So that pretty much completes this mod. I have thought about new HD 21.5" LCDs to the top of the arm in a custom LCD case that mimics the iMac G4, but I am not sure that would add very much. This monitor falls just short of HD and I have not had any issues with it in terms of quality. Though its something to consider for the future. I find that larger monitors start to look "awkward" with the base. Although placing the Cinema Display on the top of the monitor worked. It wasn't until I went back to the original that I realized it was "off". It didn't droop or tilt, but it didn't move as smoothly as the original. The neck was obviously designed very specifically for the native monitor. This includes not only the weight, but the thickness and shape as weight distribution changes as you tilt and swivel the neck. Unfortunately, without the R&D budget of apple, its hard to design a new neck, but the old one works beautifully with the native LCD.
I would still like to make this into a touchscreen and perhaps add an iSight. The awkward size and Mac compatibility issue make this difficult. While I have a capacitive screen that works, its thick and heavy and would require dramatic hardware changes (LED lighting with custom thin diffuser) or physical changes (altering the LCD case and front bezel). I am still hopeful that touch films will eventually be readily available, adding touch capability of any size with negligible cha ges in thickness.
Anyway, I'll worry about that later and enjoy this computer for a while. I have tons of pics from this and previous mods, as well as the ability to fill in gaps with surplus materials. As such, I'm thinking about putting together a "Moving Picture" Video Guide. Sort of a compromise between a written and video guide. I'll be able to explain from start to finish, step by step, how to do this with audio and annotated pics. Let me know if this sounds at all interesting or useful to anyway. Thanks for reading/watching.
While I have not hooked the native PSU up to a mod and there is one wire that I do not understand the purpose of, I have checked all the collages of a working PSU. I now know that is it similar in principal to the 20" PSU. As this is all based off of my work with the 20", more information is available in that post:
The Native PSU is an always on, 12V only power supply. Always on meaning that unlike standard ATX PSUs, the moment the AC cable is plugged into an outlet, there is DC power in the pins. To get an ATX PSU to work without a motherboard, a pin in the motherboard connector needs to be grounded (known as "jumping" the PSU).
12V only means that unlike standard PSUs, only 12VDC and Grounds are supplied to the motherboard. ATX PSUs transform the 120VAC in the wall to 12V DC and also downconvert the 12V to 5V and 3.3V. These 3 different DC voltages are supplied to the motherboard in multiple rails via a 20 or 24pin connector. Because the PSU supplies the iMac's motherboard with only 12V rails, the downconversion to 5V and 3.3V happen on the motherboard itself.
ATX PSUs also tend to supply peripherals directly, Molex, SATA power, 8pin PCIe etc emanate directly from the PSU itself. As noted, ATX PSUs are not "always on", they have to be "jumped" either manually or by the motherboard. As a result, the peripherals will not be given power until the motherboard is switched on, despite the fact that the power is supplied directly from the PSU to the peripherals. Because the iMac's PSU only has 12V, the one molex line with 2 molex connectors (for the cd and hdd) emerge from the motherboard. Although the molex wires share the same 16pin connector, it comes from the motherboard and does not interact with the PSU at all. As the peripherals are supplied by the motherboard they will be off when the mobo is off despite the "always on" PSU.
The Connector
"Clip Side"
"Non-Clip" Side - All Grounds
The connector is 8x2 for a total of 16pins, one slot is empty for a total of 15 wires. Of those 15, 4 (Yellow, Red, Black x 2) go from the main connector to the molex connectors. Because we will not use of the original mobo, these wires connect to nothing and have nothing to do with the PSU at all. That leaves 11 Power supply wires. The blue wire seems to have no detectable voltage and grounding it does not seem to have any effect. In the 20", the blue wire acted as the ground component (with a white wire supplying +5V DC to the PSU - the white wire is not found on the 17" - the pin is left empty) of a switch to turn on 24V DC supply to the LCDs backlight.
In the 17" the 24V Green line is replaced by an extra yellow +12V DC. While I do believe this (similar to the 24V required by the 20" backlights) does go to the blue wire of the inverter to supply the power to the backlights, the "switch" to turn the backlights on works differently. Here the extra 12V DC line is on as soon as you plug in the power cable. This is the same as the other 12V lines. No voltage needs to be applied to the PSU in order to get all the lines working.
So, I am not exactly sure the purpose of the blue wire. Since, I don't have a working 17" mobo to even voltage test it. I do have a theory, I believe it acts as a ground for a similar switch mechanism as seen in the 20", however, this switch (which also uses 5V) happens in the inverter itself, not the PSU. I'll talk more abut this later. For our purposes its really of no consequence. What we are left with is 10 PSU cables, 5 Yellows and 5 Blacks. This means there are 5 12V DC rails supplied to the motherboard, as soon as the iMac is plugged in.
The Pinout:
17" iMac G4 PSU Pinout
Please note this is an alteration of an image from my 20" pinout - hence the crude "photoshop"
Again I break it down into four zones:
1. Yellow Zone: Pins 1 - 4 and 9 - 12: 4 rails of 12V DC and grounds
2, Blue Zone - Pin 13 - The blue wire is the only pin (will not be used here)
3. Red Zone - Pins 6, 7, 14, and 15 - The molex connector comes out from here. You will want to save the actual wires and connectors for use in this mod, but these pins are of no consequence.
4. Green Zone - Pin 8 and 16 - This likely is the 12V rail which the motherboard routes to the inverter, but since its automatically on and we aren't using the original mobo , its just another 12V DC rail with ground to us.
Getting a 5V Line:
The 2 plug connector connects to the AC port on the back of the iMac G4 which contains the C5 receptacle (The 3 pronged plug with 3 circles that resembles Mickey Mouse). This plugs into the AC on the wall and there is +12V DC in our yellow wires. In total there are 5 rails (Pairs of Yellows and Black Ground wires). However, this mod calls for a molex adapter to be used as a PSU. The molex adapter has a Yellow +12V DC rail and a Red +5V DC rail.
My switch theory (Optional Reading):
The 17" Inverter Pinout
For those of you that are familiar with the 20" PSU you may be aware that I mentioned in my post that a 5V line is not necessary to get the LCD working. This is because the one place on the 20" that required 5V was "the switch". This switch worked by the motherboard downconverting 12V to 5V then feeding it back to the PSU via the White/Blue wires. The 5V turned on an upconverter (or possibly a transformer) that produced the 24V line. +24V now flowed in the Green wire of the PSU, this went through the connector and got directly routed through the motherboard to the Blue/Red (+24V) and Green/Black (as Ground) wires of the inverter cable. When 24V reached the inverter the backlights turned on. On the 20", I used the 5V that came from the DVI cable. As this is just a switch I was not worried about overtaxing the low current available in this line.
For the 17" PSU, there is no switch involving the PSU. The Yellow wire at the end (in the Green Wire's Place from the 20") is on as soon as it is plugged in. However, I believe there is a similar switch mechanism, but it is in the inverter, not the PSU. The 20" has 6 backlights, the 17" has 2 backlights, so I understand the need for (2) 24V lines and (2) Grounds. In the 17" inverter cable there is (1) Ground and (1) Power Wire +12V via the Blue Wire. Initially I thought that 5V was also somehow required to power the inverter, however after some experimentation, I realized the 5V required for the Red inverter cable acts as a switch and not as a true "power source". Because of this, the Red Inverter cable can be connected to the DVI +5VDC power source. Obviously this is similar to what I just described as the switch mechanism in the 20" iMac G4.
The 20" Inverter Pinout - Revised
Comparing the 2 inverter pinouts shows similarities. The Orange (Dimmer) and Purple (Possible role in Sleep?) are left unconnected. The 6 backlights in the 20" need two power rails, so both Blue and Red wires supply + current with Green and Black as their respective Grounds. The 17" has 2 backlights and needs only one power rail, the Blue wire as + current with Black as its Ground.
In addition there is a Yellow in the 20" and a Green in the 17" that need very low current via Resistor connected to 5V. This wire appears to be involved in wake from sleep.
All wires are accounted to except for the RED wire in the 17" inverter cable. This wire uses 5V produced by the motherboard from downconversion of the PSU's 12V and uses it to "turn on" the inverter, acting as a switch. This is exactly what the White Wire (which is missing from the 17" PSU) of the PSU does for the 20". Except it acts at a different location. This also makes me think the remaining Blue Wire may somehow be a ground wire that the motherboard uses for this mechanism. But, as we ground our 5V DVI Current via the DVI, it is not used.
Need for 5V and Preparing the PSU:
Although the inverter could probably all be handled by the DVI input (could likely get away connecting the Green inverter wire as well. There is one more thing which requires 5V, the LCD itself. The Gray cable of the LCD contains 3 wires which power the LCD screen. In the 20", 12V is needed, but in the 17" 5V or 3.3V is needed. As this is not just a switch, but actually powering something, I would not use the DVI source as you will likely overtax it. This may actually damage your source, computer, video card etc. So 5V must be created from the PSU.
At this point, I would recommend cutting off the motherboard connector to free all the PSU's wires. Right above where the wires enter the connector cut them free. This gets rid of the molex connector (you do not need the cut these 4 as they are not attached to the PSU itself). You should be left with 5 Yellows, 5 Blacks, and 1 Blue (which will not be used) coming out of the PSU.
Option 1 - A computer in the base:
This is for how that are using some type of small form factor board i.e. Nano, Pico, or ECX. Many of these boards are powered by a P4 connector. This is a 4 pinned connector (2x2) that uses 2 - 12V and 2 - Grounds. As there are plenty of 12V rails available from the PSU, simply take your motherboard power connector and attach the 12V DC lines to the Yellow wires from the PSU and the Grounds to the Black PSU wires. In the picture of my KEEX-6100 below, the P4 connector can be seen in the front right corner of the motherboard. This connector attaches to a 12V rail from the native PSU.
KEEX 6100 with P4 connector to Native PSU
The reason this will work is that this board (as well as several other small form factor boards) works just like the original iMac G4 motherboard in that it requires only 12V in to work and it itself has downconverters on it. The KEEX-6100 actually has a mini-Molex/SATA power out port, which can be seen in the back, just left of the fan. This gives a couple molex out, including 5V. So you have a 5V line from here. Just note that I would still recommend taking the 12V backlight power from a Yellow 12V rail from the PSU itself, but the LCD power and ground can connect to the Red 5V and Black-Ground line here. The Green from the inverter can also go here or the DVI 5V as noted.
Option 2 - Use a second PSU - a PICO PSU connected to the native PSU
A PICO PSU with rocker switch
Almost all PICO PSUs use 12V DC input (some have wide ranges in DC input). Power it by hooking a 12V line from the native PSU to the DC power in (the white and black wires pictured that hook up to the connector for an external power brick). As the native PSU gives you 12V DC already, you do not need a power brick. You must "jump" the PICO PSU in some fashion, depending on what your intended iMac G4 mod is. The Jump mechanism can be "always on" with a simple wire or "on/off" with a rocker switch (as pictured) to control power out from the PSU.
If you are using a motherboard in the base that requires an ATX Power connector, this is without a doubt the way to go. You can plug this into the motherboard connector, without having to wire all sorts of adapters and converters, at a negligible loss of space. Of course if its connected to an ATX mobo, the motherboard will jump it for you.
If you are using this for an external monitor with peripherals (ex. dvd drive), you can use the requirement to "jump" this psu to your advantage. You can put a rocker switch here that will allow you to turn off everything its connected to. Remember the native PSU will be on as soon as you plug it in, by jumping this psu without a switch, it will also be on. Thus, drives will be spinning, leds will be glowing etc whenever it is plugged in. With a switch here you can turn the whole unit LCD and peripherals completely off. Just remember, no matter what wattage PSU you get, these are not additive, they are connected in serial, so you are still limited by the overall wattage of the native PSU. Also, you have to make sure that the wattage is adequate for anything you have connected "downstream" of PICO PSU including the LCD power (though the backlights can be connected to either the native or PICO PSU).
The PICO PSU is probably the most flexible option as they are available with P4 connectors. molex connectors. SATA power connectors etc. If you are not using an ATX motherboard, you could even use the power from the pins intended for the motherboard. However its expensive and not needed if you use Option #1. And if you aren't using peripherals requiring 5V - you can likely use the cheaper option #3.
Option 3 - Use a 12V to 5V DC-DC Downconverter
15W 12V to 5V DC downconverter
These can usually be found for around $5. Connect one 12V and Ground in and you get 1 5V and Ground out. Combine this 5V rail with a different 12V from the native PSU. With a 12V and 5V rail, we now have our "molex wires" that acts as our power source.
All these are acceptable, as is using a different PSU altogether, it simply depends on your goals and needs. As always - thanks for reading!!
I hope this doesn't come across as preachy, but I just want to give some advice to those of you new to modding the iMac G4. I have disassembled and reassembled this computer so many times I could probably do it blindfolded. There are a few aspects of modding this computer that have led to a lot of frustration for me, a few pointers, hopefully, will help some of you.
iMac G4 Neck with Cinema Display Wires
1) Do not be scared to open the neck. Its not hard, does not require special tools, and is not really dangerous. I have written on this blog about the exploding neck because I had read about it myself. I have knocked the spring off its moorings numerous times and that just means a lot of work to pry it back up into position. I've had an open neck fall off the table, I've left necks open for weeks at a time, and have never had the spiring fly off. I wouldn't throw an open neck as hard of you can against the wall, but you also do not have to handle it like its plutonium.
2) Do not put more/thicker wires into the neck than it can hold. Just because you can get it through the holes does not make it a good idea. When you overcrowd the neck, you'll start to hear grinding and some wires will wear down as they are pushed into the hinges of the neck. The iMac G4 has 4 wires that go through the native neck. When you replace wires, take out what you're not using and aim to have about the same "volume of wires" as the native neck comes with. To get wires through the neck all you have to do is push a wire that is already through backwards and tape about 1/2 an inch of the wire you want to get through to that wire and pull it through.
3) When you can't get a signal replace the black wire. I have heard from many people who can not get the 17" DVI hack to work. I know what the problem is - its the black wire. If one wire isn't touching then there is no signal. Too much solder on these wires causes problems. Even if you get a strong signal on the mutimeter, crosstalk can result in color changes, flickering image, etc. The wires are simply too small to reliably work with. Give it a shot and try to spare the pins that are attached. But, if you need to - replace them. Replace them with what you may ask. I used an apple cinema display's wiring here, but these are no different than any TMDS cables and the easiest place to get TMDS cables - take a DVI cable and strip it. You will find 4 wires that have three wires bundled within them, these are the same as the 4 wires within the iMac's black wire. Solder the pins to the top and you're set. Even though it will be four wires to one, they are thinner and if you need remove the led/microphone wire go ahead and do it. For my current mod, I have repaired problems with the black cable numerous times, I finally decided to replace it, with the apple cinema display's wires and haven't had a problem since.
4) Get rid of the Torx-6 screws. These are the most troublesome screws I have ever worked with. On the bottom of the 17" and 20" iMac G4's monitor housing you will find 3 screws that require a Torx-6 screwdriver to open. These are the screws that keep the monitor housing closed. I have never seen screws that strip easier despite using the appropriate tool. 6 points on a tiny screw is very close to a circle and once you start stripping it - its already too late. Chances are good that you may have to open up the monitor housing again at some point for upgrades, repairs etc. Act preemptively and replace these with small phillips screws - it will save problems later.
5) Want an All-In-One? Consider an 3.5" ECX or other small form factor board. Although mini-itx or a mac mini motherboard are the most popular choices neither of these is ideal from a size/heat perspective. ECX's can fit at the top of the dome in place of the native HDD where heat won't be as big a problem as it would with a mini itx at the bottom of the dome. They don't require an atx power supply and come with a variety of additional options including PCI-E mini or x4, Compact Flash etc. Processors range from Atom to ULV Celeron to Sandy Bridge Core i processors. This allows you to keep the full drive if you want and allows room at the bottom of the dome for ports at the back. Although not nearly as expandable as a mini-itx mobo, with such limited space in the dome, this isn't likely to matter.
6) Do not sacrifice stability for power. The mods I post don't include many mods which failed. Most of these initially worked but failed because I tried to force things. If you have to use all your strength to push your mod closed to screw it in, it will not last. If you cram things in between the motherboard and the air holes, your board will overheat. One mod I did post that was going to fail was the 20" TMDS to LVDS Conversion. Keep expectations in check. If you have a 17" monitor running at 1440x900 you don't need SLI or Crossfire. Having it turn on and having a critical problem like this is worse than it not working at all. If it doesn't work you can at least start troubleshooting what went wrong, these problems like the 20" TMDS to LVDS usually mean complete redesign and many of the parts have to be repurposed or replaced altogether.
Update 11/2/2011: I have finally solved the native inverter issue and as a result, used the same method I used for my 17" Mod and can now say that this pinout works. A guide will be coming in he future as well.
I have received a request for the TMDS-DVI pinout of the 20" iMac G4. Just like the other iMac G4 panels there is a TI chip which converts TMDS to LVDS, so with a DVI cable and power source the native lcd should be usable with any DVI compliant source. However, the caveat here is that I have been unable to get the native inverter to work properly. So, while there may be an image, with no backlighting - it will be very difficult to see.
That said there are work arounds:
1) Aftermarket inverters (works great, needs only 12V, 5V and ground), but I have not found one thin enough to close the case completely - but if you don't mind a little buldge, this does work fine.
2) Alternate Backlighting (LED etc)
3) Get the native inverter working:
What I've learned: It requires a 24V and 3.3V line. The Dimmer seems to work backwards of most where it requires 3.3V for maximum brightness. There is certainly a way to do this, but I have already damaged several in my attempts and I felt that even if I got it working, finding adequate power sources that would work together would be difficult. You would have to use a powersource that has a 24V line such as the native power source for the 20" or the iMac G5's. I didn't want to have to "turn on the backlights" with a separate switch. The Apple Cinema Display also uses a 24V line, so I initially thought about using its power brick. Thats when I realized that the power wiring including a brightness switch and on/off were already done for me by using the 20" apple cinema display itself. Conveniently, its the same size including thickness and weight as the iMac G4 20"s monitor and housing. This led me to my Apple Cinema Display/iMac Mod, which has exceeded expectations so far. But, I can understand the desire to get this as "genuine" as possible.
iMac G4 20" TMDS-DVI Conversion
So here is the TMDS/DVI conversion chart. This is based on the LCD panel: Id Tech 20" LCD. Notice there are significant differences from the 17". This includes different placement of the shield wires and some grounds as well as higher voltage requirements. Because I never got the inverter working, I have not verified this, nor do I plan to. As long as ID tech did not misprint the specs, there is really no way this could be incorrect, but you never know until you try. Update: Never say Never
*NOTE: The Inverter Charts have been updated. As I noted earlier, a reader noted flickering of the backlights with 12V connected to the RED line and it stabilized when connected to 5V. I initially thought there was some inverter variation but after another confirmation from a reader I checked my old notes and had clearly written "Red - 5V". I made a mistake when putting together the Inverter diagram for the blog. Thank you to my readers and my apologies for any inconvenience. Please note the charts have been corrected to reflect that RED is connected directly to 5V for both 17" iMac necks.
So I have fairly intact versions of both of the 17" necks and they are VERY EASY to tell apart - even if you don't know which 17" iMac the neck originally came from. They are also VERY DIFFERENT - so know which one you are using before proceeding. These are the only two part numbers for 17" necks I have been able to find. Other variations or small differences may exist, I can not be certain. Remember, you always have the option of opening up the monitor and looking at the JAE connector. Because they all use the same LCD, the pin number/position will always be the same. I will focus on the differences.
My previous post/17" pinout detailed what I will call:
NECK A: This is part #661-2825 and is the for the 1ghz and 1.25ghz 17" iMac G4.
Here is a picture of the JAE connector. Notice that the pins are glued onto a black board which is then encased in a silver connector with prominent push clasps on the sides.
Here is the inverter - LCD side. Notice the colors from left to right (Blue, Black, Red, Green, Purple, ORANGE)
Bottom of the inverter again you can see the presence of an ORANGE wire
The bottom of the video cable that plugs into the motherboard had this number on it (620-2305). I don't know if this is universal across all of these necks, but I wanted to point it out).
DVI pinout A - 1 or 1.25ghz iMac neck
Inverter Pinout A: 1 or 1.25ghz Neck
So here again is the DVI and Inverter pinouts for Neck A recognizable by:
1) Part #661-2825
2) Comes from a 1 or 1.25ghz 17" iMac G4
3) Has a black/silver JAE 30 pin connector to LCD
4) Has an Orange Wire in the inverter cable
5)??Has the number 620-2305 on the motherboard side of the video cable
NECK B: This is part #661-2716 and is the for the 800mhz 17" iMac G4.
I have peeled back the aluminum foil, but you can see that the JAE connector that connects to the LCD is one where the pins snap into a beige connector and there are no clasps on the side.
Here is the inverter (LCD side). Notice the colors from left to right (Blue, Black, Red, Green, Purple, OFF-WHITE)
The bottom of the inverter (removed from connector) again shows the OFF-WHITE colored wire [NOT ORANGE]. There is also a number on the motherboard side of the video cable. Again, I'm not sure how specific this is. (620-2122).
So here is the new TMDS to DVI and Inverter pinouts for Neck B recognizable by:
1) Part #661-2716
2) Comes from a 800mhz 17" iMac G4
3) Has a beige JAE 30 pin connector to LCD
4) Has an Off-White Wire in the inverter cable
5)??Has the number 620-2122 on the motherboard side of the video cable
DVI pinout B - 800mhz iMac neck
Inverter pinout B: 800mhz neck
*** I have come across a neck that has the LCD cable of a 800mhz iMac, however, its inverter cable has an orange wire. As I obtained this second hand, this could have been the result of a repair and may not be standard. As both are left floating, it doesn't matter for the inverter, however, I can now have doubts if this can be used to differentiate the two necks. Luckily, there are other differences.
Conclusion:
There are so many differences, there is a Brown cable in one, an Orange in the other. The order of the rest of the wires is completely different. Even the Clock/Data cables are reversed White/Black. While I myself have set up Neck A, a reader of my blog has gotten it working with neck B. Obviously the color of the wires really doesn't matter its what pin they connect to thats important. As there may be a slight difference in what I call "blue vs. purple" etc. Here is a close up of the 2 JAE connectors and the order of their wires (pin 1 position is on the left to pin 30 on the right).
NECK A: 1 or 1.25ghz 17" iMac
I'm excited to see some of the projects people come up with - I also like confirmation that things are written clearly and are correct. So comments are appreciated - thanks. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.
Black iMac/VESA, 1st Generation iMac G5, and iMac G4/Cinema Display Touchscreen Mods
While reviewing this blog, it occurred to me that for a new person reading this site and interested in an iMac G4 mod, as there have been several different mods, it would be difficult to decide which one is best. I've decided to summarize the different mods I've done with a brief review of benefits and problems. All these mods really focus on one thing - being able to use the decade old iMac G4 chassis with modern hardware. The hardest technical problem to solve is to be able to use the screen at the top of the neck with conventional hardware. Other additions include touchscreens, bluray players etc. Over the past few years myself and others have tried many different solutions to this problem. I'll discuss my various solutions here. As I feel they've gotten better and more stable, I will try to go chronologically. The MODS are linked to their original blog posts. Click for more details.
Summary: By drilling holes in a VESA 75/100 adapter for the iMac G4 neck, an entire new monitor can be firmly secured to the iMac G4's neck.
Additional features: I put an internal bluray into the base with an SATA to USB 2.0 converter. So this mod functions as an ergonomic external monitor and external usb bluray drive.
Status: Still in use, although I replaced the 17" pictured here with a 20" monitor.
Pros:
1) Easy - no soldering
2) Very stable, no monitor disasembly required 3) Leaves base empty, so can put anything that you want in it
4) As long as you choose lightweight monitors, any size or screen ratio can be used. With new ultrathin, lightweight LED monitors, potentially >20" size screens can be used.
Cons:
1) Difficult to find white lcd that matches white base - may need to paint base
2) Wires do not go through the neck and come from the lcd itself
3) Weight of LCD can be an issue. For 20" neck (any size monitor) lcds should be around 10 pounds. But also can not have too much of a shelf in the back or the monitor is displaced to far forward and the monitor will not be able to tilt.
Current Setup with 20" LG Monitor
MOD#2: Build a Shelf on the back Summary: Place a new 16:10 20" lcd into the native iMac enclosure. Cut holes to allow the wires for the LCD controller and inverter to go through the back of the monitor, secure the components to the back of the lcd and construct a shelf in the back to protect the components
Additional features: Bluray as above. A surface acoustic wave touchscreen with controller also attached to the back of the monitor.
Status: Broken - not repaired. Monitor cable got snagged on something and pulled on and damaged the lcd board
Pros:
1) Looks closer to native iMac
2) As there is no "forward displacement", the heavy SAW touchscreen can be used
3) No soldering required
4) Base is free for any components
Cons:
1) Breakable - The monitor components are very sensitive and are easily damaged.
2) Wires do not go through neck
MOD#3: The TMDS to LVDS conversion. The 17" version and the 20" version
Summary: Replace the native iMac G4s LCD with a 16:10 store bought monitors LCD. Place the components including LCD controller and inverter in the base. Replace the iMacs TMDS wiring with more conventional LVDS wiring. I did both 20" and 17" versions.
Additional features: 4-wire resistive touchscreen on 17" version only - wired through neck
Status: 20" disassembled secondary the safety concerns. 17" disassembled for parts to use on other mods.
20" Version
17" Version
Pros:
1) Identical in appearance to iMac G4
2) Off the shelf 20" and 17" monitors are not very expensive
3) All wires go through the neck
4) 17" can fit touch screen within its bezel and wires down neck
5) As this replaces the iMac monitor this mod works with iMacs with broken LCDs
Cons:
1)***HIGH VOLTAGE: I CAN NOT RECOMMEND DOING THE 20" VERSION
- Once the current passes through the inverter it becomes very high voltage. As a result high voltage cables travel through the neck. The 20" has SIX CCFL lamps so 12 wires (6 high voltage) are carried through the metal neck. I was not able to fit all extra shielded wires due to the tight fit in the neck. After using this for a little while - I became too worried that one of the wires could fray and arc to the metal neck. For the 17" I was able to fit rubberized, shielded wire for its 2 CCFL inverter wires. I would ultimately like to not run ANY high voltage cable, but at least the 17" can be loaded with extra protection.
2) Some monitors work better than others. Ex. monitors with ribbon cables vs. wires are more difficult. Though you may not know what you have til you open it up
3) Components are housed in the base, taking room away from anything else intended to go within the base.
4) Difficult - have to open up the neck, replace multiple cables, and lots of soldering small wires
5) Monitor Drift - although the touch screen fits, it does cause the neck to slide down in certain positions.
6) Apple used a TMDS chip in this computer for a reason. It is theoretically more stable than LVDS over longer distances. Although the image seems crisp and clear to me either way.
Summary: Using the native iMac G4 monitor, inverter, and TMDS wiring, but adding a power source and converting the TMDS to a standard DVI connector. 15" version demonstrated by several moders before me. 17" connections and pinout detailed on my blog.
Additional features: theoretically could add touch screen
Status: Used for 17" Guide and disassembled
Pros:
1) Uses Native Monitor and inverter no need for additional components and obviously identical to original iMac G4
2) Full Step by Step guide available for 17"
3) Stable TMDS signaling
4) No need to open neck
5) Except for some form of power source - no monitor components in base taking up room
Cons:
1) There is some color variation - so make sure that you are using the pinout for the right version of the neck.
2) Only 15 and 17" versions. Update: No longer true, now available in 20" see below for details.
3) Some issues reported with screen corruption and gibberish during computer sleeping
Summary: Use a 20" Apple cinema display and all its components to replace the native iMac G4's monitor housing. Cut a hole in the back and cover the original "wire out" hole. Using the native wires in the 20" neck plus the power cable from the Apple Cinema Display - all wires go through the neck into the base (including the rear USB ports) - to a DVI and USB cable which can be hooked up to any computer, in this case a Mac Mini. The front bezel of the iMac is then added to the cinema display. Additional Features: A 20" 5-wire resistive touchscreen, wired through the neck and to a USB hub where one USB cable goes to the external computer for both the USB ports on the back of the monitor and the touchscreen.
Status: Still together but moved off desktop in favor of Mod#6A
Pros:
1) Very Stable - using Apple Cinema Display with its normal components and an external mini
2) All cables go through the neck
3) No Monitor Drift even with addition of touchscreen
4) Extra wires in the native neck allow for use of the rear USB ports and touchscreen
5) Looks almost identical to the native iMac G4 and aluminum on the back actually matches most of apple's modern products.
6) Power brick can be hidden in the base.
Cons:
1) Expensive: Mac Mini, Working Cinema Display, and 20" iMac housing in good condition
2) Requires some construction, cutting out hole and the inner housing from the iMac G4's monitor to secure the neck
3) Have to open the neck - while the original cables can be used for touchscreen, USB, and DVI, no native cables can replace the DC power to LCD controller.
4) Requires an external computer.
5) Although similar it is not identical to the native iMac G4.
Summary: Use a native 20" iMac G4 including native LCD, monitor case, dome, and inverter with the LCD controller from an Apple Cinema Display to power it hidden at the bottom of the base. Incorporate an ECX form factor Core 2 duo motherboard in the base to make this a true all-in-one computer.
Additional Features: All-In-One computer and Blu-ray drive is able to fit in the base.
Status: Base components removed in favor of Mod #6A.
Pros:
1) A true All-In-One computer with Intel x86 Processor.
2) Small Form Factor PC allows a full size drive, in this case Blu-ray to fit inside.
3) Visually identical to native iMac G4. Utilizes original power button and with some extenders, new ports can be made in place of the original ones.
4) No monitor drift and all wires go through the neck.
5) Easier than most mods - no "construction" required.
Cons:
1) Expensive - Although you do not need a full Apple Cinema Display finding a working LCD controller board and cables may cost as much as an intact monitor. Although not as expensive as a mac mini, ECX boards are overpriced based on specs alone, and the RAM and processor are purchased separately.
2) Uses compact flash hard drive. Although you can use a hard drive like any other mobo, to save space I used the onboard compact flash slot. This is not nearly as fast as other sold state options and is very expensive per GB.
3) Not a Great Hackintosh - as you can see it currently uses windows. 2 problems with hackintoshing this - for one, snow leopard will not recognize compact flash. This can be solved by squeezing in a small SSD (such as a 1.8". However, while the hackintosh community has gotten the onboard Intel 4500HD graphics to display at its native resolution (complicated hacks) there is not yet any QE/CI support.
4) Power bricks are external. Although small, there are 2 - the apple cinema display's and a 60 watt brick for the mobo.
5) Extensive Neck Modification - this entire mod is about the neck. Uses some wires from apple cinema display, some from native neck, and I used an additional wire from a different iMac neck.
Summary: Variation of Mod #6. This uses an unaltered iMac G4 20" enclosure (same exact mod as above). However, the all-in-one has been removed and replaced by the power brick which has now been internalized. As above this mod relies on the 20" aluminum Apple Cinema Display's controller board hooked up to the native iMac G4 inverter. As I have now learned, this TMDS board works perfectly with the native 20" 16:10 LCDs from either the aluminum Apple Cinema Display, the iMac G4, or even the iMac G5! Two ports on the back are a DVI out and a computer power cable. It is hooked up to a mac mini in my setup.
Additional Features: Can include DVD/Bluray. Can make use of Cinema Displays powered USB and Firewire 400 ports on back of base.
Status: In Use as part of dual monitor display with a converted iMac G5.
Pros:
1) Visually and functionally identical to original iMac G4 and ACD's powerbrick hidden in base.
2) External computer allows for easy upgrades and versatility. Can use as external monitor for laptop.
3) Room in Base - as only the power brick and lcd controller board are in the base, there is room for additional components: DVD/Bluray, wireless docking base station for laptops etc.
4) No monitor drift and all wires go through neck.
5) Can use LCD from either ACD, iMac G4, or iMac G5
6) Despite its authenticity its actually one of the easier of the mods to do if you can get the parts.
Cons:
1) Still Expensive: requires cosmetically good housing from iMac G4, A working ACD controller and cable, a working LCD, and of course - a computer.
2) Not an all-in-one
3) Not a touchscreen
4) Extensive Neck Modification - as before this entire mod is about the neck. Uses some wires from apple cinema display, some from native neck, and I used an additional wire from a different iMac neck.
Summary: I know this site has been primarily dedicated to the iMac G4, however the iMac G5 is actually quite similar. Also, its a great design in its own right. Since the LCDs of the cinema display and iMac G5 are (depending on model) either identical or slightly varied. As a result you can re-purpose a cinema display with a broken LCD or damaged aluminum case. In the original mod there is plenty of room to work with. The entire metal chassis which holds the inverter and lcd controller can fit inside the g5's chassis. The cinema display's cable can then be routed out the back in place of the iMac G5's original power cable.
iMac G5 "iSight" Mod
The iSight variation is similar except the LCD controller and inverter much be placed individually in place of the previous computer components. In addition the iSight camera can be spliced with USB as well as the microphone. Connecting these with the cinema displays on board USB ports and this monitor becomes an external webcam with mic as well.
Additional Features: Lots of room in original - can easily fit slim slot load dvd and speakers. Much tighter in iSight, but can use iSight/mic via USB.
Status: Original iMac G5 is use as a spare monitor. The iSight variation in daily use as dual monitor with iMac G4 in Mac Mini Setup.
Pros:
1) Visually identical to original iMac G5
2) Can act as either external DVD, speakers, or webcam/microphone
3) Very easy - no soldering
4) Very stable - Cinema display in an iMac shell
Cons:
1) Expensive - based on a working cinema display
2) Power brick is external (though you could likely fit it inside this would greatly increase the complexity and stability of this mod)
3) Not an iMac G4
SUMMARY: Although this is a variation of the TMDS to DVI presented in MOD#4, the 20" is more complex. This took me over a year to figure out and is truly the computer I had hoped to build when I first started. Although more advanced variations may come including LED backlights, touch screens etc. I do not believe it is possible to make a much more authentic version than this. So I want to give it its own space.
20" iMac G4 running Lion via Sandy Bridge ECX Board
This mod uses an unaltered 20" iMac G4 frame, monitor components, and neck. The entire mod takes pace within the dome. Using a Pico Power Supply and a 12V to 24V DC Step Up converter, power is provided to the LCD and backlights. Using the same DVI connector seen in MOD#4 the TMDS signal is properly aligned to be DVI compatible. A Hackintoshable Sandy Bridge ECX board, the KEEX-6100, serves as the computer. This fits within the space previously occupied by the 3.5" Hard drive. A DVD optical drive also fits within the base, allowing this to have all the functionality of the original.
Lion Sees This Board as MacBook Pro
Additional Features: If its in the original iMac G4, its here. The DVD optical drive. Even the Power LED and Microphone in the LCD enclosure work.
Status: Updated to MOD #9.
Pros:
1) Very close to the original iMac G4 (I've tried to retain every element)
2) Relatively Easy from a Technical Standpoint - The LCD and Neck do not need to opened or even removed. Only the dome and the cables that come into the dome are modified. The DVI Connector makes this much easier, though this is more difficult than the 15" or 17" version.
3) Cost - while the KEEX board, the SSD, the Pico Power Supply, and a cosmetically good 20" iMac G4 with working LCD can be expensive, this is not much more than you would expect to pay if you were putting together any other Sandy Bridge Set up using off the shelf components. A good case, a SSD, a sandy bridge motherboard and processor, a power supply, and an LCD monitor will run about the same. No other "large" purchases are required. The DVI Connector is available for a few dollars and the Step Up Converter is about $20.
4) With only a few Bios Changes the board is Hackintoshable to Lion with tonymac's Unibeast
5) A 20" iMac G4 with a Sandy Bridge Processor that is Running Mac OS X Lion!!!
Cons:
1) There is an external power brick. Apple had the luxury of being able to design a circular power source. The rectangular commercially available AC to DC converters just don't fit in the dome. For heat reasons this can actually be a good thing. As this is a 40 pound desktop that is going to be in a fixed location, this really isn't such a big deal.
2) Onboard Audio causes a Kernal Panic. The onboard audio is pretty crappy, so I have not looked to see if there is a fix for this and simply disabled it.
3) The original speakers still require an amp such as the PowerWave adapter.
4) This is a Hackintosh not a true Mac.
20" iMac G4 running Mountain Lion via Intel NUC (DC3217BY)
SUMMARY: Based on the same TMDS to DVI conversion used in the previous mod. The smaller Intel NUC form factor allowed for an upgrade to Ivy Bridge and HD4000 graphics. The small board and my better understanding of the native PSU allows the use of the native PSU which offers more power and eliminates the need for an external powerbrick. This all results in improved cooling, graphics, and stability.
The mod is based on the consumer targeted Intel NUC which is fully compatible with Mountain Lion 10.8 via tonymac's Unibeast. With the internalization of the power brick, only close inspection of the ports identifies this as anything other than an original 20" iMac G4.
Even Mountain Lion thinks its an iMac G4
Additional Features: Everything Above: The DVD optical drive. Even the Power LED (not hooked up, but connector in base - personal preference) and Microphone in the LCD enclosure work. Thunderbolt is also untapped potential.
Status: In Use.
Pros:
1) Virtually Identical to the original iMac G4. Even provides a firewire power port for use with the native Apple Pro Speakers.
2) Relatively Easy from a Technical Standpoint - The LCD and Neck do not need to opened or even removed. Only the dome and the cables that come into the dome are modified. The DVI Connector makes this much easier, though this is more difficult than the 15" or 17" version.
3) Cost - Much more reasonably priced than the above mod. Although not cheap, the NUC board includes the processor, needing only RAM, Wifi, and a mSATA to use the NUC. The use of the native PSU is potentially a huge savings. No other "large" purchases are required. The DVI Connector is available for a few dollars and the the converters Converter are usually less than $20.
4) The NUC is Hackintoshable to Lion with tonymac's Unibeast.
5) Stability - this may not be the best system imagineable, but it is quite stable. Unlike PICO PSUs, the existing PSU, easily powers this board, LCD, and peripherals, with plenty of room to spare. The 2 fans remain quiet but greatly improve cooling to the point of an afterthought.
6) Goodbye Powerbrick!
5) A 20" iMac G4 with an Ivy Bridge Processor that is Running Mac OS X Mountain Lion!!!
Before Clean up and final assembly
Cons: TO BE CONTINUED
I hope this summary helps anyone attempting this, but not sure which way to go. Please feel free to ask any questions.
