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IC's 20" iMac NUC Flowerpot

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​TMDS & Backlight Finalization

With some spare wires that were cut from TMDS ground wiring, I was able to fix the previous mistake and get a functional display!

IMG_4200.jpg

With the functional display, it was time to secure the wiring. Some hot glue applied generously to the DVI connector prevents cross talk and moving of the pins. Zip ties keep all the wiring in place.

IMG_4204.jpg
 
Bezel LED & Fan Connections

With the LCD complete, the only thing left to do (before the NUC arrives) is take care of a few wires. The last neck cable contains cables from the LED and the Microphone on the display bezel. With a variable voltage PSU, testing the pins was easy. One red and one black are for the microphone, and the green and other red are for the LED. I don't plan on using the pulsating LED like many others have done, so I have rigged the LED to run at standard brightness whenever the PicoPSU is powered on. The Green cable is the negative on the LED connection and the red takes 3.3V from the Pico. The black wire with the heavier shielding does not get attached to anything, though it may just be another ground. You can see the lit LED below.

IMG_4205.jpg

Using a simple google search, I was able to find the pinout for the Noctua fan that I used. I've elected to run it at 6.8V, which is enough to exhaust a good amount of air while still remaining completely silent. I managed this by connecting the yellow wire on the PWM pinout on the fan to 12V on the Pico, and the black ground from the PWM to the COM port above the Power On pin on the Pico. Oddly, different COM ports result in different voltages. I've found that that pin works best for my purposes.

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The only thing left is the NUC. The rear IO will all be connected via female pins and circuit boards, allowing me to transform the original mini DVI out to a fully functional Thunderbolt port without destroying a cable.

Will keep you all posted....
-IC
 
InsaneCultist said:
allowing me to transform the original mini DVI out to a fully functional Thunderbolt port without destroying a cable.
Click to expand...

Hi IC,

Would you mind explaining how to achieve this?

Cheers
 
IC's 20" iMac NUC Flowerpot

iCubeFan said:
Hi IC,

Would you mind explaining how to achieve this?

Cheers
Click to expand...

I would love to do a full write up once my parts get here. It should be as simple as extending the wiring to a female port on a circuit board for the back panel. Once the parts get here, I'll do a full pinout for you guys.
 
I'd never thought of the hot glue protection that's used in your build, IC.

Looks great so far, glad you got your display lit up.


Cheers!
 
Artifacting on the display is driving me crazy. I've run a few tests over the past day or so and determined that the main issue was the HDMI cable. I've switched to a higher quality HDMI cable and it is SIGNIFICANTLY better now, but not quite perfect. (I'm actually typing this on the iMac hooked up to my MacBook Pro.) I guess the spare "Dish Network HDMI Cable" I had lying around wasn't cutting it. Even more oddly, if I plug in a DVI cable straight into the TMDS conversion there is absolutely NO artifacting. Which makes me think it's the cheap HDMI converter I bought. Sad, since I waited so long for it to get here. Although, it was only $2, so I might just go down to MicroCenter when I have a day off work and get one of a bit higher quality... I will post pictures in a bit.

-IC
 
Yikes. The artifacting in the 20" mod was a nightmare.

Good luck getting it sorted IC.


Ersterhernd
 
If you can't solve the artifacting issue, you could try to use a HDMI connector with solder pad like Kiwi pioneered in his G5 mod. I did it too in my current G5 mod and it works fine so far. The only disadvantage is, that you need a very thin soldering iron and good eyes (or a magnifying glass).

Good luck

MacTester
 
Doing some testing now that I'm home from work - oddly enough, the 1.8 Gamma setting that worked for Ersterhernd actually makes the artifacting WORSE on this display. Tomorrow I will test it with my Mac Pro using DVI-D directly into the TMDS and then the TMDS with HDMI adapter into my Mac Pro. I cannot imagine that the mini-DisplayPort to HDMI adapter that is being used on my MacBook Pro is causing issues, but it's one less thing to be in the middle.

In hindsight, the artifacting really isn't that bad now that I've swapped the cables. But still, with that logic the "cheap parts" aspect of this build seems to be causing the issues. Will keep you all updated, thanks for the support.

-IC
 
Hi IC, my 20" display never artifacted with anything but the HD 5000 graphics. I used three other systems with it via hdmi, all worked flawlessly.
 
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