I'm in the midst of a kitchen remodel; right now the kitchen & dining room walls are stripped down to the studs, and the electrical, plumbing & ductwork mods are 95% done. This week we hang sheetrock, tape, paint, install flooring, cabinets & trim. Most of the hidden nit-picky details are done, now it's the final push for the stuff that shows (which I'll hire out for the most part!)
One spot in the new kitchen floorplan has been reserved for a message nook of sorts; just a small desk at stand-up height attached to the wall with the phone & my wife's calendar close by. I convinced her that it'd be cool to put a computer there with a flat panel monitor mounted above the desk -- there it could be used to access her e-mail, keep a calendar, keep a recipe database, easier access to Quicken, iTunes music, etc...
This would be a good fit for a mini or an iBook/PowerBook, but kitchens are expensive and following the cabinets & all else, the budget is pretty well tapped out. I do have parts from several machines that might be able to be hacked together for the job; of note is a logic board from a 400MHz iMac that's pre-wired for an atx power supply. I've got a hard drive & optical drive ready to go for it; add a bit more RAM and a flat panel and we're in business.
For a case, I was thinking of using the desk itself to enclose the guts and reduce wire clutter. Nothing fancy; wood sides with an angled desktop, optical drive out the front or side, all ports hidden on the back or side. Anybody been down this road before and have ideas/hints that would be of help? Thanks!
One other thing -- I'd like to use a Bluetooth keyboard & mouse with this setup; anyone know if the aftermarket Bluetooth USB adapters will work with a 400MHz G3 running 10.3.9?
That sounds like a really great idea. With bluetooth you wouldnt even really need port cutouts, maybe put the whole thing in a drawer that can pullout? I think most people are using the d-link bluetooth adapter.
Great idea, don't forget to allow some ventilation