Hi Everybody,
I decided to make my first custom Mac and I came up with this:
I just wanted to make a very rugged evil looking laptop. Let me know what you guys think.
Chris
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Wow... very nicly done! How about some color pictures tho?
What computer did you use for the basis of this hack, and where did you get the case?
really like this! bit bulky but nice and sturdy!
looks like a tiBook keyboard, but the trackpad could be anything.
Looks pretty darn cool from what I can see, but I can't see too much detail in those photos.
Hi guys, thanks for the feedback. Here are some color pictures of the process:
This is where I had to tap into to get the 5v I needed for the LED on the power button.
The reason for the bulkyness is that I wanted to make a laptop I could take pretty much anywhere and not have to worry. I work as a Digital Technitian at photoshoots and sometimes when were on location at the beach or whatever Im always afraid something is going to happen to our laptop so I came up with this idea.
This here is the new machine Im going to be building:
You should think about building these custom ruggedized laptops for people. Seriousily.
I've been toying with building myself something like this for a while, but i've never really had the time / $ for it.
This project was a lot of fun. I spent around $1400 and many trips to the custom plastic parts place. If I make another one like this I would make a larger version with a 17" powerbook. Pelican makes a larger version of this case. I would also use thinner plastic on the custom pieces to save on weight.
CR
You've done something that I am hoping to do with my TiBook, as soon as I figure out all of the particulars. Great Job! How rugged is this? Did you use a keyboard that is splash/dust resistant? I believe the last comment you left said that you got the case from Pelican, with your modifications, is the case still waterproof when sealed?
In pre-working my rugged-Mac, I often worry/have worried about overheating. If the mac is in an airtight case, does it overheat? I was thinking of trying to find an aluminum case that would basically act like a heatsink, as well as a case, but, really, I'm still just theorizing, and would love to hear what you've experienced. Did you chronicle the steps you took?
thats really nice looking. seeing how ive got two older laptops that barely do anything maybe ill mess around with them. inspiration
Thanks for the positive feedback guys. As I mentioned before I used a Pelican case but with the modifications I made to it it's not water proof anymore. I can make a version where I leave the Pelican case as is and it would be water proof. In order to do that the laptop wont have a DVD drive and I would put the vents on the plastic piece next to the keyboard, I would also have the slot for the power on the top right next to the power button. If I make it that way I wont have to cut any holes in the case. In order to keep it as cool as possible I put an USB powered notebook cooler which is on full speed going all the time. I must say it works very well.
The biggest pain was the fact that the LVDS cable was so short. Since it was so short I had to place the logic board as close to the back of the case as possible so the screen would reach it. This also made it difficult cause the ports on this laptop are all in the back so I had to buy right angled usb and fw cables to extend the ports to the top keyboard peice.
This was my first build and it was a lot of fun. I already have a few more ideas that I want to start working on soon.