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Using iMac G5 as external monitor, "it can be done"
- Thread starter dxerboy
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Man, I'd love to have a go at this.
I bought a 2010 iMac 27" shell with the intention of fitting in a 26" monitor inside it and using as an external monitor to sit side by side with another iMac. But I've since realised that was way too ambitious, so it's just sat in my loft.
Meanwhile the other iMac has started to really slow down, so I am thinking of going down the hackintosh route and I'd like to retain the (working) 27" iMac simply as a monitor. Has anyone done it with one of the aluminium iMacs?
I bought a 2010 iMac 27" shell with the intention of fitting in a 26" monitor inside it and using as an external monitor to sit side by side with another iMac. But I've since realised that was way too ambitious, so it's just sat in my loft.
Meanwhile the other iMac has started to really slow down, so I am thinking of going down the hackintosh route and I'd like to retain the (working) 27" iMac simply as a monitor. Has anyone done it with one of the aluminium iMacs?
I recently replaced the old (5"?) 600Gb hard drive in my Early 2009 24" iMac with a 1Tb SSD (£180) and the machine is like new - aprox 5x speed increase across the board. It'll keep me going for another few years. Best computer I have ever had (and I started with a Sinclair QL).
It's such a lovey-looking device that I simply can't imagine ever throwing it out and 're-purposing it' as a monitor would be a great idea.
hello, I've been reading through all the "iMac G5 to monitor" pages I can find but I cant find any reference to the pin labeled as "NC" on the 17" non-isight model?? I've tried pulling it up to 3.3v and grounding it but the display doesnt show picture. Ive managed to get the display to be off or LCD-on-black through just connecting it to a 3.3v supply. And I've wired up a thunderbolt/mini-displayport to DVI cable to a DVI connector which looks to be wired up correctly but I cant see where "NC" or pin 16 should be connected to.
If anybody knows which pin they wires NC to I'd be very grateful. If you've just grounded it and it's working please also let me know then i means something else isn't working for me! Thanks, without this forum I wouldn't have even tried to salvage this iMac!
If anybody knows which pin they wires NC to I'd be very grateful. If you've just grounded it and it's working please also let me know then i means something else isn't working for me! Thanks, without this forum I wouldn't have even tried to salvage this iMac!
I've spent some time with Google Translate and Microsoft Word to create a better English translation of the instructions mentioned in the original post.
I realize I'm more than a little late to this thread, but I hope someone will find this useful. I'm planning on starting on this project myself soon and figure I'm probably not the only one who still wants to do this.
I realize I'm more than a little late to this thread, but I hope someone will find this useful. I'm planning on starting on this project myself soon and figure I'm probably not the only one who still wants to do this.
Excellent work! I see many iMac G5s in non-working condition quite regularly here on eBay. This is an excellent way to repurpose those otherwise perfect 17" and 20" displays and the beautifully designed cases.
It would be a cinch to drop a raspberry pi, or a low profile intel NUC inside the iMac G5 to have an all new all-in-one.
It would be a cinch to drop a raspberry pi, or a low profile intel NUC inside the iMac G5 to have an all new all-in-one.
Thanks for the translation, I'll have to take a look and revisit the project. I hit a brick wall with it last year. If i remember correctly either that NC pin or my power supply not working properly! But it's hard to find any other guidance as rarely anybody has attempted this!! Putting a raspberry pi or even a mac mini inside would be neat.
Have you tried this? Be really good to understand any experiences you could share - both positive and negative.
Any lag on Wifi? Ethernet would likely be best but is it worth it?
Any way to get sound working? I'm thinking no, but i'm not 100%
If sound works then can you play music ok?
What about video - that might be good to watch on larger screen?
Hey there, I have a 2006 iMac G4 and am planning to convert it into a 17" monitor to use with various laptops. As much as I love the computer it gets more and more useless as legacy programs become unsupported.
I wondered if you still had a link to the translated version of the PDF file you're linked in your original post?
I plan to make a video of my progress for YouTube.
Cheers, Thom
EDIT - IGNORE ME, just seen the post with the updated/working link!
I wondered if you still had a link to the translated version of the PDF file you're linked in your original post?
I plan to make a video of my progress for YouTube.
Cheers, Thom
EDIT - IGNORE ME, just seen the post with the updated/working link!
Last edited:
As the old link was removed, I've found it on Archive.org - https://web.archive.org/web/2016081...erranch.ca/skishop/other/g5_monitor_trans.pdf
This is the original translation by OP. Alternatively, @timmge has posed one just above.
This is the original translation by OP. Alternatively, @timmge has posed one just above.