Mac Classic Mini-ITX Case Mod opinions?

[GnatGoSplat]

My Mac Classic has a bad logic board so I've decided to use it for a Mini-ITX case mod. I have 2 ideas on how to approach this, but I can't decide whether I should focus on easier future upgrades, or reversibility:

• Easier future upgrades - I would build a Mini ITX bracket to fit the ITX board into the same location as the original logic board. I would then attempt to cut a very precise hole in the back of the case to snap the board's I/O shield into. Stock cooling duct and fan would need to be removed. VGA cable for the monitor will need to be brought outside via another hole to be plugged into the back of the motherboard and would be visible.
  Pros: Easy to upgrade to a newer motherboard, just swap board, swap I/O shield (motherboard upgrades probably will happen every 1-2 yrs). Cheaper because I won't need to buy port extension cables or buy the connectors to make them.
  Cons: Not reversible, so if Mac Classic parts ever skyrocket in value, can't make a fortune selling it! Less neat due to visible VGA cable. Neatness of hole cut for I/O shield critical for aesthetics.
   
  
• Reversible - Mini ITX motherboard would be installed deeper into the case, probably vertically where the analog board currently resides. I would need to buy/make short extender cables for the rear ports I'm going to use and build a bracket to where they will align with existing port holes. Stock cooling duct and fan can be left in place.
  Pros: No mods to case or metal chassis, so can be reversed or rebuilt into a working Classic if Mac Classics or their parts ever worth a fortune. Cleaner rear appearance due to no visible motherboard-to-monitor VGA cable coming out of the case.
  Cons: More expensive, need to buy/build extension cables for every port I want to use. Will need to buy/build new ones for upgrades to standards (i.e. USB 2.0->USB 3.0->USB 4.0, etc).

I guess it's not really a big deal either way. The visible VGA cable if I go with easier future upgrades won't normally be visible as its back will be towards a wall and there will be other cables plugged into it anyway. It's also not like reversibility is that important since it looks like the B&W Mac Classic has gone back down to a going rates of <$50 for a complete working machine (like it was before Steve Job's death after having temporarily surged right after) and was made in enough numbers that I doubt it will ever be super rare. I just need a little help with my indecisiveness.

 

[krye]

In my opinion, it's a sin to purposely destroyed or deface a vintage Apple product for the fun of it. Unless, it's beyond repair. Any hacks/mods done should be reversible. Case in point: the mac-o-lantern.



This was a sweet mod, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with those Macs. Not they're ruined. They look to be in perfect working order. The only way I'd let that slide is if the cases were badly worn/yellowed, gouged, had school ID numbers etched in the case, or were covered in sharpie markers. Technically, they can still be used as Macs, although they're not exactly show pieces any more.

 

[GnatGoSplat]

My Mac Classic actually cannot be used as a Mac since the logic board is shot (eaten away by battery acid - tried to fix the traces, but it gets a memory error), so it's not really an issue of ruining a good vintage Mac, but ruining a good vintage Mac Classic case that someday could be used to restore a beat up Mac Classic.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Actually, I kind of like the idea of doing a row in the Rainbow spectrum. }

iFruit coloration wouldn't be cool unless someone like mcd had the spare room for a dedicated round iTable. :lol:

per the topic at hand:

MinerAl and I are collaborating on the breakout panel for his Classic II/605 project. He needs the SCSI port for its intended use, but your ATX hack would have full availability of DB-25 as well as DA-19 connectors for breakout channels.

We're just in the spitballing stage so far, so specs are still fluid. I've suggested using an external FDD as the breakout box, running SCSI in to a ZIP drive installed therein, power for it, as well as A/B switched/adapted VGA in & out, all from the DA-19.

In your case, using an external CD case as the breakout box for the Plus case might be a better idea.

In any case, both of your cases had DOA MoBos . . . so . . . fair game!

(punnage mostly unintended [)] ]'> )

 

[GnatGoSplat]

I hadn't thought of a breakout box, but I'm thinking that might be overkill since all I need at the moment is ethernet, a few USB, HDMI, and maybe an eSATA. They're all pretty small and might fit in the existing DB25 and DB19 holes. Cost is probably the big thing doing it that way, because panel mount USB 3.0 port extensions are about $5/each, HDMI about $10, eSATA probably around $5, Ethernet $2. Probably an extra $30 for all the ports I'd need. Although it is encouraging that after looking for these things on eBay to see that they actually do exist.

 

[onlyonemac]

I chose reversible-even a good case is worth keeping.

And, dear Trash, I'm not HackWhining, I'm simply giving my opinion.

 

[CelGen]

Mac Classics are junk. Ignoring the ROM boot option they are essentially a Mac Plus with a lot less value.

It's one of the macs regardless of rarity I would say "go at it" because they're just so bad.

 

[Bunsen]

I'm not voting for either option, because IMHO it *should* be possible, if you decide to, to do both, with a bit of creative ingenuity and persistence. Have a removable internal mounting tray for a standard mITX, and short leads to stealthed oldskool sockets on the original rear bucket cutouts.

 

[CC_333]

Hi,

I actually have to agree with onyonemac (no, I'm not an extremist, and I don't think he is either (though he's definitely more devoted to the cause than I am)), if the case is in decent shape, don't hack it up, cut it up or whatever.

As for the internal stuff, do what needs to be done; no one's going to be staring at it.

You could take the ports from the logic board (which is dead anyway) and set them up on some kind of PCB with headers to the various connectors on your PC motherboard.

The downside is that you'd have to find or manufacture custom adapters (or make up a breakout box as Trash is considering) which could be potentially more time and money consuming.

c

 

[techknight]

You own the machine correct? (im sure you do). And if so and your going to keep it for all of eternity for the purpose of your own desires, I say go for it. who cares?

 

[resx]

If you plan to use it a lot, or see yourself using it often into the future, make it easy to upgrade and a non-reversible hack. Classics aren't exactly rare, and the front bezel is just asking to be widened to easily accept a slot-load BD drive. It will look a lot cleaner without a myriad of cables snaking around the back of the case, and in the end you'll be much happier with a properly done mod that looks more professional.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I just cast my vote for doin' it to it. Dead heat! }

 

[resx]

I think I would be more wary of hacking into anything between the 128k and SE/30 era. The Classics were the Mac Mini of their day, ubiquitous, cheap (relatively), and not very fast.

 

[GnatGoSplat]

I'm not voting for either option, because IMHO it *should* be possible, if you decide to, to do both, with a bit of creative ingenuity and persistence. Have a removable internal mounting tray for a standard mITX, and short leads to stealthed oldskool sockets on the original rear bucket cutouts.

Removable tray (or lack thereof) isn't really what would make the reversible method more difficult to upgrade. The difficult part would be that when a new connector standard comes out, I'd have to source new panel mount extensions and modify my connector panel to accommodate. Using the rear bucket cutouts as-is was pretty much what I would do if I go the reversible route. I gave it more in-depth thought, and I decided HDMI, ethernet, and a few USB is all I'll probably need. My ITX board has other connectors for SPDIF audio and PS/2, but I won't be using them and can't imagine ever needing to. How often do new connector standards come out? Maybe not for another decade? So maybe making it reversible doesn't really mean upgrades would be any more difficult or expensive if connectors don't change. It would be messier on the inside with all the short extension cables, but cleaner on the outside.

Here are Photoshop mockups of my 2 ideas (it's actually the back of a Classic II, but close enough).

Easier future upgrades - making it a fully standard Mini ITX case that fits a standard I/O shield with all ports available, minimal internal wiring so cleaner on the inside, but an ugly VGA loopback cable on the outside.

Reversible - Should be possible to get all ports I'd ever need installed into the existing bucket holes. Ports won't be mounted to the bucket itself, but a plastic panel bracket I will construct. It will have USB 2.0 in the ADB and printer port holes, HDMI in the DB19, 2x USB 3.0 in the DB25, and I may go ahead and wire a headphone jack to the motherboard's front audio connector.

If you plan to use it a lot, or see yourself using it often into the future, make it easy to upgrade and a non-reversible hack. Classics aren't exactly rare, and the front bezel is just asking to be widened to easily accept a slot-load BD drive. It will look a lot cleaner without a myriad of cables snaking around the back of the case, and in the end you'll be much happier with a properly done mod that looks more professional.

I actually think I can make it look fairly close to my mockups and I don't think either looks too much like a hack-job. I have seen someone widen the 3.5 floppy slot for a slot-load DVD drive and that did seem like a pretty cool idea, but I actually have no use for an optical drive at all on this machine. I'll probably just turn the 3.5" floppy slot into a stealthy 4-port front USB since it's just tall enough for a USB plug to fit into.

 

[tecneeq]

I know a Classic isn't a Q900, nor is it a IIfx or even a LC475. But it's very much a true Macintosh, maybe even more than the three mentioned ones. |)

I say mutilating a Classic is a sin. xx(

I cast my vote and say reverseible.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I'd suggest mounting the board farther forward so that the backplane is recessed even in the hacked case. Then you can re-route the VGA cable within the confines of the case and the connectors of anything else you plug into the I/O panel will be enclosed and it can sit farther back against the wall.

A short, custom HD-15 cable with a right angle connector will clean up the installation and the look quite a lot. Elongating the floppy slot for an optical drive is almost a necessity as I see it.I love the way mine looks with the wider opening and fitted trayloader. When the new close-up lens arrives from China, I'll revisit this hack for the optical bench phase. I'll finish cleaning up the slot and maybe paint the tray after arcing the front to match the curvature of the bezel.

The other option is to make a slot in the cooling vents under the chin for a slotloader installation. I like having the indication of the sleeper within. My Classic is a dedicated Projection System with a standard DVD player. I don't have room for a slotloader under the chin due to using an inverted 6500 MoBo. With the Mini-ITX, you won't have such constraints.

 

[tecneeq]

What do you guys plan to use as a display? It should be fairly hard to get proper 7" cathode ray tubes with VGA these days.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Most folks use an LCD, mine will be a bit less conventional.

 

[GnatGoSplat]

I'd suggest mounting the board farther forward so that the backplane is recessed even in the hacked case. Then you can re-route the VGA cable within the confines of the case and the connectors of anything else you plug into the I/O panel will be enclosed and it can sit farther back against the wall.
A short, custom HD-15 cable with a right angle connector will clean up the installation and the look quite a lot. Elongating the floppy slot for an optical drive is almost a necessity as I see it.I love the way mine looks with the wider opening and fitted trayloader. When the new close-up lens arrives from China, I'll revisit this hack for the optical bench phase. I'll finish cleaning up the slot and maybe paint the tray after arcing the front to match the curvature of the bezel.

That idea actually did occur to me, the backplane could be recessed up to 1.5" if I cut away part of the metal chassis. For some reason I had thought it would weaken the chassis too much, but I just went back and measured it and it looks like even if I cut it, there would be plenty of metal holding it together so I'm not sure what I was thinking. Might be worth doing if I don't care about reversibility. After all, if I'm going to cut up the plastic bucket, why not cut up the metal chassis too? It'd only need to be done once anyway.

That tray drive will look really amazing if it matches the arc of the front and is completely flush when shut. Just out of curiosity, where did you find a drive with such a thin tray?

I'm going to skip the optical drive though, I really have zero use for one and can't imagine ever needing one. I could use front USB though, and they will fit the 3.5" slot.

What do you guys plan to use as a display? It should be fairly hard to get proper 7" cathode ray tubes with VGA these days.

I will be using an AU Optronics 8.4" SVGA LCD (800x600) with resistive touchscreen. I've made a custom CRT-shaped bezel out of ABS plastic. Here are pics of it in its current form still with protective plastic on the LCD itself. I'm hoping it will look better once I have it complete as the screen is matte and I will also paint the bezel a satin or flat black to match the matte screen. It should hopefully make the flatness of the LCD look less obvious. I would have gone for the acrylic CRT-shaped bubble lens in front of it except I want to use the touchscreen (it works really nicely for being resistive).