[PLOG] Mac G5 --> PC Conversion

[travisridesbikes]

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.

 

[angelkiller]

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.

 

[travisridesbikes]

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

 

[angelkiller]

 

[jayarebee]

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.

 

[Vario]

^that looks nice!

 

[jayarebee]

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...

 

[Vario]

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

 

[jayarebee]

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

 

[jayarebee]

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

 

[JunkBear]

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.

 

[jayarebee]

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.

 

[txaggie90]

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.