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Reuse of an orphaned LC

Submitted by smerdonw on June 9, 2005 - 12:44am. Hardware Hacks

I recently picked up an orphaned Macintosh LC. I'd like to explore options to upgrade the unit to the current performing Macs, say a PowerMac G4 or G5. Okay, I guess I'm getting carried away with the G5 thing, but maybe a G3 or G4. Apple did it with the Mac Mini, so I'm confident I can accomplish something. Anyone do anything like this? Anyone got any ideas?

/ws

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Re: Reuse of an orphaned LC

Submitted by reklus on June 9, 2005 - 6:13am.
smerdonw wrote:
I recently picked up an orphaned Macintosh LC. I'd like to explore options to upgrade the unit to the current performing Macs, say a PowerMac G4 or G5. Okay, I guess I'm getting carried away with the G5 thing, but maybe a G3 or G4. Apple did it with the Mac Mini, so I'm confident I can accomplish something. Anyone do anything like this? Anyone got any ideas?

/ws

What exactly did apple do with the Mac Mini? They created a computer that fit into a small box using millions of dollars of research and engineering. (or they crammed an ibook into a box) what exactly do you plan to do that is parallel to that?

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Not likely

Submitted by elefant on June 9, 2005 - 8:30am.

It will be difficult and expensive. The only modern motherboard that will fit (big maybe) will be from a laptop (PowerBook or iBook) or from a Mac mini. And that will reqiure some hacking of portson the back and likely also drive placement. Note, that there is not room for a internal CD-ROM drive in an LC-case, well perhaps a laptop one.

So while it is possible to do, I would rather use a laptop to do something like the iNotebook.

If you can settle for less, you can upgrade the LC to a LC 475 (change mobo). The LC 475 can be upgraded to PPC, a blistering fast 50 MHz PPC 601 and the 475 can have a whopping 36 MB of RAM.

» "TV can make you think that you are being educated, when in fact all you're doing is blinking your life away with a remote control." - Mynak Tulku

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Eudimorphodon's picture

Re: Reuse of an orphaned LC

Submitted by Eudimorphodon on June 9, 2005 - 3:07pm.
smerdonw wrote:
Anyone got any ideas?

Remove the cover, shake vigerously until everything inside falls out, and set a Mac Mini in the space now vacated?

Or, more precisely, do what this guy did:

http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/mini/dock/

Of course, an LC is a lot smaller then a Quadra 660.

If you're willing to set your sights a lot lower (and cheaper) you could probably cram the motherboard from a tray-loading iMac in there, along with a micro ATX power supply. (Just going by memory as to how much room there is in one of those machines.) Look on enough street corners and you'll probably find a suitable iMac with a blown monitor to get the motherboard from.

--Peace

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DanvahsState's picture

Oh my god...that is the coole

Submitted by DanvahsState on June 9, 2005 - 3:34pm.

Oh my god...that is the coolest reuse of a quadra iv'e ever seen....

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