The latest mac build. A Mac Plus/Core 2/Color.

I hate to see a Mac turned into a PC (or are you putting OS X on it?), but I must admit, I find the idea of turning it into a guitar FX box very interesting! Good luck with the mod, I'll be watching this with interest!

It'll be interesting to see how you get the flat LCD monitor to mate to the curve of the Mac Plus' case. The most elaborate mod I've seen so far involved cutting the curved glass front off the CRT so that it could be left in the case and the flat LCD placed behind it. That must be a ton of work though. I take it that you're gonna run some kinda VST host or something on it?

The machine will never, ever see windows. Leopard it will be.

In response to your second question, I won't be using a flat panel, but a good old fashioned 10" color CRT that I ordered from japan. I'll be running Logic 8.

Even nicer!

oops, I see you did mention that you were putting in a 10" CRT (didn't see that!) Nice touch having an auto-eject floppy drive in there too. Are you re-using the one from the Mac plus?

Do it right this time! Use an IO shield that isn't too ulgy (Spray paint it beige?) and don't do the "Shove extenders through the old ports" trick.

Can't wait to see how this turns out.

I won't be using a flat panel, but a good old fashioned 10" color CRT that I ordered from japan.

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Care to share the make and model number with us? I did not think it was possible to make the glass neck of a color CRT shorter than they are on every 10" I have seen in my own quest. How's the picture quality? I assume it is shadow mask, or is it aperture grille?

10" color CRT

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Care to share the make and model number with us?

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Triple pretty please? :b&w:

Am I mistaken, or have you already trimmed some plastic from the screen surround in the photo above? It looks as though you're preparing it to mount something flat. Is your CRT flat in two dimensions?

Here is the link to the monitor that will be serving as the donor for the CRT

http://www.vibrantepos.co.uk/products_crt_vs10s.php

(link dead - see archive copy)

It looks as if the monitor has a very similar curve profile to the existing crt. I have not trimmed from the front of the Plus, and hopefully won't have to.

-Patrick

Here are some rough measurements of the CRT, based on the manufactures provided dimensions for the exterior of the housing.

Depth isn't shown, but the documentations says that this monitor is only 200 cm deep. Thats only 7 7/8th inches!

Further building, the power supply arrived today, so this is what I've got so far.

First off, I wanted to utilize the Plus' original power switch, power outlet, and battery. I did this to allow the machine to look stock from the outside. (As I post further build steps it will become obvious how I will do this on the data ports at the bottom, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.)



Here is an angle that shows you how I've begun routing the wires running from the PS to the mainboard.



Here it is during test fitting; they fit exactly into the space provided, without a millimeter of wiggle room.



Next up will be drilling holes in the chassis to mount the motherboard permanently to. And building cages for the drives.

I'll post more as I get to it.

-Patrick

what board is this?

the D945GCLF2 I guess? If so it will run OSX like a charm got one of those babies running as a server with Leo Server.

Hats off to you, Patrick. This is amazing. Do keep us posted.

Cheers!

Rick

Beginning of 10.5.5 install.

Re: CRT. Are you in the UK? Or was that the only one you could find anywhere? Care to share the price?

Here is a link to a us ebay auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160316885018&ih=006&sspagename=STORE%3APROMOBOX%3ANEWLIST&category=116347&viewitem=&salenotsupported#LIST

Here are some rough measurements of the CRT, based on the manufactures provided dimensions for the exterior of the housing.Depth isn't shown, but the documentations says that this monitor is only 200 cm deep. Thats only 7 7/8th inches!

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I hope that it's not a typo. Vibrant appears to be a badged re-seller. Here's a link to the manufacturer's literature (archive copy), which TVS doesn't seem to make anymore. It sure looks like standard color CRT specs, though, with a 300mm depth. Let us know when you get the monitor. If so, the 24th Anniversary Macintosh grayscale monitor is not a bad way to go and it will definitely fit.

Very exciting project you have there. Seems to be going smoothly! Do keep us posted and let us know of any roadbumps you have along the way.

documentations says that this monitor is only 200 cm deep.

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I hope that it's not a typo. / link to the manufacturer's literature, which TVS / It sure looks like standard color CRT specs, though, with a 300mm depth.

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First up, 200mm, not 200cm. 200cm is over six feet!

TVS's SVGA 9" greyscale caught my eye, so I checked out the specs on that one. Even that is 246mm deep. Can't get to a Compact right now - does anyone want to measure one/several and post the depth?

I did measure a CC, and at 320mm it should hold the above colour CRT comfortably

Here is a link to a us ebay auction.

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Thanks, but I guess you didn't notice my location - it's under my avatar. At AU$300 (US$200) after shipping, I might as well pick up a local or Hong Kong LCD.

Still curious about what you're paying for yours.

documentations says that this monitor is only 200 cm deep.

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I hope that it's not a typo. / link to the manufacturer's literature, which TVS / It sure looks like standard color CRT specs, though, with a 300mm depth.

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First up, 200mm, not 200cm. 200cm is over six feet!

TVS's SVGA 9" greyscale caught my eye, so I checked out the specs on that one. Even that is 246mm deep. Can't get to a Compact right now - does anyone want to measure one/several and post the depth? I did measure a CC, and at 320mm it should hold the above colour CRT comfortably

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You see how easy it is to make a typo!

The Macintosh 128K through the SE/30 are all 9.6" wide by 10.9" (276.8mm) deep. The Classic & Classic 2 are 11.2" (284.5mm) deep, due solely to the radius curve in front. The Color Classic grows to 12.6" (320mm) deep. Of course the sole reason the CC is the longest compact is because it was designed to handle the additional depth required by color monitors. Complicating matters, is the fact that the B&W compacts don't actually have the full depth in which to fit the monitor thanks to their perpendicular back (the CC's back is parallel to the front angle giving it a uniform depth), resulting in a maximum depth of about 9.2" (235mm) where the top of the CRT neck connector would hit the rear case. Now granted, the manufacturer specs on those monitors are giving details of the case exterior, the grayscale of which probably has at least 1" (25mm) of padding, so the actual CRT would easily fit within the Mac space allotted. Apply the same ratio to the colour display, even if the padding is doubled, the CRT won't fit in the Mac Plus case by at least 25mm.

Well hell....

Everyone was right, I received the monitor yesterday, and it can't fit. I suppose I'll have to go with the 8.4 Camos LCD screen. Perhaps I'll cut the front glass off of the plus' original monitor to make for a more accurate exterior. I don't really know that it is worth the trouble though.

-Bummed.

I don't think it would be too bad if you had a bump-out on the back. I think a curved CRT that you can see from the front and an extra box on the back look better than an LCD and and intact back. The front is much more important than the back in my opinion.

It's possible the video board on the back of the CRT isn't very large too, so it may be a small box. I want to see a color CRT in a Mac Plus!! You may be able to cut exactly around the big Mac Plus label on the back and bump out that whole area.

I don't think it would be too bad if you had a bump-out on the back. I think a curved CRT that you can see from the front and an extra box on the back look better than an LCD and and intact back. The front is much more important than the back in my opinion.

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Sorry to hear it. I was afraid of that since even a small 4" color CRT has a neck about as long as a 10" CRT for some technical reason.

Normally, I would be against mutilating a Plus in such a way, but even Apple agrees with Dennis Nedry. One of the little things that drives me crazy about the HD20 case is that it has a little bump out the back for a fan which totally ruins the profile of the unit from the side and back, but the front of the design looks great. Also, the Plus is available in ample supply, unlike the 128K & 512K. I'd prefer to see this done to a Platinum model for this reason.

I disagree about the LCD. There have ben some successful implementations of them. If one could use a smaller resolution within a frame of the native resolution, a larger LCD should fit flat against the bezel with the gaps filled in by some black masking and look pretty nice. I do think the Plus looks better aesthetically with the curved screen so using the front of a CRT in theory should look great. According to one report, using a diamond Dremel saw made the process a snap, especially since it doesn't have to look too pretty. So it is definitely worth the consideration. Here is a previous discussion with some links.

My goal would be to leave the unit as intact as possible – one of the reasons I love the 24th Anniversary model complete with its original, yet re-mapped functional ports. Cutting a hole in the back ruins that. Using an LCD alters the look, but if behind curved glass, then it should look OEM. He still has to work out how to connect the original keyboard and mouse as well.

nextse7en, this is a great project! I especially like the clean look of your custom-made innards. I thought I had to jump in that thread just to show off once more with my own Macintosh SE/X (which I recently re-branded from its original "Macminitosh"): flickr gallery.

I went the easy way with a complete Core Duo Mac mini, which I didn't bother to open, since it fits right in. But yours looks much cleaner inside! As for the screen, I chose the 8.4'' LCD way, with a soft black mask around the edges which practically fills the gaps. Now I heard some people around here cutting the original CRT's front, and I may well give that a try sooner or later.

Anyway, good luck and have a lot of fun in your project!

Nice work there superpantoufle. I should let you know though, there is already a Mac SE/X out there on the webtertubes somewhere. Besides, I like the name Macminitosh!

I should let you know though, there is already a Mac SE/X out there on the webtertubes somewhere.

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Yes, here: http://apptree.net/macsex.htm

Nice work there superpantoufle. I should let you know though, there is already a Mac SE/X out there on the webtertubes somewhere. Besides, I like the name Macminitosh!

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Yes, here: http://apptree.net/macsex.htm

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And there's also already a Mac Minitosh out there, sadly… I like both names. At first I named my project after the destruc.tv one (too bad he painted it black, otherwise it's pretty cool!), which is the one which got me started. Then, after crawling the web for similar projects to get some inspiration, I sure discovered the Apptree.net project. If I recall well, I even wrote a couple of mails to that guy for advice. His pictures helped me a lot to in figuring things out, even though I ended making different choices. But I dislike what he did with the display. It doesn't feel right. And he named it the SE/X even though his is obviously a Classic case (actually a Classic II, he says).

So mine is the only known "real" SE/X!!!

But I dislike what he did with the display. It doesn't feel right. And he named it the SE/X even though his is obviously a Classic case (actually a Classic II, he says)...So mine is the only known "real" SE/X!!!

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I agree about the display on the SE/X, it's the flatness juxtaposed with the radius arc (the same thing happened with the LC580). And it is of course a Classic form factor – then again yours is a Plus too (like the distruc.tv one, which I actually don't care for in black), so really none of you is entitled to the "SE/X" name. If anyone does, it's this guy's Mac mini mod (archive copy). Of course his is uncharacteristically sloppy for a Japanese mod.

Of course SEx is not taken, but it still needs to be an SE and technically a 68030. Despite the clever stories related about Apple choosing the SE/30 name, technically it would have been SEcx, to correspond to the IIcx (compact '030) released at the same time, which is simply kind of messy. Also, "SE" stood for the English words "System Expansion". The "II" was a Roman numeral. In general, they mixed letters an numbers, so the SEx would have been an aberration in relation to their current system. Also Apple had a significant international presence by this time and had already begun re-branding certain models with numbers where the English words would have no meaning: the "Macintosh 512K enhanced" became the "512K/800" abroad. Later the SE would would follow suit: "Macintosh SE 1/20" instead of "FDHD" which would have no meaning in a language other than English, whereas the original SE's had descriptions on the label like "1 Mbyte RAM, Two 800K Drives". So I seriously doubt Apple ever considered "SEx" as anything other than a joke.

then again yours is a Plus too (like the distruc.tv one, which I actually don't care for in black), so really none of you is entitled to the "SE/X" name. If anyone does, it's this guy's Mac mini mod.

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Hey, stop kidding! nextse7en's (thread author) is a Plus, as the title of the thread says. But mine is a SE all the way through it's smallest screws, and you won't be able to prove me wrong!

And since it's a SE and not a SE/30 case, as you pointed out, and obviously running OS X, I bet it still deserves its SE/X name. I'll pay some royalties to that guy!

I received the monitor yesterday, and it can't fit.

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Nuts :-/ You haven't mentioned price, but I'll bet that wasn't cheap. Well, at least you've got a perfect monitor for a CC mod ;D

A semi-random thought: at 9" and 1024x768, maybe a monochrome screen is actually a better idea, in terms of readability?

a bump-out on the back.

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Anyone else ever have one of those old wooden cased CRT televisions with a truncated cone, like a cup, protruding from the back for the last few inches of tube? Maybe one of them would be aesthetically acceptable. I suggest making one or two different model bump-outs up out of card and sticking them to the back of the case for a few days before making any cuts. See if you can live with them

Is there any way the front bezel could be modded to give you a little extra room forwards?

http://apptree.net/macsex.htm

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But I dislike what he did with the display. It doesn't feel right.

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I hates, hates, hates it, and want to stab it with fire. It's too .... busy, with all those steps between the case front and the screen proper, and way too obviously a hack, considering the quality of finish on the rest of the box. It would have looked far nicer to extend the angled sides inwards to meet the screen edges (Bondo, modelling clay, bog, balsa wood) instead of having that extra step at the last approach. Heck, I prefer the Japanese hacks that mount a larger LCD flush with the case front.

Well, at least you've got a perfect monitor for a CC mod ... Heck, I prefer the Japanese hacks that mount a larger LCD flush with the case front.

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Sadly this doesn't work for a CC either which used the relatively flat Trintron CRT with only a horizontal curve. So the shadow mask would still need filler on the top and bottom of the screen.

The larger LCDs still do not sit flush as it only touches the corners, requiring filler on all four sides. But as you say, still better than that silly lip which alters too much of the design. Of all the designs that the flat LCD looks best with, it is the SE which is accommodates it most, Esslinger's Snow White design language being essentially flat, geometric and utilitarian.

Hey, stop kidding! nextse7en's (thread author) is a Plus, as the title of the thread says. But mine is a SE all the way through it's smallest screws, and you won't be able to prove me wrong!

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Oops, got confused there for a minute. Yes of course yours gets to be the "SE/X". The other guy has to pay you royalties. Perhaps you should label yours simply "SE X", or "SE:X". Actually his would have turned out much better had he actually used an SE per my observation above.
Then there's this one, which Bunsen seems to thinkshould be labeled simply "SEX". Interesting that the CRT appears to have been modified to use a color Trinitron CRT. Note the bump out in the back to accommodate the extra length of the color CRT and the horizontal curve only in the face, hard to tell, but the bezel would have had to be modified over the original at Digibarn which seems to clearly show a bubble-shaped shadowmask bezel. This is similar to the extra pack they added to the Macintosh in "Pirates of Silicon Valley" to accommodate the extra video cabling.