Totaled MacBook Pro + Other Stuff

[iMac600]

Last night I collected a haul of Apple spare parts and various other bits and pieces. Of the spare parts I've so far managed to build:

(1x) 2.5GHz MacBook Pro (Early 2008), 15-inch Glossy LCD, 4GB RAM, nVidia GeForce 8600M GT 512MB with a 320GB HDD.

(2x) 2.4GHz MacBook Unibody (Mid 2010), 13-inch LCDs, 4GB RAM, nVidia GeForce 320M 256MB with 250GB HDDs.

I suspect I should be able to assemble another 15-inch 2.2GHz MacBook Pro (Mid 2007) and possibly a 17-inch 2.4GHz MacBook Pro (Mid 2007) with the spares, at least. Some of these parts are brand new as well, I can see a brand new MacBook Pro bottom case and a few brand new top cases in the pile, so hopefully I should be able to rescue a few more neglected Macs with these.

Of the bunch though, this machine has me the most interested.

This is a very unloved MacBook Pro (Late 2008). The display module is in awful shape and has been removed as I don't think it's salvageable, the glass is cracked, it has dents all over it and the frame is separating from the aluminium outer skin. The top case is in much better shape and the bottom case, despite being scuffed up, is in otherwise good condition.

However, it does run, and it's an absolute screamer for the price. It's configured with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1066MHz FSB, 4GB Memory, 250GB Hitachi HDD and an nVidia GeForce 9600M GT with 256MB of graphics memory.

I'm thinking what I'll do is attempt to source a replacement display module for it first as it's the most logical first step. If that fails however, I'm thinking it's a perfect candidate for a desktop conversion. All I would need to do is relocate the AirPort and Bluetooth cards from the display module to above the Optical Drive, shortening the cable and trimming out the iSight camera wiring loom in the process. I have the antennas from a Time Capsule which would seat nicely inside the enclosure.

I have a feeling it would make a brilliant replacement for my exhausted and increasingly unstable iMac (Late 2006) 17-inch. The graphics performance alone is pushing me in this direction, stepping from an Intel GMA 950 to an nVidia GeForce 9600M GT is a quantum leap in terms of its capabilities. A nice set of external speakers and a good LCD attached would make it ideal for media playback as well.

Not often I find a perfect candidate for a mod. I'm looking forward to this one.

Cheers,

~ Mic.

 

[krye]

It's machines like that that make perfect candidates for digital photo frame projects. You could get your hands on another LCD and mount the whole thing in a nice enclosure on the wall and have it display a slideshow. Or even just a desktop version. With Wi-Fi, you could also have it display a 10 day weather forecast, or some other kind of feed. Maybe some streaming audio. Or make it some kind of wall-mounted iTunes media center controller. If you can't get your hands on another LCD maybe pull the guts out of a cheap 15" LCD monitor and make a pseudo -iMac kind of thing.

I made a desktop photo frame out of old laptop parts and enclosed the whole thing in LEGO. I sourced a whole stack of broken, smashed laptops from the IT dept at work and managed to find enough pieces between them all to make a working unit.



With such a powerful machine that's otherwise useless as a laptop, you could probably make something pretty cool out of it. Having Wi-Fi too, you wouldn't even need a keyboard or mouse. You could just remote desktop to it and administer it that way.

 

[Bunsen]

Using one of those as a picture frame is like using a bulldozer to butter your toast.

+1 Desktop conversion. I'm picturing a sleek aluminium tower, with feets. Maybe a ventilation grille in the keyboard area.

 

[TheMacGuy]

Introducing the Mac Pro Slim. The power and connectivity you need, with nothing you don't.

 

[iMac600]

I set to work on its Display Module today, if anything to discover how much of a hit this machine took. Despite the shattered glass, it only took a few minutes with a heat gun before I could lift the entire glass panel out as a single piece. Underneath the glass told quite a terrifying tale. The magnesium frame has cracked around one of the screw bosses and has started to lift away from the aluminium outer skin. The corner has crumpled, meaning about a centimeter of aluminium had to buckle first with still enough force to split the magnesium that lay behind it.

In other words, nothing short of a reasonable drop on to a slate surface would have caused this kind of damage.

I rebonded the magnesium to the aluminium skin using a powerful metal epoxy with a slight flex additive designed to allow it to bend and stress without cracking, such as when the display is opened and closed. It's currently curing, which will take about 12 hours, about 4 hours away from the time this is posted.

What I can say is that the MacBook Pro officially has a display attached and working, although it's not incredibly attractive. :lol: If I don't end up converting this to a desktop unit, I'll turn it into a modified MacBook Pro with elements of the "rat rod" automotive scene. That said, the desktop conversion is still the most likely outcome.

It does look like I will get what I wanted out of it though - a functional system that excels at OpenGL tasks.

( Didn't get any pictures of the disassembly or epoxying, I was a little focused on making sure I didn't glue the display to the workbench or something along those lines. )