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With mods can I make a shock proof Mac?
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Northern Illinois
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Thank you everyone for your advice. I want to install a mac into a semi tractor. I want to listen to the audio of normal video dvds, listen to itunes while I'm driving down the road and surf the web via a bluetooth/ isync cell phone (stopped for the web surfing). The kind of semi and road I drive make for a very rough road. Is there any way I can buy/mod a mac that can take that kind of abuse. I'm thinking the hard disk drive and the dvd drive would be the biggest problems. Is moding a laptop my only hope? Many thanks.
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Well... You could get some crazy solid-state kind of memory for most use. For example, a 5/6/8 GB Compact flash card, and actually install the system (and some) music, or just music, and have the system on the normal drive and it set to have the harddrive spin down.
Honestly, a mac isn't what you want for rough road cruising... I'd get a flashmemory mp3 player (like the iPod Shuffle, but maybe something with higher capacity). You could put plenty of music on it, and even put audio from dvds on it! If space was an issue you could swap the stuff on it every few days...
Last resort? One of those military grade laptops...
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yep.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Nashville, TN
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I'd go for a mix of the two.. use a mac for the web, etc. and stick a flash drive based subsystem on it; be able to boot off it for your audio. Be aware that flash memory is not cheap once you top 1GB or so...
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Don't try to outweird me, I get stranger things than you free with my breakfast cereal.
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Hard drives take damage from shocks mostly when the read/write heads are engaged. They return to an "off" position off of the discs when not in use. Therefore, you could pretty much just carry the computer with you on the road for when you're stopped. While moving, as mentioned above, just use a flash-based mp3 player.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
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You can build RAID arrays using iPod Shuffles or flash drives and USB 2.0 hubs.
So all you need is a Mac which can boot from USB (Not sure which, if any can do this). Still gonna get pricey though. Especially if you want to store much music.
If the budget is tighter, hold out for a video iPod and mount it in a gimble.....!
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Georgia, USA
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I would just create a shock absorbing base for the unit. Be creative. Or if you want the easy route, just take a pillow and some duct-tape  But honestly, some cotton and a nice fitting base for it would suffice.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Teaneck, NJ
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The new ibooks and powerbooks all have the Sudden Motion Sensor so you may lose a frame or hear a skip in the music but the drives should be ok.
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AT&T iPhone 5S and 6; 13" MBP; MDD G4.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
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in car CD changers used to have a good shock absorbtion system in them. Old Sony ones had a cartridge for the CDs on one side, with the plaer mechanism on the other. You might be able to fit a Mac mini in one of those.
Especially if you take the case off.
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