin socket on the PCB.

For this example, we're going to resolder a 4-pin MacMini fan header onto the motherboard of a MacMini.

• a pin header, the pin header must not necessarily be new and most of the time these headers have the property of the solder connecting them to the PCB corroding, such that when they are ripped off by mistake (when the cable is pulled, for example), the whole header comes off and given how small it is, there is usually no damage to the PCB at all such that the only "annoying" job consists in resoldering it back to the board,

• a microscope, a microscope is very handy for verifying work carried out on very small components; not that in this case in particular, the pin header seems to be sufficiently large such that it might be possible to do without a microscope,
• JST pin header, only necessary if it so happens that a pin is missing on the connector because the pins used for these headers are very strong and just perfect to replace any missing pin,

• soldering equipment

As mentioned, due to the corrosion, the fan pin header just flew off while pulling on the fan cables.

Unfortunately, as part of the damage, one of the pins, namely the second from the bottom got detached and was lost such that a JST header was used as a donor for pin. The pin was trimmed down to size (very difficult) and then slid inside the pin header in order to replace the old one.

Transplanting the pin and then soldering the socket onto the PCB is performed under a microscope and if you look closely at the previous image you can spot the array of (now) 4-pins on the socket header with the highlighted single pin being the replacement from the JST header. Also, the image highlights the solder points between the socket and the PCB. The soldering style for this job has been ample, with more solder than necessary used and mostly for the purpose of creating a strong bond because the pin header is not glued onto the PCB at all such that the solder points represent the only mechanical joint.

The Mac Mini is finally reassembled and everything is put back together again. The socket is not as snappy anymore as it used to be, but the fan works well when the Mac Mini is plugged into the mains and powered on. Note that in this case, the Mac Mini cannot run without a fan only on "passive cooling" and that the design of the Mac includes a fan along with a baffle that pulls air from the CPU and GPU to the outside of the case. For certain, the Mac should be first powered on upside down and it should be confirmed that the fan turns on, otherwise the Mac might just stall due to overheating.

If necessary, a bit of tape could be wrapped around the edge of the PCB and the fan connector, just for some extra force but it should not be necessary and none was used.

Even though this is not a perfect fix, at the very least it is a temporary one and assuming that the Mac is not supposed to be subjected to mechanical shock, the socket should hold well. In the meanwhile, it is advisable to purchase an original socket to replace the old one.