I have a 27" LED Cinema Display connected to my M1 Mac mini. Despite being 15 years old, I love this display. The image is excellent for a 1440p panel and I like that it has decent speakers built in. The most dated thing on this display, however, is the original iSight webcam with its 640x480 resolution. It's adequate for typical use, but I was curious to see if could improve the quality while still keeping this slick, integrated design.
I found some information suggesting that the 720p FaceTime HD camera from the newer 27" Thunderbolt Display (and 2011 iMacs supposedly) would fit in this older display, so I ordered one for 10€ off of eBay. Swapping the camera module in this display is easy. Like the unibody iMacs from 2009 to 2011, the LED Cinema Display uses only magnets to keep the from glas attached. With the front glas off I was able to remove the two T10 Torx bolts fixing the camera to the chassis (see image below from iFixit) without removing the LCD panel. On the back of the camera module is a detachable cable with a tiny bit of slack that I could carefully disconnect using a long pair of needle-nose pliers. The newer camera module shares the same form factor and connector and went effortlessly into place. Then I just dusted off the LCD panel and reinstalled the glass front.
![bdoSe25Kx2AEFnuf.huge.jpeg]( "bdoSe25Kx2AEFnuf.huge.jpeg")
After booting up my Mac mini with Sonoma I was pleased to see that everything just worked. The cameras in both the 27" LED Cinema Display and the Thunderbolt Display communicate over USB 2.0 and the system treats the new camera as it would if it was still in its original monitor.
![Screenshot 2024-02-20 at 10.32.00 AM.png]( "Screenshot 2024-02-20 at 10.32.00 AM.png")
![Screenshot 2024-02-20 at 10.31.37 AM.png]( "Screenshot 2024-02-20 at 10.31.37 AM.png")
Admittedly, even 720p is pretty outdated in 2024. But for the typical Zoom meetings it's still a noticeable improvement. It also helps my old display feel somewhat more fresh. I'll be happy to keep using it for years to come. I don't expect too many people to care about this upgrade by now, but I didn't find very much about this online and thought that someone else might be interested in doing the same thing. The final photo is the old module in front of its home for the last 15 years.
![IMG_1020.jpg]( "IMG_1020.jpg")
I found some information suggesting that the 720p FaceTime HD camera from the newer 27" Thunderbolt Display (and 2011 iMacs supposedly) would fit in this older display, so I ordered one for 10€ off of eBay. Swapping the camera module in this display is easy. Like the unibody iMacs from 2009 to 2011, the LED Cinema Display uses only magnets to keep the from glas attached. With the front glas off I was able to remove the two T10 Torx bolts fixing the camera to the chassis (see image below from iFixit) without removing the LCD panel. On the back of the camera module is a detachable cable with a tiny bit of slack that I could carefully disconnect using a long pair of needle-nose pliers. The newer camera module shares the same form factor and connector and went effortlessly into place. Then I just dusted off the LCD panel and reinstalled the glass front.
After booting up my Mac mini with Sonoma I was pleased to see that everything just worked. The cameras in both the 27" LED Cinema Display and the Thunderbolt Display communicate over USB 2.0 and the system treats the new camera as it would if it was still in its original monitor.
Admittedly, even 720p is pretty outdated in 2024. But for the typical Zoom meetings it's still a noticeable improvement. It also helps my old display feel somewhat more fresh. I'll be happy to keep using it for years to come. I don't expect too many people to care about this upgrade by now, but I didn't find very much about this online and thought that someone else might be interested in doing the same thing. The final photo is the old module in front of its home for the last 15 years.
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