The Apple Set Top 'Book

The Apple Set Top ëBook is a "headless" iBook G3 inside a prototype Apple Set Top Box case. The Set Top Box is a product from the 90's that Apple never fully developed, and was never marketed. The purpose for this mod was to create a unique Apple TV-like device that could play music, videos, and more on the TV using a full computer running the Mac OS X operating system, while keeping the price under $200. The Set Top Box case is the perfect size for a media-oriented iBook.

Supplies:

• iBook G3 - $130 (eBay)
• Apple Set Top Box Prototype - $30 (eBay)
• iBook AV Cable - $20 (eBay)
• Various tools including screw drivers, wire cutters, drills, soldering iron, glue gun, etc.Thin stranded wire.
• USB extension cord.
• 2-56 X 1/2" Bolts w/ Nuts
• Other stuff I'm sure I forgot.

Process:

Step One: Gutting The Set Top Box

The case was extremely easy to gut. Most pieces came out by pressing or pulling their plastic tabs. There was one screw holding the motherboard in. Everything slipped out cleanly and easily.

Step Two: Dismantling the iBook

I followed this guide to remove the iBook case parts and screen, leaving a headless barebones iBook for me to mount in the Set Top Box case. The iBook was obtained cheap on eBay, had a few problems, and was not in good cosmetic condition. I felt it was the perfect candidate for the job. I would not rip apart an iBook in good condition.


Step Three: Mounting the iBook

I used 2-56 X 1/2" bolts with nuts from Fry's Electronics to mount the iBook frame containing motherboard, hard drive, etc in the Set Top Box. I marked the holes to be drilled with a piece of pencil lead. Once the case was drilled, I was able to easily bolt in the iBook using the existing mounting holes in its frame. The back port section was cut out using a Dremel to fit the iBook ports flush against the back. The power port board was screwed into the iBook frame because it needed to be grounded.



The power brick was taped down with a piece of extra-strong, double-sided foam sticky tape. The original power button was wired to the iBook and is functional. I extended the wires of the iBook sleep light and hot-glued it in front and center, where the IR port used to be. When the computer is sleeping, the light can be seen pulsing through the plastic just below the Apple logo on the front of the case.

I wired the power LED, along with a 60mm fan I mounted to the bottom of the top case, to a 4.5V AC power brick I had in a parts bin. The fan pulls out just enough hot air to keep the iBook at a reasonable temperature. The original iBook AirPort antenna was mounted to the bottom of the top case along with the fan. A USB port was installed in the side of the case, where the Set Top Box's ADB port was. Excessive amounts of hot glue were used to mount the port, and it is strong. The USB cable goes out the back of the case and connects to the iBook USB ports on the outside. On the back, a black piece of thin, flexible plastic was cut to size and used to cover the old unused ports. No, the Set Top ëBook does not have an internal CD/DVD drive. I did not want to hack at the front or side panels, and I did not want to put it in the back where it would be hard to access. I use an external one instead.

And that's pretty much it. The Set Top ëBook is now connected to the TV and stereo playing music and videos in the living room. Larger photos, and a video of the sleep light, are in the attached folder titled "set top book". If you have any questions or comments, please email me at mlewis ëat' macmod ëdot' com .

Specs:

• PPC G3 @ 500Mhz
• 320MB PC133 Memory
• 80GB IDE HDD
• 802.11b AirPort Card
• Mac OS X 10.4.10 Tiger

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