[Elémir]

Okay, I love my iMac, I really do. So many times when I've considered going for a powerbook or a G5, I come back to that swivel screen. It is just genius.

But now with school and more travelling entailing, I've finally gone for a 12" Powerbook. When I come home though, I want to of course have a much bigger screen than a 12 inch, but a regular flat panel just wont be the same as the iMac...

So I was thinking taking a 20" iMac, and taking out all the internals (harddrive, cd/dvd drive, ram, motherboard, etc.) and just wiring it to act as a dual display or mirror display.

Comments? Ideas?

[Mediaman_12]

Taking out all the workings wouldn't be a great idea, it would end up top heavy and keep falling over.
you may still be able to use it as a display though, the old CRT iMacs had regular monitor plugs and sockets fastening the Monitor to the mobo. Maybe the LCD iMacs have the same sort of thing but with possibly a DIVI socket?

[Elémir]

Originally posted by Mediaman_12:
Taking out all the workings wouldn't be a great idea, it would end up top heavy and keep falling over.
you may still be able to use it as a display though, the old CRT iMacs had regular monitor plugs and sockets fastening the Monitor to the mobo. Maybe the LCD iMacs have the same sort of thing but with possibly a DIVI socket?

I figured with the top-heavy factor I could place a substitute of some sort internally to balance the weight. Maybe even keep the disc drive in there as an external drive for the primary computer.

[James Mullins]

Hi guys, the new imacs do not have an internal connector that is compatible with any of todays standards (DVI or VGA) they use a proprietry connector that is hardwired to the graphics chip on the logic board.

Having said that, maybe you could get a 20" cinema display and attach a nice swivel to it?

if you used the industrial strength double sided tape (warranty compatible super adheisive polymer) you could probably save your warranty,

But lets face it, thats not what this forumn is about now is it!



James

[Elémir]

Originally posted by James Mullins:
Hi guys, the new imacs do not have an internal connector that is compatible with any of todays standards (DVI or VGA) they use a proprietry connector that is hardwired to the graphics chip on the logic board.

Having said that, maybe you could get a 20" cinema display and attach a nice swivel to it?

if you used the industrial strength double sided tape (warranty compatible super adheisive polymer) you could probably save your warranty,

But lets face it, thats not what this forumn is about now is it!



James

Okay, so if I follow right you're saying they connect the display directly to the GPU. Makes sense, as in that cuts out the usual connector between computer and display, but for the fun of speculation lets take this on little while longer if you don't mind.

I'm not about prepared to operate on my beloved iMac for observational surgery, but I hazard to say that there are a few things running through that swivel neck: cabling for the built-in microphone, cabling for the power light in the right corner, and of course cabling and power for the display. Now somewhere to a certain point from that display the cabling should resemble that of what you would see coming out of one of Apple's cinema displays because the technology for the displays is the same. Basically you're saying that instead of the middle man of a connector, that the cabling goes directly to the GPU, correct? So would it be possible to follow the cabling down past the swivel neck and then splice it for connection with DVI or another standard?

[carnagex2000]

Try marathon computer, they make swivel arms for the Apple Displays


http://www.marathoncomputer.com/pixarm.html

[Elémir]

Thanks carnagex2000!

Nice to know such a thing is out there, and definitely cheaper and more pratical, but I'm itching to know from anyone who knows. Could it have been done?

[macgyvr64]

Check out some of the arms MacMice sells...they may achieve the "monitor movability" you want, without the hassle of gutting a shiny new iMac.

[Dr Reducto]

Originally posted by Mediaman_12:
Taking out all the workings wouldn't be a great idea, it would end up top heavy and keep falling over.
you may still be able to use it as a display though, the old CRT iMacs had regular monitor plugs and sockets fastening the Monitor to the mobo. Maybe the LCD iMacs have the same sort of thing but with possibly a DIVI socket?

Do eMacs have a standard connector? After reading the eMac upgrade guide, I want to spend my tax return on a refurb eMac ($500). Then I would either take it and put it into a Mini-ITX case, or try and turn it into a rack mountable computer for audio work, since I saw that the eMac is passively cooled!

If all else fails, I want to just put it in my room. I have a PC that is really loud and bright from all of the nifty lights and fans in the case. I had to kick it out of my room because I couldn't leave it on to download stuff overnight, and it was a little too big for my room. An eMac would be perfect.

[macgyvr64]

I'd bet the eMac has a fairly proprietary connection as well...though...the display has got to take RGB/VGA video somehow. You may be able to extract the right signals with a little work.

[James Mullins]

To clear up my earlier post I thought I would have another go

basically, the signals between an lcd display and the GPU (controller) are a whole heap of parallel connections (8 bit, 16 bit, 32bit even?)

the dvi standard is different again.

to interface the two, you would need a micro-processor and the necessary signal chips.

if you looked inside an apple cinema display ( I have as I am an apple service tech) you will see a pcb with this interface on it. Each lcd maker requires a different interface pcb etc.

Your best bet is to swivel an apple display.

Cheers James

[Elémir]

Thanks James. You're right, and its cool to learn some of how my iMac works on the inside.

Dane

[tooki]

1. Not all CRT iMacs have an internal video connector -- only the slot-loading ones do (it's an old-fashioned DB-15 Mac video connector). Slot-load iMacs and eMacs use direct wiring (although, the connector notwithstanding, it probably is VGA).

2. I can't say about the iMacs from experience, but assuming they are like the PowerBooks, their LCDs use a signalling type called LVDS (low-voltage differential signalling). (DVI uses something called TMDS [transition-minimized differential signaling] instead.) External DVI to LVDS adapters do exist -- but they cost over $800 at the moment. (Internal converters, such as found inside flat panel displays, do exist but are not available for purchase.)

I agree that your best bet is to get a normal LCD on a nice articulated arm -- but not an Apple display. Apple's displays don't have removable legs, nor do they have industry-standard VESA mounts on the back. Any other panel you buy -- which will be cheaper than Apple's, I might add -- will have the industry-standard mount, so you just unscrew the base and screw on the arm of your choosing.

tooki

[Alex Dawson]

The eMac display is connected to the motherboard by something with enough wires to be VGA, but I suspect you almost certainly couldn't use it without an eMac motherboard in there.

The logicboard and display section use the same power supply. The power supply supplies a small current to the logic board at all times while plugged in. When you press the button on the side of the eMac, the logic board sends a signal to the power supply to power on. Without the eMac motherboard, there's no signal, without the signal, there's no power, without the power, there's nothing displayed on the eMac's screen.

[Dr Reducto]

Originally posted by Alex Dawson:
The eMac display is connected to the motherboard by something with enough wires to be VGA, but I suspect you almost certainly couldn't use it without an eMac motherboard in there.

The logicboard and display section use the same power supply. The power supply supplies a small current to the logic board at all times while plugged in. When you press the button on the side of the eMac, the logic board sends a signal to the power supply to power on. Without the eMac motherboard, there's no signal, without the signal, there's no power, without the power, there's nothing displayed on the eMac's screen.

That's no big deal, I want to seperate the Motherboard and other parts from the monitor and put it in another case, without using the monitor anymore. Then I would probably sell the shell with the Monitor on Ebay to someone whose idea will probably not work, due to what you said.

[Dr Reducto]

Originally posted by Alex Dawson:
The eMac display is connected to the motherboard by something with enough wires to be VGA, but I suspect you almost certainly couldn't use it without an eMac motherboard in there.

The logicboard and display section use the same power supply. The power supply supplies a small current to the logic board at all times while plugged in. When you press the button on the side of the eMac, the logic board sends a signal to the power supply to power on. Without the eMac motherboard, there's no signal, without the signal, there's no power, without the power, there's nothing displayed on the eMac's screen.

That's no big deal, I want to seperate the Motherboard and other parts from the monitor and put it in another case, without using the monitor anymore. Then I would probably sell the shell with the Monitor on Ebay to someone whose idea will probably not work, due to what you said.