Making modern iMac G3 I/O Doors

[Angelgreat]

Hello, have you ever noticed that some tray loading iMac G3's are missing their i/o door? Well, that can be annoying when you're looking for a iMac G3 to buy. What's worse is that there are no spare parts online, so if you want a door, you'll need to pull it from a donor iMac G3. I think it's time to fix that.

Everyone, Let's make replacement iMac G3 i/o doors, that way more people can get a replacement door if they want. I'm thinking of having some members here make and sell them. What do you think of this idea?

 

[cheesestraws]

This sounds like a project you could perhaps have a go at yourself. It'd be a good first 3D printing project, and you could have a go with one of the free online tools...

 

[Angelgreat]

This sounds like a project you could perhaps have a go at yourself. It'd be a good first 3D printing project, and you could have a go with one of the free online tools...

I don't have a 3d printer or a scanner. I was asking if someone else would want to do it.

 

[John8520]

This is a good opportunity to get familiar with 3D modeling, though. Lots of free tools exist , and once you sit down with a sketchbook and pair of calipers you could make some significant progress quickly.

As for access to a 3D printer - you may have a makerspace in your community that has a 3D printer you could use - it's worth looking into. Such spaces usually contain a wealth of tools and knowledge.

 

[cheesestraws]

I don't have a 3d printer or a scanner. I was asking if someone else would want to do it.

You don't have to have a 3D scanner, you just measure things with a ruler Nobody else has a 3D scanner either, they're stupidly expensive. It takes a bit of practice, but it's doable. And there are places that will do 3D printing for you—you may have one locally, I do.

If you want this to happen, and you want other people to join in with it, you're going to have to start playing with it yourself. And it'll be satisfying to try.

 

[wanderingjew]

It doesn't look good....



So this is a very difficult part to print, at least on a 3D printer. The orientation of those clasps doubles over on itself, meaning there's really only one way to print the entire thing -- on it's side. That's if you're using a filament printer. Resin would probably be the way to go, but it's a big part.

The geometry is also pretty hard to get right. Everything's curved. If you want the print to fit, you'll need to be within ~0.5mm, which is *hard* if you're just doing this with calipers.

Honestly, if you want new i/o doors, the easiest way would probably be to cast them. Get some silicone and some clear casting resin, the tiny parts should be able to pull out of the mold without breaking anything. Trim the flash, replace that colored o-ring, and you're done.