- Joined
- Apr 26, 2012
- Messages
- 74
- Motherboard
- Z68ma-D2H-B3 UEFI U1C Bios
- CPU
- i5 2500k
- Graphics
- Gigabyte GTX 970 Mini
- Mac
- Classic Mac
- Mobile Phone
Hey all, Worked on this cube mod Summer of 2014. Still in progress and 90% done but wanted to share what I have and the steps I took to get there.
Inspired by thegyufi's G4 cube mod. I tackled it looking to make a replica but with a personal spin. I speak a good amount of French so following his log was fun and informational.
Got it in and it's in great condition! Stock 450mhz model. Non-working. There was some stress fractures in the polycarbonate case which I address here
Pictured next to my G4 tower hackintosh (will post in the future )
Link to Final Shots
Case Disassemble & Heatsink cut:
Pretty standard across these mods.
Took the sides to a belt sander to get a nice even brushed look. Clear coated to prevent oxidation
ITX Tray:
Cut the ITX tray from a really tough and thick slab of stainless steel I got for free. I couldn't find a template for the ITX layout absolutely anywhere. So, I did my best to make my own using my mobo. Only issue...it doesn't lie perfectly flat.
I botched two of the holes. I tried using a metal epoxy to fill then redrill a new hole but this didn't work because of how tough the metal was to work with. Any new hole slipped back to the original hole.
So I cut another one and that was a success
Fitting Motherboard and Pico PSU:
I had to take a different approach than thegyufi for this. My motherboard simply had a different orientation and it wouldn't work with his method.
Using my template on a nice thin sheet of aluminum....clipboard
CPU Fan intake cutout:
Used a 4.5" (114mm) holesaw. Spot on!
Dual 2.5" HDD mount:
Used some aluminum rails and a VRM heatsink to make a sandwich with a 2.5" HDD and an SSD. Used epoxy to attach it to the backside of the itx mount
Test Fit:
Fitting with blu-ray drive, Mobo, and hdds. At this point, the shell and top plate has been cut
Filling holes with epoxy putty
Outer Polycarbonate Shell:
Stress testing I found that the CPU would still get fairly hot and decided to cut a hole in the outer case as well. Breathes easy now
Using images from thegyufi I carefully drew out the design. I considered changing a few things or trying this approach with a different style. in the end. I cut it out keeping his design I liked it so much. Used a jig saw for this cut. Tried 4-5 different types of blades, ended up using a quick cut wood blade.
Removed the apple logo with rubbing alcohol and a spudger. Rough filed cut can be seen under wired vandal switch and top opening.
sleeved 24 pin connection and fitted into case. If you havn't guessed, going for an orange theme here
Inspired by thegyufi's G4 cube mod. I tackled it looking to make a replica but with a personal spin. I speak a good amount of French so following his log was fun and informational.
Got it in and it's in great condition! Stock 450mhz model. Non-working. There was some stress fractures in the polycarbonate case which I address here
Pictured next to my G4 tower hackintosh (will post in the future )
Link to Final Shots
Case Disassemble & Heatsink cut:
Pretty standard across these mods.
Took the sides to a belt sander to get a nice even brushed look. Clear coated to prevent oxidation
ITX Tray:
Cut the ITX tray from a really tough and thick slab of stainless steel I got for free. I couldn't find a template for the ITX layout absolutely anywhere. So, I did my best to make my own using my mobo. Only issue...it doesn't lie perfectly flat.
I botched two of the holes. I tried using a metal epoxy to fill then redrill a new hole but this didn't work because of how tough the metal was to work with. Any new hole slipped back to the original hole.
So I cut another one and that was a success
Fitting Motherboard and Pico PSU:
I had to take a different approach than thegyufi for this. My motherboard simply had a different orientation and it wouldn't work with his method.
Using my template on a nice thin sheet of aluminum....clipboard
CPU Fan intake cutout:
Used a 4.5" (114mm) holesaw. Spot on!
Dual 2.5" HDD mount:
Used some aluminum rails and a VRM heatsink to make a sandwich with a 2.5" HDD and an SSD. Used epoxy to attach it to the backside of the itx mount
Test Fit:
Fitting with blu-ray drive, Mobo, and hdds. At this point, the shell and top plate has been cut
Filling holes with epoxy putty
Outer Polycarbonate Shell:
Stress testing I found that the CPU would still get fairly hot and decided to cut a hole in the outer case as well. Breathes easy now
Using images from thegyufi I carefully drew out the design. I considered changing a few things or trying this approach with a different style. in the end. I cut it out keeping his design I liked it so much. Used a jig saw for this cut. Tried 4-5 different types of blades, ended up using a quick cut wood blade.
Removed the apple logo with rubbing alcohol and a spudger. Rough filed cut can be seen under wired vandal switch and top opening.
sleeved 24 pin connection and fitted into case. If you havn't guessed, going for an orange theme here