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DIY: 2009 Logic Board into old Blackbook

OrangeSVTguy said:
If you buy the White Nvidia, all you'd need are the keys from a Blackbook which you already got and then dye the rest black. That way you have the matching keys and not white ones, same goes for the trackpad.

Of course this will kill your warranty.
Click to expand...

True. Haha. I was hoping to sell my current BlackBook to my friend...maybe she;ll be even more interested if it has white keys + a white track pad haha.

All in all, I'm not terribly worried about warranties. I've found enough guides and such that if something goes wrong I can probably fix it myself.

Out of curiosity, how durable is your dye job? Does it attract fingerprints? Also, I noticed the "OrangeBook" was a little splotchy on the bezel. Does that happen when dying black?

Finally, how much do you charge, and do you take orders from Canada? :p
 
The Orange was my first attempt at dying so of course it was going to be crappy:p. The black actually comes out even and very dark, rich and most important even. The plastic holds the dye very well and it never rubbed off on me either. I actually sold the black plastic ones to someone in Canada off this site too! I haven't hear from him in a long time either and he never sent me pics of it installed :(. PM if you are serious and we can work something out.
 
Slight problem, in that I can't PM you because I'm too new, haha.

Anyway, I don't quite have the cash right now to act on anything, I'm mainly feeling out options. However, if I do decide to go this route, I appreciate your willingness to help.

Perhaps I can take a raincheck and keep you in mind? :D

Anyway, I would like to thank everyone's input into this thread. I think I have all the info I need, but if anyone has a brainwave, feel free to share!

-Mitch
 
MitchT said:
Hey guys,

I had a quick look around iFixit and couldn't see anything that gives a direct comparison to how the 9400m boards and anchored and how the GMA 950 boards are.

Anyone have any specs or pics or diagrams? If the screws and mounting points are the same, it should be fine. If they aren't, anyone have work arounds?

Also, if anyone has found a step-by-step guide on swapping cases, that would be much appreciated.

[EDIT] Looking at the various repair guides at iFixit, it looks like the Santa Rosa/Penryn models have a slightly different layout than the BlackBook I have (Rev. C.). I think if one were to do the switch, you would need at least Rev. D or higher, in order for the internal layout to match what the current Whitebook is.

iFixit has some close up details of the logic boards from a X3100 MacBook and from a 9400m MacBook, and while certain parts seem a bit different, the holes for screws seem to all be the in the right place. Is it definite that a straight logic board swap couldn't occur?

For reference:

Old 2.4GHz, X3100

New 2.0GHz, 9400m
Click to expand...

From the photos, they look the same to me. Let us know if you do this. I've been thinking about the same thing.

EDIT- ah, but I have the Penryn 2.4.
 
The plastic MacBooks are fairly easy to take apart. The worst part is fitting the Magsafe plug into the new case; it's easy to get it snagged on something. If you're confident, and you don't really mind voiding the warranty, it's a recommendable mod.

How do you feel about the white keyboard and display bezel? If you like them, but still like your black outer casing, you can do something like this;

mbclosedsf6.jpg

mbhalfwn9.jpg

mbfullde7.jpg
 
MitchT said:
Ok I know what I said...about having all the info and blah, blah, blah, but I lied.

Call me crazy, maybe I really want to see this, but the logic board mounts for the 2,1 MacBook and the new WhiteBook look the same.

2,1 Logic Board (ie: the version I have)

New Logic Board (ie: the one I want)

I wish I could see some real life comparisons...
Click to expand...

I did a quick PS to overlap one motherboard onto the other, they are the same size and looks as if the ports all line up. I haven't been inside a Macbook yet and you can already tell that the heatsinks won't line up. I'm also sure many of the mounting screws won't line up either. Probably just "hot glue" it back together :p.
 

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OrangeSVTguy said:
I did a quick PS to overlap one motherboard onto the other, they are the same size and looks as if the ports all line up. I haven't been inside a Macbook yet and you can already tell that the heatsinks won't line up. I'm also sure many of the mounting screws won't line up either. Probably just "hot glue" it back together :p.
Click to expand...

Haha. Yeah for some reason I don't see hot-gluing it working that well.

I found a guy on Craigslist whose selling black macbook casing. I sent him an email asking about # of parts + model type. If it's a Penryn case, I might buy it, cause he's only asking $50 CAD.

Probably a straight case swap is best, and if that doesn't work out then I guess it's just a matter of shipping it off to a certain Orange gentleman in California.

My crazy scheme is to get the BlackBook updated and then make a cheap hackintosh tower for the really intense things. It'll cost about the same as buying a 15" MBP. The only question is, does all this hassle = a better deal?

I think about $1600 (after selling old BlackBook) for a powerful tower and average laptop is better than $1600 for one, more powerful laptop. Anyone else agree?
 
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