Hacking the iMac G5...

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
I propose we bust one of the suckers open and add...



- Some type of kick butt -- modified -- graphics card



- Water cooling



- a screen with pen input -- so it can be used as a tablet



- some type of wearable bluetooth microphone for voice dictation to use with the pen input.



Oh... and chrome the back of it to freak people out and make them think it is a giant iPod.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    kedakeda Posts: 722member
    I'd love to see a have that allowd monitor spanning to be enabled. That is the only feature I wish Apple had added.
  • Reply 2 of 19
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ArticulatedArm

    I propose we bust one of the suckers open and add...



    - Some type of kick butt -- modified -- graphics card



    - Water cooling



    - a screen with pen input -- so it can be used as a tablet



    - some type of wearable bluetooth microphone for voice dictation to use with the pen input.



    Oh... and chrome the back of it to freak people out and make them think it is a giant iPod.




    An 18 pound tablet, there's a novel idea



    Even if you felt comfortable with it in your lap you'd block the cooling vents (more than likely).
  • Reply 3 of 19
    stoostoo Posts: 1,490member
    I don't think that there are many GPUs pin compatible with the 5200U, and it'd be a pain in the ass to replace the GPU by hand.
  • Reply 4 of 19
    Uhh... Water cooling? Why!?
  • Reply 5 of 19
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    I think overclocking the Geforce 5200 and somehow hacking the iMacs firmware to compensate for the increased heat would be the most useful.
  • Reply 6 of 19
    You guys aren't very supportive...



    Quote:

    An 18 pound tablet, there's a novel idea



    That is the price you pay for having a 20 inch tablet! drool



    Quote:

    Even if you felt comfortable with it in your lap you'd block the cooling vents (more than likely).



    You could reconfigure the cooling vents.



    Using a watercooling system could spread the cooling out to the rest of the case as well.
  • Reply 7 of 19
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ArticulatedArm

    You guys aren't very supportive...







    That is the price you pay for having a 20 inch tablet! drool







    You could reconfigure the cooling vents.



    Using a watercooling system could spread the cooling out to the rest of the case as well.




    The new Imac G5 are very quiet (25 db minimal) : watercooling has no interest here.
  • Reply 8 of 19
    Quote:

    The new Imac G5 are very quiet (25 db minimal) : watercooling has no interest here.



    Well... the reason I mentioned water cooling is because if you have a more powerful graphics card you are going to need a more powerful... yet still small cooling sytem.



    Also.. if you were to use this on your lap you might have some hotspots on your lap.



    It might not be necessary though.
  • Reply 9 of 19
    Have you guys even seen heavily modded PCs? Apparently to some people why is not an issue. They simply do it because they can.
  • Reply 10 of 19
    Quote:

    Originally posted by D.J. Adequate

    Have you guys even seen heavily modded PCs? Apparently to some people why is not an issue. They simply do it because they can.



    I'm not talking about putting some lights in it or overclocking it...



    I am just saying this new iMac is so close to being the most awsome tablet computer ever all you would have to do is probably make a few minor alterations. Mainly a more powerful graphics card and a pen input screen. And because of the more powerful graphics card, and using it on your lap, you would probably have some heat problems.



    You would also probably have to make a slightly larger case which may more may not be easy depending how the case is designed.
  • Reply 11 of 19
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    Quote:

    I propose we bust one of the suckers open and add...



    - Some type of kick butt -- modified -- graphics card



    - Water cooling



    - a screen with pen input -- so it can be used as a tablet



    - some type of wearable bluetooth microphone for voice dictation to use with the pen input.



    Oh... and chrome the back of it to freak people out and make them think it is a giant iPod.



    You guys are so retarded.
  • Reply 12 of 19
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ArticulatedArm

    You guys aren't very supportive...







    That is the price you pay for having a 20 inch tablet! drool







    You could reconfigure the cooling vents.



    Using a watercooling system could spread the cooling out to the rest of the case as well.




    Go to a gym and grab 2 10# plates off the rack then sit down and plunk them in your lap. Now this would be for the 17" model. grab another 5# plate and plop that on the stack. That would be the 20" model.



    A tablet weighing more than a few pounds is beyond silly.



    Now on the heat issue, adding water cooling would still require venting for the radiator. Where would you propose to put those vents? How much weight would the water cooling add?



    A tablet needs a battery too...



    Thinking outside the box is nice but sometimes you get so far outside that you can no longer see the box.



    ps - no offense intended
  • Reply 13 of 19
    Quote:

    Go to a gym and grab 2 10# plates off the rack then sit down and plunk them in your lap. Now this would be for the 17" model. grab another 5# plate and plop that on the stack. That would be the 20" model.



    I am 6'5 and 220 lbs.... so I guess the size and weight doesn't seem so daunting to me. That is like a feather to me. :P lol



    Quote:

    A tablet weighing more than a few pounds is beyond silly.



    Maybe for little people or kids... but as a 6'5 220 lbs artist it sounds like heaven on earth.



    Quote:

    Now on the heat issue, adding water cooling would still require venting for the radiator. Where would you propose to put those vents? How much weight would the water cooling add?



    On the sides. This would require a new case... but that is hardly impossible. I think a radial fan would work nicely. blowing hot air out the sides. As for added weight.. about 2 or 3 pounds max.



    Quote:

    A tablet needs a battery too...



    If you read on the Apple site it says if you have airport all you need is the power cord plugged in... if you can get a long enough power cord I don't see why you would need a battery. I wouldn't mind being tethered at all.



    Quote:

    Thinking outside the box is nice but sometimes you get so far outside that you can no longer see the box.



    ps - no offense intended



    None taken... I heard the same kind of stuff when I said the G5 should have been liquid cooled... I got the same kind of opposition... funny to look back on that one now.



    I imagine this will be the same kind of thing. Other than the weight issue... but that isn't a problem to me.





    PS..



    Has anyone used a "lightpen"... could this be used as a tablet like input? There is no pressure sensitivity.. but how do those work? Can they be used as a mouse as well?
  • Reply 14 of 19
    Another alternative would be to build a custom type drafting table and build the new iMac into it. so it is one flat surface and then use a lightpen as the input... but I don't know enough about lightpens to know if this would work.



    I am doing some research now and it seems lightpens need a special graphics card and I don't know if they can be used with LCDs.
  • Reply 15 of 19
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ArticulatedArm





    Has anyone used a "lightpen"... could this be used as a tablet like input? There is no pressure sensitivity.. but how do those work? Can they be used as a mouse as well?




    I don't think they work with LCDs - don't they measure the scan of the CRT electron beam?
  • Reply 16 of 19
    It's been more than a decade since I built touchscreens into Mac kiosks.

    IIci's, Quadras, and PMs, mostly with Sony 16" CRTs, a few dual monitor & laserdisc.



    At the time there were a few methods of position detection for touchscreens.

    Infrared grid, Surface Acoustic Wave (an interferometry method), physical sensor overlay, etc.



    As for hacking the 5200 to provide spanning instead of just mirroring...

    give it a few weeks and I'd bet Screen Spanning Doctor will support it.
  • Reply 17 of 19
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ArticulatedArm

    Another alternative would be to build a custom type drafting table and build the new iMac into it. so it is one flat surface and then use a lightpen as the input... but I don't know enough about lightpens to know if this would work.



    I am doing some research now and it seems lightpens need a special graphics card and I don't know if they can be used with LCDs.




    Now *this* seems like the best way to take advantage of the larger screen size and use pen input. Build it directly into a table/desk.
  • Reply 19 of 19
    reidreid Posts: 190member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Bulky Cranium

    umm....

    http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index_18sx.cfm




    And, hey, it only weighs 17 pounds! Even lighter than a feather for a 6'5", 220-lb artist.



    But seriously, a 20-lb tablet lying on your lap would make for an ergonomic nightmare. You'd have to hold it up with one hand while using the stylus with the other hand just in order to get a good look at what's on the screen... laying it flat will get your perspective all messed up. Carpal tunnel syndrome, here we come. Or, you could strain your neck leaning over it.



    Applying a monitor-spanning hack (or, I suppose, just using standard display mirroring) and connecting one of these Wacom tablets laying on a properly-angled drafting table is definitely a more practical solution.
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