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| iPowerBook G3 |
| Written by Timothy O'Brien | |||||||||||||||||
| Friday, 01 September 2006 | |||||||||||||||||
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I wanted to create a tablet G3 computer from a Lombard laptop but I didn’t have the money for a USB touch panel and a similar mod had been done in the past. So, instead of creating a tablet Mac, I decided I was going to create an iMac G5 look-alike. By the time my project got off the ground, I was able to secure two Pismos. I took the hit of putting aside a week of work on a Lombard and went ahead with the Pismo as the base for the project.
My main goal was for this to look just like an Apple product. I didn’t want this to look like a computer that was create in South Boston, but in Cupertino, CA; in the heart of Apple. So, the first step was to tear down the laptop. The G3 "Pismo" series laptop is very easy to break down. I used the guides at www.iFixit.com to help me along the way. I used every moder’s favorite screw holder, the ice cube tray. This is the first project I needed a screw holder for (my other mods only had about 5 screws) and it worked like a charm. Once I had the computer broken down to it’s parts, including breaking down the display assembly that I had to wing. I had very clear idea of how I was going to build this machine. 
I started by picking up the top of the laptop assembly, removing the metal shield below the palm rest near the keyboard along with the trackpad and trackpad button. Next, I used my Dremel to cut along the edge of the plastic, leaving enough to screw the laptop back together and to create a seam around the edge of the computer. Once that was cut and I sanded the rough edges, I then put the bottom and top of the laptop together to see how well the fit. Once again, I was very happy with how this project was looking.  0 
Next, I put a few of the body parts together to see how the parts would fit, including the screen, and I noticed a small problem. I didn’t secure the lid of the computer closed in any way. So, I then use my trusty Dremel to cut off the edge of the lid of the laptop that I was going to toss and used some JB Quik to mount it onto the screen. It was a tight fit but it got the job done! 
While I was doing all this, I purchased a slot loading Combo Drive for the computer because the stock DVD rom was not going to cut it if I was going to go for the iMac G5 look. I got the drive in and put it in the housing that the DVD-ROM used and BAM! It worked the first time playing a CD on iTunes. It was music to my ears. Next, what do I do with the power button? With the screen being turned around and always flat against the body of the computer, I needed to relocate it. Digging though some old computer parts at work, I found some weight saving parts that would replace the optical drive in case you wanted to travel light. Well, this was the same size as a battery and this computer was going to lose it’s portability and need for a battery anyway. So, I drilled a hole for the power button and used some JB Quik to install it on to the case. While I was doing this, I had a great idea to move the USB ports up the side. While I don’t have the skills to do this with solder, I did have the idea to put a small USB hub in there and make one wire from the USB ports on the bottom to power it. This worked great! Now I could have internal Bluetooth, WIFI (if I couldn’t find an Airport Card) and still have two external USB ports on the side for easy access! 
The Computer Was Coming Together! WRONG! I could not get my modding hands on any modeling putty! So, I was going to have to use bondo. This was not ideal, but it had to work. I used the bondo to fill in the seams on the side of the computer and the very top where the screen latched shut. To create the perfect seams, I lined the top part of the computer with some blue painter’s tape. The Bondo didn’t stick to the tape and it came off the computer with no issues, a perfect match! Once the bondo hardened, it was time to sand and sand and sand and sand... I did these steps twice (tape, bondo, let it set, sand) to get the computer looking as clean as I could. It didn’t turn out nearly as nice as I wanted it to look but with 3 days left and rain coming into Boston I had to push forward. 
I cleaned all the body parts with soap and water to prep them for painting. I wanted to use the KISS rule (keep it simple, stupid) so I used Krylon Fusion for Plastics. I did a test on the hacked up cover and it looked fine. It was then that I found a critical error I didn’t see before I started the bondo; I could no longer remove the two lower parts of the computer’s case. Luckily, I left the logic board in the computer when I was testing the screen so it was in there already, but the logicboard had been exposed to the dust from the sanding. I sure hoped this worked! Pushing forward, I then setup some newspaper on my back stairs, taped up the back of the laptop (I wanted to keep the stock look) and put two coats of paint onto the laptop’s shell. 
Now it was time to put it all back together for the last time! I ran into two big issues. One, the LCD was from a Lombard and the inverter was from a Pismo. This caused bad news and I had to re-solder the wires to a Pismo display. That was done and all was good but my USB port on the bottom of the computer was acting flaky. I used some hot glue to secure the wires in place, but the USB Bluetooth inside the USB hub, added the MAC address of the WIFI card to my network. I could have been any happier! I mounted it on the wall like the piece of art that is it. The Bluetooth keyboard and mouse work like a dream. The slot loading Combo Drive worked perfect (though a little loud). And the mod is Done!.. for now anyway. A good mod is never completed and a good modder never stops! I loved doing this, and I cannot wait to do another one, maybe a different method though. I create more hurdles for myself then needed! 
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