- Joined
- Jun 22, 2015
- Messages
- 14
- Motherboard
- Toshiba Satellite S50-B-14X
- CPU
- i5-5200u
- Graphics
- HD 5500 / Radeon R7 M260 (1920x1080)
- Mac
- Classic Mac
- Mobile Phone
I am planning on doing my first classic conversion and I am writing this post primarliy to help me crystallise my thought. Feedback will be most welcome. My idea is that these beautiful machines should be useful once more. That is the only way they will be preserved outside of museums and private collections and they were made to be used, not to be looked at. Now, I realize that doing a hackintosh would evict all the old HW, and that is ironic given that my goal is to preserve, but if I use a non-working donor unit then I won't feel so bad about that.
I would like something classy (in the old classic sense) to sit and look pretty, but also be useful, in the livingroom. I have seen a number of Mac Classic, SE/30, 128K etc. ipad stands and full conversions, but nothing is quite the way I like it. My main objection is that the screen should be both high quality and fit the case very well. Here is my proposed HW list:
* Macintosh Classic (II) or SE/30 case
* ASUS Mini ITX DDR3 1600 LGA 1150 Motherboard Q87T/CSM
* Rosewill 80mm Sleeve Low Profile CPU Cooler RCX-Z775-LP Black
* Pair Laptop Wireless Mini PCI PCI-E Internal Antenna
* Atheros Ar9285 Ar5b195 Half Mini Pci-e Wireless Wlan Wifi + Bt Bluetooth Card Module 802.11b/g/n
* ATX power/reset switch and LED
* Intel i3/i5 Haswell CPU TDP < 65W.
* FSP Group Mini ITX / 19V DC 150W Power Adapter
* Crucial 8GB Single DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Notebook Memory CT102464BF160B
* Panasonic UJ-265 Slim 6X Blu-ray Writer SATA Slot Load
* Replacement panel for iPad Mini Retina OR Kindle Fire HD 8.9"
Preferably I would get just the Mac Classic case or with broken hardware. I would not want to kill a working unit, particularly not an SE/30 model which is much rarer than the Classic. I chose these two models because I like the case colour better than the older ones. The Classic is sleeker but the SE/30 has that nice grilled front which can hide speakers, LEDs and various buttons, perhaps even a slot loading BD drive. If I chose the SE/30 I would definitely connect the old HDD activity LED to the new MB, or replace it if necessary. I don't know for sure that the old LED would be compatible with the new mainboard, but it is quite possible. AFAIK the Classic did not have such an LED and that is a shame, but not critical.
I chose this mainboard because it has a combined LVDS/eDP port for connecting an HD LCD panel, mSATA for SSD, mPCIE for wireless and it supports the most modern CPUs. It also has external DP connector for hooking up an external HD+ monitor, all the way to 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz. I already have an old 250G SATA3 drive from a dead Macbook Pro, which I am thinking of using. I might also buy a new mSATA 120G SSD drive if I feel like I can afford that.
The LCD panel is still a bit of an open question. I have been thinking of an iPad Retina display, but it seems to me that it is a little too large (9.7") for the 9" opening in the case. The good thing about that panel is that it has an eDP interface. I could go for the iPad Mini Retina panel instead. That is only 7.9" and should fit easily, but it would leave black borders around the display. In a sense that is preferable since it would more closely mimick the original, but I would also like to maximise the screen size since it is already quite small. I also don't know for sure that the mini panel has an eDP interface, but it seems likely that it does. An alternative is the panel from a Kindle Fire HD 8.9, which unsurprisingly has an 8.9" panel. That should fit like a glove. I am unsure about the interface, but from what I can tell it is a 40 pin connector which is either eDP or LVDS. Given the high resolution it seems likely that it is eDP as I have not seen LVDS supporting more than 1920x1200 but either should work as long as it fits the connector on the mainboard. If it does not fit I might have to get creative with a soldering iron which I was hoping to avoid due to the amount of time it would require and the lower chance of success.
I picked the WIFI card for compatibility and low cost. I could go for an AC card, but my wifi router only does N so I will save ~20 bucks by going for the cheaper card.
To cut costs I am thinking of going for an i3-41xx model (TDP 54W). This can of course be upgraded later, but it is key to keep the TDP down because this case does not have large vents for effective cooling. There is a vent on the back which should be large enough to mount a 40mm fan, but that is more or less it. It needs to be a silent fan since this will live in the livingroom, not the garage. The i3-4130T even has 35W TDP, but it suffers in graphics performance and since I am not planning on adding a graphics card this may be an issue.
My goal is to make as little modification to the actual case as possible. I would try to reuse the original CRT glass front as well as the original port layout in the back. The mainboard would be mounted internally, i.e. none of the ports should stick out the back. This is because the layout of the ports don't match and I don't want to cut a hole in the back to match the I/O shield of the mainboard. I would have to use port extenders and mount them to match the original holes. Unused port holes would be covered by a cardboard or plastic sheet on the inside of the case to look like the original.
The PSU would be internally mounted and connected to the original power port. For the power switch I have two ideas. My preferred option is to leave the original power switch and modify it internally to work like a modern ATX style switch. This would mean mounting a new momentary switch on the inside and let it function as a spring for the old switch, turning that into a momentary switch. Not the easiest way, but it should be doable. My backup solution would be to remove the old switch and mount another port there, e.g. an ethernet port. I would then mount the new momentary switch in a non-visible area. I could do this by drilling a small hole under the lip on the front of the case and mount the switch there. These switches come without the button as that usually follows the case. Since the switch would be hidden from view I don't have a problem just leaving it as is, i.e. without a button to cover the switch. The hole would be made just large enough to let the head of the switch poke through. Not the cleanest solution, but it should be much easier than modifying the original switch.
The DVD/BD unit should be mounted in front, where the FDD or HDD used to be. The SE/30 has the advantage of the front grille which may perhaps be coerced into accepting a disc slot in between, but I am not sure. The alternative would be to very carefully widen the floppy slot so that it is wide enough for the DVD/BD discs. I am not decided on this as I would prefer not to alter the front at all. One alternative is to cut a slot in an area which is not visible, say under the lip. On the other hand it would be cool to insert the disc where the old floppy drive was. I would have to find a way to make it look original though. If I don't use the floppy slot for a DVD/BD drive then I may be able to use it to mount front USB ports.
I am also undecided on the keyboard. I have this image in my head of using the original ADB keyboard which came with the Classic. There are adaptors which lets you use them with USB, and mounting such an adaptor on the inside so that it appears like any other port should not be a major issue. These cases don't have the ADB port in the front, so it would have to be a rear mount. The alternative is to go for the ultra sleek wireless BT keyboards which are used with the modern macs. The great thing about the latter is both that it is wireless and also that it comes in non-US keyboard layouts.
For the speakers I have not arrived at any conclusion yet, but I want something with better quality than the bog standard laptop speakers. The space in the case should be sufficient to do something nice. Suggestions are welcome.
So please do tell me if I am nuts, or help me with suggestions for making this project a success!
I would like something classy (in the old classic sense) to sit and look pretty, but also be useful, in the livingroom. I have seen a number of Mac Classic, SE/30, 128K etc. ipad stands and full conversions, but nothing is quite the way I like it. My main objection is that the screen should be both high quality and fit the case very well. Here is my proposed HW list:
* Macintosh Classic (II) or SE/30 case
* ASUS Mini ITX DDR3 1600 LGA 1150 Motherboard Q87T/CSM
* Rosewill 80mm Sleeve Low Profile CPU Cooler RCX-Z775-LP Black
* Pair Laptop Wireless Mini PCI PCI-E Internal Antenna
* Atheros Ar9285 Ar5b195 Half Mini Pci-e Wireless Wlan Wifi + Bt Bluetooth Card Module 802.11b/g/n
* ATX power/reset switch and LED
* Intel i3/i5 Haswell CPU TDP < 65W.
* FSP Group Mini ITX / 19V DC 150W Power Adapter
* Crucial 8GB Single DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Notebook Memory CT102464BF160B
* Panasonic UJ-265 Slim 6X Blu-ray Writer SATA Slot Load
* Replacement panel for iPad Mini Retina OR Kindle Fire HD 8.9"
Preferably I would get just the Mac Classic case or with broken hardware. I would not want to kill a working unit, particularly not an SE/30 model which is much rarer than the Classic. I chose these two models because I like the case colour better than the older ones. The Classic is sleeker but the SE/30 has that nice grilled front which can hide speakers, LEDs and various buttons, perhaps even a slot loading BD drive. If I chose the SE/30 I would definitely connect the old HDD activity LED to the new MB, or replace it if necessary. I don't know for sure that the old LED would be compatible with the new mainboard, but it is quite possible. AFAIK the Classic did not have such an LED and that is a shame, but not critical.
I chose this mainboard because it has a combined LVDS/eDP port for connecting an HD LCD panel, mSATA for SSD, mPCIE for wireless and it supports the most modern CPUs. It also has external DP connector for hooking up an external HD+ monitor, all the way to 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz. I already have an old 250G SATA3 drive from a dead Macbook Pro, which I am thinking of using. I might also buy a new mSATA 120G SSD drive if I feel like I can afford that.
The LCD panel is still a bit of an open question. I have been thinking of an iPad Retina display, but it seems to me that it is a little too large (9.7") for the 9" opening in the case. The good thing about that panel is that it has an eDP interface. I could go for the iPad Mini Retina panel instead. That is only 7.9" and should fit easily, but it would leave black borders around the display. In a sense that is preferable since it would more closely mimick the original, but I would also like to maximise the screen size since it is already quite small. I also don't know for sure that the mini panel has an eDP interface, but it seems likely that it does. An alternative is the panel from a Kindle Fire HD 8.9, which unsurprisingly has an 8.9" panel. That should fit like a glove. I am unsure about the interface, but from what I can tell it is a 40 pin connector which is either eDP or LVDS. Given the high resolution it seems likely that it is eDP as I have not seen LVDS supporting more than 1920x1200 but either should work as long as it fits the connector on the mainboard. If it does not fit I might have to get creative with a soldering iron which I was hoping to avoid due to the amount of time it would require and the lower chance of success.
I picked the WIFI card for compatibility and low cost. I could go for an AC card, but my wifi router only does N so I will save ~20 bucks by going for the cheaper card.
To cut costs I am thinking of going for an i3-41xx model (TDP 54W). This can of course be upgraded later, but it is key to keep the TDP down because this case does not have large vents for effective cooling. There is a vent on the back which should be large enough to mount a 40mm fan, but that is more or less it. It needs to be a silent fan since this will live in the livingroom, not the garage. The i3-4130T even has 35W TDP, but it suffers in graphics performance and since I am not planning on adding a graphics card this may be an issue.
My goal is to make as little modification to the actual case as possible. I would try to reuse the original CRT glass front as well as the original port layout in the back. The mainboard would be mounted internally, i.e. none of the ports should stick out the back. This is because the layout of the ports don't match and I don't want to cut a hole in the back to match the I/O shield of the mainboard. I would have to use port extenders and mount them to match the original holes. Unused port holes would be covered by a cardboard or plastic sheet on the inside of the case to look like the original.
The PSU would be internally mounted and connected to the original power port. For the power switch I have two ideas. My preferred option is to leave the original power switch and modify it internally to work like a modern ATX style switch. This would mean mounting a new momentary switch on the inside and let it function as a spring for the old switch, turning that into a momentary switch. Not the easiest way, but it should be doable. My backup solution would be to remove the old switch and mount another port there, e.g. an ethernet port. I would then mount the new momentary switch in a non-visible area. I could do this by drilling a small hole under the lip on the front of the case and mount the switch there. These switches come without the button as that usually follows the case. Since the switch would be hidden from view I don't have a problem just leaving it as is, i.e. without a button to cover the switch. The hole would be made just large enough to let the head of the switch poke through. Not the cleanest solution, but it should be much easier than modifying the original switch.
The DVD/BD unit should be mounted in front, where the FDD or HDD used to be. The SE/30 has the advantage of the front grille which may perhaps be coerced into accepting a disc slot in between, but I am not sure. The alternative would be to very carefully widen the floppy slot so that it is wide enough for the DVD/BD discs. I am not decided on this as I would prefer not to alter the front at all. One alternative is to cut a slot in an area which is not visible, say under the lip. On the other hand it would be cool to insert the disc where the old floppy drive was. I would have to find a way to make it look original though. If I don't use the floppy slot for a DVD/BD drive then I may be able to use it to mount front USB ports.
I am also undecided on the keyboard. I have this image in my head of using the original ADB keyboard which came with the Classic. There are adaptors which lets you use them with USB, and mounting such an adaptor on the inside so that it appears like any other port should not be a major issue. These cases don't have the ADB port in the front, so it would have to be a rear mount. The alternative is to go for the ultra sleek wireless BT keyboards which are used with the modern macs. The great thing about the latter is both that it is wireless and also that it comes in non-US keyboard layouts.
For the speakers I have not arrived at any conclusion yet, but I want something with better quality than the bog standard laptop speakers. The space in the case should be sufficient to do something nice. Suggestions are welcome.
So please do tell me if I am nuts, or help me with suggestions for making this project a success!