Ersterhernd's G4 Cube Project

[DennisM]

Hi
I am in the planning stage on G4 Cube. I have purchased cube,dq77kb Mobo,CPU cooler,top /bottom fans,20 inch Cinema Display , keyed,mouse
I am planning on using i3 3225 (to be purchased)
I had some questions on some details in your build if you had time to respond it would help in the planning

1)bottom fan-can I attach to cube bottom with screws or do I have to have metal standoffs
2)how did you go about cutting heat sink out
3)top fan-can you tell me more on the fabricating bracket
4)can I reuse touch sensor and if so how do I interface it
5)if I want to replace DVD drive what one do you recommend
6)what wifi card do you recommend to get wireless N

Thanks
Dennis

 

[ersterhernd]

Hi
I am in the planning stage on G4 Cube. I have purchased cube,dq77kb Mobo,CPU cooler,top /bottom fans,20 inch Cinema Display , keyed,mouse
I am planning on using i3 3225 (to be purchased)
I had some questions on some details in your build if you had time to respond it would help in the planning

1)bottom fan-can I attach to cube bottom with screws or do I have to have metal standoffs
2)how did you go about cutting heat sink out
3)top fan-can you tell me more on the fabricating bracket
4)can I reuse touch sensor and if so how do I interface it
5)if I want to replace DVD drive what one do you recommend
6)what wifi card do you recommend to get wireless N

Thanks
Dennis

Hi DennisM,

1. The cube shell contains an 80mm fan bracket already, if you want to use that. I found however that there was more room to work with if I removed the original bracket and used my own aluminum threaded standoffs, attached with JB Weld to the cube floor. This allowed me to offset the fan slightly, and also use a more robust 92mm fan instead of an 80mm. (see my i7 Cube to the Max project). If you decide to make your own standoffs, ensure they are attached to fan before you JB Weld them to the Cube floor. Thats the only way you're 100% guaranteed the fan will fit into them after the JB hardens.

2. I cut the heatsink out with a naked hacksaw blade (no hacksaw) and a lot of patience. Filed the cut lines smooth and used a black Permanent Marker to 'paint' the heatsink all black again.

3. The top fan bracket was just trial and error. A lot of filing and careful measuring of the two holes for the fan mounting. It's JB welded to the Cube Hard Drive rack. A 60mm fan is the biggest you'll fit in there without causing collisions with other components.

4. The original touch sensor will not fit with the configuration I used. The DQ77KB gets in the way.

5. For the DVD Drive, perhaps ask MacTester57 on his Cube thread. He installed one, whereas I did not and never did any research for the one to use.

6. For wifi I used the Broadcom BCM43222 Mini PCI 802.11 a/b/g/n in all my 3 cubes projects. Worked great.


Hope this helps.

Ersterhernd

 

[DennisM]

Thanks it helps greatly..I ordered wireless card and found DVD drive from the thread you mentioned.
I will order touch device in near future

I will start removing old components soon and probably have more questions as I progress

Thanks
Dennis

 

[DennisM]

After further reading your thread I had a couple more questions

1) I assume you cut back I/O with dremel
2) I am confused when you mention usb 3 and then 4 pin Startech ...is it usb 2.0

 

[ersterhernd]

DennisM, I used a dremel to cut the IO shield hole. I used a piece of aluminum plating as a straight-edge guide for each cut. I fastened the plate down securely with each cut so it was overtop of the Cube surface that would remain. This prevents damage in case of a slip. Also be sure to cut the hole 1mm inside the required size (smaller) then carefully file the hole into its final shape and size.

You are correct, no usb3 exists in my cubes.



Cheers!

 

[DennisM]

Mobo/I/O Plate alignment questions


Did you attach aluminum blocks to screws and mobo and align on rails before you JB weld. I was trying to get a better idea on how you did all of that tricky stuff

I have all the parts needed but will start dismantle soon

Dennis

 

[ersterhernd]

Hi DennisM, I recommend you take a look at my i7 Cube guide. Many questions you may have are answered there.

http://pmg5.dozuki.com/Guide/i7-3770S+Power+Mac+G4+Cube/2


Cheers!

 

[DennisM]

Well I'm back from the holidays and have made progress on my Cube project. I followed your design methodology and used most of the same components. Thanks to this forum I have successfully got the cube running Mavericks.

Components:

Perfect cube (No scratches)
I3-3225s
Intel mobo-DQ77
8GB Ram
120 GB SSD
20" Cinema Display (Original)
Cube Speakers
Cube keyboard & mouse

Things to be done

get speakers working
cable management
wireless card -on order
touch sensor-trying to order
add usb ports

Note: I have Bios 51. I did not load any DSDT's. I loaded Mavericks and ran Multibeast and to my amazement it all worked. Sleep is an issue but I hate messing with sleep issues(never seems to be easy)

Questions
1. I have the original cube speakers (the black material around the speakers is almost gone) I also have a pair of the pro speakers that just have a plug on the end. My question is how can I use the best combination of these to get one working pair ?

2. The touch sensor -does it light up like the original cube did?

Conclusion:I wanted to thank you for your documentation and support as I could not have done this without your documentation and the support from this forum. I did not post any pics as the layout/design is the same as yours. I will update on my progress as enhance the cube.

Thanks Again
Dennis

 

[kiwisincebirth]

Hi DennisM could you create a new thread and provide some details of your build, I would love to see some photos.

 

[ersterhernd]

Hi DennisM,

Your build is sounding great, give us some photos!

The iMac G4 speakers are easily converted for use with an external 20w amp. See the Dremel Junkies guide for a how-to.


The edisen sensor doesn't light up, at least not the one I used. It's touch functionality is perfect though. Highly recommended.


Cheers!