[shifuimam]

Hot damn! 100 posts and I'm a senior member!

I feel so special.

[gooser]

congatulations.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by gooser 

congatulations xxxxxxxxxx.

Do tell - how do you know my name?

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by randy.r 

Left my test mule installing 10 4 updates yesterday. will get back to it tommorow and try shifuimam' fix.
I have seen 3 philips lcds to this date and they have all been in graphite 466's. If thats what you have it would be worth checking.

That really sucks because I have 466Mhz Graphite that I pulled the logic board from, and it had a Samsung LCD.

Finding this cable is going to be the hardest part, it sounds like. I found it for $30 on one site...I can't decide if that's worth it or not.

[gooser]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Do tell - how do you know my name?

well, maybe i shouldn't have been so personal shifuimam, but you gave us your name on a previous post,

[Maxwell Smart]

Hey, just wondering where exactly it is that I can check the LCD, do i just have to take the bezel off the front and then pop it out? Also, I confirmed the deal for the LCD for 30 shipped so this LCD better work! Waiting on you randy.r

[Maxwell Smart]

A little update, just ripped apart my clamshell and turns out its a samsung display. So now I really need a 466 chassy to pop all my existing upgrades into (that has the right cable/display ) Randy.r, wanna hook me up?

[randy.r]

No luck on display, try to open library files and get sent to disk utility, which says everything is ok. Target boot off of twin usb yields about 1/2 second of full screen with apple center then reverts back to small screen. Tried to move display file from dual usb but clam wouldn't buy it. Not familiar with Ubuntu so never tried that.

There is a aprox 9" diagonal screen in the upper left side of the display containing the complete desktop. The space under this screen is filled with another copy ot the top 1/4 of the desktop. There is a horozontal white line aprox 3/8 " wide that extends all the way across the display seperating the two . Other than the white line there is nothing in the right 1/4 of the display. In other words the entire display is being used on the left side. Any clues here ? I'm just a parts changer so we're about to the limits of my expertice.

Need ideas.

No parts for sale yet, if this display swap is a success I may be able to overcome my clamshell addiction and sell a bunch of stuff.

[Maxwell Smart]

Well, to open up the kext files, you need to right click then select "Open With" and then "Other..." and then select Text Edit. From there you can edit the file and save it. Also, in terms of Ubuntu, you just need to download the file and burn it to a disc using Disk Utility, Burn, Toast, etc. Here is the image:

http://osmirrors.cerias.purdue.edu/p...op-powerpc.iso

Hope this helps.

[shifuimam]

Also, regarding Ubuntu, download that ISO (I'm assuming that's the LiveCD, Maxwell Smart? Burn it to a CD, and boot off it. There's nothing else you need to do - it's completely self-explanatory. Booting off an Ubuntu LiveCD is just like booting off an OS X installation disc.

randy.r, you mentioned booting off a USB drive (which I didn't think was possible on G3 macs...). Was this a drive with OS X already installed? I think if you try booting off an OS X install disc, that might do the trick.

I'm in the process of getting a cable right now. Hopefully I can find out more when I get it.

[Maxwell Smart]

No, it's the regular, I couldn't find the LiveCD on their site, maybe you could find it and post it. Also, where did you get your cable from, and how much did you spend. Thanks

[shifuimam]

Someone on the MacNN forums has one for me - I posted a WTB in the Marketplace here.

You can download the Ubuntu LiveCD here.

I'm going to venture a guess that randy.r booted off an existing installation of OS X on an external drive. We need to boot off something that is completely fresh and will load drivers in realtime. The LiveCD is perfect for this.

Also, you could try booting into target disk mode (if your iBoook has firewire). When the iBook is booted into that mode, it displays a big firewire symbol bouncing around the screen. Perhaps that will give us insight into whether or not the logic board and LCD are communicating properly - if they are, it should display in XGA or at the very least in SVGA stretched across the screen.

Incidentally, my own iBook has magically decided to let me start booting off OS X installation discs again, so I will be able to do some testing myself.

randy.r, keep us posted!

[randy.r]

Got as far as configurations but I can not seem to find /com.apple.boot.plist on computer with 10.4.8. Any other hints

Wonder if we could find a site that would decode apple serial numbers to find out which display was in a computer ?

My target boot the other day used a firewire off of a 12' twin usb ibook like my xga came from. What is the correct name for those anyway ?

Will try Ubuntu and OS 4 disk tonight.

[Maxwell Smart]

quick update, I should be recieving the LCD sometime around monday, but unfortunately that really doesn't help as I still need a cable. Looking forward to your update randy.r

[Maxwell Smart]

Another update, a kind soul has offered to send me a 466 logic board and assorted cables so now I'll be able to attempt the mod when they come in! Also, I found out exactly what is required to modify mac OS's detection of graphics. Randy.r, you might want to give this a shot if the other stuff hasn't worked.

1. Open the terminal (in OSX: Applications > Utilities)
2. Type in:

sudo pico /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist

3. Add:

<key>Graphics Mode</key>
<string>1024×768×32</string>

4. Save the file

[mattfaulds]

Very interesting developments!

I've been unable to check MacNN at all for the past 7-10 days. It's been offline this side of the pond - reporting server not responding. I had withdrawal symptoms!

Anyway, I now have my 466 replacement logicboard which I hope will be ok. I have one of the LG Philips cables in the pipeline and I thought that I'd go for an LG Philips 12" XGA screen just to see if that would help!

I'm waiting (like everyone) with baited breath to hear how randy.r has got on. Please can you post some pics randy.r?

Shifuimam of interest my 466 with the now faulty video output has also decided to boot from the Tiger install disc. Very strange as I actually had to install via Firewire target disc mode despite it officially being supported.

[randy.r]

Not much progress here. Tried Maxwell Smart"s fix but I' not sure it was done correctly.

Had some interesting results with a download called SwitchResX but no cure.

Still don"t understand why the bottom left 800x168 pixels is used but the 224x768 on the right side isn"t. Could it have something to do with the grounds ?

[shifuimam]

I don't think so. Grounding just removes EMI - electromagnetic interference. I think it does, at any rate.

Can you post some pictures of what the screen looks like right now? You can use flickr.com to upload your photos and then link us to the photo album here.

Have you tried an Ubuntu CD?

What do you mean that you're not sure the com.Apple.boot.plist fix wasn't done correctly? Did you make the changes and reboot, and nothing happened? Or did it revert to before you made the changes?

What "interesting results" came from trying SwitchResX? Please provide some more details.

[Maxwell Smart]

Yeah I'm curious of the same things. Also, I just found out that I won't be recieiving a phillips LCD/cable, so I'm still looking for a cheap source for one.

[randy.r]

t Haven't tried ubuntu yet, Got disconected from my camera, will send photos as soon as possible.

Will try Termial again soon. May have saved wrong. How do you recover from a screw up here?

SwitchResX let let me change the size of the image but couldn't cover full display. Will try again.

Is it possible to use a external VGA monitor with a 15 pin D-Sub connector with a clamshell ?

[shifuimam]

You can recover from a screwup by deleting whatever it is you added to the com.Apple.boot.plist. If you make another edit, back up that file this time. That way you can recover by replacing with the backed up file.

I don't believe it's possible to convert USB to D-Sub. The last revision of the clamshells has video out via the headphone port, but it's mirror-only and you have to get the right cable (regular camcorder cables won't work).

randy.r, which clamshell do you have? I am only aware of it being a fact that the 366/466 models are capable of XGA (1024x768) because of the upgraded video adapter. It may very well be that the 300MHz models aren't capable of anything higher than SVGA (800x600) because of hardware limitations.

[randy.r]

My clamshell is a 466 with 8mb vram and a Rage M3 chipset. I did notice that my 600 MHz dual USB has 18mb vram and a Rage M6 chipset. I'm not sure what the 500 MHz dual USB had but the word was they were the same as the 466.

Any way to turn the image 90 degrees ? That would be interesting.

Mattfaulds mentioned hooking up to a external monitor on 11/25. Wonder how. Could have been a TV.

[Maxwell Smart]

Yes, I believe he meant hooking it up to a TV. I just got the new 466 mobo in the mail and I think I'll pop it into my 366 clamshell soon. Randy.r, I know there is a way to rotate the image on my macbook (in the display preferences) but I don't know about anywhere else. Also, if you have that cable (phillips) lying around I could really use it, as the XGA panel from a 500mhz ibook is coming soon and I'd like to see if i can get it working finally.

[randy.r]

I left a few photos at www.flickr.com/photos/35244096@N00/.

The only LG cable I have is in use on the project. I made a deal for two more but it seems to be

proceeding rather slowly.

[shifuimam]

I, too, am trying to get ahold of a cable. Hopefully we can find someone with a stash to sell for cheap.

I find something interesting about your pictures, randy.r. The Dual USB iBook cable is quite similar to the cable that came with the Compaq NC4000 LCD I purchased, except that my cable is missing the last three blue wires on the right side of the cable in your picture.

My theory, which is yet to be actually confirmed, is that the red cables are for power and grounding, and the blue cables are for data. I wonder if the Dual USB iBooks use some special configuration with the LCD hardware to prevent doing what we're doing - trying to put a third-party display into an Apple computer. I would be curious to see what would happen if I hooked up my Compaq LCD to a white G3 or G4 iBook.

If there is indeed additional data being sent from the G3/G4 XGA LCDs, and that data is necessary to correctly display XGA resolution on the entire LCD, then we may be SOL with G3/G4 iBook LCDs - even if we got the extra data wires connected, there's nothing for them to connect to on the iBook's logic board. My LCD is all but identical to those from G3/G4 iBooks, but the data wire count is the same between my clamshell and my Compaq XGA display. This makes me all the more desperate for a Philips/LG cable!!!

All we can do is to keep trying...

[Maxwell Smart]

Hmmm, the way that screen is showing up is very odd. I think the next thing to try would be the Ubuntu CD. Unfortunately I still haven't received my XGA screen and am still trying to source an LG cable.

[shifuimam]

It is a strange look. In any non-Mac laptop I've used, changing the screen resolution will center the display with a black box surrounding on the LCD. You can change your options to stretch the screen when lower resolutions are used.

Unless I can be proven wrong, my theory is that the iBook XGA LCD has some extra data cables that don't connect to anything on the clamshell's logic board, resulting in the screwed up display.

randy.r, have you tried ubuntu? When you mentioned before that the screen displays across the full screen at boot for a few seconds, does it display in 800x600 or 1024x768? You can tell by the size of the gray apple. Also, did you try booting into open firmware or from an OS X install disc? What about Option+Boot to bring up the screen to select a boot device? Do any of those display 1024x768 filling the whole LCD?

[randy.r]

After repeated attempts at a Ubuntu CD startup flickering lines appeared across the entire screen.


Ubuntu finally loaded with the desired screen size and resolution.


Ubuntu seems to work!


Now how to get OS 10 to work...

[mattfaulds]

OMG!!!!

Fantastic!

I have a cable now and will attempt the same with Tiger.

[Maxwell Smart]

HOLY CRAP! THAT'S AWESOME! I KNEW it would work! Man, now I'm really anxious to get my parts together

[Maxwell Smart]

I just thought of a good idea, why don't you boot off the OS X Tiger cd, or at least try to. It may recognize the rez and then allow you to install at that res.

[troy.n]

......just sittin' here waiting

[shifuimam]

randy.r, amazing work!!!! I'm SO excited about this!!!!!!!!

Also, I found a website - allmac.com - that has these cables for about $12. It's hard to tell if this site is legit or something wonky. I've bought stuff from unconfirmed-as-legit online resellers before with bad luck, so I'm a little hesitant to buy from them... but here's the link for those interested:

http://www.allmac.com/shop/product_i...oducts_id=3883

My local Apple reseller can get me the cable for $20+tax, so I think I'm going to end up going that route until allmac.com turns out to be legit.

[Maxwell Smart]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

randy.r, amazing work!!!! I'm SO excited about this!!!!!!!!

Also, I found a website - allmac.com - that has these cables for about $12. It's hard to tell if this site is legit or something wonky. I've bought stuff from unconfirmed-as-legit online resellers before with bad luck, so I'm a little hesitant to buy from them... but here's the link for those interested:

922-5368 Cable, Display: LG, Apple Mac iPod

My local Apple reseller can get me the cable for $20+tax, so I think I'm going to end up going that route until allmac.com turns out to be legit.

How do you know that is for the clamshell? The serial number isn't the same as randy.r's pic. Or am I missing something?

[4JNA]

i run a small retail/repair computer shop, and i can tell you that i have bought lots of parts from allmac. actually the battery in the ibook that i am typing this on is an 'allmac' battery or whatever the brand is they push.

my experience has been good for whatever that is worth. i am not associated with them, just a customer. can't wait to see the finished product. should drive clamshell prices up on ebay and the boards...

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Maxwell Smart 

How do you know that is for the clamshell? The serial number isn't the same as randy.r's pic. Or am I missing something?

I got that part number from someone on AppleFritter. I also Googled the part number, and it's the right thing - the long HPxxx number I suppose is some other part identifier. The seven-digit number is the one to use when ordering a part from an Apple reseller.

I ordered from my local reseller, so it should come soon - hooray!

[Maxwell Smart]

Sounds good, if I can't work out a different deal I'll probably will buy from them, though I am still waiting on my XGA screen to arrive :-/

[shifuimam]

Just an update request post...

randy.r, have you had any success yet booting off an OS X installation CD or DVD? Any updates for us in general? Do tell!

I'm going to San Francisco for Christmas and so will be gone 12/24-12/31. My LCD cable should arrive while I'm gone (I hope!) and I'll post an update as soon as I get a chance to play.

[randy.r]

shifuimam

I have tried the CD and DVD boots as well as target mode startups to no avail.

The next thing I plan is a clean install of OS 10.4 on the dual usb and move the hard drive to
the clam. Also going to give the com.Apple.boot.plist thing more study and try that again.

There is one other little thing I overlooked.

[mattfaulds]

randy.r

how did you solve the problem of fitting the XGA LCD panel in the clamshell? I haven't had a chance to try pulling apart a broken SVGA clamshell LCD to get the metal surround off but Shifuimam has said that it was pretty hard.

[shifuimam]

I'm wondering that myself. I looked at how I could fit the bracket from my clamshell LCD onto my XGA display, and the holes don't line up at all. It was kinda difficult to get the bracket off - it's glued on, so you have to be careful. I bent mine a little, but since it's metal, it wasn't to hard to force it back to its original shape.

I found a thread on AppleNova.com from a guy who was looking to buy a clamshell for his 8-month-old baby daughter. He got a blueberry for under $100 from someone, and it ended up having an Airport card in it - the seller never looked. Luck of the draw, I guess.

At any rate, I was about to post on the thread about our project and how he could upgrade a stock blueberry configuration pretty extensively, when I read this:

I had thought about getting a second board and cutting the hole for the FW port in my original clamshell, but that would just kill it if you asked me. I saw where it had been done before in one of my searches. That just seems so tacky though.

I know my boyfriend and I didn't do a particularly clean job with the dremel to smooth out the firewire hole, but I thought it looked pretty decent. Not only that, but it means I have a faster processor and firewire in a tangerine case, and I still love the tangerine color more than any of the other options. That statement just irritated me. Bleh. I guess I'm just not too compelled to provide advice or links to people who criticise my work, especially when what I'm doing hasn't ever been attempted before.

[/rant]

I don't know if I mentioned yet, but I'm going to California from 12/24-12/31, so I won't be posting for a little while (I'm sure y'all are so disappointed ). Can't wait to see/experience the conclusion of this saga!

[Maxwell Smart]

I thought the hole was pretty decent and the fact that you substantially upgraded your tangerine to basically the best tangerine you can get is pretty awesome Oh well, some people....

Looking forward to update from randy.r, I'd like get this thing workin' in OS X!

[shifuimam]

I got my cable, and...

...sad times. I got the LCD to turn on, the cable fit and all that, but all I ever saw was a gray striped screen that only took up about 2/3 of the display, with a solid black bar on the right side of the screen.

Something isn't right. I hooked it up to the 300Mhz board pulled from my tangerine when I did that 466MHz upgrade. So, either...

• the video card can't handle XGA at all and flips out (which I doubt - my old Acer desktop in 1995 had a 4MB video card in it that could handle 1024x768),
• the display cable I just got is bad (also unlikely as it's a brand new cable),
• the logic board display connector is bad (possible, but it was working when I pulled the logic board in September or whenever it was),
• the LG cables are only compatible with 366/466Mhz boards (maybe a discrepancy in the connectors of 300/366Mhz vs 366/466Mhz boards?)
• or the LCD itself has a bad data/display connection (most likely seeing as the LCD I bought was untested/as-is).

So that's my bleak update for the day. I think my only other options are to tear apart my tangerine and test the display with the 466 board and/or find another XGA display on eBay. The display I have has some issues, anyhow - a few white spots and one rather large dark spot. I suppose I could change out the backlight board and that might fix those problems, but who knows at this point... if I have to get a new LCD, it looks like that's going to be at minimum a $100 investment. I'm not sure if this upgrade is worth that much to me.

Damn.

[randy.r]

shifuimam,

I'll bet your display works with the 466. Don't give up , You'r too close now .

What was your display out of ? Did you get it to mount right ? I used the ring off of the philips
display but the one on a samsung looks almost identical. Bent it up a bit taking it off but it
came right back. A little snipping on the bottom right side for back light cable clearance was all
that was required.

Haven't tried the hard drive swap yet. Using unit now with ubuntu. Thought I did a clean install
but it still exibits some of the old mac screen patterns on startup. Also take quite a bit longer to boot.

[gooser]

shifuimam,

i think you need to re-read the first response you had to your original post back in august. new ideas will pop into your head when you return from your holiday trip.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by gooser 

shifuimam,

i think you need to re-read the first response you had to your original post back in august. new ideas will pop into your head when you return from your holiday trip.

Look. I don't want to be a jerk, but would you please just shut the hell up?

The phrase "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" is an overused cliche, but it works well here. What's the point of posting if you can't provide any useful information or advice about this project...why do you even bother to comment on the thread?

The comment "it can't be done, but don't let that stop you" is just plain inconsiderate. It's not constructive or nice, and while I know that this the Internet, and I don't generally expect people to be considerate on the Internet, I really wish you'd quit with the sardonic comments. If you have anything helpful or truly encouraging to say to those of us actually working on this project, by all means do so. Otherwise, find another thread to troll.

[shifuimam]

randy.r, my display was from an HP/Compaq NC4010 laptop. I tried to get the bezel off once, but it's really glued on there tight. If testing goes well on the tangerine clamshell, I'll try and get that bezel off and mount it to the bezel from my extra clamshell.

When you mentioned that it takes longer to boot - is that booting into a hard-drive install of Ubuntu, an Ubuntu LiveCD, or your previous installation of OS X 10.4? The LiveCD does take awhile - it has to extract the entire operating system on-the-fly, and generally running any OS off optical media takes longer to load. I would imagine OS X *might* take longer to load because the original install is still confused by the change in display hardware.

I will definitely be dismantling my tangerine and doing some more testing when I get back from California. Good luck to everyone else in the meantime!

[gooser]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Look. I don't want to be a jerk, but would you please just shut the hell up?

The phrase "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" is an overused cliche, but it works well here. What's the point of posting if you can't provide any useful information or advice about this project...why do you even bother to comment on the thread?

The comment "it can't be done, but don't let that stop you" is just plain inconsiderate. It's not constructive or nice, and while I know that this the Internet, and I don't generally expect people to be considerate on the Internet, I really wish you'd quit with the sardonic comments. If you have anything helpful or truly encouraging to say to those of us actually working on this project, by all means do so. Otherwise, find another thread to troll.

i'm sorry, i truly wasn't trying to piss you off. oh well, have a merry christmas anyway.

[mattfaulds]

I have had very similar results to randy.r when linking my 466 clam logicboard to an XGA LCD using an LG cable.

I've tried quite a few things but can't yet get the screen recognised as being anything more than 800x600.

Very frustrating!

[Maxwell Smart]

Did you try switchresX? Also, what happens when it's starting up, is it in 800x600 mode? (Bigger apple) or 1024x768 mode (smaller apple)