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Apple iComponent - G3 Conversion

Written by Joseph

Monday, 13 September 2004

Apple iComponent - A Bluetooth controled music jukebox, beige G3 hardware, new Apple look.

I was lucky enough to win a Beige G3 from where I work. I have upgraded is to OS 10.2 and have fun fiddling around with it. I wanted to do something useful with it though, rather than have it wasting away in my back room. It’s not a very powerful system, but it handles OSX pretty well, if a little slow at times. So, intensive apps like video editing or PVR use would not really fit the bill.

Stock, it was just a plain Beige G3, in good shape with no real cosmetic issues.

The Folding design was, and still is, such a brilliant design for a case.

It’s very easy to work on.

-=-

I settled on using my G3, connected to my stereo system in the living room, as a networked MP3 player. It turned out to be the perfect use for a basic G3 system. But, there was a problem – the look of it. It just didn’t look right sitting under a decent amount of mid-high end stereo equipment. So, I decided to remake the case.

I went for a “What if Apple had made a high-end stereo component” type of look and feel.

I added a D-Link Bluetooth adapter, and I already had a Sony-Ericsson T610 phone with bluetooth built in. So, by using Salling Clicker (awesome software!) I can control iTunes from my couch. Plus, as soon as I walk into the room the software ‘sees’ I am there and is ready to go. Connected to my stereo, it makes the perfect iComponent.

(Try as I might, I couldn’t get a good picture of Salling Clicker on my phone, the T610 picture is from Salling Clicker’s website.)

I had already made my own Plastic Bender, and was pretty good at working with Acrylic, so I decided to go with that as my material of choice. Acrylic is nice, inexpensive, and fairly easy to work with. It also has the bonus of looking amazing when painted from the inside.

I started by bending the single sheet for the Front and Top of the case. First I had to mark some guides where I wanted the bends to be.

-=-

Bending the first...um...bend...

...And now, the second bend.

Clamping the last bend in place.

Done and done! It's a perfect fit too. Only two basic 90* bends,

but I rolled the corners a bit more than usual to give it a better look.

The next step was to make a new mount for the CD-Rom and the Matrix Orbital LCD Display. I didn’t want to use the factory mount, it placed the cd to far over, and I wanted it to be closer to center. I started with the CD-Rom, again, just two basic 90* bends. I used the drive itself as a form.

Marking out the bend-lines.

The first bend.

Done! Just have to drill some mounting holes, and it'll be good to go!

Now I had to make a mount for the LCD. I wanted it to be right above the CD-Rom, and the best solution was to build onto the CD mount.

-=-

Marking where to cut.

Clamped and cut. Dremel and a Tungsten bit.

Test fit.

Once that was cut, I had to test fit everything and mark out where to make the window (for the LCD) on the main case. I decided not to have an opening for a cd-rom. Since all of my music is stored on a 160GB Network Attached Storage (NAS) box, I don’t have any need for a cd-rom. Plus, I wanted to keep the front as simple and clean as possible.

Marked, and ready to be masked.

I had made a mask for the LCD display to show through. I also made a mask in the shape of the Apple Logo on the top of the case. I used a plastic adhesive mask material normally used for model RC cars. You can get it at any hobby store. The idea was, wherever the mask was – there would be a clear window left in the case.

Next step was painting. I didn’t get any ‘painting process’ pictures since I got a bit involved in the painting and forgot.

Now, before we get to the final pictures, there was one last thing. You’ll remember I mentioned the Apple shaped window on the top? Well, as all Beige G3 owners know, there aren’t any really interesting bits on the ‘top’ level of the case. I wanted to do something to really set it apart.

So, I bought a G3 cpu from Ebay (alas, it was still a good chip). And I also cut another, smaller, Apple Logo from some 1/4in Acrylic Mirror.

Sanding and finishing the Apple Logo.

I attached the CPU to the Mirrored Apple, and attached that to the case. Then, on the inside of the case, I put a sheet of dark-blue acrylic. Want to see the final result?

It came out great. Painting acrylic from the backside really gives you a ‘Mile Deep’ look to the finish. Also, even though I was using flat paint, the acrylic makes it look like super high-gloss (an effect that is really tough to photograph!).

All in all, I’m very happy with how it came out. Working with acrylic is easy, but challenging at the same time. It is so easy to crack a small piece when drilling. Also, if you crack it, the edges are sharp as a razor! Don’t believe me? See for yourself!

Ouch!

As I was bending a part the joint cooled too much, and I put too much pressure on it, and CRACK! Next thing I know blood is running down my hand. Ah, it wouldn’t be a mod without at least one injury!

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my mod. I aim to inspire all of use to dust off our older Apple hardware, spruce it up, and come up with some unique uses for it!

Thanks to Matrix Orbital (http://www.matrixorbital.com/pages/default.asp) for donating the display, be sure to check them out!

Also, thanks to the author of Salling Clicker (http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling/Shareware/Clicker/) for writing an excellent (and inexpensive) killer application for us!

Finally, thanks to MacMod for not only supporting the community, but also hosting these great mods!

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