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iMac G4 questions

TheMacGuy

TheMacGuy

68000
Earlier today I was able to "snipe" from eBay an iMac G4 like new, in the original box. Paid a pretty penny for it, but I'm still working out shipping details as the seller wanted to ship UPS, and after olePigeon's wonderful experience with UPS ( viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20132 ), I asked the seller to ship USPS. Its a barebones, early 2003 17" iMac G4s with a 512MB SODIMM installed. First with AirPort Extreme, earliest iMac to officially support Leopard, still has USB 1.1 (wish it has 2.0 ).

Anyway, I am planing to do a few upgrades and replacements, like replace the internal DIMM, PRAM battery, and put in a bigger hard drive. I was wondering, I have heard mixed things about removing then re-applying thermal paste to the heat ducts. Some saying its not needed, some it does need it, some say it will ruin the CPU, blah, blah, blah. I need to know, dead on, does it or does it not need it? Because this could make or break my plans. I could also be acquiring a 500GB HDD out of an older LaCie external drive (I don't know if its 5400 or 7200rpm, or if its IDE or SATA) that if it is compatible, it can recognize all 500GB, and is fast enough, will be going in this iMac.

 
Well apple put thermal paste on it. It is a G4 and runs pretty warm. I guess you could sand the heat sink if its not already, as the paste is just for air gaps anyway. The original assembly put too much paste on as usual and you dont need alot. I dont understand why that would be a deal breaker as you can wait till reassembly to put paste on. Its the white paste and can get it pretty cheap at radio shack. I wouldnt chance going without it but thats just me. Its pretty tight in there so I suggest cleaing the small fan which is all the way at the topof the dome.

 
Alright. Before I thought it had to be put all along the vents, but after reading the official guide the last G4 iMac 17" it looks like just 2 pads. How should I take off the old paste?

Its the white paste and can get it pretty cheap at radio shack.
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I'll have to look. I still have some Arctic Silver from the Cube's processor install. Do you remember the name of the paste?

 
Oh you can use artic silver. You just made it sound like thermal paste made the project a no go. Any thermal paste will work. Mine was new when I put a new hard drive and DVD drive in mine, then a lightning storm in VA killed the ethernet port on it. Apple replaced for free ( the motherboard, as the tech spun a great story to get me a replacement ). I then took it apart again to max the ram. That fan needs alot of cleaning for sure. Never took long to get dust, as it has alot of surface area for draw but one exit.

 
I will. Honestly the one I bought the guy could have past off as brand new it looked that good. The only way you could tell it was used was the fact it had 10.4.11 installed instead of 10.2. :D

Can't wait to get it!

 
How should I take off the old paste?
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I'd probably use something like a nylon spudger or putty knife, anything that was plastic, not metal (or you'll scratch the die). You don't have to get it all off; just make sure the paste layer is even when you get it back together.

 
I just rub real hard wit a dry rag and that gets most of it. Most of it will be dried from agr anyway and crumble usually.

 
Ok, so I got the iMac today (posted in the conquest forum). I noticed that one size of the display is sagging. Is there anyway to fix this problem? I heard tightening the display bolt would help, but if so, what tool would I use?

 
I have a feeling you're going to need to take the LCD off the bezel and work on the nuts attaching the display to the arm. This is not super difficult but it's not super easy. iFixit can probably give you a teardown. You should not need to disassemble the base, just the display.

 
This chap should know just about all there is to know about your problem.

I emailed him about running it with no attached display. I hate the look of the iLamp as it is, so I'll use an external monitor/KVM switch for OS 9 use.

 
I have read it is normal on these models.
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Maybe, but neither of my 15" iMac G4s are that way. On the other hand, the 15" LCD is probably quite a bit less heavy on the arm.

I hate the look of the iLamp as it is
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Why? I think it's a gorgeous machine. One of Apple's most simultaneously adventurous and functional designs.

That said, I don't see any reason why you couldn't have the display and arm removed and connect a mirrored display to the MiniVGA connector in the base, but you probably have to have mirroring set up before you take the arm and display off.

 
There are four screw bolts that hold the screen back casing to the top elbow of the adjusting arm. By loosening them you can adjust the horizontal angle by a couple of degrees. To get to those bolts, you have to completely disassemble the LCD unit. Putting it back together is quite tricky, as you have to balance the LCD unit somehow as you re-connect all the leads around the frame before slotting the LCD into the housing. It is doable and there are online pictorial guides that I have used.

You may find that the droop is greater than you can correct by that method. The bearings in the top and bottom elbows of the arm take a lot of strain from the weight and counter-springs of the unit, and are lubricated by a couple of odd-shaped nylon washers. Over time, the washers shrink or become worn, and some slack develops in the elbow joints. The steel fabric itself is quite soft and can become slightly distorted if it has taken any knocks. You can tighten those joints to some extent by turning the patent screws clockwise. The screws are two ends of a tension bolt that holds the elbows joints together, but is not the load-bearing axle of those joints. The three holes in the screws are designed to take a special Apple tool which nobody ever possesses. However, you can turn them quite safely using the two points of needle-nose pliers, or by using a couple of 2-inch nails braced across each other. This may straighten up the neck somewhat, and also may reduce any tendency to sag due to the weight of the 17" display.

Rick

 
When I had a sagging display in one of my iMac G4s, rather than take it apart I ended up pushing a small plastic wedge into a gap in the arm. This straightened it up and also stopped the wobble.

You're right, when something doesn't sit straight it drives you potty!

Cheers :)

Hugh

 
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