A good Mac Pro week

[pastrychef]

This week, I got my 8 core Mac Pro 2.8GHz from Amazon ($2750 - $150 rebate). My 4 core Mac Pro 3.0GHz got sold ($2000) the day the new one arrived.

I've installed a SATA optical drive which I've been very happy with. Being able to burn two discs at the same time can be a real time saver!

Then, I got my eVGA GeForce 8800GT flashed with Mac firmware. After being comfortable with its stability, I clocked it a bit and have everything running rock solid.

Yesterday, I managed to get the IR receiver from a 17" MacBook Pro working on my Mac Pro. It's still quite unsightly with wires hanging, but I plan to rectify that soon. I'm just looking for a good app that'll allow me to use the remote to control VLC...

Lastly, I even managed to get Connectix Virtual Game Station working in a Fusion (haven't tested Parallels yet) virtual machine running XP. (Gotta love FF7.)

All in all, I've had a pretty darn good Mac Pro week and wanted to share it with you guys.

 

[TheThirdMan]

You took the IR receiver out the mbp?

Im still waiting for mine to be delivered. May not even be here by the end of next week!

 

[iMpathetic]

I'll bet he just got it off eBay or something.

What sort of connection does it use?

 

[pastrychef]

Yep. I got it from eBay.

TheThirdMan:
If you got the same one that I got, wire it up as follows:

USB IR receiver
Red Red
White Brown
Green Orange
Black Black

 

[iMpathetic]

Yep. I got it from eBay.

TheThirdMan:
If you got the same one that I got, wire it up as follows:

USB IR receiver
Red Red
White Brown
Green Orange
Black Black

Wait, I'm confused. How does this thing connect, to USB or the mobo?

 

[Tallest Skil]

Wait, I'm confused. How does this thing connect, to USB or the mobo?

I'm probably wrong, but I think he's wiring it into a USB plug. It could very well be the motherboard, but I just got done making a bunch of Ethernet cables and cabling is stuck in my mind.

 

[pastrychef]

Wait, I'm confused. How does this thing connect, to USB or the mobo?

I have it connected to USB. As far as I know, there aren't any easily accessible USB connectors internally.

 

[TheThirdMan]

It would be cool to put it behind the front grill, should still get signal i'd imagine.

 

[pastrychef]

It would be cool to put it behind the front grill, should still get signal i'd imagine.

I thought about this, too. However, I couldn't find any easily accessible USB connectors. Maybe if I pick up a PCI-e USB card one day... But, right now, I'm just happy to have the Apple IR working 100%.

 

[iMpathetic]

I thought about this, too. However, I couldn't find any easily accessible USB connectors. Maybe if I pick up a PCI-e USB card one day... But, right now, I'm just happy to have the Apple IR working 100%.

How much does this whole mod thing cost, and is it, like, really hard?

 

[beige matchbox]

Is there any sign of a controller chip on the IR device?

I'm guessing it'll be something odd thats impossible to get hold of, or moulded into something, but if you can see anything i'd love to have the part numbers

 

[pastrychef]

How much does this whole mod thing cost, and is it, like, really hard?

It really depends on how much you manage to get the IR board for. The only other thing you need is a USB cable or USB connector. Then, just solder everything together as I outlined above. Not difficult at all. The most difficult part is getting a hold of that IR board.

One thing to remember, though... Don't get the IR receivers that come from MacBooks or Mac Minis because they won't work. I haven't seen the IR receivers from iMacs, so I can't comment on those.

 

[pastrychef]

Is there any sign of a controller chip on the IR device?

I'm guessing it'll be something odd thats impossible to get hold of, or moulded into something, but if you can see anything i'd love to have the part numbers

There's one IC on it. The following is what I could make out with my naked eye... No magnifying glass available...

CYBC24794
24LFXI 0587
A 02 KOR
CYP 640529