[shifuimam]

Hey everyone,

I've updated the original post of this thread to include the NVRAM edits to make XGA work. If there's anything else any of you think should be up there, just let me know.

Still no news on the DVD front. I suppose I could stand to switch it BACK to 800x600 in order to watch DVDs...I'd hate to think that I spent the money on a DVD-ROM/CD-RW and find myself unable to watch DVDs anymore. I doubt there's a way to switch it in the OS - since it's a thing in the NVRAM that IDs the hardware to OS X...

Maybe if I could get Linux working on this thing. Sigh.

[Koralatov]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Hey everyone,

I've updated the original post of this thread to include the NVRAM edits to make XGA work. If there's anything else any of you think should be up there, just let me know.

Still no news on the DVD front. I suppose I could stand to switch it BACK to 800x600 in order to watch DVDs...I'd hate to think that I spent the money on a DVD-ROM/CD-RW and find myself unable to watch DVDs anymore. I doubt there's a way to switch it in the OS - since it's a thing in the NVRAM that IDs the hardware to OS X...

Maybe if I could get Linux working on this thing. Sigh.

shifuimam, thanks so much for that. It means I should have SOME chance of successfully carrying out the upgrade!

Congratulations on your success; DVD or no, it's one hell of an achievement.

[Koralatov]

I had to upgrade my firmware to carry out the upgrade, as I wasn't using the latest copy, but it was a piece of cake. It can be done thus:

1. Go to the following page and download the appropriate firmware upgrade: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75128
2. Open it up in OS9 and run it, following the instructions provided by Apple
3. Be patient. It takes a little while to restart once the firmware patch has been applied, and the laptop will seem dead whilst doing it, but it's not. Just give it a little while and it'll start up again and congratulate you on successfully upgrading your firmware.

That's basically about it. Piece of cake, like I said.

However, my enthusiasm got the better of me and I applied the firmware hack as supplied by shifuimam's first post. Everything went to plan, and I now have XGA as an option. The only problem is that my screen is still 800x600, so the clamshell is now producing a screen bigger than can be displayed. Changing to 800x600 in display preferences doesn't fix it; it emulates 800x600 the way it would be done on the XGA screen, leaving me with the same problem.

It's not a major issue though: just one I'll have to live with until I get around to putting in the new screen.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Koralatov 

I had to upgrade my firmware to carry out the upgrade, as I wasn't using the latest copy, but it was a piece of cake. It can be done thus:

1. Go to the following page and download the appropriate firmware upgrade: iBook Firmware Update 4.1.7 Information and Software
2. Open it up in OS9 and run it, following the instructions provided by Apple
3. Be patient. It takes a little while to restart once the firmware patch has been applied, and the laptop will seem dead whilst doing it, but it's not. Just give it a little while and it'll start up again and congratulate you on successfully upgrading your firmware.

That's basically about it. Piece of cake, like I said.

Aigh! So my suspicions were right - you need OS9 to update the firmware. Had my firmware been out of date, I would have been SOL, since I only have 10.3.9 installed on my iBook. That's a bummer.

However, my enthusiasm got the better of me and I applied the firmware hack as supplied by shifuimam's first post. Everything went to plan, and I now have XGA as an option. The only problem is that my screen is still 800x600, so the clamshell is now producing a screen bigger than can be displayed. Changing to 800x600 in display preferences doesn't fix it; it emulates 800x600 the way it would be done on the XGA screen, leaving me with the same problem.

It's not a major issue though: just one I'll have to live with until I get around to putting in the new screen.

You should be able to go back to 800x600 and have everything display correctly by removing the line you added to the NVRAM (via OF). Alternatively, you can try the following after booting into OF (which I think I have done successfully, but I just don't remember - sorry!):

[codex]reset-nvram
set-defaults
reset-all[/codex]

See if that works and post back!

[Koralatov]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Aigh! So my suspicions were right - you need OS9 to update the firmware. Had my firmware been out of date, I would have been SOL, since I only have 10.3.9 installed on my iBook. That's a bummer.

You should be able to go back to 800x600 and have everything display correctly by removing the line you added to the NVRAM (via OF). Alternatively, you can try the following after booting into OF (which I think I have done successfully, but I just don't remember - sorry!):

[codex]reset-nvram
set-defaults
reset-all[/codex]

See if that works and post back!

shifuimam, thank you. You saved my bacon on this one. Your firmware restore worked perfectly: I'm now back at the usual 800x600. At least I now know first hand how easy it is to get XGA working.

The OS9 limitation on the firmware upgrade is a major pain in the ass; after playing with OS9 for a little, I realised that I absolutely hated it, and planned to uninstall it. Luckily, my plan never went that far, and I just installed a dual-boot with Panther alongside 9.

[Shuomi]

A few weeks ago, I finally carried out the changes, pretty much managed to put the computer back together and somehow tore the trackpad cable.
I'm not sure why, but I didn't want to use the iBook until it was fixed, so I haven't looked much into this project until this week, when I finally found a replacement cable and installed it.

Anyway, I read into page 6 with a lot more interest than before, to understand what was being done. My clamshell works perfectly, as expected, except of course for the DVD issue.
As I'm going on vacation tomorrow, taking a 12 hour train to Berlin, I needed to find a fix for the DVD issue, and I did ! (kinda)
Of course, going back into display-family 1 goes back to the regular 800x600 mirrored + black stripe, but DVD playback works in there.
But that's not what I'd call a fix.
So I tried display-family 2 with the 1152x768 resolution. The first time around, DVD player would just crash.
I switched back to display-family 3.
Later on, I tried it again, this time switching to 800x600 (stretched, I believe) first and then opening DVD player. And it worked !
As expected, it was blurry, so I switched my way up through the resolutions up to 1152x768, and it kept working.

So here we are, we can watch DVDs in display-family 2, but we lose 64 pixels on the right, which is quite bearable to me (that would be in full screen).
This is a temporary, but it works better than hoping to obtain holy grail mode.

I think what made the difference though, was that the first time I had clicked "Detect displays" which made the secondary VGA display appear, whereas the second time I didn't click the button.
This measure survives across reboots, I've tested it, just don't detect displays.

Of course, I would only go into display-family 2 for DVDs. The change is pretty easy.


By the way, shifuimam, you can use `dev /` rather than `" /" select-dev` (without the `` of course. Sorry, I don't know how to use BBcode properly), it's shorter to type. Also, you can add the 12" LG-Philips screen (sadly I cannot remember the precise model number, I have better stuff to do than take apart the clamshell right now, I'll add this in whenever I can) coming from a G4 iBook to the first page list, that's what I've been using.


Sorry for this very badly organised post,
shuomi

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Shuomi 

A few weeks ago, I finally carried out the changes, pretty much managed to put the computer back together and somehow tore the trackpad cable.
I'm not sure why, but I didn't want to use the iBook until it was fixed, so I haven't looked much into this project until this week, when I finally found a replacement cable and installed it.

Anyway, I read into page 6 with a lot more interest than before, to understand what was being done. My clamshell works perfectly, as expected, except of course for the DVD issue.
As I'm going on vacation tomorrow, taking a 12 hour train to Berlin, I needed to find a fix for the DVD issue, and I did ! (kinda)
Of course, going back into display-family 1 goes back to the regular 800x600 mirrored + black stripe, but DVD playback works in there.
But that's not what I'd call a fix.
So I tried display-family 2 with the 1152x768 resolution. The first time around, DVD player would just crash.
I switched back to display-family 3.
Later on, I tried it again, this time switching to 800x600 (stretched, I believe) first and then opening DVD player. And it worked !
As expected, it was blurry, so I switched my way up through the resolutions up to 1152x768, and it kept working.

So here we are, we can watch DVDs in display-family 2, but we lose 64 pixels on the right, which is quite bearable to me (that would be in full screen).
This is a temporary, but it works better than hoping to obtain holy grail mode.

I think what made the difference though, was that the first time I had clicked "Detect displays" which made the secondary VGA display appear, whereas the second time I didn't click the button.
This measure survives across reboots, I've tested it, just don't detect displays.

Of course, I would only go into display-family 2 for DVDs. The change is pretty easy.


By the way, shifuimam, you can use `dev /` rather than `" /" select-dev` (without the `` of course. Sorry, I don't know how to use BBcode properly), it's shorter to type. Also, you can add the 12" LG-Philips screen (sadly I cannot remember the precise model number, I have better stuff to do than take apart the clamshell right now, I'll add this in whenever I can) coming from a G4 iBook to the first page list, that's what I've been using.


Sorry for this very badly organised post,
shuomi

Thanks for the update, shuomi! I will add the info to the top of the OP.

I think that this may be the best solution for DVD playback at this point. There are so few DVD playback applications for OS X, and all the third-party ones appear to have serious difficulties on these old iBooks. I had hoped that reverting to 800x600 (while display-family is set to 3) would do it, but no such luck. Unless someone can develop DVD playback software that doesn't use the DVD decoding used by Apple's DVD player software - but that still works on a 466Mhz G3, your solution may be our only choice.

I'd be interested to find out if there's a way to change display-family from within the OS. Then you could write an AppleScript or something to switch when you want to watch DVDs.

[kevvo]

Hi everyone, I've been following this thread for awhile and thank I may have an idea to obtain Holy Grail in XGA resolution. If anyone has an idea on changing the machine ID from Powerbook 2,2 (the firewire clamshell id) to Powerbook 4,1 (the Dual USB iBook, closest XGA equivalent to the clamshell) it might trick DVD player into running. Perhaps Ryan Rempel form XPostFacto might have an idea, since I believe his technology does something similar to fool the OS X installer into thinking it's booting form another, supported Mac.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by kevvo 

Hi everyone, I've been following this thread for awhile and thank I may have an idea to obtain Holy Grail in XGA resolution. If anyone has an idea on changing the machine ID from Powerbook 2,2 (the firewire clamshell id) to Powerbook 4,1 (the Dual USB iBook, closest XGA equivalent to the clamshell) it might trick DVD player into running. Perhaps Ryan Rempel form XPostFacto might have an idea, since I believe his technology does something similar to fool the OS X installer into thinking it's booting form another, supported Mac.

Hmm...any ideas on where in the NVRAM we might be able to change that?

[dmmcintyre3]

you could try taking apart screen spanning doctor for the change nvram script. I know it is there because I use it to change other nvram settings. I gave the gpu some more ram with the gpu by modifying the applescript. I now have a 128 mb graphics card in my ibook

[taigen]

Originally Posted by dmmcintyre3 

you could try taking apart screen spanning doctor for the change nvram script. I know it is there because I use it to change other nvram settings. I gave the gpu some more ram with the gpu by modifying the applescript. I now have a 128 mb graphics card in my ibook

Sounds interesting! Tell us more, do you mean that you were able to assign more ram to the graphics card, or have you physically installed a card? Is the mod functioning correctly, and what improvements can be seen? This should really improve the iBook for video etc. Thanks Taigen

[taigen]

Hi all, A question on the subject of wireless with the iBook. Can anyone recommend a card that can be made to fit, that will support WPA? (or a usb dongle that works correctly) I have an original apple card in my iBook and my favourite cafe is using WPA encryption, so I can't join their network Any suggestions are greatfully received.
Taigen

[shifuimam]

i do believe that if you run Software Update, the latest Airport software for the original cards will support WPA. You can read the details in Apple's KB article about it.

That'd be your best shot at this point. If you're running OS 9, it looks like you're SOL.

There's a company that sells a commercial driver to enable non-Apple wireless cards on Apple hardware. You can check it out here, but I don't know about OS 9 compatibility.

[taigen]

Many thanks for your reply. I followed Apples advice, but it seems that my iBook is updated to the version of airport software they say is necessary. (I am running Tiger 10.4.10 with all updates installed) Still it wont connect in this cafe. hmmm, i wonder what is wrong... Thanks for keeping this forum going for all us Clamshell fanatics. Taigen

[Tamasbako]

Hi all,

This XGA mod is pretty impressive ! I've bought a LIME 466SE a few years ago for my girlfriend and she's so in love with it she resists to upgrade and want to keep it forever. It's been fully maxed out (576mb ram, airport card, 80gb hdd). Only problem was screen resolution and speed. Anyone tried to overclock their 466 machine? 10-20% more speed would be great along with the XGA mod ofcourse

Any chance on changing to a G4 ? Might sound dumb....
Also any way to desolder the on-board ram and replace with a bigger module ? (i mean the memory chips ofcourse).

Thanks,
Tom

[shifuimam]

Welcome to the thread!

Upgrading to a G4 is definitely not possible. The processor is soldered to the board, and even if it wasn't it'd likely be a different size. Overclocking, however, has been done on these, but I think the fastest stable speed is around 500MHz - not a big enough speed bump IMO to warrant the possible damage to the processor.

I asked a friend about the RAM situation. He mentioned that along with the actual silicone memory chips on a RAM DIMM, there's also logic (via another silicone chip on the DIMM) that handles memory addressing and whatnot. Since the physical chips are soldered directly to the board, the logic that handles that memory can't deal with more than 64MB.

My next project is to try and stick a nano ATX board in one of these things. I love the case more than I do "the Mac experience", so it'd be great to stick a board in one that can run a 1.2GHz x86 processor or something... but the expense involved in that is enough that I'm going to stick with what I have for now.

[Koralatov]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

My next project is to try and stick a nano ATX board in one of these things. I love the case more than I do "the Mac experience", so it'd be great to stick a board in one that can run a 1.2GHz x86 processor or something... but the expense involved in that is enough that I'm going to stick with what I have for now.

I'm sure that could be considered a cardinal sin, and possible grounds for expulsion from the Cult of Mac... Just kidding. Seriously though, that would be quite an interesting project, though personally I love OSX too much to run Windows on my clamshell.

On the clamshell upgrade front, I think I may be en route to the cheapest clamshell hotrodding project ever: I got a 12" screen (the exact one detailed in your first post) for £20.50 (~$40) all-in off eBay, and a combo-drive from one of the later G3 iBooks for £8 (~$16) all-in off eBay as well. Obviously, I'm either very lucky or someone really wants me to carry out the upgrade. Now all I need to do is buy a 7200RPM drive and the LG display cable and I'll be ready to start work on my upgrades.

Also, perhaps we should nickname the XGA clamshell the 'iBook shifuimam', in honour of the brains behind this upgrade?

[Koralatov]

Any progress on discovering the firmware edits required to change the iBook's ID to Powerbook 4,1, as kevvo suggested?

[OwossoBorn]

Ok Shifuimam, now you've got me thinking again. Instead of the mini atx motherboard, why not find a mac mini on ebay with damaged case or some other peripheral and use it's motherboard instead? I bet it would fit somehow, and you wouldn't be labeled a traitor. It may even be smaller than the atx mini?

Sorry for the absence! I haven't even turned on my clamshell since the last time I was actively hacking/posting. As far as I've seen from reading the many articles on OpenFirmware, there is no way (sadly) to program the nvram code from within osx. Only the few parameters which you already know about.

OH! I read your first page and wanted to remind you that if someone somehow fat-fingers their nvram code to simply reboot holding down CMD + OPT + P + R and that will zap the PRAM and reset OpenFirmware to normal. It not only turns off the pointing to the nvram code, it also erases it completely. You don't have to go back into OF and retype the code. In my experience with trying that, it can still not work as intended because OF and Forth are extremely picky about line returns and whatnot. I think it's best to zap and start from scratch.

-=Randy

[shifuimam]

Thanks for the update, Randy. I'll add that info to the original post.

The DVD playback is an overlay issue. I don't know why other DVD playback software fails completely - I'm guessing it has something to do with how Apple's software accesses the hardware to decode DVDs in a way that VLC and other players can't. I'm wondering how OS 8/9 fares with DVD playback - do we get the same black screen issue we're seeing in OS X? What abour running the OS 9 version of DVD player using Classic in OS X? I don't know how we'd install DVD Player for OS 9 inside OS X - is there a way to extract it from the install CDs? I once tried copying over AppleWorks from a machine running OS 8.6 to my iBook running 10.3.9, but the file formats were apparently different, and it didn't even see it as an application, so I don't know how we'd get OS 9's software into OS X...

[taigen]

Ok, ok, so I've taken the plunge and bought an old white iBook screen off eBay for a good price. I'm confident at taking apart my clamshell, as I've fitted a 40Gb hard drive before, and CDRW. The HD was from a G4, so I'm hoping that'll mean the OF is a high enough version? Is it safe for me to test this by applying the commands with my current set up, and returning it to normal as you have described?

The other thing is the required cable. The screen i bought is actually a whole laptop lid, and it has both the screen and backlight cables attached. Will these work, or do I need to buy the LG cable described? If so can anyone recommend somewhere online that I can buy one in the UK?

I Plan to hook up the screen and test it once I have this information, before disassembling my Clamshell lid which I imagine is the sensible approach. Many thanks for all the work that has gone into this, and thanks in advance for your help.

Taigen

[shifuimam]

Hey taigen..

You need to buy the cable listed on the first post of this thread - order it from your local certified Apple repair place, or buy it online. But make sure you get that exact part number, otherwise you're probably going to run into problems.

When I get home, I'll boot up my iBook and see what the OF version is. I think that 1.4 is the latest (do a Command+Option+O+F to go into OF and see the version), which is what you need. IIRC you'll need OS 9 installed to upgrade the firmware; there is no upgrade utility for OS X and I don't think the upgrade app works with Classic.

When you take apart the display bezel, don't worry too much about breaking the plastic - obviously be careful with the screen (that LCD has resale value!), but the plastic is quite tough and will take some force to get the bezel of the back plastics (the part with the Apple logo on it).

Good luck!

[phoenixkonsole]

Hi guys really nice work! Has anyone tried it with xineplayer XinePlayer 0.3 - MacUpdate ? There exists a special g3 version.

[taigen]

Hi, I checked the OF and its says something Like 'Apple Powerbook 4.1.7f1' at the top of the screen. I dont have the cable yet, but i'll be nice to confirm that my OF is correct before going any further as i dont have system 9 installed.

[shifuimam]

Crap...I forgot to check my OF version. That sounds right, but I'll check tonight. I promise!

To phoenixkonsole: I did try XinePlayer. It won't even run on my ibook (10.3.9) - it starts and then crashes and closes.

[Lateralus]

As the Mac Mod... Mod, I just wanted to chime in to thank you for this thread.

Threads like this were what I'd always had in mind for this forum. But there seems to be a dearth of users at MacNN willing to go to such lengths for a hack and into such detail explaining it for others.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Lateralus 

As the Mac Mod... Mod, I just wanted to chime in to thank you for this thread.

Threads like this were what I'd always had in mind for this forum. But there seems to be a dearth of users at MacNN willing to go to such lengths for a hack and into such detail explaining it for others.

Ahaha..thanks, dude.

I will be eternally thankful for this forum. Every time I use my iBook I'm like, "I can't believe we actually figured out how to put XGA displays in these things". If it wasn't for the guys here who figured out the OF hacks and stuff, we'd still be in the dark.

I don't get people who do mods and don't do good, clear explanations on how to repeat them. Where's the fun in that? So, yeah. Thanks.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by taigen 

Hi, I checked the OF and its says something Like 'Apple Powerbook 4.1.7f1' at the top of the screen. I dont have the cable yet, but i'll be nice to confirm that my OF is correct before going any further as i dont have system 9 installed.

PowerBook2, 1 4.1.7f4 is the correct firmware you should be running for this stuff to work. I'm not sure what to tell you on how to update the firmware if you aren't running OS 9, though... sorry!!

[Koralatov]

Unfortunately, I don't think the firmware update can be done without OS9--Apple's page with it on states that quite specifically. I think possibly your only option would be to take an image of your iBook as it now stands, purge the HD and install OS9, carry out the update, then boot from your Panther disk and restore from the disk image via Disk Utility. I'm sure that really doesn't appeal, but to the best of my knowledge there's no other way of doing it.

[taigen]

I checked it again to be sure and it does say 4.1.7f4 much to my relief. Now for the disassembly - i hope i get time this weekend - thanks!

[taigen]

Well, I decided to disassemble the screen and leave the rest of the machine intact. This was ok. I disconnected the original screen with ease, and tried the new screen. I found that the small square white plug fits perfectly, but the other longer black connector is not the right size at all. On closer inspection it seems that the LCD I have obtained from a white iBook dual USB is in fact not Samsung, but LG Philips with the following serial numbers on it: LXL415020304, LP121x1 there are two other longer numbers beside bar codes that I can't be bothered typing in! Can anyone tell me, if this had been the Samsung display, would the black connector have fitted correctly with out modification? If this is the case, I'll simply re-sell this screen, buy another and try again!

Many thanks, Taigen

[taigen]

Ok sorry - I should have read more carefully. I need the alternative cable! Has anyone else tried the LG Philips LP121X1 screen? It was pulled from the white iBook.

Thanks for you patience!

[shifuimam]

The model number is very similar to the Samsung - the question is going to be whether the pinout on the LG is the same.

Try Googling to see if you can get pinout information on the Samsung display and the LG display - if they're the same, you should be good to go!

[taigen]

Hi,
Going by Ducks post on April 16th (on page 5):

" The LTN121X1 in the iBook G3/500 is usually the Samsung LTN121X1-L01 .. this panel is pin and signal compatible with pretty much every other 1024x768 12.1 inch LCD made after 2001, such as the LG Phillips LP121X04, so you should be able to use any iBook G3 (dual usb) or iBook G4 LCD panel."

I'm confident to go ahead and order the correct cable and try it. I can strip the iBook down in seconds now, so I am looking forward to getting this done. I'll need this cable anyway, even if I need to get a different screen. Also, I plan to do a step by step pictorial guide to fitting it, as my offering to the project, and future modders.
Thank you!
Taigen

[taigen]

Excellent! You guys are great!
I now have my LG Philips LP121X1 screen fitted neatly and running at 1024 X 768 with fully functional brightness control.
I obtained the correct LG cable, and tested it out. Using the nvram edits, it worked first time. The most difficult thing was re-routing the new cable through the hinge to follow the path of the original. I kept the original cable beside me and followed the bends in it as a reference. I did some bending to the screen mounting surround inside the lid to get it centred correctly, and positioned it with some of the pieces of white tape that were left over. Its clamped firmly in position between the lid plastics.
Initially I had no brightness control, but after following the instructions from the 'Hid Def screen guy' link found on page 6 of this thread, I now have it working perfectly. As this is my only computer, its excellent to have so much screen space,and room for everything - it has really transformed my machine. I tested the DVD situation, and found that I'm in the same boat as everyone else - black screen, but as I dont use this much, its no problem to change the OF when I need it. Something like this would have been impossible for me without this thread, so I offer deepest thanks to all involved. Also, if anyone in the future needs any help, I'll be glad to assist.
Taigen

[shifuimam]

Fantastic! I'm glad another person could benefit from this project!!!

I still haven't figured out how I'm going to mount my screen. It eventually shifts around in the plastic casing, so right now the left edge of it is just barely UNDER the plastic frame. I just haven't had the time (or motivation...!) to take it apart and really secure it well. What I'm thinking is to use some kind of material along the bottom edge of the screen to give it a solid base to rest on, since we can't actually screw it in to the framing.

I had to bend the mounting bracket, too - otherwise it was pushed too far to the left. I'm sure we can figure something out!

[taigen]

Yeah, I think something under the screen to stop it slipping down would be a good idea. I have stuck on some little plastic blocks of just the right thickness. Maybe some of those white double sided sticky pads would be a good idea also, to stick to the back of the screen and secure it to the metal frame behind. This is great, its like having a new laptop, I can hardly believe the difference!
Taigen

[train-guy]

Hello everyone. I'm new..... Maybe I missed it somewhere in here, but I was wondering if anyone was able to get a full screen on a XGA LCD on power on vs after the OS starts to load. I only seem to get the small image in the upper left corner.

Thanks!

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by train-guy 

Hello everyone. I'm new..... Maybe I missed it somewhere in here, but I was wondering if anyone was able to get a full screen on a XGA LCD on power on vs after the OS starts to load. I only seem to get the small image in the upper left corner.

Thanks!

Hey and welcome to the project!

Did you follow all the instructions on the original post of this thread? If you ran those commands in Open Firmware, you should have full XGA resolution.

[taigen]

Hi train guy,
I get the same. The apple logo appears in the upper left hand corner when I first boot up, but the system goes full screen when the OS loads. I don't think anyone has overcome this, tho I think its something I can live with.
Taigen

[shifuimam]

Ohhh I misread his post - oops!

Yes, you will see the OS X boot screen in 800x600 in the top left corner of the LCD. It won't display 1024x768 until it's actually in OS X. AFAIK there's no way to fix this.

If you boot into OF, that will be 800x600 at the top left, as well.

[sbrown1157]

Hi all,

I hope I am posting in the right place.

As the title says, I have a tangerine ibook with a 300mhz processor. Where can I get a larger mobo or logic board larger than the stock 300, and would I have any problems installing it, other than getting to it, as I have a quick tear down list.
I am disabled because of back surgery and just recently had 3 stints put in.
Looking at some of the costs for a new mobo or logic board, I am wondering if I would just be better off buying another clamshell with a larger processor? I've seen some of the 466 boards alone going for over $300?
I can't afford this, besides wanting to add a larger hard drive and more ram, etc.
I added an airport card and got lucky and found it for around $30. It seems people are wanting $80 or more just for the airport card alone.

Thanks
Steve Brown

[shifuimam]

Hi Steve,

You can indeed install a newer logic board in an older iBook, with a little modification - you'll have to cut out a hole for the FireWire port that is present on the newer 366MHz and 400MHz clamshells.

If you're disabled and not able to do a lot of physical work, getting the iBook apart to drop in a new board is going to be a huge pain. I'd suggest that you just look into upgrading to a newer iBook (I don't recommend the MacBooks at all, sorry). If you can't afford very much, the most you'll be able to find is probably somewhere around a 500-700MHz G3, which will be a decent upgrade from what you're working with now.

If you just need a newer computer (I'm guesing this is your only one?) and don't need a Mac, Wal-Mart's selling a 14" Acer notebook with a gig of RAM for only $350 this Friday...

[stevebez]

I've been watching this thread for quite a while, and I'm quite impressed!

Have you tried interactual player? I've been running it because:

I just installed a slot loading combo drive in my indigo clamshell. Immediately afterwards I found out that DVD player was not installed on my iBook. I then found out that you cannot download DVD player for 10.3 by itself. After ~4 hours of installing 10.3.3 / updates yesterday, I'm not about to do it again today.

P.S. does anybody have a download link for DVD player for 10.3.9? If not, does anybody know what version I should be running?

[stevebez]

I've been watching this thread for quite a while, and I'm quite impressed!

Have you tried interactual player? I've been running it because:

I just installed a slot loading combo drive in my indigo clamshell. Immediately afterwards I found out that DVD player was not installed on my iBook. I then found out that you cannot download DVD player for 10.3 by itself. After ~4 hours of installing 10.3.3 / updates yesterday, I'm not about to do it again today.

P.S. does anybody have a download link for DVD player for 10.3.9? If not, does anybody know what version I should be running?

[shifuimam]

Hi Steve,

I believe you can use Pacifist to extract Apple DVD Player from your OS X installation CDs.

Could you post a link to the version of InterActual you're running? I will have to give that a shot tonight and see how it goes. My theory right now is that Apple's DVD player uses some special method of accessing the GPU to decode DVDs, whereas VLC and Xine and Mplayer use software decoding, which the processor can't handle.

I did just add a 512MB stick of RAM to my iBook last weekend...maybe that will make a difference. I'll at least give it a shot!

[stevebez]

Version 1.8.

My iBooks specs are:
Indigo 366 / 10gig / 128mb
PB G4 Slot load Combo drive

I watched an entire movie today with no issues. Is it possible the drive helps? I don't think ram is much of an issue.

[Carcenomy]

I thought I should eventually sign up and post in this thread - I've been following it for quite some time, and it's looking like you guys have finally reached fruition with it. Congratulations!

What I am curious about, is if the older Rage Mobility in the 300/SE366 Clammies can be pushed into pulling off XGA. After all, if an old 2MB S3 Trio64 can achieve 1024x768x16, why can't a 4MB ATI Rage Mobility?

The only thing letting my poor old transparent graphite-faded-to-green SE is the low resolution...

Never to mind. I just bought myself a nice SE 466 which I'll inevitably be able to modify with an XGA panel and some other goodies, thanks to you guys

However, I haven't been totally lazy - since I can't achive blissful XGA on this machine, I instead went for another form of mod. It's overclocked to 433, and I removed the factory heatsink in favour of a heavily modified cooler from a Compaq Pentium 100 cut and sized to fit in where the factory V.90 modem would have gone. I'll post some pics soon

Again, excellent work guys, hope to join you in the XGA club soon!

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by stevebez 

Version 1.8.

My iBooks specs are:
Indigo 366 / 10gig / 128mb
PB G4 Slot load Combo drive

I watched an entire movie today with no issues. Is it possible the drive helps? I don't think ram is much of an issue.

No go. I'd venture to guess that InterActual has access to the same hardware/GPU-based decoding that Apple DVD Player does. It plays sound flawlessly (no skipping or lagging), but there's simply no video. There's got to be a way around this - I just don't know what it is.

[stevebez]

With setting display family to 3, you have forced OS X into thinking that it is running on a later iBook. Is there a way to directly do this to the DVD Player application itself? Perhaps a plist file hack, or a plist stolen from a later 'Book?
Has someone else said this already? Just thinking...