MinnowBook 3400c

[raoulduke]

I have an extra 3400c case that I had in the back of my mind wondered what to do with.  A friend just pointed this out: http://www.minnowboard.org/meet-minnowboard-max/.  I don't know of any tests but in theory it might be able to run OS X.

The power supply cable would probably line up in the case.  Basically the case would just be a shell.  I wouldn't have time to work on this until maybe summer but I have at least one big initial concern.

I'd take the screen [i have one that has a torn ribbon] and replace it with another screen etc.  The only video output from the board that I know of is HDMI.  So the easiest mod, I think, would just be probably to put an HDMI-capable flat panel into the casing and connect a cable directly to the board.

Does anyone have any ideas for how to look for a 12.1" monitor with HDMI out?  They seem to either be prohibitively expensive of nonexistent.  I guess it could be adapter [not really pretty but there's going to be a lot of case space].  Is there any way to adapt a generic laptop display to HDMI?  There are also USB > HDMI (then to Micro HDMI) adapters, I guess.

Otherwise, I'll probably line the opening of the module bay with a USB hub connected via cable to the USB port.  Haven't thought much through otherwise; I just think this is a cool idea.  I love the late-PPC Powerbook aesthetic.

 

[raoulduke]

* The first thing I posted (and then removed) is the wrong size.  One would need a 12.1" screen at an 800x600 ratio.  These seem to be pretty expensive with associated controller boards (to HDMI).  I'll work on it.

This probably solves the video issue, and audio since the board apparently only does audio output through HDMI.  One might either replace the speakers in the speaker panel or thread the cable up with the video cable to the screen and replace the screen speakers - or do both.

I'm also thinking it would make sense to have two USB hubs - one totally internal with a wifi and maybe bluetooth or bluetooth keyboard/mouse dongle, and the other as external ports.

The issue then is really the battery as a secondary concern, and the trackpad/keyboard as a primary concern.  They were intended to be USB, but bluetooth should work fine.  It might be a bit tight to find a keyboard the fits exactly, but I was unable to find any laptop-style trackpads that function as bluetooth or wifi - or even that are USB.  It's a pretty specific request; might have to be customized if that's possible.

* It's 800x600 12.1" and I measure 7 1/4" x 9 5/8".

 

[raoulduke]

Maybe take the case off of one of these, replace all the keys, and move the trackpad down into the trackpad bar? Microsoft Wireless Media Keyboard - but these both require batteries.

 

[markyb86]

"require"

They probably run on 3V and you can tap that off from somewhere else easy enough.

 

[raoulduke]

True.

These HDMI controller boards include the inverter boards for the displays, right?  "Reversing" boards?  If so I think I've found it:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/251258227613- $36.89 - Board

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Apple-661-2773-B-12-034-iBook-G3-G4-LTN121X1-L02-Matte-12-1-034-screen-/121178625424- $25 - Screen

That would bring the total cost here to:

Logic Board - $125-150

Display Board - $37

Screen - $25

Keyboard/TP - $25

2x USB Hub - $5

Wifi Dongle - $10

SD Card [say 32gb; half RAM and half the System drive] - $16

500gb SATAII drive - $27

$295

Did I miss anything?  Also I think the 2gb version is probably necessary if one, theoretically, wanted to run Mavericks.

 

[Bunsen]

in theory it might be able to run OS X.

"In theory" is definitely the operative phrase here.  For starters, I would want to check up on the status of Atom support in osx86.  It was supported once upon a time, but I don't know how current it is.

Okay, Intel HD graphics, might work, depending which specific chipset they're using.  Then you've got the audio chipset, the NIC, etc etc etc...

 

[Bunsen]

inverter boards for the displays, right?  "Reversing" boards?

An inverter bumps up low-voltage DC from the logic board to the high voltage AC needed by the CCFL backlight for the display.  Displays that use LED backlights don't require an inverter - and drain a lot less battery juice.

 

[Bunsen]

Did I miss anything?

Cables to hook everything up.

Batteries, charger, and battery management circuit, if you want a portable.

But at $295 + assembly, and if your heart is set on OS X, you might do better to find a netbook/notebook that is known to run Hackintosh / osx86 well, gut that, and transplant the parts.

 

[Bunsen]

MinnowBoard Max FAQ:

Q: What is MinnowBoard MAX?
A: MinnowBoard MAX is an open hardware embedded board designed with the Intel® Atom™ E38xx series SOC (known as Bay Trail).

reddit:

EveryUserName1sTaken

Bay Trail is confirmed to not work properly on modern kernel versions. The early Atom chips worked well on 10.5, but Apple changed the kernel CPU usage around in 10.6 and later and it stopped working correctly from then on. That said, a legacy or AMD kernel might work. Probably not worth the effort as compared to a small Haswell build. Also, graphics are probably never happening, even if it boots.

pieter91

Everyone else saying Atom chips will work are all referring to older models. Bay Trail is a lot newer, and seeing as it's a SoC, you might need a modified kernel for it to work.

 

[Bunsen]

find a netbook/notebook that is known to run Hackintosh / osx86 well

Or indeed, a real Apple motherboard - Powerbook, Macbook, or Mini

 

[Bunsen]

Running OS X on anything not-Apple is a lot more involved than just sticking in a disk and hitting the "Install" button.

 

 

[raoulduke]

I mean.  I've only been doing osx86 stuff for 7 years so I'm not an expert.  In my experience it usually is as simple as hitting install.  Granted you need a lot of knowledge about your setup and the potential options.  And often you need significant time and effort debugging the options.  Having said that, I know less about the current chipsets.

So while 10.9 technically does support Atom, http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/HCL_10.9.0/Desktops#Eee_Box_EB1012P ,I do not know how far off the D510 is from the E38xx that MinnowBoard uses.

This was more a mental exercise.  I actually have had 10.5 running on two separate Intel laptops; I forget the chipsets at this point.  I most recently ran Mavericks on an AMD A6 until the laptop twice failed (hardware) catastrophically.  As far as I can tell I'm the only person to install OS X on an A6.  After about 3 weeks of fooling around... I just pressed install.

 

[Bunsen]

been doing osx86 stuff for 7 years

Then I apologise.  Please proceed.

 

[raoulduke]

Well I will/would go through with this primarily out of curiosity as to whether it'd run.  So hopefully I'll report back in a few months.  However, you may be correct.  I can't find any evidence of Bay Trail support in the recent Hardware Compatibility Lists.  Still interested to try, though.  I'd even settle on an older version of OS X; the board isn't that fast.

 

[raoulduke]

It doesn't seem that there's definitive evidence of support for the E38xx line or Bay Trail generally.  However, Silvermont, which Bay Trail is apparently based off of may or may not empirically have worked (http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/294514-mavericks-on-intel-avonton/).  Apparently this caused an issue on Tonymacx86 a few years back - http://www.tonymacx86.com/mavericks-laptop-support/116372-installing-mavericks-bay-trail-tablets.html .

 

[raoulduke]

Bunsen, I looked through VirtualBox which cannot do this. Think there's any way to emulate the chip for testing? (I know nothing about this...)

 

[IPalindromeI]

He didn't mention VirtualBox? I know VMware can run OS X, but as the vGPU is kinda crap, slowly. Keep in mind VMware and VBox don't emulate, but virtualize, so it passes through your actual CPU, with or without VT.

 

[raoulduke]

Yeah... so my question was whether there is a way to test OS X on an E38xx (Atom) via software since I don't plan to buy the MinnowBoard for a few months. The answer may be no.

 

[Byrd]

I don't think the Minnowboard Max is a good choice for a hardware hack/OSX86 machine, as it's designed for embedded use not general desktop use - where it states it can run Windows, it is probably the embedded version and you might be lucky to get a usable desktop.  Consider OSX86 to be even more difficult to work with.  Just because a CPU is supported you also have to contend with GPU support etc, and I don't think you'll have much luck here.

Perhaps look into a junked Core2Duo laptop which has a 12.1" LCD you can hack in, or something like an Intel NUC/3.5" SBC instead

JB