MacintoshClassicIIIColorTVp™ Hack

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I need to do that to my 17" Studio Display! What kind and grade of rouge/compound did you use on your buffing wheel?

tho appearing and being are two totally different things

Amen, comrade, sounds like you've been around the block. [] ]'>

oh and please be mindful about the dust inside of those things, I cant think of a single non toxic substance on the inside of a crt

No worries about that, I've handled quite a few HAZMATs in my time. I downloaded a couple of PDFs about safely recycling CRTs before considering this approach. I can't use the saw at work due to all the lovely HAZMATs, so I may buy a small sheet of matte Plexi and do the vacuum forming routine first.

If it works, it works! If not . . . plans B, C & D just might! )

 

[Bunsen]

The image shows perfectly through a white sheet of printer paper, so some gray glass prolly' can't cut down on the projected image's intensity by all THAT much. [] ]'>

I took a buffing wheel to a samsung one day and from the front (i didnt cut it open) once I removed the distorted/ peeling glare coating it appeared to be clear glass all the way back to the shadow mask and phosphor

That brings another interesting point to mind:

With the paper as your rear projection screen, you have a relatively thin flat plane to focus on. Where are you going to find such a surface in a relatively thick sheet of clear glass? Perhaps sandblasting a frosted effect on the rear or front of the glass will give you that flat, light diffusing surface like the paper..

 

[Osgeld]

I need to do that to my 17" Studio Display! What kind and grade of rouge/compound did you use on your buffing wheel?

that is a good question, I used the stuff we have at work, I would tell you but I am currently at home with a stomach bug, so maybe tomorrow

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

THX, no hurry, mine's not all THAT fugly, but it'd be great for the MLA to have that kind of info on record. I think I'll start a Stickie Topic to post such Hackin' Tips-n-Tricks! sort of on the order of the Peripherals: LINKS Project: Rev. 3.0, but with hard won, home grown, 68KMLA Hackin' Lore and Techniques.

That'd be the perfect place for you to post your info/HowTo! [] ]'>

Whatcha think, gang? :?:

 

[Bunsen]

Perhaps sandblasting a frosted effect on the rear or front of the glass

... or plexi

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Plexi comes Pre-Matted!

And etching would be MUCH better/more even on glass! :rambo:

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Ouch! OK, I got there in the end, but it hurt my brain a little. Nice thinking.

:lol: LOL! I'd forgotten about your quip! Try not to hurt yourself, comrade, just take baby steps! )

< non-sequiter mode >

Which reminds me of what happened when one of my younger co-workers (approx. 20) was being ridden by another (about 25) about how inexperienced he was. I said "yeah right, you've been around the block!"

When he insisted that he had, I said:

" . . . maybe . . . in a stroller!" }

< /non-sequiter mode >

)

 

[Bunsen]

I may buy a small sheet of matte Plexi and do the vacuum forming routine first.

Hmmmm... while you've got the rig set up and all, what are the chances you could knock out another one (or more??) of those? :rambo:

 

[Bunsen]

NoPro, but that'll be near the last things done . . . no sense finally setting up my own vacuum formin' rig unless the Power Supply, DVD/5.1 and a few other details work out to my satisfaction first.
I'm on my way to CrapShack w/Classic in hand/trunk to test fit the DVD player. If I'm lucky, the manager I know will be there and we can open up the display unit to see if I'm right about the arrangement of the innards. It's gotta be a 12v Computer type DVD Player with some additional 5.1 circuitry and all that'll, hopefully, be in the back of the case, & replaceable w/ATX PSU Voltages. That or have them re-arrangeable to leave room for the projector right where it sits and then move the backplane connectors to my vertical I/O slot. [] ]'>

I'm ALSO going to pick up a small piece of matte plexi! [] ]'>

This interchange belongs in the thread, BTW!

jt :rambo:

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Well, I made my pilgramage to CrapShack yesterday, as I told Bunsen I would. A nice young lady was very helpful, she struggled w/the screwdrivers a bit, in order to get the display unit's case open for me so, naturally, I gave her a lesson in the proper method of using Jeweler's Screwdrivers to turn out the case screws AFTER breaking them loose with a Real Screwdriver! Then, after I was overjoyed at finding the insides just about as I'd pre-visualized them, I showed her how to start the screws with a little backspin, while holding them in place with her other hand and then turn them home, all the while utilizing proper Jeweler's Screwdriver technique.

I pulled up the thread on my cell phone and she and the man working in the store at the time were quite excited about the way I was playing with the toys I'd purchased there

After all these years, I should finally get over that *^*%&^%& Tandy 1000SX Fiasco and treat them with a bit more respect in my posts . . .

. . . but it's SUCH a great nick' for that store! }

Anyhoo, back on topic for a change! :

I nabbed the Memorex DVD Player right then and there:

Here's how it looks in the new, expanded, floppy slot, note the missing paperclip hole! :rambo:

Here I am getting ready for the first test . . .

Voila! DVD/5.1/S-Video Out -> TV Tuner in Paleolithic HobbitMacShell!

Right now I've got it stuck out a bit at the two corners because I just LOVE having that DVD Logo prominently displayed! [] ]'>

I can always rig up another approach, but it worked as is on the very first try, and that's good enough for now! It's mounted at a slight angle so the Logo is prominent, but I'll probably get tired of that before long and just go ahead rig up a deeper set of "floppy slot inner lips" in order to mount it dead on straight.

. . . of course I borked the ZIF Connector's release/clamp bar on the DVD/5.1 Decoder Board, but it looks like something I've seen inside a couple of KBDs that would make just dandy donors!

I'll take a shot of the packaging and all the parts lined up, this may be the greatest ever Optical Drive for CompactMacHackin!

The only question is, can I hack an A/B switch select for the DVD Player/5.1 Board and a compatible COMPUTER DVD READER BOARD!

HeHeHeHeHe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Caution: Madman at Play! }

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I figured a way around sourcing a Two-Slot Metal Backplane for the MoBo!

I just went back to basics! A plastic snap on cover for an LCIII PDS Slot Backplane, from one of the many NuBus Architecture PPC and '040 spinoffs of my original Quadra 630, turns out to be better in every way! Due to the USB Card being a sub-terranian expansion bay dweller, for internal connectors only, I've only got to cut an HD-15 access port for whatever half-length Video Card I throw into the sucker. [] ]'>

Here's a shot of the fit from an angle, nothing is perfect yet, but it may get there . . .

. . . I should really get a Plus Case for this Hack, but this particular Classic was a curbside liberation back in my Second Big Bad Apple Lifetime, so it's no big deal that the ZFP HDD Case isn't EXACTLY appropriate for a Mac Classic . . .

. . . but I don't give a rodent's rump about any detractor's nit-pickin' O-Pinions! }

IAlthough, if I can get my 12" CRT up and running again in this case, THAT might make for a different ending! )

< edit > Forgot to mention today's FREEBIE Conquest!!!! After calling ahead to a custom frame shop that supposedly had frosted/gloss Acrylic in stock they gave me a, cut to size, piece of "glare control" AKA: lightly frosted glass. It's out in the car in the trunk as I'm posting this! PLAYTIME!!!!!!! [] ]'>

 

[Osgeld]

are you going to putty the 2 together to look like one unit?

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Nope! It'll only look like one unit from the back . . . IF, and only IF . . . it works out that the plastic backplane cover and the backplane of the ZFP case HAPPEN to fall into the same plane. The critical thing is that it looks "just so" from the front. With any luck at all, I'll be able to offset the two backplanes a minimum of 1/8"-1/4" so that I can fake it up to appear like a real HobbitMac sittin' on top of a real ZFP HDD Case.

That'll involve some "deep in the shadows" matte black fool-the-eye trickery, but I'm fairly sure I can pull that off! :rambo:

 

[LCGuy]

I'll take a shot of the packaging and all the parts lined up, this may be the greatest ever Optical Drive for CompactMacHackin!

Whats even more interesting about that, is that although I've never seen the insides of it (and therefore can't really confirm if it is in fact the same unit), the tray on that DVD player looks frightfully similar to the one on Mum's AWA DVD player (a $50 cheapie bought from Big W a couple of years back), makes me wonder if its a similar, or in fact the same unit, just sold under different brands in different countries. With that one being a Region 1/NTSC DVD player, I'd say its probably not available here, so if anyone here is looking to do a similar hack, it may pay to have a look at AWA or similar brands.

I have to say though...as neat as this is, it is a shame that even though you'll have a computer in there, there's no way to directly interface the DVD unit with the computer (apart from running the AV connection through the Video System, if you're planning to have one installed)

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

As I said earlier, I'm going to give a shot at A/B selecting a second controller board for the one that comes with the unit. My guess is that the OEM for this and several other brands and types of DVD Reader would likely include a "read-only" DVD for computer use.

Best outcome would be to find out from the Tray-loader OEM which Computer DVD Reader boards are electrically compatible with their mechanism. Odds are that the OEM also makes the controller boards or that the pinout for the boards might be a standard interface allowing for considerable leeway in terms of hackage!

Whatever, the floppy interface on the logic board will be cut at the Medusa Cable Harness Connector, and possibly run out to an external connector on the MoBo side, freeing up a 20 Pin Ribbon Cablea with a convenientt 20 pin female header pin interface to a homebrew PCB that'd be patch wired to, at a minimum, S-Video and USB up in the "Projector Housing" . . ..

. . . for me to play around with! }

 

[LCGuy]

Best outcome would be to find out from the Tray-loader OEM which Computer DVD Reader boards are electrically compatible with their mechanism. Odds are that the OEM also makes the controller boards or that the pinout for the boards might be a standard interface allowing for considerable leeway in terms of hackage!

Hmm, this is where things get interesting...if that was the case, and you could find all the right parts you needed, you could even make a controller board that would allow you to connect it to the SCSI bus...very interesting...

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I don't even need SCSI, though it would be nice, I'll have USB coming up from the PCI Card through the bisected FDD Connector pins on the MedusaHarness and that'll be heading straight from my adapter PCB to a powered USB Hub. With an ATA DVD Reader Controller Card, coupled to an $11 USB Bridge, it's all up and running! [] ]'>

Not to mention a Card Reader Cage, if that's possible under Apple's (probably borked, per SOP within the InfiniteLoopiness™) USB implementation. :

 

[LCGuy]

USB would be easier, I was just thinking it would be neat if you could adapt it to SCSI, since the internal SCSI bus is likely better than USB 1.1.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Dunno, for installing software, reading DVDs and CDs for Data, Music a/o MP3s, even at USB 1.1 speeds, this DVD's prolly' a lot faster than any optical drive available back in the early to mid '90s

Besides, I've got my very first, blazingly fast, single speed CD Reader (The PowerCD [] ]'&gt and my very first CD Burner from Philips, if I ever feel the Need for Speed or to do any serious Burnin'-r-Turnin' on this machine!

This Hack is going to be living on the display shelf right next to PowerDuo in his Dock II with the APD sittin', for the most part unused. on top just for show also. Both CPUs are going to be running off whatever Cards I can find to do my 22" 1080p monitor justice and will be run off the same Wireless KBD/Mouse setup that I run HP_Mini on when I'm working on anything while sitting in the lounge chair/ottoman combo at the PlayDisplayStation in the living room.

The Rear Projection Gig is mostly just for show/braggin' rights! This machine is being set up for serious Artwork Projection, frivolous Movie Projection, absolutely silly ceiling projection for the pitifully few Flight SIMS available for Mac OS 8-9.2 and a lot of very serious PlotterServer Duty.

Besides, 99% of the people who will ever see this atrocity IRL won't get its factor AT ALL! )

IOW, I won't likely be putting very many hours on the projector for HobbitMacDisplayPlay! }

 

[Bunsen]

I nabbed the Memorex DVD Player right then and there:

/ Voila! DVD/5.1/S-Video Out -> TV Tuner in Paleolithic HobbitMacShell!

Wow, that board set is tiny. And that includes a TV tuner? Or do you mean:

running the AV connection through the Video System

Just my $0.02 after tax, but I reckon you'd be better off installing a simple video switch to select between the DVD player and the computer video into the projector: that way you don't lose 75% of your pixels by routing through the QVGA Apple Video System.

today's FREEBIE Conquest!!!! / a, cut to size, piece of "glare control" AKA: lightly frosted glass.

Nice freebie Flat, I assume? Did you pick up the plexi at the same time?

12" CRT / in this case

:?: How is that going to fit?

I'll have USB /Not to mention a Card Reader Cage, if that's possible under Apple's (probably borked, per SOP within the InfiniteLoopiness™) USB implementation. :

Not borked at all, AFAICT. I've run generic cheapie media card readers under OS 9 before - the cards show up as drive volumes, as you'd expect.

the floppy interface on the logic board will be cut at the Medusa Cable Harness Connector

Just another thought: how about preserving the floppy chain so you can connect an internal floppy drive (externally) should you need to do any floppy boot based debugging? A simple DIL header somewhere on the exterior (rear?) should do the trick.

I hope the string of questions and suggestions doesn't suggest I'm in any way detracting from the awesomeness of this hack |) The way the DVD tray sits in the expanded floppy slot is particularly neat. Did you have to trim down the tray at all, or was that just good fortune?