# [PLOG] Mac G5 --> PC Conversion



## angelkiller (Jul 15, 2009)

*Table of Contents*


Background & The Plan
Disassembly
Mac's Custom Grapics Card
Disassembly Complete & Revised Plan
Waterblock Install & Upper Chamber Work
The Plan v 2.1
Polishing the Chamber Separator
Mobo Pencil Mod & Radiator Mounting Brackets
IR Controlled Optical Drive
Fan experiments, finished HDD Cage, PSU removed from case, new rad mounts, RADIATOR MOUNTED!
Mobo gets JB Welded
Front Panel Wiring gets cut
PSU mounted & wires modded, rear fans installed
AC plug fitted, put in tubing & filled with water
1st attampt at front panel connector
Got the correct Front Panel Wiring Diagram
First time power up
Overclocking
Final setup pics



*Current Status:*
*FINISHED!*






.


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## angelkiller (Jul 15, 2009)

So, I've started my summer project. Putting PC components inside of an Apple G5 case. This thread will be dedicated to documenting my progress as I move through this project.

*Background*
So I saw this Mac G5 in my school's 'Mac Lab' that wasn't connected to anything. I asked why that was and I found out that it was apparently broken. The idea to put a PC inside of the Mac case came from a joke between me and the head computer admin at my school. He said that it would be really funny to install XP on one of the Macs so when someone turned it on, it'd be Windows instead of Mac OS. Well, in order to install XP, you'd need a regular (x86) system in there... So wouldn't it be cool to put a regular computer in the Mac case? After a bit of searching, I found many other cases (pun lol ) of this mod. So right before school let out, I asked if I could have it because it wasn't being used. Surprisingly, they gave it to me. Coincidentally, I'm going to be taking a self-study class on video editing next year. I wasn't really looking forward to video editing on a dual 2GHz G5 in the 'Mac Lab'. So then it hit me that I could use the computer from this mod at school for the class. So the primary usage of this computer would be video editing. And with that, I started researching and planning out this mod.

*The Plan*
So I had a few goals in this mod.
PC in a G5 case
Needs to be a 'Sleeper'
CHEAP
Quad Core
Watercooled
The first requirement is fairly obvious. The second requirement means that I don't want to touch the exterior of the case. So no external mods beyond what's necessary. As cool as a window would be, no external mods for this one. I want this computer to be mistaken for a regular Mac. And I don't really have a budget for this mod, but I'm paying for most of it, so the cheaper, the better. This computer definately needed a quad core CPU because I'm going to be editing video on it and video encoding is extremely parallel. I want to watercool this PC for two reasons. First, I had a pump and 240mm rad left over from when I watercooled my main computer and I wanted to reuse these parts. Second, for looks. It's gonna be a PC... in a Mac case... AND it's gonna be watercooled... yeah, it's gonna look good.  So with that in mind, I came up with these parts. (and I already have them)


PSU|400W OCZ Fata1ty
Mobo|Gigabyte Ga-P35-DS3L
CPU|Xeon 3210 
(B3 Q6600 with 8x multi)

RAM|2GB 
(2x1GB)
Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800
Graphics|Asus 9600GS0
Storage|74GB Raptor
 |1TB Hitachi
Optical|Stock Apple Superdrive
Watercooling |D-Tek Fuzion
 |Danger Den CPX-Pro
 |Black Ice GT Stealth 240
 |Koolance 80mm Inline Res
So that's what's going inside. Now, _how_ will everything go inside.







That's how I'm planning to fit everything in. I think the pic speaks for it self.

*The Process*
As I see it, this project can be broken into 4 major steps.
Disassemble the Mac
Get an ATX mobo mounted in the case
Mount PSU, HDDs, and WC gear
Reassemble
The hardest part from what I've seen (by far) will be step 2. That's where I have to do some major cutting and fitting. Outside of that I think it's fairly straightforward. But I'm sure they're be snags and things I forgot along the way.

So that's it for now. The disassembly post will be up soon. FEEDBACK/ADVICE/SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOMED!! I am probably in over my head on this mod. I welcome all input because it can only help the project. (unhelpful input is simply ignored. problem solved) There's lots more to come folks, stay tuned.


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## angelkiller (Jul 16, 2009)

Ok, so I got most of the Mac G5 disassembled. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. And captions refer to the pic above the caption. In other words, the caption is below the picture. (because that ALWAYS confuses me )_





The case from many different angles. Reallllly wide pic btw









What the case looks like on the inside. It has a plastic cover that serves as an airflow guide. That's seen in the second pic. The third pic is the case without the airflow guide. Note that my school had already taken most user serviceable parts. (RAM, HDD, Airport Extreme)







After about fifteen minutes, I've gotten the easy stuff out. Everything was smooth sailing....











....Until I got to this piece. This cover covers the CPU heatsinks. I could not figure out how to get it out. I mean I literally spent a few hours on two different days trying to get that damn piece out! And there is ZERO info about this anywhere on the internet. Nobody had ever taken apart the same Mac as I did and recorded it. Finally, I found my answer in a comment of a small blog. It pointed me to this plastic piece that secured the G5 cover to the case. (see second pic) The 3rd pic shows where the plastic piece is relative to the rest of the case. The fourth pic shows the cover finally off. Basically, the plastic piece needs to go to the other side of the metal. Instead of squeezing the plastic through the hole, I decided to just dremel the top of the plastic piece off. Then, the G5 cover easily slides to the right and comes off. AFAIK, this is only documented with pics right here.







Now you can see the large CPU heatsinks











Next was another tricky part. In order to remove the heatsinks, you need to loosen (not remove) 4 hex screws for each CPU (8 total) Three are at the corners of the heatsink and the fourth is the the hole that the heatsinks make. I used a 3/32 hex wrench, but that was a bit too small. (but it worked) A 7/64 hex wrench was too big. ($5 down the drain) I suspect the hex screw may be metric... Can't confirm. Getting the first 3 screws out was challenging. Getting the fourth screw out (the one between the heatsinks, was a BITCH!!  The allen wrench needs to be at around 6in long to get down there. I couldn't find one. (I dunno if they even make them) Then I tried using needle nose pliers and holding a regular 3/32 allen wrench down there. Umm. No. Then I finally found a really tiny screwdriver that was really long and had a fairly narrow handle. I had to bend the two heatsinks apart as far as they would go. (which isn't much, but every mm helps.) The screw driver didn't fit perfectly in the hex screw, but if I pressed down hard enough, I was able to get enough grip to loosen the screw. After it's loose, and the other 3 are out, you can remove one of the CPUs. Note that you only have to remove 1 hex screw in the middle of the heatsinks. After that, one CPU can come out, giving you access to the other 4th screw. And, I had to do some bending to get to the other screws too. I bent the metal piece that separates the CPUs from expansion cards towards the top of the case and I also bent the secondary heatsink on the CPU.




[


Apple packages CPUs and heatsinks together as one unit. So you pull the heatsink, the VRM and the CPU out at the same time. Kinda cool way of doing it. Those are pics of the bottom of the CPU/heatsink package. The secondary heatsink on the back of the main heatsink is dedicated to the VRM. Like a HR-09++++.





A few screws later, the motherboard was able to come out.









Then the PSU followed. The PSU was at the bottom of the case and is very interesting. First, it's pretty big. Secondly, it looks ATX, but I don't think it is. I have the wiring diagram somewhere. But anyway, it has a 25v rail. A rather large one too @ 5.2A (130W) My theroy is that this goes to Apple's modified AGP port. Basically it's an AGP port with another connector in the front. Apple graphics cards have/had a special DVI connector. I think the 25v line is passed to then through the graphics card via a modified DVI connection to the monitor. So I think that Apple displays that have that special modified DVI port can be powered from the computer. So in the end, it's one less cable. I think nearly all LCDs fit in the 130W envelope. Or at least in 2004 they may have. But that's just my theroy that I've put together from some readings. Pics of the special AGP and DVI port to come.





You don't see many shots of the back of the motherboard. Anyway, there's a large heatsink array on it that cools what I think is the Northbridge. Some other components also have heatsinks. And why have heatsinks on the back of a mobo? Apple actually has a good reason.... (I'm looking at you Gigabyte) At the top of the case, on the left side of the HDD cage, there is a blower-style fan. That fan actually takes air and blows it down the back of the motherbard. Very interesting, eh? Apple products are so well designed imo._





_A shot of (just about) all of the Mac G5 internals._

So right now, all I have left to disassemble is the two fans and the hard drive cage at the top of the case. Hopefully I'll get to that tomorrow. Still more ahead. I'm just gettin started. 

I have high res pics of everything if you want them. If you want a better pic or a pic of something I didn't show, let me know. I'll be glad to take more pics.


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## A Cheese Danish (Jul 16, 2009)

Wow. never thought you had to remove so much! Pretty balls mod you want to do!
/Subscribed


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## Dippyskoodlez (Jul 16, 2009)

I so wish I could get ahold of a junked G5 case to mod like this  All our G5's are still quite happily chugging along though.

Should be able to re-use the HDD sliders, HDD, and CDROM. That way you can keep the sleek ejecting tray. Drivers are available for Apple keyboards with Eject buttons. Or you could manually eject from windows which is easy enough.


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## angelkiller (Jul 16, 2009)

I thought about reusing the hdd cage, but I didn't for two reasons. First I'm missing the screws that the HDD needs in order to 'slide' in. They were on the original HDD, which I don't have. Second, I need somewhere to put the PSU where it'll get some airflow. I don't think it'll fit below the mobo, so the top is the only other feasable place. If I can find some of those screws for the hdd, I'll definately reuse the cage and mount it somewhere else.

Oh, I have something planned for the eject button. I was gonna make a thread about this eventually. I was thinking about having an infered LED and reciever (wrong word) on the front of the case. So basically, when the 'reciever' detects IR light it will act as the usual button. So when I put my hand in front of the case, it should open.  But I dunno if that's possible or not. (I may have seen it somewhere, can't remember) But if that doesn't work out, doing it manually isn't that bad. I don't really use a CD drive that often anyway. I'm pretty sure I can reuse the stock keyboard. Good to know that there are drivers for it. However, the stock G5 mouse doesn't have a right click, which drives me insane. (HOW DO YOU CHECK THE PROPERTIES??) I'm thinking about a wired Mighty Mouse.

And I am pretty lucky to get such a case for free.

Thanks for the comments!


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## freaksavior (Jul 16, 2009)

NO!!!!! WHY WHY WHY?!?! Such a beautiful piece of hardware destroyed 

ship me the stuff so i can put it to good use


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## Dippyskoodlez (Jul 16, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> I'm pretty sure I can reuse the stock keyboard. Good to know that there are drivers for it. However, the stock G5 mouse doesn't have a right click, which drives me insane. (HOW DO YOU CHECK THE PROPERTIES??) I'm thinking about a wired Mighty Mouse.
> 
> And I am pretty lucky to get such a case for free.
> 
> Thanks for the comments!



Stock apple keyboard driver can be extracted from the Boot Camp driver install exe.. It should expand them to the harddrive when you try to run it.

I think you got one of the unlucky G5 mice that wasn't a mighty mouse..  The Mighty mouse is outstanding. I ADORE my Bluetooth one.

If you have the clear body/plain white USB bus mouse, then it doesn't have a right. Apple users would ctrl+click for right click. Worked great until windows users decided to invade


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## phanbuey (Jul 16, 2009)

subscribed... it looks like something lian li would make.

Youu could easily get a micro ATX in there with no mods... or just a cutout for the MB backplate - that way it would look stock


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## Duffman (Jul 16, 2009)

Cool, can't wait to see how it comes out

umm, and why is there PVC piping running down your wall?


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## a_ump (Jul 16, 2009)

apple cases do seem very well put together and solid, they also look kewl . Those are the biggest heatsinks i've ever seen for a CPU, bigger than the megahalems i thk. keep us updated


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## distemper (Jul 16, 2009)

From somebody who's modded a G5 case

A) I think a PSU will fit into the area you want, but you'll need to remove that metal separator plate. You'll need a T-8 Torx driver for that I think. Its a pain to remove.

B) You might want to consider a specially selected PSU. Your OCZ Fata1ty PSU will need to suck in air through a hole you will cut in the separator plate. So it will be sucking in air off a hot hard drive. You won't want the raptor in that area. Its easier if you pick a PSU with inline fan(s). For example the Antec Basiq BP430 430W doesn't require you to cut holes in that steel separator at all.

It was my spring project. This in a North Carolina summer takes a dedication that I just don't have.


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## angelkiller (Jul 16, 2009)

freaksavior said:


> NO!!!!! WHY WHY WHY?!?! Such a beautiful piece of hardware destroyed
> 
> ship me the stuff so i can put it to good use


Mac fans. :shadedshu 
(JOKE)



Dippyskoodlez said:


> Stock apple keyboard driver can be extracted from the Boot Camp driver install exe.. It should expand them to the harddrive when you try to run it.
> 
> I think you got one of the unlucky G5 mice that wasn't a mighty mouse..  The Mighty mouse is outstanding. I ADORE my Bluetooth one.
> 
> If you have the clear body/plain white USB bus mouse, then it doesn't have a right. Apple users would ctrl+click for right click. Worked great until windows users decided to invade


This is the kind of mouse that was used with the case. It's definitely not a Mighty Mouse. This is the keyboard that it came with. I'll likely reuse this. No need to replace something that works. (Even though the aluminum ones look soooo coool)



phanbuey said:


> subscribed... it looks like something lian li would make.
> 
> Youu could easily get a micro ATX in there with no mods... or just a cutout for the MB backplate - that way it would look stock


I considered a mATX board, but I ruled it out for some reason. (can't remember >.< ) It may have been price. I need a board that can hold a 400MHz+ quad for cheap. I got the Gigabyte P35 board for ~$45. I don't know of any mATX boards that can do that at that price. 



Duffman said:


> umm, and why is there PVC piping running down your wall?


That's another project of mine. It was originally designed to be a pneumatic cannon. Pics when I get home. 


distemper said:


> From somebody who's modded a G5 case
> 
> A) I think a PSU will fit into the area you want, but you'll need to remove that metal separator plate. You'll need a T-8 Torx driver for that I think. Its a pain to remove.
> 
> ...


Very nice on your mod! I really like how you fit an ATX mobo in there with such little cutting of the rear panel. That's exactly like what I was looking for.  May I ask how you mounted the motherboard? That's the part that I'm the most unsure about.

I picked that PSU purely on price. I got it for $35 shipped, new. At that price most units are generic, and I didn't want a generic PSU powering this rig. This PSU is actually half decent, and it was cheap, which was my goal. I thought about getting a PSU with fans in the front, but I couldn't turn down that deal on that OCZ. Because of this, I figured that I could just mod it to work. I had considered cutting off the unnecessary cables anyway. If I do that, then I might as well take it out of its housing and put a fan in front of it. Because it's in a tunnel, it should get enough airflow. Plus I'm only going to be running it around 50% tops.

One last question. Do the fans and hdd cage come out without removing the top separator?


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## Ahhzz (Jul 16, 2009)

/tag

looks impressive...


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## Ripper3 (Jul 16, 2009)

You could sell those parts, even if you don't know if they work, with damage and all for a fair amount on Ebay. If you get them sold, sell that motherboard, and get an mATX 'board that suits your needs for overclocking, there are plenty more mATX boards now that will satisfy you than there were a few years ago.
Good stuff though, I've seen people modding PowerMac G4 cases for PCs, I think the G5s are bigger, stronger, and better made, so you got a really good project case there.


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## Mussels (Jul 16, 2009)

this was fun, just to watch a mac being taken apart


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## King Wookie (Jul 16, 2009)

I remember my G4. What an amasing case to work on. Just one latch on the side cover and the side panel opened up with the mb on it. 

This now reminds me I have a non working apple 17" monitor. I wonder if I could build a pc in it, complete with working lcd screen?


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## Mussels (Jul 16, 2009)

King Wookie said:


> I remember my G4. What an amasing case to work on. Just one latch on the side cover and the side panel opened up with the mb on it.
> 
> This now reminds me I have a non working apple 17" monitor. I wonder if I could build a pc in it, complete with working lcd screen?



just remember the #1 rule of such things.

"Pics or it didnt happen!"


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## King Wookie (Jul 16, 2009)

Ya ya.

I'm not sure when I will get time to install my new Xig 1283. So something of that magnitude requires plenty of off time preceded by plenty of work to pay for everything.

But the seed has been planted.


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## distemper (Jul 16, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> May I ask how you mounted the motherboard?


The big giant open area of the case that sits above the stock G5 PSU to the upper drive separator plate isn't of sufficient height to accommodate an ATX motherboard. Essentially, my ATX motherboard sits right above the area of the PSU (by 3mm or so), but extends into that upper drive zone. I had to remove that separator plate and use a jigsaw to cut out a slot for the motherboard. There's a picture of the amount of intrusion into the zone.

I reused the existing G5 motherboard mounts. I broke all but one off (in the upper area where I placed a 120mm fan). They come off easily - pliers push to one side. No damage to the case. They come in 2 differing heights - I used the shorter ones, and ground down one of the taller ones to get the 9 ATX standoffs I needed.

In the 4 corners, I screwed the standoffs onto the motherboard and placed the motherboard loseley inside the case. I inserted a spare PCI card to line up with the extenior PCI slot cage and marked on the G5 case where the 5 motherboard mounts would go. Swapped the standoffs to get the other 4 corners.

I didn't even scuff the aluminum, just alcohol wiped clean & remarked the area again just to be sure. I mixed up a batch of JB Quick (the 5minute version of JB Weld) and epoxied on 5 standoffs into the case. Quickly, I placed the motherboard back inside the case, placed the PCI card in to align the MB to the rear openings and used a mechanical pencil to nudge the now-quickly curing standoffs into position under the MB screw holes. Repeated the process for the remaining 4 standoffs a few hours later. I didn't put weight on the standoffs for a few days while it fully cured.
-------------


angelkiller said:


> One last question. Do the fans and hdd cage come out without removing the top separator?



No, you need to pull out that drive plate to extract the blower/fan assembly & the drive cage. Unless you want to break them in pieces... in which case the fan assembly looks like its thick plastic that will cause some anger management issues. For removal, there are guides here (I think).
-------
The funny thing is that you've got 3 fans in your concept drawing.

I've got 9. And I'm pissed that I can't wedge another 60mm fan in the upper area because of a nest of cables!


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## freaksavior (Jul 16, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> Mac fans. :shadedshu
> (JOKE)



oh dont even get me started 
(JOKE)


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## DrPepper (Jul 16, 2009)

Wow I was hoping that someone would do this so thank you very much


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## angelkiller (Jul 16, 2009)

distemper said:


> The big giant open area of the case that sits above the stock G5 PSU to the upper drive separator plate isn't of sufficient height to accommodate an ATX motherboard. Essentially, my ATX motherboard sits right above the area of the PSU (by 3mm or so), but extends into that upper drive zone. I had to remove that separator plate and use a jigsaw to cut out a slot for the motherboard. There's a picture of the amount of intrusion into the zone.
> 
> I reused the existing G5 motherboard mounts. I broke all but one off (in the upper area where I placed a 120mm fan). They come off easily - pliers push to one side. No damage to the case. They come in 2 differing heights - I used the shorter ones, and ground down one of the taller ones to get the 9 ATX standoffs I needed.
> 
> ...


Here's my delimma. I really didn't want to cut into that plate. I can't really come up with a better reason than 'I just don't want to because of the look'. But in order to preserve the back panel, the mobo NEEDS to line up with the stock expansion slots. If I don't cut the plate, I was thinking about getting a mobo tray and hacking out a good sized hole in the back. So it's either don't cut the separator thing and cut up the back panel or cut the seperator plate and have the back near stock condition.

It seems like a micro ATX mobo would solve this dilemma. But I did some (a little) searching and all I found was a P5K-VM for $55 shipped. I've seen some reports say they've run a Q6600 at 400*9 at 1.4xxxV, so that's good enough for me. But it's kinda expensive. I'd much rather keep what I have, but if it'll make things easier, I'd get another board.

And I've just realized that I've fogotten the rear fans in my diagram. (I'll update it in a sec) If I decide to cut the top seperator plate for the mobo, then I'm going to try to reuse the stock dual 80mm fans. If I end up significantly cutting the back of the case, then I'll use a single 120mm fan.



freaksavior said:


> oh dont even get me started
> (JOKE)


I can't tell if you're annoyed or not. I'm all in good fun here.  I used to be really anti-Apple, but recently, I've been trying to be really objective and I actually kinda like Apple's stuff. _Very_ nicely designed. Unfortunately, it's also very expensive. But I guess really nice things cost alot. I've even considered installing OSX on this computer. We'll see about that later.



Ripper3 said:


> You could sell those parts, even if you don't know if they work, with damage and all for a fair amount on Ebay. If you get them sold, sell that motherboard, and get an mATX 'board that suits your needs for overclocking, there are plenty more mATX boards now that will satisfy you than there were a few years ago.
> Good stuff though, I've seen people modding PowerMac G4 cases for PCs, I think the G5s are bigger, stronger, and better made, so you got a really good project case there.



I've offered to give the parts back to the school to serve as replacement parts for the other G5's. I did this out of courtesy, after all, they gave me the case for free. I'm hoping they don't wont them, and then I can ebay them for some $$$.



DrPepper said:


> Wow I was hoping that someone would do this so thank you very much


Np.


And just a side note, I'm really sick of buying tools that I'm only going to use once. I'm even more sick of buying tools that I'm only going to use once AND THEY TURN OUT TO BE THE WRONG SIZE!!  Anyone want some Torx screwdrivers? I've got a T30, T25, T20, T15, and T10. Used only long enough to figure out that they all don't work. How the hell am I supposed to recognize a T8 screw? (I got them before distemper posted the correct size)


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## phanbuey (Jul 16, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> ...
> And just a side note, I'm really sick of buying tools that I'm only going to use once. I'm even more sick of buying tools that I'm only going to use once AND THEY TURN OUT TO BE THE WRONG SIZE!!  Anyone one some Torx screwdrivers? I've got a T30, T25, T20, T15, and T10. Used only long enough to figure out that they all don't work. How the hell am I supposed to recognize a T8 screw? (I got them before distemper posted the correct size)



why don't you rent tools?  its so much cheaper.  And they dont end up taking up all of your space.

edit nvm home depo doesnt rent normal tools... Ace does though... $6 a day for a drill.


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## angelkiller (Jul 16, 2009)

The first pic is of Apple's AGP port with a special connector in front of it. You can also see the connector on the Apple graphics card, a FX5200 Ultra btw. Finally you can see one a regular DVI port next to Apple's modified port. The 25v @ 4A is what makes me think that the LCD is being powered by the computer.

Someone pointed out the PVC pipe in the corner of my pictures. It's an attempt at mimiking a T-Shirt cannon. But in the end, it's just a pneumatic cannon. I never got around to testing it at higher pressures. Video Linky.


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## TechnicalFreak (Jul 16, 2009)

Looks like a cool project (mod?). Nice "T-Shirt cannon" btw..


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## Dippyskoodlez (Jul 17, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> Anyone one some Torx screwdrivers? I've got a T30, T25, T20, T15, and T10. Used only long enough to figure out that they all don't work. How the hell am I supposed to recognize a T8 screw? (I got them before distemper posted the correct size)



I found a big all in one Torx tool that has like a t25 all the way down to a T8 at Meijer. PITA to find, yes. (Hex too)

A lot of computer "tool kits" come with torx of smaller sizes, a lot of things are common in computers, but not so common at hardware stores.


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## distemper (Jul 17, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> Here's my delimma. I really didn't want to cut into that plate. I can't really come up with a better reason than 'I just don't want to because of the look'. But in order to preserve the back panel, the mobo NEEDS to line up with the stock expansion slots. If I don't cut the plate, I was thinking about getting a mobo tray and hacking out a good sized hole in the back. So it's either don't cut the separator thing and cut up the back panel or cut the seperator plate and have the back near stock condition.



You don't have to resort to mATX, but its either:

• stick with your motherboard and do the tray, extensive epoxying and a huge cut in the rear. You'll wind up with a non-stock rear, but you'll probably gain a 120mm fan a little further off the MB than what you'll have with the stock look.

• get a MB tray and inset the tray say 3/4" behind the existing rear wall. You gain all 7 slots, you don't have to worry about the rear except cables entering a single voided PCI slot, and you don't even make a cut for the rear I/O ports, you just *shimmy* a cable through the existing opening and call it a day. This might be the MOST tempting: you don't knock off the existing G5 motherboard mounts: you screw the new tray onto those holes so that in the future you can completely undo the mod. And its probably the easiest requiring the fewest (more) tools.

• get a new motherboard with the perfect slot arrangement. You sacrifice the lower 3 slots, but you only have to make a cut for the I/O ports (and the PSU power cord).



angelkiller said:


> And just a side note, I'm really sick of buying tools that I'm only going to use once. I'm even more sick of buying tools that I'm only going to use once AND THEY TURN OUT TO BE THE WRONG SIZE!!  Anyone want some Torx screwdrivers? I've got a T30, T25, T20, T15, and T10. Used only long enough to figure out that they all don't work. How the hell am I supposed to recognize a T8 screw? (I got them before distemper posted the correct size)



I got my T-8 bit from a little toolkit from Microcenter. Not too far from the little flat head screw drivers that I needed to get out micro-screws that held the rear fan assembly onto the back of the case. Since there are no Microcenters in NC, you could also try ebay.

$3.50: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290331808155


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## angelkiller (Jul 17, 2009)

distemper said:


> I got my T-8 bit from a little toolkit from Microcenter. Not too far from the little flat head screw drivers that I needed to get out micro-screws that held the rear fan assembly onto the back of the case. Since there are no Microcenters in NC, you could also try ebay.
> 
> $3.50: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290331808155


I found a T8 tool at Lowe's, but before you mentioned that it was T8, I had no clue on the size. I bought a set of 5 Torx screwdrivers hoping that the smallest (T10) would fit. The smallest didn't, so now I have 5 Torx screwdrivers...

And, as a side note, I think I'm going to replace all the images with thumbnails. Having the full image in the thread makes it cluttered. I want to be able to read the caption and see all the pics in a glance. The thumbnail will still link to a 800x600px image, but I have all the originals if anyone wants high res pics.


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## angelkiller (Jul 17, 2009)

Ok, finally got everything out!   Now it's time to get serious about how my new stuff is gonna go back in. I think I've decided on a design. It's the based on the design that distemper used. I will cut the top seperator so the motherboard can extend into the upper chamber. That way the only cut on the rear of the case will be for the I/O ports on the mobo.

I would like to reuse the hard drive cage, but I don't have enough screws. Using only 2 doesn't work as well as I would like. (the hdd is secure, but can wobble) I've checked ebay, but the cheapest I found is like $10. (Com'on. It's four tiny screws FFS. Should be like $2) So what I think I'm gonna do is ask if I can use some of the screws from another G5 at my school. They won't be upgrading those Macs anytime soon. I had a concern about the hard drive cage fitting in the same position with the mobo being up there and all. Well, they both fit, but the hdd cage will most likely require a custom mount. It just needs to come forward a few mm. I'll just drill some holes or something. I'm sure I can work it out.

So here's the new plan.


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## phanbuey (Jul 17, 2009)

Wow... i can tell that this will be one sweet rig.  Didn't realize it was that big... (lol go ahead... thats what she said haw haw)  

Needs a window .


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## p_o_s_pc (Jul 17, 2009)

phanbuey said:


> Wow... i can tell that this will be one sweet rig.  *Didn't realize it was that big*... (lol go ahead... thats what she said haw haw)
> 
> Needs a window .



the funny thing about that is thats what my GF said our first time  Is that a complement or insult (for real which one is it)


looks like it is coming along nice


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## phanbuey (Jul 17, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> the funny thing about that is thats what my GF said our first time  Is that a complement or insult (for real which one is it)
> 
> 
> looks like it is coming along nice



laugh:

That's when you say "OMG I was JUST thinking that same thing..."


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## p_o_s_pc (Jul 17, 2009)

phanbuey said:


> laugh:
> 
> That's when you say "OMG I was JUST thinking that same thing..."



I am so confused  YGPM


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## phanbuey (Jul 17, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> I am so confused  YGPM



lol... its a joke, she gives you a compliment and you tell her that she has a big vagina...  be sure to tell her you were just kidding, or you might traumatize the girl lol.

It's alot funnier if you try not to think about it. at all.


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## PCpraiser100 (Jul 17, 2009)

I hate macs, except 4 their cases and the EFI envoirnment. But really its like as if Apple makes fixing look hard with the internals since they put waaaaaaaaaaay too much pointless $h*t in their cases.


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## phanbuey (Jul 17, 2009)

PCpraiser100 said:


> I hate macs, except 4 their cases and the EFI envoirnment. But really its like as if Apple makes fixing look hard with the internals since they put waaaaaaaaaaay too much pointless $h*t in their cases.



not to mention the screws...  they stop one step short of actually booby trapping the cases.


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## Dippyskoodlez (Jul 17, 2009)

phanbuey said:


> not to mention the screws...  they stop one step short of actually booby trapping the cases.



I've never had any problems with screws in any mac I've serviced from the old Powermacs up to my Macbook Pro.

It's called having a "screwdriver"


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## phanbuey (Jul 17, 2009)

Dippyskoodlez said:


> I've never had any problems with screws in any mac I've serviced from the old Powermacs up to my Macbook Pro.
> 
> It's called having a "screwdriver"


 
if I send you my philips screwdriver kit you can take apart your macbook pro?


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## King Wookie (Jul 17, 2009)

Dippyskoodlez said:


> I've never had any problems with screws in any mac I've serviced from the old Powermacs up to my Macbook Pro.
> 
> It's called having a "screwdriver"



Ah yes. I must confess, I did try to open up my macbookpro to change the harddrive, but I was stumped after removing all the screws. You wouldn't know where to find a good guide to doing so?

It's the intel beast. Last gen case.


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## Mussels (Jul 17, 2009)

i saw mention of a P5K-VM - I dont know about that board, but i had a P5E-VM HDMI - while the name and specs dont imply much difference, thats the OCing model of its series and what i used to have in my lan machine, it could do 430 FSB or so on my Q6600.


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## distemper (Jul 17, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> I don't have enough screws. Using only 2 doesn't work as well as I would like. (the hdd is secure, but can wobble) I've checked ebay, but the cheapest I found is like $10.



You can google for the roundest head 6-32 screw - pan, button, round head.

I myself wouldn't pay that price for screws - I'd solder on a dome of tin & file it to round it out. Maybe epoxy some Romex sheathing onto the head for gliding. I know that HomeDepot carries 6-32 slotted button head screws because its what I used on my hard drives.


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## angelkiller (Jul 18, 2009)

distemper said:


> You can google for the roundest head 6-32 screw - pan, button, round head.
> 
> I myself wouldn't pay that price for screws - I'd solder on a dome of tin & file it to round it out. Maybe epoxy some Romex sheathing onto the head for gliding. I know that HomeDepot carries 6-32 slotted button head screws because its what I used on my hard drives.


Yeah, no way I was gonna pay that. Good idea about screw alternatives. I'll see what Home Depot/Lowe's has.

Today's update very soon.


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## angelkiller (Jul 18, 2009)

UPDATES!! 






Ok, so first thing I did was get a HR-05 on the Northbridge. Bolts only.







Next I got the CPU in and mounted the Fuzion. The dark brown marks that you see on the CPU are actually there. I didn't lap it, I got it from Mike047. Even though they look like scratches, the surface feels smooth and is very flat. So, even though it doesn't look pretty, it (should) perform just like it should.









I realized that I don't have the stock Apple screws for the optical drive. Basically, the screws hang down and slide into place. Then you shut the little locks, securing it into place. Luckily, the optical drive conforms to standards. The 4 holes that are used for mounting are M3 threaded, the same thread as all optical drive screws. So I removed the locking mechanism, and hard mounted the drive with standard optical drive screws. Works just like it should, just minus the quick release. 









Next, I played with the exact positioning of the mobo. I got an old X1300 and screwed it into the case and lined up the PCI-E connector with the PCI-E slot on the mobo. As you can see, standoffs will be necessary to raise the mobo up. And the third pic is a shot with everything in position.









So now I needed to cut the top seperator. So I measured it out, dremel'ed it, and sanded the edge. 





Since everything was out of the case, I took the oppertunity to chean it up a bit. I got most of the dirt and stuff out. And Apple uses some really sticky goop stuff to keep some things in place. I tried Goo Gone and that didn't work... So I just got a razor and scraped it off. Surprisingly, the razor didn't scratch the case too badly. 









Since, I cut a section out of that plate, the HDD cage would have to be moved forward. Otherwise it would stick off the back and hit the mobo. The stock cage filled up the complete upper chamber width-wise, so I needed to cut a section out. 







New mounting holes also needed to be drilled. The drive cage uses 3 screws in a triangle shape. (rather than a square or something...) Now I realized something. I *suck* at drilling holes in the right place. I even cut my hand while doing so. There was only one hole in that sheet when I started...





After many tries, I finally got holes in the right place. And it works! Just like I wanted. 





But when I put the seperator (with the optical and drive cage attached) back into the case, it didn't fit. Turns out I miscalculated a bit. The little levers hit the case. So I removed them. They don't have any purpose anyway, the drives are already secured to the cage.

And after today, I now have this:  









Now just some misc notes. First, I don't know how I will mount the PSU or pump. The PSU only has mounting holes on the rear. I need mounting holes on the _top_ of the PSU. And I guess I need to drill through the bottom of the case too. 

The pump could go on the floor of the case, but I odon't know if the tubing  will be able to fit if it's that far down. I thought about making a little shelf for it. Pic 1 Pic 2 But I have no idea how I could make something like that. It looks simple enough though.

I was messing with the rear 80mm fans trying to figure out the pinout. both fans are wired together in a 6 pin connector. I hooked up a 9v battery up and tried different combinations until the fans supn. Well I tried several combinations, and nothing happened. Then I tried one more and there was this loud pop and a whisp of smoke came from the lower fan. Whoops.

I'm going to have to take the top panel back out at a later date to put in the 2 80mm fans that will go up there. I was thinking about polishing that seperator. I don't want a mirror finish, but I want something like a dull shine. Any ideas how to do that?

Thanks for reading! I'm gonna work on the motherboard's & radiator mounts next!


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## BrooksyX (Jul 18, 2009)

Cool mod! Consider me subscribed.


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## distemper (Jul 18, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> Now just some misc notes. First, I don't know how I will mount the PSU or pump. The PSU only has mounting holes on the rear. I need mounting holes on the _top_ of the PSU. And I guess I need to drill through the bottom of the case too.
> 
> The pump could go on the floor of the case, but I odon't know if the tubing  will be able to fit if it's that far down. I thought about making a little shelf for it. Pic 1 Pic 2 But I have no idea how I could make something like that. It looks simple enough though.



I made a bracket that bends around the front of the PSU & gets screwed into new holes in the floor.

You could move your radiator down to the floor of the case. Extend a piece of plexi or flat stock or whatever to span from the upper lip or top of the radiator across the motherboard to the rear & wedge in between the bottom of the PCI bump-in & the rear fan grill assembly. You could put your pump/res on that span of material. If you are really careful with the sizing, you could wedge your radiator against the front of the case. and the span would be wedged between the lip & the hose connections.

Or screw in a piece of 90° bent flat stock, screw it into the drive plate separator and mount the res/pump on that hanging material.


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## p_o_s_pc (Jul 18, 2009)

nice hand job(go ahead get it out i know what your thinking you pervs) I am talking about the cut in your hand btw


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## A Cheese Danish (Jul 18, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> nice hand job(go ahead get it out i know what your thinking you pervs)



 I'm sorry, that comment just made me laugh even though I know what you mean.
And this build is coming a long very nicely! 
Can't wait to see the finished product!


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## p_o_s_pc (Jul 18, 2009)

A Cheese Danish said:


> I'm sorry, that comment just made me laugh even though I know what you mean.
> And this build is coming a long very nicely!
> Can't wait to see the finished product!



i meant for it to be funny and have some seriousness


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## steelkane (Jul 18, 2009)

looks like fun. maybe paint the inside black.


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## angelkiller (Jul 18, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> nice hand job


Ummm, thanks. (wait, that makes it worse!)


distemper said:


> I made a bracket that bends around the front of the PSU & gets screwed into new holes in the floor.
> 
> You could move your radiator down to the floor of the case. Extend a piece of plexi or flat stock or whatever to span from the upper lip or top of the radiator across the motherboard to the rear & wedge in between the bottom of the PCI bump-in & the rear fan grill assembly. You could put your pump/res on that span of material. If you are really careful with the sizing, you could wedge your radiator against the front of the case. and the span would be wedged between the lip & the hose connections.
> 
> Or screw in a piece of 90° bent flat stock, screw it into the drive plate separator and mount the res/pump on that hanging material.


What's flat stock? Sounds like some kind of metal sheet..?

Anyway, I was thinking of using 90 degree brackets to attach the radiator to the side of the case. But I may mount it from the top/bottom. Depends on what they have at the hardware store. I think we have the same idea about how to mount the stuff.




My res came yesterday. It's a tad smaller than I thought but it has a pretty simple mounting system, it just needs 4 screws on a flat surface. However, there are 5 outlets on the res and the guy I bought it from only sent 2 stop fittings.  So, yeah.. I need another one.

Question: How do I screw things into the case? I assume I need metal screws. But do I just drill it in? I'm worried a screw will go through the side panel. Or should I avoid mounting things on the side panel and stick the the top & bottom of the case?

Question 2: I noticed in your G5 mod, you have some custom metal pieces. Specifically, I was looking at the one on the mobo's IO section. The IO section doesn't extend flush against the back of the  case, (as you know) it sits even with the expansion slots, which are recessed into the case. So if I cut a hole in the rear panel, there will be a short distance from the back of the case to the IO panel. What materials did you use to make that piece that surrounds the IO ports and how did you make it?

Thanks for all the replies people!


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## distemper (Jul 19, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> What's flat stock? Sounds like some kind of metal sheet..?


sheet: very thin, usually <= 1/32
plate: usually thicker than 1/32
bar: flat material, but often of limited width (1/2 to 4 inches)
stock: any piece of material (plastic, metal...)

For example, the flat stock I used to make my zone separators was 1/10" 6063 plate aluminum (6063 is the specific allow of aluminum). Your flat stock might be Lexan. Or the side of a kitty litter pail. Don't laugh, there is some of that in my case holding the fans together.


angelkiller said:


> Question: How do I screw things into the case? I assume I need metal screws. But do I just drill it in? I'm worried a screw will go through the side panel. Or should I avoid mounting things on the side panel and stick the the top & bottom of the case?


You are definitely right about top/bottom/hanging & NOT drilling into the side. If you are on a mission to avoid that I suppose you could epoxy an a nut - but you should know that what JB Weld (I think all epoxys) have a huge weakness: shear strength. While pulling a JB Weld-ed part off is difficult, its much easier to push it off to the side. Apple has very shallow screws, and when they were drilled & tapped, the bits were flat bottom. Standard drill bits are tapered, not flat. Also, there are a great number of the screws because each screw is so shallow and has little binding force. Similarly hanging a motherboard off the side subjects the JB Weld to shear stresses - but over 9 points (and a graphics card screwed in @ 2 places) its manageable.


angelkiller said:


> Question 2: What materials did you use to make that piece that surrounds the IO ports and how did you make it?


Here is a pic of the I/O plate that I made. It isn't epoxied in - it is just wedged between the case & the screwed in motherboard.


The offset angle aluminum & aluminum sheet were both purchased @ HomeDepot.

I used a piece of aluminum offset angle, measured how long the I/O section was, how tall - meaning how high off the motherboard (this is a very important measurement - too high and it hits your fan grill assembly, but you should be fine). I then practiced on a scrap piece: I made a cut on one edge with a jigsaw and bent it into a right angle and noted how tight the radius I could make. I bent it over another piece of angle stock & hammered it to the tightest radius I could (and its easy to bend off-angle and make a multi-dimensional nightmare). The material was too long (extended too far into the case) so I had to use an angle grinder and grind the depth down. Sorry, I don't remember what the measurement was. And if you know what a b*tch it was to get my Mugen2 cooler in you would understand why I'm not offering to measure it. Finally, I notched out the fan grill rounds. Originally I thought I would epoxy the flange (the part of the angle stock that will press against the inside of the rear case mesh) onto the back, and drill holes to "mask" its presence. Now I realize it just doesn't bother me. The end is wedged into forming a rectangle

On a piece of paper I traced the I/O shield openings (from the stock I/O shield) & taped the paper onto the piece of aluminum. I used a jigsaw to cut every opening - they don't look great, but they sure look better than what my drill bit did to the round openings (twisting metal where there were other openings). Then I cut the sheet with some allowance on 2 sides to bend to form a lip which fits over the outside of the frame I made above. I sandwiched the sheet between wood & C-clamps. Placing a piece of angle stock next to the sheet, I used a hammer to start pushing the sheet into an angle.

You could also:
• For the frame of the I/O recess, you could use just a piece of flat aluminum bar. Con: subject to move in the 2 directions where the I/O shield doesn't have a flange.
• I also had an idea of using only sheet metal (no angle stock). Cons: making 2 90° bends within 1/2" seemed too complicated for me, but I don't know what you have available.


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## angelkiller (Jul 19, 2009)

Ok, I've got some mounting issues. I still don't know how to attach everything.

I just got some aluminum strips (for lack of a better word). My plan is to bend the pieces into a C shape, the top of the C will attach on the top of the case, and the bottom of the C will attach on the bottom of the case. I've also decided that the res will be mounted on the top panel and the pump will just sit on the floor for the sake of simplicity. So my latest plan is shown here:





Now my issue is that I need to attach thin pieces of metal to other thin pieces of metal. If you look at this diagram, the arrows show where attachments need to be made. Normally, I'd just use a screw and nut. But in every case here, clearance is extremely limited. So I can't have a screw sticking out. The optical drive sits less than 1cm above the top separator and the bottom of the case is just that. I don't want screws sticking out of the bottom of the case. (screw heads are not desirable either, but acceptable though) A simple solution would be to get really short screws. However, the shortest screw I could find was still 3/8in. Another solution would be put the screw in so the heads are on the outside. That's better, but then the screws are showing on the inside... And plus that's not possible on the radiator, a screw must go _into_ it. So, there must be a better solution. I thought about JB Weld, but I wanted this to be removable. Is there any better way to attach two thin pieces of metal?

I hope that all made sense. Thanks.


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## DanishDevil (Jul 19, 2009)

As far as thin metal to thin metal, get a rivet gun (they're cheap).  They aren't super easily removable though.


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## phanbuey (Jul 19, 2009)

what about using standard computer case screws? they are much shorter than 3/8".  They are 1/4" AFAIK.  You can pick up a kit of them at just about any electronics store.

your other option, if you have a dremel or wire cutters is to cut the screw after the mount, when you remove it, it will tap correctly and be usable again at the desired length.

you can cut all the screws at the same spot, if you cant easily reach other spots with the dreme/wc's.  You can even do it with two pieces of scrap metal that are the same thickness as w/e u are trying to mount so you don't risk scratching the case (best option IMO).


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## Cuzza (Jul 20, 2009)

this is excelent, finally someone putting a mac to good use....

Keep up the good work. And dont give up on the spud gun, they are endless hours of frustration for minimal reward, but still great fun.


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## angelkiller (Jul 21, 2009)

Alright, small update. I said earlier that I'd polish that seperator plate. Well I did. It's the same as lapping a CPU, just you don't have to worry about being 100% flat. In the end, it's not a perfect mirror like a CPU, but it's a dull shine, which is exactly what I wanted.









Rivets and cutting the screw. 2 really good ideas. I think I'm going to cut the screws so I don't have to buy yet another tool I'll never use again. But can't you drill rivets out? (I think I've done that before.) IIRC, there is no trace that the rivet was there after you drill it out. So that could work. As long as it wasn't permanent. (eg JB Weld, etc)


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## angelkiller (Jul 23, 2009)

New stuff: DS3L Pencil Mod to reduce/minimize Vdroop and LEDs on the reservoir. 









I made the brackets for the radiator, but I really messed up the screw holes. It's hard to see, but the bracket holes don't line up with the screw holes on the rad. So I'm going to redo those now. Hopefully I'll finish tonight. Pics of the bad one:





Ok, new brackets made. They look the same as the old ones, but the screws actually fit. I went out and made the best investment as of recent: a center punch. My holes line up this time!


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## angelkiller (Jul 23, 2009)

I thought I'd give some updates on my plans. I don't really have too much to go. I'd say I'm about halfway there. I still need to mount the radiator, do something about the PSU and mount the motherboard. Yay! Not much left.  The rad should get mounted tomorrow.

For the PSU, I think I'm set on taking it out of its casing. Why? Because the PSU PCB has holes in the corners that I can use to mount it to the floor. I would get 2 80mm fans to blow across the PSU (front to rear of case) for cooling. Then I would cut all the cables I'm not using. And I want to shorten the cables that I will be using, but shortening the ATX connector seems like alot of work. I don't know if I should take the pins out, shorten them and resolder the pins back to the wires or if I should just cut a section out of the wire and solder the two ends together. What kind of impact will this have electrically? Do you think my mobo will still be stable with a modified ATX cable and 12v cable? I only need 3 cables, the ATX one, the 4pin 12v one and one with 3 molex connectors. That last cable will be routed under the motherboard to the top chamber, where it will connect to the Optical drive, the 2 80mm fans, the HDD's (adapter) and the res LEDs. The two front 120mm fans and the rear 80mm fans will be wired with its twin and powered/controlled by the motherboard. (CPU and SYS2 FAN headers)

Another thing I'm unsure of at the moment: the optical drive switch. Remember my plan? I wanted to use IR LEDs and a detector, so when you place your hand in front of the drive, (light will be reflected back) and the drive will open. I bought an IR Emitter and Dector from Radio Shack, but I have no idea how to use them in a circuit. I think the emitter is just a plain IR LED and the detector will have to act as a momentary switch. (maybe wrong terminology? ) Anyway, I'm not sure exactly how that works. I know that the IR LED needs a constant source... I was thinking of the 5v or 12v on the Molex connector on theback of the drive. Here is a pic of the tech specs. Annnny help there would be awesome.


----------



## p_o_s_pc (Jul 23, 2009)

could you wire the IR LED into the 5vSB on the PSU? If so that would be the constant source.Its on even when the computer is off


----------



## angelkiller (Jul 23, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> could you wire the IR LED into the 5vSB on the PSU? If so that would be the constant source.Its on even when the computer is off


Oh, the LED doesn't need to be on when the computer is off. I meant constant source as in constant when the computer is running. I was planning on wiring that to the 5v molex connector on the back of the drive.


----------



## p_o_s_pc (Jul 23, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> Oh, the LED doesn't need to be on when the computer is off. I meant constant source as in constant when the computer is running. I was planning on wiring that to the 5v molex connector on the back of the drive.



meme meyou I slapped me because i read it wrong i slapped you for not making it clear for someone that hasn't slept in 2days


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## Water Drop (Jul 23, 2009)

Awesome mod man, I want to do this to build a "Hackintosh", but simply do not have the funds.  Would love to do it some day though.  Great work.  Not exactly a new mod, I've seen it done multiple times before, but yours is a little different then the others I've seen.  I like your water cooling plan, should work well with the "cheese grater" air intakes on the G5 case.


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## angelkiller (Jul 23, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> meme meyou I slapped me because i read it wrong i slapped you for not making it clear for someone that hasn't slept in 2days


Fixed, just for you. 


Water Drop said:


> Awesome mod man, I want to do this to build a "Hackintosh", but simply do not have the funds.  Would love to do it some day though.  Great work.  Not exactly a new mod, I've seen it done multiple times before, but yours is a little different then the others I've seen.  I like your water cooling plan, should work well with the "cheese grater" air intakes on the G5 case.


Thanks.  Yeah, I have 18 bookmarks of other people doing this mod too.   Oh well. It's still way cool though.


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## Cuzza (Jul 23, 2009)

The emitter is a diode. You can read the reverse voltage is 5V. Ignore that, that is the voltage where the diode stops acting as a diode and will conduct in the reverse direction. Forward voltage reads 1.3V typical, so aim for feeding it that much voltage and you should be ok.


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## angelkiller (Jul 23, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> The emitter is a diode. You can read the reverse voltage is 5V. Ignore that, that is the voltage where the diode stops acting as a diode and will conduct in the reverse direction. Forward voltage reads 1.3V typical, so aim for feeding it that much voltage and you should be ok.


Ok, that makes sense. The reverse voltage is a cool property. It's a diode until a certain voltage then it conducts... that probably has some cool applications.

I used a LED calculator (because I always screw up the math) and I got the following result:





It says that the power dissipated by the resistor is a problem. At .6W, it is. I know I can just get a 1W resistor, but why is the resistor  dissapatting so much power? In other LED/resistor setups that I've done, I don't remember them dealing with so much power. Can I use 3 10ohm resistors to spread the power out?


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## Cuzza (Jul 23, 2009)

Hey that's a handy tool. I can do the math but I always forget and it takes me ages. I generally get it right but that is faster, nice.

If you are worried about the heat dissipation by the resistor, power it off 3.3V instead. EDIT: Then you can use a 12-ohm 1/2W resistor


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## angelkiller (Jul 23, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> Hey that's a handy tool. I can do the math but I always forget and it takes me ages. I generally get it right but that is faster, nice.
> 
> If you are worried about the heat dissipation by the resistor, power it off 3.3V instead. EDIT: Then you can use a 12-ohm 1/2W resistor


But getting 3.3v up to the front of the case will be kinda hard. The only 3.3v source I know of is off of the ATX connector. I'd rather just get a 1W resistor.

Any one have any ideas about how to use the IR detector?


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## Cuzza (Jul 23, 2009)

It's not hard, just tap into the wire where it leaves the PSU, one wire is easy to route to the front of the case.

EDIT: I am also working on the detector problem, we'll figure this out my friend.


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## Cuzza (Jul 23, 2009)

Right, making progress here.

The detector is a phototransistor. look here for how to use them http://www.fairchildsemi.com/an/AN/AN-3005.pdf or if you want to get complicated http://vorlon.case.edu/~flm/eecs245/Datasheets/Sharp photodevices.pdf

I think this is the one you want to be using:






Here you will connect Vcc and Vout across the switch on the drive. And GND to ground obviously.

Now you want this to operate in switching mode so VCC < RL × IC 

we know IC is 50mA (from your specsheet)

VCC you will have to measure across the switch on your drive. I tried on one of mine it was 2.4V, that's probably what you can expect.

So follow my algebra:

VCC < RL × IC
RL > VCC / IC

RL > 2.4 / 0.05 = 48Ω

So use any resistor over 48Ω. I would go substantially over to be sure.


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## p_o_s_pc (Jul 23, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> Fixed, just for you.



Thank you  it did help. I think the idea of the 5v on the molex should work just fine

EDIT: from the other post it looks as if that you would have to use a resister so never mind i am not good with this stuff when i have slept.


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## angelkiller (Jul 23, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> Right, making progress here.
> 
> The detector is a phototransistor. ....


Awesome! I think that actually makes sense to me. The second link is over my head though.

When you say the resistance needs to be substantially over 48 ohms, how much is substantially? 75 ohms? 100? 1000? 

Thanks a bunch, I'll try and set this up when I get home.


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## Ahhzz (Jul 23, 2009)

Actually, just as a quick note, a standard diode "Forward biases" at +.5 v, causing it to pass current. So, anything over .5v gets passed thru the diode. Basically, all you need for that to be active is a half a volt applied to it. An LED can have a different bias voltage, dependent on a lot of things, like color of the LED (White takes like over 3v). Basically, you want to make sure you have enough to push it over, and if it's too dim, you'll have to bump the voltage a little.


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## angelkiller (Jul 23, 2009)

Ahhzz said:


> Actually, just as a quick note, a standard diode "Forward biases" at +.5 v, causing it to pass current. So, anything over .5v gets passed thru the diode. Basically, all you need for that to be active is a half a volt applied to it. An LED can have a different bias voltage, dependent on a lot of things, like color of the LED (White takes like over 3v). Basically, you want to make sure you have enough to push it over, and if it's too dim, you'll have to bump the voltage a little.


Ok, everything you said makes sense... but I don't get what you're saying. What do you want me to do? (sorry)


Ok, so I got the optical drive connected to a spare machine. It gets dected by Win7 RC just fine and everything looks fine and dandy. Then I try to eject the tray. Motor noise. No tray. Now I understand why the drive had been opened before and stripped of its mounting screws. The damn thing doesn't work.  How disappointing. I was really looking forward to trying the IR thing out.

So does anyone have any ideas about how to fix this? When I hit the eject button all I hear is this motor running, but no movement whatsoever. I've taken the bottom cover off and when I hit eject, nothing moves. I hear that something is moving, but I don't see anything. I'll probably have to get another drive. Luckily this doesn't affect anything because the mounting is a standard. But damn. I was really excited.

The voltage from one side of the switch to ground on that drive was 3.19v. So I need to use a resistor thats 64 or greater ohms, right? (assuming I use that drive)

I'm going to see if I can figure out what's wrong and/or fix it. If not I'll have a go at mounting the rad in the case.


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## Frick (Jul 23, 2009)

Are there some pinions or gearwheels or whatever you call them missing? If you find out the problem you can salvage parts from some other drive to fix this one.

EDIT: Oh, this mod looks really good. Keep it up!


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## angelkiller (Jul 24, 2009)

Frick said:


> Are there some pinions or gearwheels or whatever you call them missing? If you find out the problem you can salvage parts from some other drive to fix this one.
> 
> EDIT: Oh, this mod looks really good. Keep it up!


I found the problem with the optical drive. There's a small motor in the front that's responsible for ejecting the tray. Well the band that connected it to another gear(?) was missing. So the motor turned, fruitlessly. At first I tried to use Stretch Magic, but the knot got in the way. So after some thinking, I went to my small Lego stash. And I got a rubber band. Yes a Lego rubber band. (an official Lego part btw) Well, it fits and even better, IT WORKS! Legos FTMFW!!  Luckily this was an easy fix. Could've been _much_ worse.










The rad brackets need a bit of tweaking before they'll fit. No work tomorrow, so I should be able to get some stuff done!

Radio Shack closed half hour ago, so I can't get the resistors I need for the IR thing. I'll be there first thing tomorrow though.


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## BrooksyX (Jul 24, 2009)

Awesome! I had to replace a couple rubber bands in some Xboxs recently. Just ended up using some plumbing rubber bands. Cost like $0.75 for a two pack.


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## Cuzza (Jul 24, 2009)

Lol... when I read that first post about the drive issue I thought, "I bet there's a broken belt in there".. you can fix a lot of things with rubber bands.



angelkiller said:


> When you say the resistance needs to be substantially over 48 ohms, how much is substantially? 75 ohms? 100? 1000?



I think 100 would be ok, but I'd go with 1000 to start with. You don't want any residual current going on so start high, if it doesn't work come down. (kind of guessing here, I want to try this myself)


I think what Ahhzz is trying to say is that the LED may not work if the voltage is too low, not that you would know because it's IRand you won't see it! You have to be careful to get the voltage in the right range to the LED. Too low, don't get over the bias voltage. Too high, fry it.

Then within that range tune the brightness so that your thing is sensitive enough to work but doesn't open the drive every time you move your head.


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## angelkiller (Jul 24, 2009)

GREAT NEWS!! THE IR SWITCH WORKS!! Pics and vid when I get the wiring finalized!

Now for some tweaking. Right now I'm using the 1k ohm resistor and it's wired up just like the picture Cuzza provided near the bottom of page 3. Now the thing is that I have to hold the detector directly in front of the emittor in order to get the drive to open. If I lower the resistance, will that allow for less light to activate the switch?

*Edit:* I don't think the resistor makes any difference on how much light is needed to trip the switch. I changed to the 100 ohm resistor and got the same results. As long as it's above 64 ohms, I think it's ok. (maybe)

What is happening is that the IR LED is only bright at its tip. And the detector is oblivious to any IR light not at its tip. So the only way that this works is that the IR LED is facing the detector. There's about a 30 degree window where the detector can pick up the LED. Just a quick pic to illustrate:







The detector must be right in front of LED in order for it to work. It doesn't pick up anything off center.   Maybe I need more IR light? Or maybe I need to modify the detector so it'll pick up stuff that's not directly in front of it? Any ideas? Thanks.


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## Cuzza (Jul 24, 2009)

yeah try lowering the resistance on the detector. then try upping the voltage on the emitter, it says 1.7V max so go to that.


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## angelkiller (Jul 24, 2009)

Ok, I put a 22 ohm resistor on the emitter, giving the emitter 1.7v. The resistor in the detector circuit is 100 ohms. Everything seems more or less the same.

This is frustrating. I was really banking on the detector picking up the IR light reflected off of my hand. I was actually more concerned about it being too sensitive.


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## Cuzza (Jul 25, 2009)

hmmmmm.... you might have to build a more complicated circuit for the detector, with some transistors and such to amplify the effect

Since the detector is working in the switch modeit needs a certain amount of light to activate and it's not getting enough right now. but you need the switch effect but with a lower threshold. i'll think about it.

EDIT..






This is the one you want. It uses an NPN transistor. When the detector senses the light the voltage at the base of the transistor drops off, so it switches off and you get voltage to Vout.

I think that's how it works, never really understood transistors, mainly because I haven't tried since I was 10 years old messing about with my electronics kit (back then I had no idea)

Have to work on getting those resistances right though....


*EDIT #2: Pretty sure that's wrong, don't use that circuit!*


EDIT #3






Try this


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## angelkiller (Jul 27, 2009)

Alright!! I got it working how I want it to. The last circuit Cuzza made worked.















Video Linky!!!

Great thanks goes out to Cuzza.


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## Cuzza (Jul 27, 2009)

Nice work, good soldering. I need to get one of those soldering stations. And learn to solder properly. I suck.


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## angelkiller (Jul 27, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> Nice work, good soldering. I need to get one of those soldering stations. And learn to solder properly. I suck.



Oh I don't think I solder _that_ well. Isn't there some technique that you're supposed to use? Like heat the component not the solder or something? Ah well.

The soldering station is definitely recommended for those who solder more than twice a year. Before I had to hold the iron in one hand, the component in another hand, and the solder in my other hand. Yeah.. that didn't work out too well.


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## Ahhzz (Jul 28, 2009)

Very Sharp. Sorry Angel, for lack of reply, was extended AFK   Very impressed mate, may have to try playing with one of these myself now!!! I've got an extensive background in electronics, but haven't used it in years, and some of the possibilities rolling thru my head are wild heheh


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## Cuzza (Jul 28, 2009)

Just got around to watching the video.

if it is too sensitive just bump up that 500-ohm resistor


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## angelkiller (Jul 28, 2009)

Ahhzz said:


> Very Sharp. Sorry Angel, for lack of reply, was extended AFK   Very impressed mate, may have to try playing with one of these myself now!!! I've got an extensive background in electronics, but haven't used it in years, and some of the possibilities rolling thru my head are wild heheh


Thanks! 


Cuzza said:


> Just got around to watching the video.
> 
> if it is too sensitive just bump up that 500-ohm resistor


Sorry for asking again, but by how much? I don't know how the resistance affects things. Will 50 ohms make a difference? 200 ohms?


And I'm having a problem getting the radiator brackets mounted. The res is mounted on the top chamber separator and the rad has to line up with the res. (The barbs of the rad and res will be about 1cm apart. Not much room for error) But right now the brackets are too large by less than 1cm total and they push up on the top separator plate, causing it to flex. Ideally, the top of the brackets (the short part) should be about a few mm lower than where it is now.

The problem is that making that change. I don't have any tools to make an exact bend in the aluminum. I just used pliers and the carpet for fulcrum. Bending the bracket back straight doesn't work. There's still a tiny bend that I can't get out. So now I'm stuck. I need to make a very fine adjustment in the bend of the bracket, but I don't know how to/can't get the bend how I want it. Any suggestions?  

You can refer this post for pics of the bracket.


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## Cuzza (Jul 28, 2009)

i don't know what to suggest, but if you can't do it yourself, pay someone to do it.

as for the resistor, probably serious changes, i'd go to 1000-ohm, if that's too much come back down. trial and error. or get a pot and use that to vary the resistance, then swap it for what you need.


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## angelkiller (Aug 14, 2009)

*I'M GONNA REVIVE THIS THREAD! CLEAR!!*




Whew, that was close. I almost let the thread die. Can't let that happen again!





First, I played with stock Apple fans again. I could make a thread dedicated to how those fans work... It's really weird. Ah well, I wired the fans up to 5v via Molex. 
*Details learned about Apple stock fans:*
All the fans have 2 positive leads and won't work with just one. For example the 80mm fan in the top chamber has 4 leads, 12v, GND, RPM, 12v, in that order. Both 12v pins must be connected or the fan won't start. The only stock fans that I'm going to reuse are the rear 80mm ones. It too is wired weirdly. Both fans are already wired together, 4 wires from each fan, and 1 6 pin header. (some wires join) The setup is basically the same as the other fan, just two of em. Each fan has it's own 12v and RPM wire. The fans share their 2nd 12v wire and a Ground. After playing around, I've found out some things. First by unplugging the shared 12v line, you stop both fans. If you unplug one of the individual 12v lines only 1 fan stops. (depending on which wire you pull) Maybe this is used for some kind of fan control? Also, if you take the sticker off of the hub, there are only three exposed points on the fan's PCB. You can take voltage measurements from all three. I forgot what they are exactly, but they're all somewhere between 3V and 4v. Also, I noticed that the fans do not respond to voltage changes. I tried changing all the 12v lines to 5v. No (perceptable) change in rpm or noise. (I had to eye it) But I measured those 3 points again, and they were _exactly_ the same! BUT they fluxuated a bit more slowly. At 12v the voltage would stay pretty constant, it would change by .01v every so often, but would jump right back pretty quickly. At 5v, The voltages were slower to change. This leads me to think that the fans have their own voltage regulation circuit built in and spin at a constant speed regardless of input voltage. But what use would that be? It would make sense for them to be controllable. I know all that info was a bit unnecessary, but I thought I'd document my findings, as this info is hard to come by on the net.






I also got some screws for the second HDD. It slides in and out of the HDD cage with ease.






I also got the PSU open and out of it's casing. I plan to mount the PSU PCB on the bottom of the case. (not directly on the bottom) However, ran into one snag. Part of the filtering stage is soldered right onto the power plug. Since the pics were taken, I've cut the main lines right above the PCB, so I could access the components on the plug without the PSU PCB attached. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to handle the AC plug yet.

















Most notably, I finally got the radiator mounted. It's not 100% perfect, but it's pretty damn close. It's _in_, which is progress to me. I had to get a friend to help me make the rad mounts because I don't have the right tools. With a drill press and a vice, making the mounts was easy. These are the 3rd pair I've made. These are made of steel (rather than Al) and I've polished them just like the top separator plate.


So everything is starting to come together! Now it's time to get the motherboard mounted. I'll be working on that next. Should be done in the next 2 days or so. Scratch that, it WILL be done in the next 2 days.  I need to get this done before school starts back. 10 days left.


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## Cuzza (Aug 14, 2009)

excellent. that is pretty strange with the fans though. maybe you already covered this but why are you taking the psu out of its case? does it not fit with the case on?


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## kyle2020 (Aug 14, 2009)

/subscribed.


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## steelkane (Aug 14, 2009)

nice res-rad setup,, looks awesome


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## phanbuey (Aug 14, 2009)

yes... I was wondering what happened to this build... MOARH PICTURES!


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## angelkiller (Aug 15, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> excellent. that is pretty strange with the fans though. maybe you already covered this but why are you taking the psu out of its case? does it not fit with the case on?


Yes it does fit in there with the case on. However, I was going to cut unnecessary cables because there's no space for hiding excess cables. So since I was going to hack it up, I might as well take it out of the case... (bad reason, I know) But a better reason is that the mounting holes are on the 'back' (exhaust grill) of the PSU. I need  the PSU to mount horizontally in the case in order to fit. (ie exhaust grill facing rear of case) There's literally nowhere to attach the PSU unless I made my own bracket. But seeing my previous attemps at brackets... yeah. I could just drill some holes in the bottom of the PSU cover and screw it to the bottom of the case, but if I go through all that effort, I might as well take it out and use the PSU PCB holes. Hopefully that made sense, kinda hard to explain without seeing it. If you saw it you'd understand.

But I still unsure about the filtering components on the AC plug. 



phanbuey said:


> yes... I was wondering what happened to this build... MOARH PICTURES!


As you wish  laugh










So right now I'm letting the JB Weld dry under my mobo standoffs!  First, I got my dremel and scuffed up the areas where the standoffs would go. _Distemper_ said in post #20 that he(/she) didn't scuff the aluminum, but he(/she) was using 9 standoffs and I'm only using 6, so I need the strongest bond possible. Then I mounted 6 of the shorter standoffs onto my motherboard. I got the JB Weld and put a decent sized blob on each spot in the case and lined the graphics card up and placed the mobo attached to standoffs on the JB Weld. And I added to weights to give it better contact. Unfortunately, I can't tell how good of contact the standoffs are making with the JB Weld... So we'll find out tomorrow I guess. Tomorrow, I'm going to add some more JB Weld around and on top of the standoffs for added strength/security. Pic to illustrate:


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## p_o_s_pc (Aug 15, 2009)

what are the specs of the rig?


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## angelkiller (Aug 15, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> what are the specs of the rig?




PSU|400W OCZ Fata1ty
Mobo|Gigabyte Ga-P35-DS3L
CPU|Xeon 3210 
(B3 Q6600 with 8x multi)

RAM|2GB 
(2x1GB)
Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800
Graphics|Asus 9600GS0
Storage|74GB Raptor
 |1TB Hitachi
Optical|Stock Apple Superdrive
Watercooling |D-Tek Fuzion
 |Danger Den CPX-Pro
 |Black Ice GT Stealth 240
 |Koolance 80mm Inline Res
Oh, and thanks to all the people that complimented me. I'm sorry if I forget to respond to them, but I do read and appreciate them.


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## Cuzza (Aug 15, 2009)

i think i understand. you just be careful with those exposed circuits mate


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## angelkiller (Aug 16, 2009)

*Does anybody actually read post titles?*






So the motherboard standoffs are JB Welded to the case!  Then I added some more JB Weld for added strength/security.






Next, I started working on the wires for the front panel connectors. So I cut all the wires I needed, stripped the ends off, and added a bit of solder to each end. I also took the black plastic connector holder thing off the front panel.














I ended up with all of this ^^


I was gonna go ahead and solder them to the front panel, but I think they should be sleeved. I think all the wires would look a little out of place without being sleeved. The problem is that if I order some, the earliest I'll have it is by Wednesday. And it's not worth overnighting it imo. Plus, I can't seem to find any anyway. Anyone know where I could get some? (local or online)




I was going through some spare parts, and I found a usb bluetooth adapter. Since I found it, I thought it could be useful. I had planned to put it right on the USB header. You can see the 4 extra wires. Problem is that solder won't stick to the gold contacts.  Anyone know how I can get that BT adapter connected? The casing was destroyed in order to get the PCB out.


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## angelkiller (Aug 24, 2009)

Obviously this isn't gonna get finished before school. So expect slower updates from now on.  That said, I'm in the finishing stages of the project, so there's not much serious stuff to do. Anyway, more pics.








I drilled holes for the PSU and got that mounted in the case. I also cut the stock I/O ports out of the case. It hurt to do because the case was flawless, but I had no choice.










Next, I focused on the PSU. I cut off the wires that I wouldn't be needing and wrapped thier ends in heatshrink so they don't short anything out. Then I shortened the 4pin ATX connector since it only needed to be like 2 inches. However, I really botched the soldering job up imo. I had to solder and unsolder all 4 connections about twice each. The first time the heatshirnk I used wasn't large enough to go over the soldered connection and the second time(s) I was rushing and forgot to put the heatshrink on before I soldered.  Idiot me. So hopefully all the connections turn out to be ok... they're gonna be carrying ~4-6A of current. Hopefully the resistance won't be to high. 






Last, I had to cut the frame of the rear 80mm fans because it interfered with the I/O ports on the mobo. This was a miserable experience. Anyone who's cut plastic with a dremel knows my pain. Plastic does not cut... it melts....  Long story short, cutting plastic with a dremel is hell and will always come out very messy at best. Of course the type of plastic makes a difference... the thicker and denser, the worse. Of course, Apple uses the thickest and densest plastics ever. [/rant]








But, all in all, I'm making progress. Here are some shots with the mobo and PSU mounted. If I wanted to, I could just as easily throw in the HDDs, the optical, the rad, the res, and the pump. So just kinda imagine all that in the system.


*Concern #1:* PSU cooling. There will be 2 120mm fans in the front of the case and 2 80mm fans right next to the PSU. Do you think I need additional cooling? I was thinking about getting 2 more 80mm fans and putting them right in front of the PSU. But do you think I could get away without them? Need to now ASAP cus I'm ordering tomorrow morning. (thanks!)

*Concern #2:* USB bluetooth adapter. In my last post, I showed a USB bluetooth adapter that I had found. I'd like to use it because I've just found a wireless Mighty Mouse for $30. However, solder won't stick to the USB contacts on the adapter. The casing for the adapter has been destroyed. Is there any way to get that adapter wired up?

Still more to come. I promise.


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## Cuzza (Aug 24, 2009)

*awesome progress*

I ilke the look of the exposed PSU, you did well there. 

Soldering, yeah that was a bit of a mess but don't worry about it, it will be fine. Resistance is SFA. in future you should twist the wires together, there's a knack to it, but it makes a stronger join and better contact when you do it right.

PSU fans - I think you should put one  more on there just to be safe, I would try to mount it horizontally to blow air down on the PSU. Might be tricky but give it a go.

Lastly teh bluetooth adapter. I think you should be able to jam it straight into a USB port. if it is loose cut some slivers of plastic and jam them in there - the tension on the pins should hold it in place. And then put some hot glue in on top to keep it there. If you don't want to ruin your usb port, get a short extension cable and stick it in there.


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## phanbuey (Aug 24, 2009)

jesus... i get scared when I see open PSU's... just dont touch the caps! ... 

You do need extra fans on the PSU, I used to run silent setups, where I would have a silent 50CFM fan instead of the ones that came with the PSU, and at moderate loads the PSU would overheat and the system would shut down.

So yes... the more direct airflow that sucker gets, the better IMO.


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## KainXS (Aug 24, 2009)

looks like its gonna get some awesome airflo


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## angelkiller (Aug 24, 2009)

Alright. More clamps and 2 80mm fans ordered! I picked 2 80mm ones instead of a horizontal 120mm one because I thought it fit in with the airflow better. All the air in that area will be coming from the front 2 120mm fans and moving to the rear. Not that a horizontal fan would really affected anything though, but it does have to be mounted.

@ Cuzza,
What's the best way to connect wires like that? You mentioned twisting, but I assume there may be a bit more to it than just that. I still have to connect the wire that connects the mains. Don't wanna flub that one too.

And lol @ the bt adapter idea. I'll give it a try though because I don't see any other options.

Thanks for sticking around people!


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## Cuzza (Aug 24, 2009)

just do what this guy does

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QznAAwL8rI&feature=fvw


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## angelkiller (Sep 8, 2009)

I've made some progress over the last few weeks, but I never posted the pics. That'll happen soon. The tubing is in, the PSU is fully in, the PSU wires have been custom cut. Everything is starting to come together. Still need to solder the front panel wires.

In the meantime, I need some SATA cables that go off to the side. It's like a right angle Sata cable, but the right angle doesn't go up or down, it goes to the side. The left side specifically. Here's a pic:






Where can I get something like that?


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## Cuzza (Sep 9, 2009)

just a wild assumption, the black box is the end of the hard drive? /unannotated diagram rant

well, I've never seen a cable like that, neither can I find one after a 10-min search around. But you're not the first to go looking, check this thread
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1402085
And it doesn't look like he found one. So you might be shit outta luck. But don't take my word for it.


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## angelkiller (Sep 9, 2009)

Yeah, I think you're right. I guess I'll have to use regular right angle connectors.


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## angelkiller (Oct 9, 2009)

Long overdue. School's a bitch.




This is the main AC plug. I had a concern earlier about how I would get the AC plug to 'be' in the same place that the stock one was. Here's what I did. You see the gray plastic ring shaped piece? That's the stock Apple mount. So that piece fits perfectly on the inside of the space where the plug goes. In fact, it locks into place in that space. So anything attached to the inside of that will be able to snap in to that place. See where I'm going? I sanded the edges of the OCZ plug, (the black one) until it fit perfectly into the grey ring piece. To get it to stay, I used plastic epoxy. The end result works perfectly! (No pic tho. Sorry!)

*Simpler explanation:* Look at This pic. See the grey piece? Well I sanded the black OCZ plug until it fit in there then I glued it with plastic epoxy.






I also got the tubing in. Not much to say here cept it looks AWESOME!   Oh, and the tubing stains... I guess the dye used to color the tubes comes out really easily. It kinda dyed by hand. 




This is how the system looks RIGHT NOW. All this other stuff was done before I took a huge break! Right now the system has water in it and I'm putting the final touches on it. I have a long weekend right now so I'm off till Tuesday.  I plan to take the system to school Tuesday, so it'll be up and running well before then!! STAY TUNED BECAUSE I'M ALMOST DONE!!


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## angelkiller (Oct 9, 2009)

Finished the front panel connectors. Major PITA. In case anybody ever uses this thread as reference for their own project, this is the one that I used.





Hm. This is funny. *I THINK I'M FINISHED GUYS!!*


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## angelkiller (Oct 9, 2009)

Hm. I guess I'm not finished. It won't turn on. 

Please have a look at at this diagram which shows how the front panel connectors are connected. The diagram says that the ground for the power switch isn't needed if the FW and USB are correctly connected. I followed the diagram exactly except for 1 expectation. I didn't use the Firewire Shield ground nor the USB Shield ground. How important are these? Either way, how is the power button grounding?


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## DonInKansas (Oct 9, 2009)

Your PC is rebelling against being put in a Mac case.


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## angelkiller (Oct 9, 2009)

DonInKansas said:


> Your PC is rebelling against being put in a Mac case.


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## Cuzza (Oct 10, 2009)

I think you need to find the power switch itself, wherever it is, and see where it grounds to. I would guess that there is common ground with the USB and firewire. These shield grounds would normally be permanently grounded. So you're going to have to ground them, methinks.

Failing that, wire in your own ground directly to the switch.


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## angelkiller (Oct 10, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> I think you need to find the power switch itself, wherever it is, and see where it grounds to. I would guess that there is common ground with the USB and firewire. These shield grounds would normally be permanently grounded. So you're going to have to ground them, methinks.
> 
> Failing that, wire in your own ground directly to the switch.


Sorry for the late response, been busy with SAT stuff.

The front panel connectors are all on a single PCB which connects to the stock G5 mobo by a single wire with all the connections on it. I've connected the front panel stuff the my P35-DS3L by cutting that single wire and getting a pinout to show where each individual wire goes. Hopefully that makes sense. So it's kinda hard to see where the switch grounds to because its on its own PCB. (instead of simply being a button or something)

Both the USB connector and Firewire connector have a shield ground. (Ever wonder what that nineth pin was for? USB has 4 pins per port, and has 2 ports per mobo header and FW has 8 pins per connecter) Unfortunately it would be rather difficult to run 2 more wires from the mobo to the front panel becuase they've all been sleeved and such. However, I could simply attach the USB and FW Shields to a regular USB and FW ground. Would that work? I'm not sure what the ultimate difference between FW Shield Ground and the ground that is in a FW cable.


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## angelkiller (Oct 15, 2009)

*sigh*

Anyone can chime in here. That includes, but is not limited to Cuzza.
(though I greatly appreciate his input!)


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## smee (Oct 15, 2009)

Try putting a metal object or flat head screw driver to the two power pins on the motherboard, if it doesn't turn on it's a motherboard problem.
If it does turn on by jumping the pins (by using your metal object as a power switch essentially), then it means your power button was not working. 

my two cents....
-smee


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## angelkiller (Oct 15, 2009)

Good idea about starting turning on the mobo manually. At least I could use the system. (assuming it works)

Problem is that the front panel pins are not really accessible.


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## Ahhzz (Oct 16, 2009)

Personally, I prefer a paperclip for that job. Light Resistance, so I don't have to worry about not having enough voltage to travel from point to point, I can bend it to fit pretty much anywhere I need to, and relatively easy to manipulate without worries of shorting out other things. My 2cp.


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## angelkiller (Oct 16, 2009)

Ok ok. Due to popular demand, I'll see if I can get access to the pins. I'm gonna be busy for a while, so it'll have to be tomorrow evening at best. Will report results.

Going back to post 115, does anyone know how the front panel connector is supposed to ground?


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## Cuzza (Oct 17, 2009)

I suggest grounding the USB and FW shield grounds directly to a PSU ground lead (tap one off a molex).


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## ib_prime (Oct 17, 2009)

I just registered to say great thread (the only one that's active i can find on this G5 mod). I'm also working on a G5->PC mod, I will try using the pinout you provided for the front panel and see how it pans out, will update here.


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## Cuzza (Oct 17, 2009)

ib_prime said:


> I just registered to say great thread (the only one that's active i can find on this G5 mod). I'm also working on a G5->PC mod, I will try using the pinout you provided for the front panel and see how it pans out, will update here.



here's a recent thread about another G5 mod

http://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/369194/?s=


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## ib_prime (Oct 18, 2009)

Okay the power button + goes out to USB Shield Ground (pin 6) to complete the switch, if I remember correctly from my playing around with my setup.


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## ib_prime (Oct 18, 2009)

Okay the power button + goes out to USB Shield ground if I remember correctly from my playing around with my setup.


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## angelkiller (Oct 18, 2009)

Cool stuff ib_prime! And thanks for the info about the power switch ground. I'm going to connect the FW and USB shield grounds to a FW and USB ground, respectively. I know Cuzza said to run a ground straight from the PSU, but all the cables going to the front panel have already been sleeved and removing that to add one cable would be a major PITA. And running a single bare cable to the front panel would look... well.. you know. 

I don't have time right now to do this, but I'm gonna try really hard to get it done tonight. I also wanna get Win7 installed also. 

Oh, I don't know if I ever talked about the software for this thing. Originally, I wanted to dual boot OSX and some kind of Windows. I picked OSX mostly because I wanted to use Final Cut Pro for my video class. That's not gonna happen. Mostly because the teacher doesn't have one of those volume academic licenses where you can install it on any academic related computer. There's only one copy of FCP and it's in use. Second, the other Macs run some version of OSX that is not compatible with Intel Macs (so pre 10.4). So I would have to get my own copy of OSX. So no OSX here. So which version of Windows? I have a spare copy of XP, XP x64 and Win7. I chose Win7 only because it's newer and cooler. *Edit:* I've have just recieved word from the 'HelpDesk' people at my school that they've recieved their copies of Win7!! The head guy said that they'll be giving them out to a few select technically-savy students and I'm one of them! Sweet! So I'm definately gonna get the real Win7 on this Mac at some point in the near future (2 weeks). For now, I'll just stick with XP just to get it working.

I've linked the other wire diagrams that I've collected. Unfortunately, I don't have their original sources, but I bet they're from Insanely Mac's forums.

http://img.techpowerup.org/091018/G5 Front Panel Wiring Diagram 1.jpg
http://img.techpowerup.org/091018/G5 Front Panel Wiring Diagram 2.png

Eventually, I'll make a post with all the links and images/diagrams and such that I've used for this project.


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## Cuzza (Oct 19, 2009)

Man I wish I was still at school - Free Win7! Not to mention the schoolgirls. *sigh*


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## angelkiller (Oct 19, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> Not to mention the schoolgirls.


And they're all legal for me. 


I soldered the USB shield to the USB ground, so both pins share the same cable. Makes a Y shape. I did the same with the FW Shield and a FW ground.

Unfortunately, the power button still doesn't work.

On the bright side, now, when I plug in the plug, the machine turns on for about four seconds then shuts off. I mean the thing came on! The lights and everything!  But it was a bit short lived. 

*Anyone wanna take a guess as to why simply plugging the cord in turns the thing on? Why it shuts of so quickly? Why the power button still doesn't work?* 

In the meantime, I'll try to get access to the power switch pins so I can turn it on manually. BTW, the red cathodes look _sick!!_


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## p_o_s_pc (Oct 19, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> And they're all legal for me.
> 
> 
> I soldered the USB shield to the USB ground, so both pins share the same cable. Makes a Y shape. I did the same with the FW Shield and a FW ground.
> ...


I had that happen before to me. I had the power switch on the +pin and the other side on the pin next to it(pwr. LED i think) so it shorted it out and kept it shorted.


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## Cuzza (Oct 20, 2009)

yeah that's what it sounds like to me. somehow the power switch is being permanently grounded, just like you were holding the button in.


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## troyrae360 (Oct 20, 2009)

try unpluging the power swtich jumper and starting it up with the end of a screw driver (just short the pwr + an -) that should start it up then see if it keeps going. 

PS you just need to touch the screwdriver on the pins and take it away, dont leave it there!


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## angelkiller (Oct 20, 2009)

This is such a PITA. In order to plug the front panel connector in, I have to remove both fans on  the rad. The only way to do that without taking the mounts out is to stick a screwdriver through the holes on the front of the Mac so I can unscrew the fans. When the fans are loose, I can slide them away so I can access the area where the cable plugs in. Then I gotta put everything back. 

Ok. It makes sense that the power button is permantly set on. BUT HOW? I'm looking through the three wiring diagrams (Diagram 1, Diagram 2, Diagram 3) and I'm seeing some inconsistencies. Just look at all three. They don't agree on the same way to get the power button working.

I'm going to try to explain the differences, but it's hard because I don't know which is right; right is only relative to what the other say. If the little bump on the connector is on the right side, then I'm going to call the top right pin #1, the top left #2, the one right under #1 will be #3, and across from that is #4 and so on. Diagram 1 and Diagram 3 are already numbered like this. So Diagram 1 calls pin 13 the negative power switch. However, Diagram 2 calls pin 13 the positive LED and diagram 3 calls it the positive power switch. Diagram 1 calls pin 14 the positive power switch, Diagram 2 calls it just the 'power button', I assume it's positive. Diagram 3 calls pin 14 the positive LED. WTF??

My biggest issue here is that none of them agree on anything. It would be different if all three called pin 13 the power switch, but two said it was positive and one said it was negative or something. But they disagree on the _function_ of the pin and they are so inconsistent that I can't draw any conclusions. You would think when 3 diagrams show the same damn thing that they be pretty close? Guess not. 

*Edit:* I just had a brillent idea! Why not just check the damn Service Manual? I forgot I had it. I whip it out and I get this:





Pin 13 is the LED (positive I assume) and pin 14 is the power button. And that 's from Apple's own service manual. I don't think you can get much more official than that. Unfortunately it doesn't say where either of those ground. I just hope it's not the Chassis grounds because those are the only 2 pins out of 18 that I haven't connected. (and wiring them up properly isn't a small task) Ok, now that I have this info and I know it's right, what does everyone recommend?

@troyrae360
I would do that, but this is a pic of where the pins are. I can only get to the pins if I remove the optical drive. While that sounds seemingly simple (alliteration!) the opticial drive has an IR LED and detector sticking out from the front, and taking the optical drive out requires removing those, which I currently have carefully positioned. I would like to avoid having to reposition those. If necessary I will, but you get what I'm saying.


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## Cuzza (Oct 20, 2009)

I thought we had already established that it IS the chassis grounds.


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## angelkiller (Oct 20, 2009)

Ok. I got confused because I connected the chassis grounds to the FW and USB grounds and it's not working. So I guess I'll have to properly wire the chassis grounds then.


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## ib_prime (Oct 21, 2009)

Hey, if its only the power button thats giving you the problem now, you can just use a multimeter and test the with lead completes the switch. I did it this way for the switch and found it was completed by Pin6, I can't verify now as I've completely destroyed my front connect IC board ... haha I was having similar headaches with the front connect as Angelkiller... so i just scratched up the board and connected everything directly by wires to the bottom lead points... which I guess angelkiller can do too.


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## angelkiller (Oct 21, 2009)

ib_prime said:


> Hey, if its only the power button thats giving you the problem now, you can just use a multimeter and test the with lead completes the switch. I did it this way for the switch and found it was completed by Pin6, I can't verify now as I've completely destroyed my front connect IC board ... haha I was having similar headaches with the front connect as Angelkiller... so i just scratched up the board and connected everything directly by wires to the bottom lead points... which I guess angelkiller can do too.


Great idea! I didn't think of that. But first, I need some more wire. Getting 18 wires from the mobo headers to the front panel used up all my supply. Hopefully, I can pick some up tomorrow. Again, awesome idea.


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## angelkiller (Oct 26, 2009)




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## erocker (Oct 26, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> Man I wish I was still at school - Free Win7! Not to mention the schoolgirls. *sigh*



There's nothing stopping you from pretending. I've been known to hang around the student union.


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## angelkiller (Oct 26, 2009)

Notes:

- CPU stabilizes around 25C at stock speeds & voltage
- Res needs more water, right now it's really turbulent and air gets in the tubes.
- Optical drive is fucked up. Opens & closes ok, but when it goes to spin the disk, you hear this noise like the disk is wobbling while spinnging then it stops completely. Luckiliy, I have on on hand. There goes the IR LED mod. I'll have to retrofit that mod into the new drive sometime in the future.
- Power button works! But only in 1 direction. If you pres it again, nothing happens. Hold it in, still nothing. Only way to power down is a hard unplug.
- Speaking of plug, the AC power recepticle on the actual computer is REALLY fragile. If you plug the AC cord into it, it comes out of its socket. Temp solution is to not unplug it. Will have to come up with a solution later.
- It's pretty damn loud.

I'm gonna add some more water, change the ODD now. Tomorrow I'll take it to school and I can get Win7 installed and get this OC'ed in my free period and at lunch.


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## phanbuey (Oct 26, 2009)

put the fans in pull - youll get better temps and it will be quieter.

great job btw - looks bootiful.


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## angelkiller (Oct 26, 2009)

What do you mean in pull? Every fan sucks from the left, blows to the right.

And thanks. I'm soooo happy right now. I'm just relieved that it's finally done.

Win7 RC is installing it now. I'm gonna have a go at OCing tonight! Can't wait! 






All the other macs have a sign above them with a little info on them. So I decided to make my own sign. It's a parody of the original sign. It's funnier if you could see the original signs.


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## p_o_s_pc (Oct 27, 2009)

looks cool.  nice to see you got it working
you should have it crunching(WCG) since you don't pay the electric bill and i'm sure its left on all the time


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## angelkiller (Oct 27, 2009)

p_o_s_pc said:


> looks cool.  nice to see you got it working
> you should have it crunching(WCG) since you don't pay the electric bill and i'm sure its left on all the time


Thanks. And I definitely will get this crunching. In fact, I should get my main rig back crunching again too.

More notes:

- After filling up the res, it's alot quieter. The main two sources of noise are the 2 Yate Loon intakes and the 2 stock Apple exhausts. The exhausts are the worst. They have this really grainy sound to them and they make up like 70% of the perceived noise. The 2 80mm fans for the PSU run at 6v and the GPU fan are not noticable over the intake and exhausts. The Gigabyte mobo doesn't seem to be controlling the fans, even though I have it set in the BIOS. Whatever.

- Google Chrome is _fast_ no kidding. I'd switch in a heartbeat if it had extensions.


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## Cuzza (Oct 27, 2009)

Nice one buddy, awesome to see this done! Any thoughts of WCing the GPU?

@ erocker, I've been known to stop by the student union building and use the showers


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## brandonwh64 (Oct 27, 2009)

So what was the verdict on overclocking? what speed did you get it too?


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## angelkiller (Oct 27, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> Nice one buddy, awesome to see this done! Any thoughts of WCing the GPU?


Thanks. I had considered it, but I decided against it because I thought it would add unnecessary heat to the loop. I bet it would look cool though.



brandonwh64 said:


> So what was the verdict on overclocking? what speed did you get it too?


I fell asleep. 

But I'll definitely get around to doing it though. I can't just leave it a 2.13GHz. 


It idles at 32C in Windows and loads at 50C. That's at stock. 2.13GHz @ 1.23v. I expect to get at least 3GHz and I _hope_ to get ~3.5GHz.


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## angelkiller (Oct 27, 2009)

Ok, here's what I got.






Notes

- Power switch works fine now
- I'm on bios version F5 and F9 is out now. I'll try flashing it soon.
- Anything higher than 3.4GHz wouldn't make it to Windows.
- Extra voltage doesn't help. I tried 3.5GHz at 1.5v and that didn't work. If it needs more than .05v to go 100MHz then I think it's not worth it.
- My definition for 'stable' for this OC session was that it passed Linpack for around 6 minutes. I'm going to do leave Linpack running overnight at 3.4GHz.
- And I just realized that my CPU has a G0 revision. Whoa. I was told that it was a B3.


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## Cuzza (Oct 28, 2009)

awesome! looks like your watercooler is doing the job. I see what you mean about not adding the gpu to the loop, it might knock back your overclock.


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## angelkiller (Oct 28, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> awesome! looks like your watercooler is doing the job. I see what you mean about not adding the gpu to the loop, it might knock back your overclock.


Yeah. You really think the temps are ok? I thought they were a bit on the hot side. I mean I would think that an air cooler could keep a 3.4GHz quad at 70C. :\


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## angelkiller (Oct 30, 2009)

Some final pics. Unfortunately, I'm no photographer, and the camera wasn't mine, so they came out really grainy.

The Video Editing Lab: And yes, that's a PS3 on the cart.  Best. Class. Ever. 










































Sometimes I have a little trouble telling which one is mine.






Maybe I'll get some better quality pics, but for now, these'll do. I think it's safe to say that this project is finished for the time being. There are a few things I'd like to do to it, but for now, I'm done. Any questions or comments?


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## phanbuey (Oct 30, 2009)

haha... thats great.


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## p_o_s_pc (Oct 30, 2009)

good work looks great


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## Ahhzz (Oct 30, 2009)

awesome mate, nice job.


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## Cuzza (Oct 30, 2009)

angelkiller said:


> Yeah. You really think the temps are ok? I thought they were a bit on the hot side. I mean I would think that an air cooler could keep a 3.4GHz quad at 70C. :\



Don't ask me, I've never had watercooling, or a quad for that matter. I say if it's running and it's stable, no problem!


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## El Fiendo (Oct 30, 2009)

I love the watercooled PC mingling with the herd of sheep. Freaking awesome. +1 on your sign as well.

I need to scour the local listings and see if I can find me a G5 case, or a whole one for cheap. I've been wanting to do similar for a while now.


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## phanbuey (Oct 30, 2009)

yeah its pretty badass how the red stands out in the light, because they all look the same - its like mac, mac, mac, mac... that one looks.. different... so subtle, in that sinister "my f*()(ing mac is glowing red, oh wait its not a mac" way.

As far as your WC... 70C is hot.. reallllly hot (unless youre in an 80F room).  My old Q6600 at 1.5V and 3.75Ghz would only hit 65C under prime small FTT.  My guess is the FPI on that Stealth is really high, and if you put your hand behind the rad, there will hardly be any airflow.  Those medium loons are nice, but not for a high FPI rad.  They need shrouds, or they need to be in pull, preferably they should have a shround AND be in pull, and you can drop 5-10C for sure (maybe even more).  Not to mention they will run noticeably quieter.


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## angelkiller (Oct 30, 2009)

phanbuey said:


> haha... thats great.





p_o_s_pc said:


> good work looks great





Ahhzz said:


> awesome mate, nice job.


Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.  I get the same thing during school. Nobody has ever seen a custom rig before, let alone a custom watercooled system in a Mac case.


El Fiendo said:


> I love the watercooled PC mingling with the herd of sheep. Freaking awesome. +1 on your sign as well.
> 
> I need to scour the local listings and see if I can find me a G5 case, or a whole one for cheap. I've been wanting to do similar for a while now.


Thanks. Definitely look for a broken one. The case is probably worth more than the innards anyway. Plus, these things are about 5 years old now so people will just starting to throw these out. In fact the guy who manages the lab (same one who gave me the case to begin with) says that he's thinking about upgrading all the other G5's to iMacs. And of course, they'll be new ones. Wonder what happens to the old ones? 



Cuzza said:


> Don't ask me, I've never had watercooling, or a quad for that matter. I say if it's running and it's stable, no problem!





phanbuey said:


> yeah its pretty badass how the red stands out in the light, because they all look the same - its like mac, mac, mac, mac... that one looks.. different... so subtle, in that sinister "my f*()(ing mac is glowing red, oh wait its not a mac" way.
> 
> As far as your WC... 70C is hot.. reallllly hot (unless youre in an 80F room).  My old Q6600 at 1.5V and 3.75Ghz would only hit 65C under prime small FTT.  My guess is the FPI on that Stealth is really high, and if you put your hand behind the rad, there will hardly be any airflow.  Those medium loons are nice, but not for a high FPI rad.  They need shrouds, or they need to be in pull, preferably they should have a shround AND be in pull, and you can drop 5-10C for sure (maybe even more).  Not to mention they will run noticeably quieter.


Ah. It didn't make it through a 12hr Linpack test, so I'm still fiddling. I've backed down to 3.2GHz now. Yeah, I've learned now that pretty much all Black Ice rads have a really high FPI. In fact, that's why I got the YL mediums instead of low. Looks like I underestimated. But I feel like a shroud would hurt 'the look' a little. It would take some careful planning to get something fit. A good idea, but I don't it's worth it. 3.2GHz is still plenty. (I can't believe I just settled for less than the max 24/7 OC) Good idea though.

I got the CPU crunching and the GPU is folding 24/7. A bit to my surprise, no issues have popped up. Win 7 is very fast and slick too. And I just have to say it again, Google Chrome is _wickedly_ fast. 

So I'll definitely keep this thread updated if anything changes. Hopefully I've provided enough description so that people who may refer to this thread in the future will have enough info.

And thanks to everyone who participated. It really made a difference. 

- ak


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## phanbuey (Oct 30, 2009)

Wait... so it hits 70C during LINPACK??? I that case - you're fine lol... Linpack makes prime look like easy stroll through cnn.com


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 14, 2010)

hey awesome g5 mod by the way. im about to start my own g5 mod and im really liking the IR lED drive. do you think you can post the steps and the items that you used to make it. im very interested in how it was made and i cant seem to find anything on google. thanks man!


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## angelkiller (Jan 14, 2010)

travisridesbikes said:


> hey awesome g5 mod by the way. im about to start my own g5 mod and im really liking the IR lED drive. do you think you can post the steps and the items that you used to make it. im very interested in how it was made and i cant seem to find anything on google. thanks man!


Thanks!

First, let me say that I did this a few months ago, and I don't quite remember everything perfectly. But I think I documented it pretty well in this thread. So alot of the info you'll have to pull out from there. But feel free to ask questions about anything you don't understand. That's fine.

And, I'm going to assume you have a basic knowledge in electronics.

I went to Radio Shack and I got an IR LED emitter and dector. They both came in one package and I think Radio Shack only has one anyway. Next, I wired up the IR LED just like you would wire up any standard LED. I got the voltage from the 5v connector from the junction of the Molex pin and the PCB of the optical drive. Ground also came from here. But After the IR LED (aka the emitter) is wired up I had to use a bit more complex circuit for the detector. *Cuzza* kindly found the circuit that I needed. (great thanks to him!) I've reproduced his circuit below with my comments in red, just clarifing the parts.







One thing I _think_ I did differently was that I used a 1000 ohm resistor instead of the 500 ohm one. The schematic diagram above is pretty self explanatory. You have the two contact points from the switch and a ground from the Molex. When the two contacts of the switch are connected (like when you press the button) the drive opens. This circuit works the same way, but uses a transistor as the switch. 

When the IR detector 'sees' IR light, it allows current to pass through it. This completes the circuit of the Collector and Base of the transistor, causing a bit of current to pass through. When the transistor senses this current across its Collector and Base, it connects the Collector to the Emitter, which closes the circuit across the optical drive switch, which opens the drive.

You need a multimeter to determine which contact of the optical drive switch has voltage on it. One contact does, one doesn't. The one that does is Vin and the one that doesn't is Vout.

Hopefully that made sense. If not, feel free to ask questions. 

*Edit:* This pic may help too:


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 14, 2010)

angelkiller said:


> Thanks!
> 
> First, let me say that I did this a few months ago, and I don't quite remember everything perfectly. But I think I documented it pretty well in this thread. So alot of the info you'll have to pull out from there. But feel free to ask questions about anything you don't understand. That's fine.
> 
> ...




thank you so much, i'll go out and get everything that i need hopefully tomorrow and i'll let you know how i do. if i run into any questions i know who to come to.


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 14, 2010)

do you think you could label the things using this photo? the bottom right kinda confuses me and whats going on haha. thanks


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## angelkiller (Jan 14, 2010)

travisridesbikes said:


> do you think you could label the things using this photo? the bottom right kinda confuses me and whats going on haha. thanks http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1299/img2505large.jpg


Actually, that's the simple part.  You'll get it once I explain it.

Ok, so you know that the optical drive has a Molex connector on the back of it. Well on there are 4 wires on a Molex Connector. 12v, 5v and two ground wires. Well, there are 4 pins in the bottom right hand corner. Each pin is connected to the Molex connector from the back of the drive. I've labeled the voltages of each pin. This will be the same on any optical drive. (assuming it's in the same orientation. always a good idea to check with a multimeter) Anyway, look at the wired connected to the pins. The two wires on the bottom of the picture are connected to my IR LED. The positive side is connected to 5v, and the ground is connected to the ground pin. My resistors arn't pictured, but they're in that black heatshrink wrapping. It doesn't matter where you put the resistors, just make sure they're in the circuit, you can't run a LED without them. But, I have two wires connected to that ground pin. Look at my first labeled pic from my previous post. See the wire labeled Ground? Well that wire goes from the front of the drive, all the way to the back. And specifically, it goes to the ground pin from the molex connector. And I have one minor correction. You see in that previous pic where I have that 500 ohm resistor drawn? It's actually not exactly there. It's further up on the wire, but it was out of the pic, so I stuck it there. To be honest, it doesn't matter where it goes on the wire, it's all the same.

So those 4 pins are simply connected to the Molex connector and I use them as my grounds and as a voltage source.






Make sense now?


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 14, 2010)

yeah it deffiantly makes a lot more sense to me now, but since you said that you used 1000ohm resistor, should i buy two 1000ohms or two 500ohm like it says in the diagrams? thanks


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## angelkiller (Jan 14, 2010)

travisridesbikes said:


> yeah it deffiantly makes a lot more sense to me now, but since you said that you used 1000ohm resistor, should i buy two 1000ohms or two 500ohm like it says in the diagrams? thanks


I don't know the values of the resistors used in the resistors for the IR LED (on the bottom of the pic) You'll have to calculate that depending on the specs of the IR LED you use. (Should be way under 100 ohms)

But for the resistor for the IR detector circuit, a 1000 ohm resistor in place of the 500 ohm resistor is fine. You might even need 2000 ohms, because my final product was still pretty sensitive.


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## Papahyooie (Jan 14, 2010)

absolutely awesome. I want one.


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 14, 2010)

angelkiller said:


> I don't know the values of the resistors used in the resistors for the IR LED (on the bottom of the pic) You'll have to calculate that depending on the specs of the IR LED you use. (Should be way under 100 ohms)
> 
> But for the resistor for the IR detector circuit, a 1000 ohm resistor in place of the 500 ohm resistor is fine. You might even need 2000 ohms, because my final product was still pretty sensitive.



i went on the radio shack website and the only set i found was this http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049723 im guessing its the same one you used.

so i was gonna use this PNP transistor http://www.solarbotics.com/products...ct+Search&utm_campaign=Product+Search+(Jan10)


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## angelkiller (Jan 14, 2010)

Papahyooie said:


> absolutely awesome. I want one.


 Thanks!


travisridesbikes said:


> i went on the radio shack website and the only set i found was this http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049723 im guessing its the same one you used.
> 
> so i was gonna use this PNP transistor http://www.solarbotics.com/products...ct+Search&utm_campaign=Product+Search+(Jan10)


That set from Radio Shack looks like what I used. You can get everything you need from Radio Shack. I think these are the transistors. And they have the resistors and such there also.


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 14, 2010)

ah alright i'll try and make it out to radio shack soon. do you recommend any watt for the resistors? i was thinking maybe 1watt? but i wasnt to sure.


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## angelkiller (Jan 15, 2010)

travisridesbikes said:


> ah alright i'll try and make it out to radio shack soon. do you recommend any watt for the resistors? i was thinking maybe 1watt? but i wasnt to sure.


The wattage of the resistor depends on how much power it's dissapating.... generally, 1/4W resistors work fine. To be 100% safe, you could use 2 1/4W resistors half of the value you want. So instead of a single 1000 ohm 1/4W resistor, get two 500W, 1/4W resistors. That way, you get the same resistance, with the ability to dissipate 1/2W of energy. I doubt you would need more than that.


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## Cuzza (Jan 16, 2010)

the wattage doesn't matter in this case,  you can use the cheapest/smallest/lowest wattage you can find. that resistor is not going to have much current going through it, and certainly not for a long enough time to worry about overheating. the whole idea of using the transistorised circuit is so you can have a very low current through the detector diode but still trigger a substantial current to "flip the switch" on the drive.


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 21, 2010)

hey whats going on man? i just got my mac g5 in the mail today and im waiting my motherboard tray in the mail but tonight i decided to try and get the power button/LED to work, i was successful at getting the button to work but the LED only goes on with the button is being held, i tryed switching the power + with the LED+ and nothing happened at all. what do you think is the reason why its only turning on when being held in?


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## angelkiller (Jan 21, 2010)

travisridesbikes said:


> hey whats going on man? i just got my mac g5 in the mail today and im waiting my motherboard tray in the mail but tonight i decided to try and get the power button/LED to work, i was successful at getting the button to work but the LED only goes on with the button is being held, i tryed switching the power + with the LED+ and nothing happened at all. what do you think is the reason why its only turning on when being held in?


You're connecting the Power LED pins to a motherboard, right? Are you sure you have the right pins?


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 23, 2010)

im starting to wire the dvd drive but from the detector going to the resistor is it side C or E on the detector, and same with the emitter going to the resistor? thanks


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## angelkiller (Jan 24, 2010)

travisridesbikes said:


> im starting to wire the dvd drive but from the detector going to the resistor is it side C or E on the detector, and same with the emitter going to the resistor? thanks


Sorry for the late response.

TBH, I don't fully understand your question.

The detector is connected to a resistor and then to the Base of the transistor. The collector and emitter legs of the transistor connect across the eject switch. Study the 2nd pic in post 160 above.


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 24, 2010)

angelkiller said:


> Sorry for the late response.
> 
> TBH, I don't fully understand your question.
> 
> The detector is connected to a resistor and then to the Base of the transistor. The collector and emitter legs of the transistor connect across the eject switch. Study the 2nd pic in post 160 above.



noo i understand all of that but the detector has the two legs, one leg is side C and the other leg is side E, i wasnt sure if side E or C goes to the resistor.


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## angelkiller (Jan 24, 2010)

travisridesbikes said:


> noo i understand all of that but the detector has the two legs, one leg is side C and the other leg is side E, i wasnt sure if side E or C goes to the resistor.
> 
> http://i45.tinypic.com/2naigcl.jpg


Oh, I get it. 

Ok, if I recall correctly, one side of the dectector is flat. The pin that is on that side is negative, and connects to ground. I'm not sure if it's the emitter or collector. My _guess_ is that it's the collector, but I'm not so sure about that. However, I'm nearly certain that the flat side is negative.

Hopefully that answers your question.


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## travisridesbikes (Jan 24, 2010)

angelkiller said:


> Oh, I get it.
> 
> Ok, if I recall correctly, one side of the dectector is flat. The pin that is on that side is negative, and connects to ground. I'm not sure if it's the emitter or collector. My _guess_ is that it's the collector, but I'm not so sure about that. However, I'm nearly certain that the flat side is negative.
> 
> Hopefully that answers your question.



ah alright and the other side (postive) is going to the transistor. alright thanks


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## angelkiller (Feb 10, 2010)




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## jayarebee (Feb 28, 2014)

Hey guys, I must say some really nice work above... totally blows away what I came up with converting my G5 to ATX tower. I am approaching the finish line as I just need to file down my back panel a bit more and then snap it into place so that my PCI cards can reach to be securely screwed down properly as I do not want my graphics card or my new USB 3.0 reader hanging loosely. The only thing that worries me is connecting the motherboard to the tower for the Power On/Off... as for the rest of the options I don't care, not even about a Reset button if there even is one, never noticed. Speakers, LEDS, etc.. don't care. I took out my old PC's Power On Cable, saved the pin setup that plugged onto the motherboard that nicely tells you what pin does what on the MB. I ordered a Supermicro CBL084L Front Panel Connector that I hope connects everything for me automatically and I don't have to start fishing for the Power On/Off holes even though I do see the diagrams, I just do not know if what I saved from my old PC would still even work? I could post a picture if needed... but here is what my case looks from the side now as I propped the motherboard up today for the first time and started piecing things together...

http://www.jayarebee.com/apple/inside02.jpg
http://www.jayarebee.com/apple/inside03.jpg

http://www.jayarebee.com/apple/back01.jpg

This is what I ordered as I recall reading somewhere it would do the trick, I really hope so as I am not the best when it comes time to solder things back together...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130610571120&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:US:1120


It may help to say I have an older ASUS *M3A32-MVP Deluxe* motherboard.

Here is what I saved from my old tower, the white piece obviously fits on the motherboard and the 2 little wires with black endings came out as safely as I could from the old tower... not sure if they can be used or not. I wouldn't trust myself soldering them into something, but I have surprised myself in the past... they are from the Power SW.


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## Vario (Mar 1, 2014)

^that looks nice!


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## jayarebee (Mar 2, 2014)

I gave up on trying to get the motherboard connected to the G5 Case's Power Switch, I never cared about the front USB on the case as I cut out a slot for my little Front Panel Card Reader/USB I got cheap off NewEgg years ago. I patched together my old towers Power On button, it looks awful but it turns this puppy back on. So much room for new fans to go, using Velcro (like the EZPass Kind) to mount the fans is pretty nifty, forget screws and finding safe places to drill into. This case is huge compared to my last one, so far everything is working properly. I took a trip to MicroCenter in beautiful Paterson, NJ today and was directed to the Build it Yourself Center.. where you basically have to Find it Yourself when it comes to baggies of parts as I was looking for the Startech ATX FrontCase Bezel Wire Kit which they did not have after looking through bins for about 30minutes with no help from the staff.

So I came home, fixed up my old tower's Power Button that I mangled up a bit, but was able to connect everything so far besides my front panel card reader just to go for a test run and everything seems stable. The Tower is so easy to carry around, it's actually too high to fit under part of my desk I will have to move it later, as for now it's behind the desk... Anyway this is what it looks like for now despite wires galore everywhere and no back panel on yet....


FRONT http://www.jayarebee.com/apple/almostdone02.jpg
BACK http://www.jayarebee.com/apple/almostdone05.jpg
SIDE http://www.jayarebee.com/apple/almostdone07.jpg

I hope to file out the back panel, possibly paint it, then bolt it down securely on the back, I spaced it up earlier and it seemed like it will fit perfectly after a little bit of work. I have more than enough room now inside the case to put the side panel back on when I am finished... I always left the side panel off my old system for vent issues.. I will most likely run it like this for a bit and decide later on. Anyway just my experiences so far, I think I will buy a new Power Button for the case and place it in the back somewhere. As you can see where the PSU is on the bottom I have plenty of space which was always an issue with my last smaller tower...


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## Vario (Mar 2, 2014)

For a power switch on a custom wood case, I got one of these http://mnpctech.com/pc-switch-plates/16mm-22mm-plate/, I think mine is dual 22mm.   Not sure if thats helpful to you.  Pretty expensive but really hard to find a nice switch plate.

Lian li also makes a 5.25 bay power switch and multifunction http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...lver_-_BZ-U01A.html?tl=c139s296b3&id=LKBTcRmE
or
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...t_Button_-_BZ-U08B.html?tl=g43c241s1383#blank

Again not sure if thats helpful


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## jayarebee (Mar 2, 2014)

The bay power switches are extremely cool, a little pricey but I think they'd be worth it for the finishing touches. I was glad this little project worked out, compared to what I had my old system in it was completely disgusting and my friends laughed at it despite I can still game with the rest of them. This case with the built in handles up top and stand on bottom are excellent, I do not travel my tower around often, but this thing would make any little trips 100% easier. It's always nice to have something to be proud of whether the power or looks. I am glad I could always toss something new into this. Mounting the back end I will take my time so it looks nicer than any previous pictures I have posted, I've bought some pretty shaky cases in the past and I am sure whatever I can come up with could be better than some of the cheap junk I've had in the past. I just want to secure the 3 PCI cards I use, being the graphics card, USB 3.0 card, and Audio card. I can hide a lot of the unused power wires/cables from the PSU behind the PSU on the inside of the case for appearance, strap stuff down, etc... I will certainly be grabbing something like that Bay Power Switch in chrome thanks for the tip. As for now my iffy power button handing out the side will do for now


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## jayarebee (Mar 6, 2014)

As you can see my current Power Button is just hanging out alongside the front panel... the black front panel bay is/was my USB 2.0/Media Card and headphone output but I believe it shorted out or just died the other day... so I ordered another with USB 3.0 capability from Newegg it's an nMedia ZE-C288 5.25" front panel bay with card readers, audio jacks, 2 USB 3.0 (woohoo!) and 2 fan controls which I do not need at the moment. Hopefully it just replaced what I originally have/had with the upgrade of USB 3.0... hopefully the USB cable/pins reach the USB 3.0 PCI card.. they should unless they are ridiculously short. I ordered a replacement Power Button off eBay for like $4 from China or somewhere, same exact thing I have now but not banged up and reconnected as the one I am using now is which is why it's got a little hockey tape on it


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## JunkBear (Mar 7, 2014)

travisridesbikes said:


> noo i understand all of that but the detector has the two legs, one leg is side C and the other leg is side E, i wasnt sure if side E or C goes to the resistor.


 

Long leg in LED is always the + positive.


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## jayarebee (Mar 12, 2014)

This is my new Front Panel Reader w/ USB 3.0 output (connected to my USB 3.0 PCI Card), headphone/mic jacks working properly, media card readers working properly, I just have to get the thing mounted or plant it down some how to be sturdy enough. Maybe 1 day I will try and figure out the Power Mac's Front Panel Again to use the power button, or maybe I will just modify it so that it hits my regular ATX Power Switch I really haven't put much thought into it yet... Anyway the side panel is back on, I've yet to mount the back panel back on which I will soon enough when I get the time to file down the panel and then mount it securely enough just so that my PCI cards stay in place and safe from jarring free whenever I plug anything into either of the 2 USB 3.0 ports in the back, besides that I don't fidget with anything connected in the back as it is all there to stay and the computer case is stationary like any case obviously stays while in use.... It was a fun few weeks making a project out of restoring this case, I think it looks great and has so much room inside I could still add fans for cooling but it hasn't been necessary. I am waiting for a new PC Power Switch to come in the mail that I ordered for like 99 cents from China since my current one is taped together as I ripped the wires out of it like an idiot when taking it out of my old case. Thanks to all for suggestions, ideas, comments, help and what not. I still may pickup that Startech Wire Repair kit that I couldn't find at the local Micro Center store.. I've seen it on eBay for about $8 bucks which ain't bad at all. I still think it would be awesome to use the case's actual power button. But since there is only 1 USB and a headphone jack on the case I am glad I invested in my front panel bay device to get access to those without using the case.


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## txaggie90 (Feb 4, 2015)

angelkiller said:


> _Next was another tricky part. In order to remove the heatsinks, you need to loosen (not remove) 4 hex screws for each CPU (8 total) Three are at the corners of the heatsink and the fourth is the the hole that the heatsinks make. I used a 3/32 hex wrench, but that was a bit too small. (but it worked) A 7/64 hex wrench was too big. ($5 down the drain) I suspect the hex screw may be metric... Can't confirm. Getting the first 3 screws out was challenging. Getting the fourth screw out (the one between the heatsinks, was a BITCH!!  The allen wrench needs to be at around 6in long to get down there. I couldn't find one. (I dunno if they even make them) Then I tried using needle nose pliers and holding a regular 3/32 allen wrench down there. Umm. No. Then I finally found a really tiny screwdriver that was really long and had a fairly narrow handle. I had to bend the two heatsinks apart as far as they would go. (which isn't much, but every mm helps.) The screw driver didn't fit perfectly in the hex screw, but if I pressed down hard enough, I was able to get enough grip to loosen the screw. After it's loose, and the other 3 are out, you can remove one of the CPUs. Note that you only have to remove 1 hex screw in the middle of the heatsinks. After that, one CPU can come out, giving you access to the other 4th screw. And, I had to do some bending to get to the other screws too. I bent the metal piece that separates the CPUs from expansion cards towards the top of the case and I also bent the secondary heatsink on the CPU._



It is metric.  I used a 2.5mm hex on it.  Luckily, I have a hex screwdriver set that has a really long handle, so my time to get them off was all of 2 minutes.  Believe I found it at Micro Center or somewhere like that.  Can't confirm it right off hand, since I couldn't find mine, but this might be the exact size of the old Mac SE case screws which required the long special hex tool to remove.


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