11in macbook air logic board inside iMac G4 contemplation

[nhaneezy]

so i've been on this forum for years now just oogling over everyones builds. when the time comes i plan to hopefully document the build as well as others have here.

i wanna do something more unique in using a a mba 11" logicboard, which i think will fit. but before i do more research i wanna get everyones opinion on whether this is possible at all?

interfacing a nuc to the iMac g4 lcd is a pain enough. i think it'll be way harder if not impossible on a mba logic board.

 

[Jascha]

...if it fits in terms of space I don't see a big problem. All "Airs" should have a Mini Displayport or the newer a Thunderbolt port which can be adapted to DVI. So same thing as working with a NUC.

I have thought about this solution too but didn't find a "spare" Macbook Air Logicboard...

Good luck!
Jascha

 

[zombillano]

so i've been on this forum for years now just oogling over everyones builds. when the time comes i plan to hopefully document the build as well as others have here.

i wanna do something more unique in using a a mba 11" logicboard, which i think will fit. but before i do more research i wanna get everyones opinion on whether this is possible at all?

interfacing a nuc to the iMac g4 lcd is a pain enough. i think it'll be way harder if not impossible on a mba logic board.

I was thinking to do something similar but with an old macbook and an iMac (both from 2006). There are two things that I don't know how to solve yet: Power the macbook from the psu and if the mobo will fit. About the lcd, I will convert it to HDMI and then use an mini-DVI to HDMI adapter to use the video output from the mb.

Wish to know more about your project

 

[nhaneezy]

looking at my macbook pro 15" power brick it looks like my macbook takes 20v. check to see what your macbook takes. i'm sure there's a voltage rail in side the iMac that will be close enough. the bigger issue is routing it correctly. i think ground might be involved, as it is used to change the magsafe connector LED between orange and green.

not sure whether or not the board will even fit. but I'm guessing so.

i started another thread for the solution i'm currently trying: mac mini inside iMac g4. i moved away from macbook air logic board because i couldn't wrap my head around how video would work. see, plugging in the thunderbolt/displayport would be treated as a secondary monitor no? i'm aware there's clamshell mode, but i couldn't rectify how all that would work. so i went with a mac mini logic board

 

[zombillano]

I was thinking about it, and I guess that is possible to power it from the PSU using the magsafe itself and connecting it to the PSU, obviously with the correct values about voltage. One like this one:

Magsafe Cable
​

About the video output, I guess it is possible to use only the external one, I guess that if you disconnect the display from the motherboard and just plug the external monitor before booting, the system automatically will recognize the external display as the primary one. I can't try it by myself today cause I don't have any miniDVI to VGA adapter to try. But I'm almost sure that it is how it works. If you can try, do it and tell us how it was.