G5 delema....

[wasid]

Here is the deal.
I am a what you would call a hard core mac fan. I was probably one of the first to get the iMac G4 shipped to my house. That was a great day. This june i will be waiting for my newest great day when i purchase a new G5(hoping something happesn with them by june). I will be sending off my iMac G4 to my mom in florida for iSight use, sad day for me. B/C of finances i will not be affording an apple monitor. i tried to buy a used on on ebay and that failed bad, ups dropped it on my doorstep. so i am forced to go another way. The nec mitsubishi 19" was the best i can find, for style and not a damn dell (witch is what my room mate bought for his, although i converted him) granted dells flats do have some good stats, they will never see a desk in my home. somone must feel the way i do.

My point for posting in this thread is b/c i would like to talk to some mac and hardware heads. I will sorely be missing my iMac little 15" usefull yet elegant arm. I saw today the ergotron neoflec monitor mounting arm, i also saw that it works with the mitsubishi monitor. i was like sweet thats almost like my iMac. then i was like, who am i.

I find myself trying to make a mac out of crap!...... who am i. for the 430 bucks it cost to buy the monitor and the 80 for the arm im over 500 bucks. My thinking now is, i should be able to find an imac 15, 17, or maybe 20" non working iMac G4 with a working monitor for that price somewhere. But could i access its monitor and port it to my G5? That is my question to anyone that is willing to help. Can I take the casing of a G4 iMac....... rerout the video from the monitor to my G5? then i would still have my iMac monitor.

Actually i would have the whole imac (there is one on ebay right now with three days left 15", almost bought it 30 bucks, but they say that the monitor hardware might not work, and there is no screen) So basically if i can find a broken iMac (20" would be freakin sweet) i would then have the ultimate upgrade to an iMac. Supper iMac G5. i tell you what, if apple kept my style imac but made it G5 i would have had one already. I personally am ashamed of apple for getting rid of their style. I know the reasons though, but i am still sad. Also am trying to go the Tower way so that i can upgrade and be happy for a while.

If anyone has any help to offer, i would appreciate it. if you know where there are broken ones for sale where the monitor works, let me know so i can buy one. anything around the 500$ range that im looking at right now. I can afford to make the puchase to test this out now, if under 500. but i need assurace that i has a good chance of working. that will be the money i have set asside for the monitor to go with the PM. If i got the ball rolling on trying to do this i can test it out on my room mates PM to make sure it works when i do get mine.

where can i find good hardware spects on the G4 iMac, so i know how the monitor attaches to the video board/card. It would be so exciting to get this whole thing to work out this way. I so do love the iMac monitor and arm. My room mates 17" stupid ass dell doesnt look any better than my old style imac screen. I hope somene out there can help me out on this one, i am lost on how to tackle this, i am counting on the mac community. Maybe i am not the oney one and someone already did it, how cool.

Thank you all who actually got this far on my post. i know its long.

 

[pigbat]

I think I follow but I'm not sure. For around $500 you could get the Dell 20".

 

[wasid]

I think I follow but I'm not sure. For around $500 you could get the Dell 20".

I would than you for reading my post....but you did not.

I would like to hear from some tech head or some fellow MAC!!!! heads on this issue.

as i stated before dell will never see a desk im my house.

i have also spent hours looking up prices on monitors ranging in size from 17 to the 20 you state. but dell has no place for me.

 

[pigbat]

I would than you for reading my post....but you did not.

I would like to hear from some tech head or some fellow MAC!!!! heads on this issue.

as i stated before dell will never see a desk im my house.

i have also spent hours looking up prices on monitors ranging in size from 17 to the 20 you state. but dell has no place for me.

Sorry to offend you with a Dell reference but you may find quite a few MAC heads here who use their 20" widescreen. It's a very popular choice given its specs and sub $600 price after discounts. I am a devoted MAC lover and would gladly pay a small premium for the 20" Cinema but I won't pay a $400-$500 premium.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Sun Baked]

I would than you for reading my post....but you did not.

I would like to hear from some tech head or some fellow MAC!!!! heads on this issue.

as i stated before dell will never see a desk im my house.

i have also spent hours looking up prices on monitors ranging in size from 17 to the 20 you state. but dell has no place for me.

I think we read enough to know that you should do a search on the topic of using the iMacs as monitors.

Usually they are full of members severly trouncing the people and calling them fools -- generally not very helpful in getting an iMac converted.

If you can afford a monitor, use that until you can afford a better one or find a easy do it yourself guide to building an LCD monitor. That should help, since the LCD in the iMac is standard -- but not much else is.

Don't know where one is personally.

 

[wasid]

I do see the point of the dell (price and spec wise, as i stated in my orriganal) although i too cannot pay the 500$ mac fee for the 20 cinema. But i would like to have the G5 but still keep my iMac look and feel. I would rather have a rigged up imac 17" than the dell. I prefer the style and feel of the mac. If it is not possible then i will probably get the nec and the arm. another option is the old 20 inch mac displays on ebay, about 600 shipped.

Please if anyone out there has any info on how to use an iMac G4 display, let me know. i am pumped, ready and excited to tackle this project, if it is possible.

thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this.

 

[wasid]

I think we read enough to know that you should do a search on the topic of using the iMacs as monitors.

Usually they are full of members severly trouncing the people and calling them fools -- generally not very helpful in getting an iMac converted.

If you can afford a monitor, use that until you can afford a better one or find a easy do it yourself guide to building an LCD monitor. That should help, since the LCD in the iMac is standard -- but not much else is.

Don't know where one is personally.

maybe its me but everytime i try to find something posted on a web board about what im looking into i find it daunting. i do not post very oftin for this reason, i do not wish to take up the message boards with the same topics over and over agian for those that come here everyday. i will do a search like you said for imacs as monitors, see what i come up with. i tried for about 10 min reading other posts, but most were dated faily far back and were about old not flat panel imacs.

i so very much wish this to be possible. that is why i ended up posting. i hope someone reads this and has tried and did it.

 

[wasid]

I think we read enough to know that you should do a search on the topic of using the iMacs as monitors.

Usually they are full of members severly trouncing the people and calling them fools -- generally not very helpful in getting an iMac converted.

If you can afford a monitor, use that until you can afford a better one or find a easy do it yourself guide to building an LCD monitor. That should help, since the LCD in the iMac is standard -- but not much else is.

Don't know where one is personally.

thanks for your advice on searching the forum, but i did not find anything, i gave it another 20 min. the most i found were people mentioning it or saying they want to, with almost no replies or somone just saying its cool. i will now see what can be found online about lcd do it yourself guide. i really hope i have some luck on this one.

 

[wasid]

There is a way!

to any and all who care, i beleve there is a way.

On this site that is in another language they show what an imac looks like when pulled apart.

http://www.3dnews.ru/reviews/mac/imac/

from what i have gathered from this other thread from apple nova

http://forums.applenova.com/archive/index.php/t-721.html

the guy at the ends says that the imac used mini vga or mini dvi like in the powerbooks and ibooks.

if i could get some kind of mini dvi/vga to standard i know i can work it. i would keep the power cable that apple has and i would use the apple cord to power the monitor unit only, then send the adapted video cable the the G5.

how does this all sound, possible to me....

now i need to find one.

 

[Sun Baked]

There are scads of places to find info on repairing LCD monitors, which gives you a decent idea of what is in an LCD monitor.

You can also get iMac Service Manuals (and some of the old blue/grey DVI Studio Displys) if you search for them.

The iMac LCD panel assembly will probably give you an LCD panel, LCD backlight, and inverter -- it'll be up to you to figure out how to wire the thing for power and cable it to DVI.

 

[wasid]

There are scads of places to find info on repairing LCD monitors, which gives you a decent idea of what is in an LCD monitor.

You can also get iMac Service Manuals (and some of the old blue/grey DVI Studio Displys) if you search for them.

The iMac LCD panel assembly will probably give you an LCD panel, LCD backlight, and inverter -- it'll be up to you to figure out how to wire the thing for power and cable it to DVI.

fortunately i think this is all possible and im on the right track. the wireing seems possibe, just some sort or converter i am hoping. as for power i will just use the power that the imac used for its monitor, just keep it plugged in.

this might actually be possible and work!