Clamshell case, iBook G4 or PowerBook G4 guts?

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alk
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Clamshell case, iBook G4 or PowerBook G4 guts?

Here's a rather ambitious hack idea...

My wife has become enamored with the new-to-me Clamshell iBook 266 that I previously posted about, and we'd like to make it somewhat more capable for the modern world. I was thinking that the dimensions, roughly speaking, are about the same as a 12" iBook or PowerBook. Of course, I don't actually own a 12" iBook or PowerBook, so I can't speak from experience.

Does it sound feasible to take the board and display from one such machine and drop them into a clamshell case? I realize that there would be a significant amount of case reworking involved, and that the ports DEFINITELY wouldn't line up correctly, but I have some thoughts on using extension wires with the old ports from the clamshell secured to the case and then to the board to make it look like the 12" board is the original and thus not really requiring a lot of external case rework.

Does it sound possible? I know it's ambitious, but that doesn't scare me. Wink I've got my own PowerColorClassic in the works, and I'm also (slowly) doing a DA G4 to 8600 case conversion, so I'm no stranger to the Dremel and reworking cases. This would be the first time I've tried it with a portable, though...

Thoughts?

Peace,
Drew

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anything is possible

but it's going to require a LOT of dremeling, soldering, and I doubt the keyboard and track pad will fit right.  Plus, you ports are straight in a G3 Dual USB, and the board on a Clamshell are rounded so the ports fit the curve.
Like I said, ANYTHING is possible.  Just going to give you hell while doing it Wink

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Obstacles ...

Before I begin, please let me start by saying that an updated clamshell would be awesome. In the summer of 2005, I was in the process of looking to build an updated clamshell utilizing a 1.0 ghz logic board from a 12" iBook G4. The complexity of the project, as well as the unique challenges involved prevented me from actually doing it. I do a feasibility conceptual build (on paper) before I break out the dremel and soldering iron. Unfortunately, this project never got past the feasibility build, and became another lost project

You're biggest obstacles aren't going to be in the realm of where the logic board should be, which lcd panel to use, or where to cut. Those obstacles are going to be tricky wiring issues. For example - you will need a much longer LVDS cable for the lcd if you're using a 12" PowerBook G4 or iBook G4 logic board. (an LVDS cable for a 14" iBook might do the trick as the connectors are the same on both ends - I cannot confirm this) You'll have some issues with the battery. The good news is that the connector and pin outs (from my understanding) are the same from the clamshell to the final 1.33 ghz iBook G4. You'll be using a clamshell battery, but will need to rework the battery connector.

The airport antenna will work with the airport extreme cards that were used up until the 1.2 ghz iBook G4's. You'll also run into issues with the trackpad on the top case, as well as need to rework the power switch. Because the clamshell used an adb trackpad, you are limited to using an 800 mhz or 1.0 ghz iBook G4 board (from there you will need to hack the connector). Additional challenges that ultimately killed this project were the process of integrating the frame from the iBook G4 into the clamshell enclosure.

This is not an easy task. I think it could be done, but it would be an incredibly complex involved build.

alk
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Thanks, iantm, for the detail

Thanks, iantm, for the detailed reply. That's about what I was expecting, but I hadn't considered the display cable issue. Of course, looking at both books, it seems like a no-brainer now. Wink

For boards faster than 1 GHz, do you mean that the trackpad is no longer ADB or that the connector will need to be rewired? Or do you mean that I need to rewire a connector for any iBook G4 board up to 1 GHz, but beyond that they aren't ADB so don't bother?

Still, it seems like a really interesting hack, if I ever get around to it! In talking with the wife, it seems that as much as she likes the clamshell, if I'm spending the money on a faster iBook of PowerBook, she'd much rather have a whole 12" iBook or PowerBook than a reworked clamshell. Go figure! Heh.

Something tells me that this hack is destined to sit up high on a dusty shelf in the back of my brain for all eternity. But it sounds like it is possible, with enough patience and skill. We'll see after I finish the DA conversion to an 8600 case if I still have the desire to do this one...

Peace,
Drew

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