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Salty · Oct 25, 2005, 02:00 AM

OK, so as I've posted before my Rev D iMac has been living out it's days since September in our church's youth room. As well I recently got my job at best buy. And we've had a fair number of Mac minis come back and so we've had to price them as open box items.
Well I've been thinking, wouldn't it be cool to make the world's fastest Revision D iMac?

So me and one of the other guys who helps out with the youth group are looking to take my iMac apart, as well as a Mac mini, remove the mobo etc from the iMac and replace it with that of the Mac mini. Now given the Mini's small size and the size of a lot of the parts inside the iMac. I think this shouldn't be too tough.

So, anyone got any suggestions for things to keep in mind when doing this "upgrade"?

Railroader · Oct 25, 2005, 02:42 AM

Originally Posted by Salty

So, anyone got any suggestions for things to keep in mind when doing this "upgrade"?

I wouldn't do it. But then, I'm not a guy who has a lot of free time to attempt such an endeavor.

IF I had the free time, and the inclination to attempt what you are doing, what I would do is try to simply detatch the video signal from the iMac and connect it to a remotely located Mac Mini. It would be the least amount of work and still give the impression that the iMac is much faster than it should be. Plus, it would allow you to reattatch the video signal back to the iMac and use a monitor with the Mini if you ever need the iMac's functionality again. My $2/100.

Randman · Oct 25, 2005, 03:13 AM

I'd just connect the mini to the iMac via Firewire and run it as an external.

Railroader · Oct 25, 2005, 03:41 AM

Originally Posted by Randman

I'd just connect the mini to the iMac via Firewire and run it as an external.

That would just make the iMac boot off the Mini's HD right? That would be one expensive and slow ext. HD.

ajprice · Oct 25, 2005, 05:24 AM

I'm not going to say do it or don't do it, but if you are going to do this (it would be a great mod if you pull it off), then here's my "Things to keep in mind."

1. If i'm right, the Rev D 333MHz iMac has a tray loading CD drive, the mini is slot loading. (hello case, meet mister hacksaw)

2. The ports on the mini are in a 6" strip along the back, I dont think the iMac port panel is 6" wide. (more hacksaw)

3. You may as well junk the mini's (slow) HD and use the iMac full size HD, the biggest storage size an iMac can read is 128Gb, so a 120Gb drive is the useful maximum size.

4. If you do go ahead with this, I'm pretty sure the monitor connects to the iMac motherboard with a standard VGA cable inside the case (so you will have to turn the mini motherboard's DVI port around and fit the VGA adaptor to it inside the case (I don't know how possible this is).

5. Don't blow yourself up on the CRT tube!

Randman · Oct 25, 2005, 05:28 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

That would just make the iMac boot off the Mini's HD right? That would be one expensive and slow ext. HD.

No, you'd keep the iMac but use the mini as the main drive (made bootable of course). Basically, the iMac would be the second drive, just internal.

Railroader · Oct 25, 2005, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Randman

No, you'd keep the iMac but use the mini as the main drive (made bootable of course). Basically, the iMac would be the second drive, just internal.

What processor and logic board would you be using? The iMac's? That would defeat the purpose of making an iMac look faster than it should be.

How could what you propose use the Mini's CPU and logicboard and the OS be viewed on the iMac's CRT?

ajprice · Oct 25, 2005, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

How could what you propose use the Mini's CPU and logicboard and the OS be viewed on the iMac's CRT?

Originally Posted by ajprice

4. If you do go ahead with this, I'm pretty sure the monitor connects to the iMac motherboard with a standard VGA cable inside the case (so you will have to turn the mini motherboard's DVI port around and fit the VGA adaptor to it inside the case (I don't know how possible this is).

I found this image

here - http://www.macopz.com/columns/imacre...sassembly.html - it shows the disassembly of a tray load iMac (hope this helps you out a lot!). That big white plug definitely looks like a VGA cable coming from the CRT to the motherboard, so if you can turn the DVI on the mini motherboard around to face inwards, that VGA should plug into it with the mini's VGA adapter. Like I said before, this all completely depends on if its possible to turn the mini's DVI port around.

Salty · Oct 25, 2005, 12:10 PM

Yah I was planning on just using the DVI to VGA adapter. And the guy I'm doing it with finished the electronics program at the high school we both went to (though that's not saying much) so he should be OK for soldering and stuff like that. So even if the VGA cable didn't reach we'd probably just extend it some how. As well working at Best Buy I'll be getting cables and what not for cost + 10% which means I'll be saving a crap load. The plan for the USB cables is just to use these USB extenders we sell, as well we'll manually extend the Ethernet cable. I'm planning on leaving the Modem port inoperable since nobody up here uses modems any more. Firewire, the Rev D didn't even have it, so I'll either be hacksawing or I'll be running it out the back or something. I guess I should have it if only for Target mode.

As well, the iMac uses EIDE HDs, where as the Mac mini apparently uses Some sort of ATA one. So despite the fact that I added a 60 gig HD years back, I don't think I can use it. So I'll probably be buying a full sized large HD that'll work with the mini.

ReggieX · Oct 25, 2005, 12:51 PM

Post in the right friggin' forum?

gumby5647 · Oct 25, 2005, 02:14 PM

I remember a few years ago Ca$h's FrankenMac.

If I remember right, it was a Lime Green case. A Rev. A Logic Board, 3dfx Voodoo II Card in the Mezzanine slot, 333MHz CPU (later changed to a 600MHz Harmoni), with like 512MB RAM and some large hard drive.

Of course, the Case was all decked out with tribal stickers and whatnot on the inside

I used to have a picture of it somewhere....

ajprice · Oct 25, 2005, 05:36 PM

Re the VGA cable, if you can't turn the DVI port around, you could always run the cable out of the casing and back into the standard mini port on the side of the iMac. Ugly, yes. Easier, yes.

From what you have said your plan is to junk the iMac processor and motherboard and replace it with the mac mini mobo. Seems like you and your mate know what you are doing and could get through any problems. if you go for this, good luck, it will be a great mod.

Railroader · Oct 25, 2005, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by ajprice

I found this image

here - http://www.macopz.com/columns/imacre...sassembly.html - it shows the disassembly of a tray load iMac (hope this helps you out a lot!). That big white plug definitely looks like a VGA cable coming from the CRT to the motherboard, so if you can turn the DVI on the mini motherboard around to face inwards, that VGA should plug into it with the mini's VGA adapter. Like I said before, this all completely depends on if its possible to turn the mini's DVI port around.

That's exactly what I proposed here:

Originally Posted by Railroader

what I would do is try to simply detatch the video signal from the iMac and connect it to a remotely located Mac Mini.

The post you quoted me on was directed to what Randman was saying. I am curious as to how he would do what he proposes.

bad_quote · Oct 25, 2005, 10:43 PM

You realize there's a whole ****ing forum for this specific type of subject. Let me introduce you to it:

http://forums.macnn.com/hardware-hacking/

JoshuaZ · Oct 25, 2005, 10:59 PM

If I was you, and was actually spending cash on a Mac Mini....

First I`d spend my time turning the iMac into a fish tank, buy a fish, call it steve jobs, and feed it every day.

Then I`d take my new Mac Mini and hook it up to my TV, put a lot of ROMs on it, and then get a gamepad and spend my days playing super maio brothers 3.

If you really wanted to be crazy you`d stick the mac mini inside a Mac Classic 2 or Color Classic. Now that would be crazy.

Salty · Oct 26, 2005, 12:08 AM

Well the reason I'm wanting to do this is largely because I think I could fit the Mac mini in without too much difficulty, and this is my first Mac. And it'd be cool to actually have it be genuinely useful again. Not to mention, a Rev D iMac is harder for a kid that comes to the drop in to walk away with than a Mac mini. Not to mention it'd be good on the whole space saving thing.

Rolling Bones · Oct 26, 2005, 12:13 AM

I'd go the fish bowl route.

Salty · Oct 26, 2005, 12:30 AM

The computer is still going to have a use! It's playing music in our youth room, and probably from this point on will be used as a web access point as well.