Final Documentation

 I regard the iMac G4 as the most beautiful personal computer ever produced. I thought it tragic that such a work of art should slip into obsolescence and set out to revitalize it with modern technology.  My goal was to create a fully functional, modern computer completely within the confines of the original iMac all-in-one concept; everything contained within the unaltered body. Functional data ports, single power cable, etc.

Because of the limited room inside the computer, Apple didn’t use off-the-shelf components. Almost everything (including the display) was custom made to work with only those components. The culmination of four months of research, experimentation, and error, the most difficult part of this transformation, the display, was finally completed. The display can now be attached to any modern computer via a DVI cable. 

To complete this project, I constructed a custom power supply and completely rewired the display. To do this, I taught myself the finer points of power supplies, the inner workings of displays, LVDS and TMDS video signals, high voltage CCFL backlights, and spent a lot of time troubleshooting obscure electrical issues to which nobody seems to know the answers. 

Although the project was completed for a Digital Arts class, this is a personal project I first began thinking about after the iMac G4‘s discontinuation. I kept a blog of the entire process here. 

Final video displayed on computer during installation: 

DVI soldering

Got the DVI cable all soldered up, but it doesn't seem to be working yet... Full report at my iMac G4 project Blog.

I spent the morning preparing my DVI connector for use on the new monitor. As soon as it arrives, it'll be time to solder.

Inspiring Stuff

I think that the best design in the world of electronics happened in the early 2000's. Before circuit boards and CPUs could fit onto a note card, they were the determining factor in the design of such products. Because of that, designers had to be much more creative in order to package something in a way that would people would still want to buy it.

 For example, this iBook has a 12" square screen with an almost 2" bezel around the outside. For the screen size, this computer is ridiculously huge. However, because it's so incredibly beautifully made, I would trade my laptop for one of these in a second if the specs were similar. 

I also look in on Ben Heck every now and then. He does cool mods like Xbox laptops. Unfortunately, while functional,  I've never seen something of his which was visually interesting.