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iMac G3 revival
- Thread starter Arkious
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I remember when you made this thread and I thought you were stuipid
but now I worship you
Hahaha :-D thanks
On a side note... Happy birthday Bondi! Lol
thanks
have you done something like this before? my next project thats sitting here is a Power Mac G5, but that is getting some serious work done so not starting that until this years uni is finished
thanks
I have never done something like this before, the closest thing would be upgrading a HD in a eMac (pita, involves removing everything but the CRT)
If i had a G5 tower, I would turn it into an expansion bay for a 11-13" MacBook, complete with a 30" CD, but like you, I don't have the time, and like me, I don't have the money (being 15 during the school months is a boring time for me, as there is something that I want to do, but don't have the funds), oh well, ill set the plans right next to the one for a 128 unit Pi supercomputer.
Good luck!
I have never done something like this before, the closest thing would be upgrading a HD in a eMac (pita, involves removing everything but the CRT)
If i had a G5 tower, I would turn it into an expansion bay for a 11-13" MacBook, complete with a 30" CD, but like you, I don't have the time, and like me, I don't have the money (being 15 during the school months is a boring time for me, as there is something that I want to do, but don't have the funds), oh well, ill set the plans right next to the one for a 128 unit Pi supercomputer.
Good luck!
Ahhh, just with you saying probably better than you could have done. By no means is this perfect but i think I'm getting close :-D
on a side note, ive spent a bit time getting the on button, speakers and mic working. having a little issue with interference but its working so i'm not grumbling at the moment. ive also adjusted the clock settings on both the CPU and iGPU, that has given me a boost to 40fps with low amounts of 'tearing' as it was the only down side before.
here are some quick vids;
Boot speed and operation of power button
http://youtu.be/tQMgUd0I0co
Sound test, using my favourite old commercial
http://youtu.be/MzYDTzhXdWE
Finally, an in game video with sound and FPS monitoring
http://youtu.be/i5Jt8nzgJFQ
I havent got a video of the Mic working yet, as i forgot to test it ^.^ but i will get one when i next spend some time on it.
how does it run wow settings wise do you have to set them low or high
cause I'm trying to figure out if my baseline new imac will run wow when it gets here cause what i've been hearing from the mac pro forum is that the new imac will just barely work for web browsing and photo editing
"BARELY JUST WORK FOR WEB BROWSING"??
It is a new iMac. It has an i5/i7 with 2/4 cores. You can browse the web with it with no stress on it whatsoever. Photo editing should be fine. I don't know how they can say that it won't work for web browsing.
I know when I heard it I was like wtf you guys should go over to the powerpc forum there is a guy playing wow on a imac g3
Haha :-D u should link the video there and they will be like WTF!?!?
If it has no graphics card that will be where it struggles. My 27" 2009 iMac has an i7 but its downfall (the fully upgraded graphics card) still doesn't hack pandaria the best. Everywhere else runs ultra
The G3 on the other hand plays medium, shadows turned down and somthing else to keep the frames up. It doesn't like raids too well but not tried one since I played about with the settings. My partner has played her account for 4 hours today and she said it was fine apart from the hissing from the speakers lol!
Joyful when she's on my new toy and I'm doing Uni work :-(
If it has no graphics card that will be where it struggles. My 27" 2009 iMac has an i7 but its downfall (the fully upgraded graphics card) still doesn't hack pandaria the best. Everywhere else runs ultra
The G3 on the other hand plays medium, shadows turned down and somthing else to keep the frames up. It doesn't like raids too well but not tried one since I played about with the settings. My partner has played her account for 4 hours today and she said it was fine apart from the hissing from the speakers lol!
Joyful when she's on my new toy and I'm doing Uni work :-(
Spent a little time yesterday whilst lying in bed with the flu, utilising the iPad to research what could be causing the interference on the speakers. turns out, its because the motherboard is getting the same power frequency as the speakers so you get a little buzz and hiss. Then because the amplifier was turned up to max, this amplified it. So i am going to get a 240v powered version and hook it directly up to the mains, that way there is no integration with the Motherboard.
least im feeling a little better today to start this year with a little bit of a smile, still feel like death though -.-
happy new year all!
least im feeling a little better today to start this year with a little bit of a smile, still feel like death though -.-
happy new year all!
Sorry you feel that way, but at least you've got a kick-arse imac to keep you company
well...
over a month since i last posted and i have been doing various things to get the sound to work. it seems to be the hardest thing to do for some reason!!!!
anyways ive been working on it for 4 hours this morning, and i did somthing that made my heart skip a beat :-(
![E712E474-A2F5-48F2-ADC9-A5E5363A0AE9-3160-00000170B9847D5C_zps2c97fa51.jpg]()
if i can be truthfully honest i feel heartbroken, im not quite sure what exactly i did but the screen went like that. After some research i have found that the screen is still displaying everything but something to do with the magnets that bounce the image up and down has failed :'(
now the question is do i let everything go to waste, or do i try to resurrect the resurrection? I dont have another i can put in :-( i dont know if its the screen or if its the main board.
Gutted, is an understatement... the question is what do i do
over a month since i last posted and i have been doing various things to get the sound to work. it seems to be the hardest thing to do for some reason!!!!
anyways ive been working on it for 4 hours this morning, and i did somthing that made my heart skip a beat :-(
if i can be truthfully honest i feel heartbroken, im not quite sure what exactly i did but the screen went like that. After some research i have found that the screen is still displaying everything but something to do with the magnets that bounce the image up and down has failed :'(
now the question is do i let everything go to waste, or do i try to resurrect the resurrection? I dont have another i can put in :-( i dont know if its the screen or if its the main board.
Gutted, is an understatement... the question is what do i do
I'd give up at that point. Fiddling with the CRT is an easy way to electrocute yourself.
ive had it apart on many many occasions, but i know what you mean, i do worry each time but take the necessary precautions. Im thinking, another one with a duff flyback would be best and just switching them
that really sucks after all that work.....too bad you weren't located close to a guy that posted in here quite a while ago that got something like 60 of those machines from his school for a ridiculously low cost and was trying to figure out what to do with them all.
At this point man I would just put it in the closet with a copy of this thread printed out for old times sake
I agree. Dreams die hard.
Part of the enthusiasm and excitement with working on these old rigs is never knowing whether or not things will work out. It often seems a miracle when they do, and a great disappointment when they don't.
Though I've always been very careful when I've cracked open my several Macs, I wouldn't mess with CRTs under any condition.
Haha yeah, they seem much more available in the US
I couldn't do it :-(
IT SHALL LIVE AGAIN!
I picked these both up for £20, a major bargain! Both in tip top shape! A Blueberry Rev D 333 Tray Loader and a Graphite SE 600 Slot Loader.
There's a few other benefits too, the PSU of the Blueberry does not whine like mine does, the front bezel is the only bit that's scratched on mine, this is pristine. I also have a spare set of speakers etc so I can sort it first ^.^
So this will be my donor, the Graphite will be upgraded and utilised by a friend that hasn't ever used a mac. So £20 well spent! Watch this space ^.^
Does this class as iMac G3 Revival - V2? :-D
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Started rebuilding from best of both to create Frankenmac today lol. But beforehand I had to have a bash on Warcraft 1, since it turned up from no where lol
![15ADC340-C1EA-4744-8D81-CE55529D2E17-9051-000003A79CA64F55_zps22692e03.jpg]()
But after stripping down the Computers, here's a comparison of the 2 PSU Boards. Top board is the old
![DB5D6F34-1392-4D0F-91B6-F4A761C22F3F-9051-000003A7A832B9CC_zps3ee2a5dd.jpg]()
And here is a picture of the 2 CRT driving boards. Top board is new
![08339FAF-DE74-4022-9999-A2698ADE3BD0-9051-000003A7AC79FB0A_zps9c467789.jpg]()
I will be removing the Flyback Transformer from that board and fitting the new one I fitted to the old board. But I want to test it's functionality rebuilt 1st.
Here's my spare bedroom/ iMac graveyard haha... With my next project just peeking from behind there...
![4FB6F378-2971-4DB7-B9DB-4A40EB58EB96-9051-000003A7B0F80A1C_zps1d855fc1.jpg]()
![01821755-6064-43C6-B818-7E08F20BFD21-9051-000003A7B4B3C835_zpse5384a55.jpg]()
When I said some plastics are in better condition, here's a pic of my front bezel that is scratched, beside the one I will refit that isn't
![2E4A3185-B4B8-48D0-9B18-E2D2358AC22A-9051-000003A7A3894E96_zpsfb7c1cd4.jpg]()
So there's multiple bonuses of having this mac!
Anyways I rerouted all the cables and got the new CRT into its frame all cleaned up and looking new. I didn't fit the boards last night as I want to fit the speaker amp in a place I have found.
![144014C6-5A38-414C-87F6-86B10633DF52-9051-000003A7BFBF3D86_zps5a2bb4ec.jpg]()
Will have a bit more play over the next few days.
But after stripping down the Computers, here's a comparison of the 2 PSU Boards. Top board is the old
And here is a picture of the 2 CRT driving boards. Top board is new
I will be removing the Flyback Transformer from that board and fitting the new one I fitted to the old board. But I want to test it's functionality rebuilt 1st.
Here's my spare bedroom/ iMac graveyard haha... With my next project just peeking from behind there...
When I said some plastics are in better condition, here's a pic of my front bezel that is scratched, beside the one I will refit that isn't
So there's multiple bonuses of having this mac!
Anyways I rerouted all the cables and got the new CRT into its frame all cleaned up and looking new. I didn't fit the boards last night as I want to fit the speaker amp in a place I have found.
Will have a bit more play over the next few days.
I was thinking about constructing a hackintosh this summer and ran into your project which sparked my curiosity since I have a Graphite G3 iMac in my parent's attic (mint condition when she retired). I had a few question concerning the power supply.
You considered replacing the PSU at one time but you seemed unsure if it would work, have any new thoughts on the idea? A PicoPSU I thought might work really well, another modder used it to replace the PSU of an iMac G4.
As well could you get a full sized GPU if you ditched the CD drive and used riser cables to hook it up?
And have you had any cooling issues?
I ask because my main reason for wanting to build a hackintosh was as a Mac Pro replacement with a mini ITX with a high end GPU and decent CPU.
Any opinion would be helpful, I simply don't have any visual reference of the space available in the iMac or the know how of the PSU/CRT.
You considered replacing the PSU at one time but you seemed unsure if it would work, have any new thoughts on the idea? A PicoPSU I thought might work really well, another modder used it to replace the PSU of an iMac G4.
As well could you get a full sized GPU if you ditched the CD drive and used riser cables to hook it up?
And have you had any cooling issues?
I ask because my main reason for wanting to build a hackintosh was as a Mac Pro replacement with a mini ITX with a high end GPU and decent CPU.
Any opinion would be helpful, I simply don't have any visual reference of the space available in the iMac or the know how of the PSU/CRT.
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Happy to know that id made you want to have a go
The biggest setback of my project has and always will be, keeping the CRT. If the CRT went, there would be space for pritty much anything in computer terms. The reason i was looking at bypassing the PSU was that it would not give the required wattage for the hardware i wanted. I cant simply switch the power supply as its tied heavily with the CRT. If you decide to scrap the CRT and fit a LCD then yeah you could fit anything you want really. Now the Slot loader works entirely different to the Tray loader. You could add another PSU inside as there is a lot more space available (still hampered by the CRT though at the end of the day).
My only issue with the LCD is that it doesnt look right, CRTs are curved so they never fit properly. an eMac on the other hand would fit a LCD no problem, shame they are FUGLY!
But if you want to keep the CRT to make it look 'right' i dont think there is a way of making it super speedy and a mac pro replacement, but it will make a good computer with the right hardware as you can see by mine.
if i can offer any more advice please let me know ^.^
Hey guys,
Just thought id let you know, this project is now at its end
When i finished rebuilding this other mac, i went to turn it on and it started sparking from the rear and a puff of smoke was released. It allows the original hardware to boot, but this new CRT is more dead than the original lol.
But I've lost my affection to have it working as its not really my mac any more, its Frankenmac. So I've been thinking and its a lot of moneys worth of hardware to not be utilised, so its going to a new home in my partners PC.
The goal of this project was to Revive the iMac G3 and to see it playing World of Warcraft as it was the computer that i played all other Warcrafts on from a child of 8 years old. I succeeded!
I will take everything i have learnt from this for my next project, that is a Power Mac... Pro. I plan on following the same steps to keep the Mac as original as possible with necessary mods. That project will start within the next 2 months, i have a bit to clean up from the 2 mac shells i have.
The Blue iMac shell my friend wants to build into an iLamp, which i shall post upon completion. I dont know if its worth keeping my Bondi shell or just disposing it. I was thinking of an idea with a LCD but putting a piece of curved plexiglass like the one used on my iMacquarium in front of the LCD. This would fill the gaps and make it look better. so i might bag it after the CRT is removed.
That will not be a continuation of this project as it will be entirely different. Finally, the slot load iMac i picked up as a bonus will be staying with my now, and will be moving into the shed/ workshop. Here it will serve as a jukebox but also and more importantly, once upgraded to 1GB RAM and WiFi installed, it will serve as an aid for when I'm googling mods
Anyways, keep an 'i' out for for my power mac project coming up pretty soon and until then, heres the 'front cover' picture for this thread!
![6F9DEB0E-4710-469B-A529-979B7A1D8DD6-3003-00000167504831F3.jpg]()
RIP Bondi
Just thought id let you know, this project is now at its end
When i finished rebuilding this other mac, i went to turn it on and it started sparking from the rear and a puff of smoke was released. It allows the original hardware to boot, but this new CRT is more dead than the original lol.
But I've lost my affection to have it working as its not really my mac any more, its Frankenmac. So I've been thinking and its a lot of moneys worth of hardware to not be utilised, so its going to a new home in my partners PC.
The goal of this project was to Revive the iMac G3 and to see it playing World of Warcraft as it was the computer that i played all other Warcrafts on from a child of 8 years old. I succeeded!
I will take everything i have learnt from this for my next project, that is a Power Mac... Pro. I plan on following the same steps to keep the Mac as original as possible with necessary mods. That project will start within the next 2 months, i have a bit to clean up from the 2 mac shells i have.
The Blue iMac shell my friend wants to build into an iLamp, which i shall post upon completion. I dont know if its worth keeping my Bondi shell or just disposing it. I was thinking of an idea with a LCD but putting a piece of curved plexiglass like the one used on my iMacquarium in front of the LCD. This would fill the gaps and make it look better. so i might bag it after the CRT is removed.
That will not be a continuation of this project as it will be entirely different. Finally, the slot load iMac i picked up as a bonus will be staying with my now, and will be moving into the shed/ workshop. Here it will serve as a jukebox but also and more importantly, once upgraded to 1GB RAM and WiFi installed, it will serve as an aid for when I'm googling mods
Anyways, keep an 'i' out for for my power mac project coming up pretty soon and until then, heres the 'front cover' picture for this thread!
RIP Bondi
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