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I am trying to find a replacement part for my macbook air 2016 (model-A1466) I/O board and flex cable.
The cable has a part number printed on it:
821-1722-A
C-{4 digits which I can't remember}
I found a replacement part with the same product number, but the 4 digits on the second line are different.
Does that matter or do I need an EXACT match?
According to this iFixit product page the part number for this part doesn't seem to include the C-XXXX portion as they only have 821-1722-A listed in the part number. I also find it useful to use their Identify your Mac feature when I'm looking for parts. Good luck!
It is always better to know the EMC number of your Mac. The A*** model is only about the kind of MacBook (type of enclosure).
For instance, A1278 (13'') and A1286 (15'') MacBook Pro are spread over several years, but there are different EMC numbers depending on the year those Mac were produced.
Apple is specialist is making small changes for the same model, from one year to another. For instance, they may change the length of a cable, or how a connector is oriented (i.e. rotated).
As a rule, matching the model number (A1466 in your case) does not ensure finding the right part (especially for flex cables), whilst matching the EMC number does.
If you have some doubt about compatibility, you can ask the seller to measure the lenght of the cable, and/or to take additional pictures of the connector. Often, cables with different numbers have similar inner wire structure, but different lenghts. One solution is sometimes weldering cable on cable, but it is time consuming and requires being skilled at weldering.
