So Ive been wanting to do this mod for a few years and have finally got around to doing it. It requires hardwiring up a LCD behind the apple logo and having your macbook recognize it as a secondary display. Much better than just inserting colored gels to change the color, because now you can change it at any time to any color, movie and even the itunes visualizer. You can even have your isight camera. Heck anything I want! It is amazing and works perfectly! I thought you all may appreciate this!
and here is a youtube video of it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is5GZNHPfo0
http://www.macmod.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=3350
Keep up with the news of this mod here.. http://www.edsjunk.net
I will post tutorials, services, and even a link to a ebay auction if i decide to sell this macbook!!
It's notable how in no point in your video do you actually go smoothly from a front view of the laptop to the back when something is *moving* on the "rear screen". Someone completely jaded and untrustworthy might suspect, in the following order:
A: Video editing trickery or
B: That the footage of the "rear display" was actually accomplished by flipping the main LCD over in the housing. And of course it was flipped back over during that rather obvious hiccup in the footage at approximately the 1:40 mark.
Including just *one* picture of the unit in a disassembled state on your web page might help dismiss doubts like these.
--Peace
Take a look at the video again.. there is a smooth transition.. i got no reason to fake you guys out. This mod took me awhile for searching for the right parts and trail and error to get here.. and to take it all apart again right now just not something i want to do at the moment.. but a guarantee everyone this is real.. ill take another video if you guys would like
I'm going to agree with this. It looks like a cool mod, but due to how much work would have to go into actually executing this, vs. how easy it would be to fake, I'd want to see a picture of this thing disassembled before I believe it.
There's a jump-cut after viewing a c/u of video on the logo. The camera comes up and pulls back as the 'book is rotated to see what's on the main screen. Maybe it's just bad editing, but there's an edit between seeing the two screens.
Sorry, love to believe it, and I'm sure I'll be as impressed as everyone else once there's some shots of the guts and listing of parts, etc., but until then I'll curb my enthusiasm and wait for more details.
Agreed... I'll believe this when i see legit photos of the innards of the display housing.
If it's real, well done to you. If it's fake, **** off.
I was thinking all of this last night as I watched the video for the first time. I'm glad I'm not the only pessimist here.
Undoubtedly a cool hack... but I'm doubting there is any real to it. Prove us wrong please!!
Ill prove it to you guys.. i dont know why i care so much to prove myself, but I dont want you guys to really think im the lier.. honestly.. i would like to make some money from this mod.. i spent quite a lot of time researching, trial and error to finally finding the right stuff to make it work that i dont just want to give it away just yet... i can give you a smooth video without the cuts of the visualizer... and then it will be all smooth
Additionally...I've been inside the display housing of my MBP, and while a different machine, there is quite literally NO ROOM for another LCD screen of *any* size. Its simply too thin!
But again...I'd love to be proved wrong!
TheMike raises a good point. Where is there ROOM for another LCD in there, plus the inverter for it's backlight. Also, where did you tap power & video signals for it. How & where did you run the wiring? I'm sorry, but, i just don't think it's possible to do what you claim to have done.
Now, I would love to be proved wrong as well. However, until i see photos of your wiring, and the 2nd LCD mounting, etc... inside the display housing, i'm going to remain pretty doubtful.
Just a pic with the display cover off, showing that "other" LCD, would be a great start.
The guy says he doesn't want to reveal all his secrets...understandable. But you have to reveal a little to make it believable!
I did some tests last night with my MBP and found that if you remove the white diffuser sheet behind the apple logo, then shine a pretty bright flashlight through the front of the LCD, you can achieve some results pretty similar to what this guy is showing us.
Smart people (IE, *not* the suckers who believe every lame viral video that makes rounds on YouTube) are just going to keep calling shenanigans until you cough up something better then a better-edited video, sorry.
While the greed angle ("I wanna sell it, so I don't want to reveal my secrets...") might sound like a good excuse for not showing *at least one picture*, well, it's not. Obviously doing this for real would be "hard" and involve elaborate handcraftery and difficult-to-source parts, and thus be a task beyond most people's abilities even if they *did* have a few shots under the hood to marvel at. If it's for real you'll still find a sucker willing to throw a few grand at you for a working unit, don't worry.
Here's as guy who makes crazy case mods, and sells them for princely sums of money. Guess what, he's not afraid to take pictures.
--Peace
Now it is on ebay! Check it out!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120392094281#ht_4553wt_1286
Aaahaah.
Okay, I'll bite. Seeing the skanky bulge in the back housing I'm guessing you stuffed the guts of one of these (or something like it) under the skin.
Still lose points for no pictures and otherwise coming across as a shady operator, though. ;^)
--Peace
I'm still calling shenanigans on this until i see pics of the innards.
You could do it without a second backlight - using the existing light for the Apple logo, or cutting away some of the reflective backing on the front LCD's backlight.
I'd bet money that's exactly what he did.
Interesting mod. Congratulations on thinking of something different.
funny ive seen this on engadget a few times now, they didnt hint at it being fake for a second.
You know, from a functional standpoint a better idea (if you're simply *dying* for an animated Apple logo) might be to stick the guts of a skanky ChinaVasion-esqe "MP4 Player" under the lid. (I suspect the screen of this particular one is a little small, but you get the idea.) Just set it up to loop a set of video files or a photo slideshow. And it could keep running while the lid of the laptop is closed, unlike the "real screen". Find a place for the headphone jack and you'll really be onto something. ;^)
(I think I'd personally get incredibly annoyed with having this phantom extra screen cluttering my desktop layout all the time. Just imagine the pain if you accidentally ended up putting your menu bar on it while setting up a "real" second head.)
Of course, Microsoft has been pushing the "Sideshow Gadget" concept of an independent (and actually useful) secondary display in the lid or touchpad (or even removable and usable as a mini-PDA) for a while now. But I guess something like that isn't actually "innovative" until an Apple laptop does it. (With reduced functionality, of course.)
--Peace
Hey ebay removed my auction saying it was against policy, and after being on the phone with them for a hour they did realize it was to policy and they messed up, no matter becuase i lost all of my publicity and watchers.. anyways.. hope you still want to try to bid! here is the relisted auction!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120393911523
So, I am working on a how-to now and will be making a white macbook with this LCD logo mod, and guys.. i am going to do a complete full picture tutorial on it! I have 7 more LCDs that just arrived this morning!
Hey guys.. as promised i finished the tutorial on the MacBook LCD Logo Mod. I have it complete with pictures, description, parts and links to everything you need! It in on my website here..
EdsJunk.net Tutorials
I am selling some extra LCDs I purchased and I have the macbook on eBay once more. The winner of the last auction did not pay. So this is the last time its up! Its a Best Offer Auction!
MacBook LCD Logo Mod on eBay