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Using iMac G5 as external monitor, "it can be done"

macsoft3 said:
Yes!
I have a white iMac 24", that has the infamous graphic card problem.. it frooze and slugged arround losts of times..tried many ways to cool it better... Hacked a big fan over it (big hole on the back of the imacs case), and was goning to convert it to water cooled... and finally gave up.. i really needed a better machine for my work, so got me a new 27" 3.4g i7 with 16 gogs of mem, and 2 gigs of graphic card memory...and SSD+2 tera HDD!
Its a beast and works like a charm!!

But.. my 24" sits there sad..looking at its replacement.. and i could really use the 24" as a second screen for video editing.

I WANT TO DO THIS TO MY 24" :) does it work for the 24 too? Same process? do you have a tutorial?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

A friend of mine with a late 2006 iMac 24" just upgraded his video graphics card from the stock model to the faster model. If you need his original card, let me know. BTW what was the problem on the 24" iMacs? His machine has worked for five years flawlessly... he just needed more video power.
 
i've read many versions of it. some models from a certain batch had some glitch around the graphics card or in it. They would overheat, and vertical lines would appear on the screen. with my cooling mod it got better, but still a lot of freezes.

I really donyt know if another GPU would resolve anything, but if your friend wants to part with the old GPU cheaply, i would give it a try.
But since my new mac arrived and it was very expensive, i dont really can justify spending money on the old one.
 
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macsoft3 said:
i've read many versions of it. some models from a certain batch had some glitch around the graphics card or in it. They would overheat, and vertical lines would appear on the screen. with my cooling mod it got better, but still a lot of freezes.

I really donyt know if another GPU would resolve anything, but if your friend wants to part with the old GPU cheaply, i would give it a try.
But since my new mac arrived and it was very expensive, i dont really can justify spending money on the old one.
Click to expand...

Let me know, the card is yours for very cheap, it works perfect. It was only upgraded because that 24" iMac is still running great and upgraded the video card.
 
Hi there. I can see that I'm doing a project similar to yours.

I found a iMac G5 20" ambient light version in a ditch, and is trying to find out what's working and whats not. (until now I've found the motherboard is dead, and the hard drive is alive)

I'm trying to power up the back lights of the 20" screen. but i can't find a pinout for the inverter
Apple Part Number: 661-3623
I'have tried with the pin out for a 17" G5, but it seems to short-circuit the power supply.

So if anyone in here could check my current set-up, i would be extremely happy.

I' have attached a image of my current set-up.
 

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I would pay for that dvi adapter cable

electrikbill said:
So I found that french PDF proving it can be done, and I did it!! A DVI cable can be directly patched to the LVDS from the monitor. It took me two days but i figured it out and it works very well. I have another broken iMac that I will try the same mod on so that i have dual matching monitors. The only problem is that the backlight does not turn off when the computer puts displays to sleep, but it does when the comp shuts down, I can live with that. I'll post pics of my process. I used the original power supply but any power supply with 12vdc, 5vdc, and 3.3vdc output will do.
Click to expand...

It would be great if you were to sell some cables pre-made
 
I was about ready to do this to my old 24" white iMac to use as a second monitor to my new mega fast SSD iMac, but now that i have a o new gpu for the old iMac (that seams to be the problem with it), i think i dont want to kill it just yet.
So what i'm thinking of doing, it to DO this MOD without killing the computer. You would turn it ON, and it would be a normal iMaC, and if you turn it OFF and flipped a switch, it would work as a normal monitor.
 
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electrikbill said:
So I found that french PDF proving it can be done, and I did it!! A DVI cable can be directly patched to the LVDS from the monitor. It took me two days but i figured it out and it works very well. I have another broken iMac that I will try the same mod on so that i have dual matching monitors. The only problem is that the backlight does not turn off when the computer puts displays to sleep, but it does when the comp shuts down, I can live with that. I'll post pics of my process. I used the original power supply but any power supply with 12vdc, 5vdc, and 3.3vdc output will do.
Click to expand...

Hello to everyone: This my first Post on this forum. I tried to follow the instructions by the french guy and electrikbill but it didn't work. I couldn't find the diagram how to connect the inverter and, any time i connect the DVI cable my PSU goes out. Any ones has additional information about this project?
this is what i find out so fare:

for the 17" pin out inverter (i guess mine is gone because it didn't work)
http://x704.net/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5257

and this is for a G4 17" display pins
http://www.dremeljunkie.com/2011/08/guide-step-by-step-17-imac-g4-tmds-to.html


thank you
 
im attempting this conversion as well, so far no luck. As ive researched it further i came to the conclusion that the info the french PDF is giving is incomplete, i'm missing a resistor in his explanation (dremeljunkie seems to think it needs one, and somehow i trust his info more) also the vedid and hotplug need to be wired differently somehow.

guess i'll be going back to square one and trying to figure out the wiring myself.. though i'd love to know how the guy earlier in the thread got it to work..
 
Hi everyone, I recently have a motherboard broken G5 20", the one with horizontal conectors. So I want to use the 20" LG/PHILIPS LCD as external monitor, anyone know if it´s possible?. The diferences betwen the guide in first page is that mi LCD have LVDS signals, and not TMDS as in the manual appears.

Please tell me if it´s possible, thanks a lot.
 

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California said:
Let me know, the card is yours for very cheap, it works perfect. It was only upgraded because that 24" iMac is still running great and upgraded the video card.
Click to expand...

hi everyone, and Hi California.
I had to pause this project for a long while, only now could i Try the GPU, and it has dead... it does not work.
If i put mine back in it works, if i try the one i've bought it does not. :S

So about the conversion of the 24" iMac, i just found out its LVDS too... só no go. LVDS are the same as laptop screens.. so the problem is the lack of a DVI to LVDS converter... and I've found a few.. very expensive, and none garanty to work with my screen :S
Its a real bummer, so now i cannot get it to work as a computer, or use it as just screen.
 
macsoft3 said:
hi everyone, and Hi California.
I had to pause this project for a long while, only now could i Try the GPU, and it has dead... it does not work.
If i put mine back in it works, if i try the one i've bought it does not. :S

So about the conversion of the 24" iMac, i just found out its LVDS too... só no go. LVDS are the same as laptop screens.. so the problem is the lack of a DVI to LVDS converter... and I've found a few.. very expensive, and none garanty to work with my screen :S
Its a real bummer, so now i cannot get it to work as a computer, or use it as just screen.
Click to expand...

Last year my friend with your same computer had an Apple tech work on it and order new parts. This may be your only hope, though Apple does discontinue support after seven years, I believe, so hurry.
 
Please help me!

Hello!

I really need to know how you did it! I have the same model as you and the manual that is translated makes no since for my model! :mad: Please help me figure out how to do this! I want to give this as a present to my Aunt with a mac mini!

Thanks!
Logan :)
 
Using iMac G5 as external monitor, "it can be done"

Greetings,

Im very excited to have found this hack mod!! As I have an unused 20" IMac G5 myself and has been collecting dust ever since the logic board went dead.
Hence the monitor and all the other parts fire up - nicely.

I am a newbee to all this and have looked at the french translated instructions - but I need extra guidance or a revised or reworded version. If anyone could help with this - it would be greatly appreciated!!!

if anyone, has a similar machine as mine or would like to help, please email me at: mngr5@msn.com

MANY THANKS!!!
 
I know this is an old thread, but since I'm interested in the concept I made a better translation of the French document.
 

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snipecaik said:
Why did you just reply like that, you probs don't even know what this is.
Besides, I don't know how I'm suposed to know which dvi cable is which, how do I know where to solder it to on the lcd connector?
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No I mean your translation looks more awkward than Google's translation. I don't know if the information is any more correct but the grammar isn't better. Are you sure that is the right file?

This is what I am seeing.
 

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poiihy said:
No I mean your translation looks more awkward than Google's translation. I don't know if the information is any more correct but the grammar isn't better. Are you sure that is the right file?

This is what I am seeing.
Click to expand...
I know the grammar isn't that good, but that's actually the way google translated it. The purpose of me putting together a new guide was that I wanted a better layout, rather than have some low res French with the English translation stuck on top of it.
 
I have thoroughly read the guide and the only thing I don't understand is how I'm supposed to match the wires from the dvi connector to the display on the iMac? Anyone have any advice on how to connect them?
Thank You.
My G5 isn't even broke, I just think it would be more useful as a monitor.
 
I have a 20" G5 monitor iSight that I've been wanting to make a monitor for a while, but I ran into a roadblock as my LCD is LVDS and not TMDS. I thought all hope was lost, but after extensive research I found out that even though it uses LVDS it can still be just wired to DVI. Apparently there is a board on the inside of the display itself, as was described in this post on here: http://www.dremeljunkie.com/2011/07/20-lcds-signaling-inverters-and-pinouts.html


"TMDS is the type of signal that DVI and HDMI cables use. Nothing gets converted, its just that the wires get arranged in the right sequence and POWER is added. Inside the LCD casing itself there is a Texas Instruments chip that allows the monitor to utilize the TMDS signal. Therefore, ALL of the LCDs in the above computers can be connected directly to any TMDS signal - meaning any source that sends a signal over a DVI or HDMI cable.

Panel Names: (May not be complete) - All TMDS compliant
iMac G4 17" - LG LM171W02(A4)
iMac G4 20" - IDTech M201Z2-M01
iMac G5 20" - LG LM201W01(A5)(K1, K2, or K3)
Aluminum Apple Cinema Display 20" - LG LM201W01(A6)(K1)"

My machine is fully working, however I would just like to use it as an external monitor.
I've got it all taken apart, except for the PSU and built in inverter. Just have to wait for a Female DVI connector, and then I will see if I can get it up and running. Hopefully this will work, and I will post results once I have completed (or failed) the project.

I hope I can help anyone who is having a similar problem as I am!
 
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