First G4 Cube Build

[metaldog99]

I finished my first G4 Cube Hackintosh build this past weekend – or more accurately, finished it enough to actually configure it and put it to use. I was inspired by many of the threads and posts in this forum, in particular those of Ersterhernd, MacTester, and others. I have borrowed/copied/stolen most of my build decisions and implementations from these truly creative masters – I am grateful for all of the information and incredible detail all of you have shared.

• Here is the final assembled cube in action:

• Here you can see the power and drive LEDs lighting up the surface underneath the cube:

• Finally, a screenshot of the “About This Mac” screen:

The final system consisted of the following hardware:

• Motherboard – Intel DQ77KB
• CPU – Intel i3-3225
• *RAM – 8GB 1333 MHz DDR3 Corsair
• *HDD – 2 TB Western Digital WD20EZRX
• CPU cooling – GELID Slim Silence i-Plus
• Chassis cooling – Noctua NF-R8 80mm
• *Bluetooth – Apple A1114 module
• *Wireless – Apple AirPort Extreme mini-PCI-e
• *DVD – Apple Super Drive (from my SSD-updated MacBook Pro 15)
• *Power supply – Dell GA240PE1-00 19.5V @ 12.3A

*Items already owned

The G4 Cube was purchased off of Craigslist here in Arizona – I drove up to Sedona to pick it up. $100 for the cube, 17” monitor, power brick, and speakers. The speakers were not the original HK versions that shipped with the Cube, but the HK versions which shipped with other Macs that have the proprietary phono-plug adapter on them. I have not modded them yet, as I am waiting on the audio parts to build my own USB amp.
The Cube was not in the best of shape, as there were several hairline cracks along the top edge of the Cube. However, for my first (read: I’m getting ready for build #2!) G4 Cube mod, it was more than adequate, and in some cases better – every step of this was a learning experience, and I unknowingly damaged parts along the way. I know how to be careful and what parts are fragile, as well as how to get the Cube apart without damaging the parts that need to be preserved. Well worth the money, IMHO.

(Updates to follow - I have more pics to post, but need to get them resized and upload so I can link them)

 

[metaldog99]

The first task, of course, was to disassemble the Cube. It was after I disassembled it that I ran into my first problem. The handle slide / locking mechanism (on one side) that the handle mounts to was broken. I noticed it as soon as I removed the large heat sink in order to cut the main heat sink fins I in order to clear out the internal core of the Cube. The pictures show the final, working solution (so far!). I tried 3 adhesives, none of which successfully bonded to the plastic – JB Weld Quik, Loctite epoxy, and Versachem Plastic Weld. All of them would initially hold, but upon reassembly the bond would give out after several handle lock/unlock cycles.

I came up with the idea to “pin” the pieces together, in order to provide some strength to the joint. I pulled some molex pins from the plastic holders, and purchased a Dremel small drill bit set.

Here are photos of the process, after clamping, drilling, inserting the pins, bonding, grinding down the pins and reassembly:

Here is the assembled mechanism in the latched and unlatched positions:

I applied Plastic Weld, clamped the pieces together, and pushed the pins through the plastic pieces across the joint. I used a total of (3) pins. The holes I drilled were ever so slightly smaller than the pins, allow for some “gripping” force as I inserted the pins through the plastic.

I allowed the bond to set up for several hours, then reassembled the support/locking mechanism. During reassembly, I did notice that the bond did not fully hold up – however, the pins remained firmly engaged, and the joint maintained its integrity.

I performed a test fit, and everything held up, and continued to hold after a dozen or so cycles.

Problem fixed, at least for now.

This took up 2 to 3 days just for this part repair. I searched for repair parts and the best I could find was $120+ for a “core assembly”, g4 cube. The only one I could find in stock was $150 at We Love Macs http://www.welovemacs.com/9224504r.html. Since that’s almost the going price for a full cube, I’m satisfied in my repair!

Finally, it was time to actually work on the "build" part of the project!

 

[neilhart]

metaldog99 - thank you for sharing your Cube build and I look forward to seeing more photos and build details. And welcome to this portion of the forum.

neil

 

[metaldog99]

Back Panel and I/O Shield

I followed several other threads concerning the mounting of the DQ77KB, and aligned the I/O shield with the existing I/O ports in the back panel, and fabricated mounting stand-offs and mounting blocks similar to Ersterhernds builds. I also mounted the Noctua 80mm fan in and angled offset position as shown, so that I would not have to cut any more material out of the framing to accommodate a full-size HDD.

 

[ersterhernd]

Looks great Metaldog! Keep the build pics flowing our way.

How did that latching mechanism break? Or did you find it like that upon disassembly?



Ersterhernd

 

[metaldog99]

I found the broken piece when I removed the heat sink from the bracket during the initial disassembly.

I'm currently negotiating with someone who has at least two Cubes for sale. I'm awaiting confirmation of the condition, as I want one that is flawless. Apparently they come with original boxes, which should allow for very safe shipping.

 

[minihack]

That's brilliant Metaldog.

Great that you managed to fix that part as I never did resolve that when it happened on my Cube (exactly the same break!). I think that break is one that can happen if the handle gets stuck and then forced.

Look forward to more pic.s

 

[metaldog99]

DVD R/W - Repurposed SuperDrive from MacBook Pro 15

I don't use any of my DVD drives very much, however I've had an unused SuperDrive Combo Drive from my SSD-upgraded MacBook Pro gathering dust for quite a while now. This seemed like a great way to repurpose it. I simply followed the lead of several others here - removed the guts from the existing DVD ROM, and mount the slot-load drive into the empty housing of the old G4 drive. Some Dremel action to to cut a slot for the slimline SATA/PWR connector and a couple of screws from the trashed DVD guts and the repurposed SuperDrive was good to go.

 

[MacTester57]

I came up with the idea to “pin” the pieces together, in order to provide some strength to the joint. I pulled some molex pins from the plastic holders, and purchased a Dremel small drill bit set.

Good idea, this repair-technique. And thanks for the mention!

MacTester

 

[metaldog99]

DQ77KB Motherboard Failed

I've been offline for the last week due to my G4 Cube system experiencing a motherboard failure.

The symptom was first noticing that the system had powered down by itself - initially I thought it had gone into SLEEP mode. Attempts to turn it on were unsuccessful, and then I observed that the power indicator on the power supply brick (a Dell power supply) was off. I unplugged the power supply from the mains, plugged back in to get power back from the brick. The power brick shorted out immediately when connected to the motherboard. I removed all components from the motherboard, and the same results were observe. The input side of the motherboard measured a short on the input connector.

So, dead DQ77KB, much to my disappointment.

Contacted Intel, and arranged an RMA for replacement. Still waiting on the new motherboard.

Meanwhile, I'm in the process of assembling parts for the my second Cube, which I hope to start this weekend

This is quite an addictive hobby!