Clam-tron & Duo-to-G4 Conversion

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Clam-tron & Duo-to-G4 Conversion

(This is why some people should never own a dremel.)

Hey All:

Two things.

(1) I've been reading over some old posts on 'fritter . . . specifically interested in finding out more about the old clamshell plastics.

I have a Graphite SE sitting in a box in a gazillion parts. My 12-year-old niece was visiting a couple of weeks ago and really fell for it. So, I figured that I'd reassemble it for her rather than (my initial plan) making a case for the guts, and adding the items I want in a laptop--e.g., built in track ball and tablet.

Now, the last time I ripped apart the clam, I (stupidly) tore the trackpad cable. Had to buy the entire palmrest molding to replace it. This is where it gets interesting: the palmrest I found is a transparent tangerine. I mean it's easily 65-70% transparent, i.e., verging on "clear." The seller insists that some clamshells were manufactured that way, which I've never heard of (not that that means anything). His story is consistent with talk on the street, namely, that the color cannot be stripped from a clamshell.

Now the SE that I’ve got has opaque plastics, and I’ve not looked at an older iBook in forever. I’m wondering if the first few batches of clamshells had translucent plastics and the later ones (the SEs? The FW?) didn’t? Some of the pics I see of older iBooks seem to have slightly more translucent palmrests than mine does. Could it be that removing the shielding from such a machine would create that transparent effect occasionally touted as a mod?

(2) WARNING: What follows is not intended as a cost-saving measure; I know that there are cheaper and faster ways to get a G4 powerbook. That’s not what this is about . . . I want to see if I can get a fairly powerful machine in an old-world mac box.

I’d like to take an older powerbook (say one of the duos . . . maybe a 2300) and convert it into a G4 powerbook. The dimensions of the case are almost exactly the same, if I’m not mistaken. Yes, I realize that I’ll have to alter (radically) the ports and will have to get replacement cables, since the guts will have to be rearranged in some instances. I’ll probably have to custom build the 2300 battery . . . but, I might be able to modify the frame to accommodate a G4 battery. The real worry is the LCD. I’d have to cut away so much of the original case in order to accommodate the G4 LCD, that virtually all of the old-world flavor would be lost. I would be perfectly happy to install a 9.1-ish screen (one drivable by the G4), but have no idea where I might get such an animal.

Also, I LOVE—really can’t emphasize this enough—the built-in trackball of some of the duos and would love to keep that but have deep reservations about being able to get the G4 mobo/OS to drive that.

Anyone have any suggestions regarding the LCD (the trackball)?

Cheers

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I think the best way to do th

I think the best way to do the LCD would be to buy one from eBay and use the powerbook's DVI or VGA out and connect that...nothing onboard the PB will drive anything but a PB display, AFAIK. And the trackball, if it's not proprietary to that particular powerbook, would be an ADB bus, and you can get an ADB to USB converter. But it's most likely not.

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If I remember correctly, the

If I remember correctly, the g4 series used ADB as the communication for the keyboard and trackpad. If the older Duo also uses this, you might be able to plug and play...

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LCD agreement . . .

The problem, I think, would be finding one that is BOTH (1) 9.1" (to fit the duo's frame) and (2) something that the G4 can drive. I suppose that I could use the DVI/VGA out (though keeping it inside the case), which would take care of mobo side of things, but I'd have to find someway to run that to the LCD. So, it would depend on the design/interface of the LCD. Still, working from the G4's DVI/VGA is a good idea . . . opens up more possibilities.

Thanks!

PS "most likely not" = not proprietary?

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Great News!

Hope you're right about the ADB . . . found a 2400c for pretty cheap . . . think I might take the plunge (especially since it's likely to take a good long while to get all of the parts I'll need).

Thanks

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Sorry, i was wrong, only the

Sorry, i was wrong, only the 15 and 17" PowerBook G4s have the internal ADB.

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Palmrest

I'm going to assume there's no metal shield on the underside of the entire top piece assembly? iBook translucency did not differ until the Special Editions when the case plastics became white and not at all clear.

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