Modded iMac G4

[PML7554]

After participating on a few threads about these modifications, I finally decided to post my own...

As a big fan of the iMac G4, I’ve always wanted to have my own modified one…
I bought my first iMac G4 in 2011, a 15", still in use to display photographs in my living room.

I begun my first mod in 2019, and I chose to include a 2009 Mini. The most interesting Mini with the first form factor : a core2duo and a 9400M from Nvidia.

I did the mod on a 17" iMac. I also bought a 20", but it is too heavy, and I did not want to do all the work again.

First choice : to keep the original screen. Not perfect, but really easier...

This is how I positioned the Mini, without the aluminum case, and with the Power Adapter on the original place of the HDD (I cut and solder the cable to reduce the needed space).

To plug the power adapter, I just cut a cable and connect the extremities on the black sector cables.

I also kept the bracket of the DVD Drive to segment the inside, but I cut the extremities.

I kept the original power supply of the iMac to provide 12V for the screen, and 5v with a 12v to 5v converter.

For the display connector, I followed Dremel Junkie instructions, but used a DVI female and I plugged each pin on the original cable in it. It is very simple, does not need soldering, and it can be disassemble.

This is how it looked like from behind, I closed the unused I/O, and I built a custom connector for the Pro Speakers from a USB port. I added a tiny Class D amplifier inside for the speakers.

It was already a huge improvement from the original G4, but it was not perfect : quite loudy at full CPU load or bad wifi reception (the antennas were inside the dome).

In 2020, I had an opportunity to buy a very cheap 2014 Mini.
It was the lower end, with a small i5 @1.4 Ghz, 4GB of ram and a HDD.

First thing, I replaced the HDD by a SSD…

This is my first inside arrangement, not perfect, I was worried to break the disk connector, and the antennas were still not well placed.

The Power Adapter is still placed at the upper space, where the HDD of the G4 was. The wires are just long enough to reach the motherboard.

I decided to replace the antennas, and to place them between the metallic dome and the white plastic dome. —> Really better reception !

Then, I decided to use an original motherboard.

I had to cut it, and i suppressed the inside of the USB ports.I only kept the metallic surrounding. The idea was to use USB 3 extender, and to keep only the inside of the ports (the blue plastic piece), and to place them on the original surrounding.

Really risky, because I broke one of the 3 ports on the motherboard. I had to use epoxy putty to glue the cables.

For the other connectors, I found on the internet on which welding point I had to solder my cables for the Ethernet, jack out and Pro Speakers connector.

I soldered a piece of a cut ethernet cable. This was also quite tricky ! Had to be very precise with the soldering iron.

Finally, this is what it looks like

And this is my 15" not modded SunFlower...

Of course, FireWire, modem and display connectors are not working.

I also added a USB2 hub for :
. Power the original fan at the top of the dome modified with a USB male port ;
. A USB sound card for two purposes :
-Plug the amplifier, to be able to switch between the built in speaker and the Apple Pro Speakers
-Plug a jack wired with the cables of the mic on the screen.
. Power the HDMI Splitter (see below)

I bought a SATA extender to avoid to break the disk connector. and the SSD was placed on the bottom case.

I added a HDMI splitter, allowing to display Netflix or Prime Video. The splitter breaks the HDCP protection.

And finally, I bought an AC to 5v DC to supply power for the Class D amplifier. And because I used a Y cable to plug the 3.5 jack out and the amplifier to the USB sound card, I’m able to use the Apple Pro Speakers with an external jack source even when the iMac is off…

It really is a long lasting project. I opened and closed the iMac so many times, did mistakes and did and undid lots of things… But I’m quite proud of the result !

 

[CooperBox]

An excellent job, and very interesting write-up!

 

[lepidotós]

As a big fan of the iMac G4

It was already a huge improvement from the original G4

?

 

[PML7554]

?

I love the design of this iMac.
But today, a G4 can not be used daily… this is why it is interesting to improve the capacities of this computer, to be able to use it for today use.

 

[Amethyst1]

So it's about the design, not what's in there

 

[lepidotós]

I love the design of this iMac.
But today, a G4 can not be used daily… this is why it is interesting to improve the capacities of this computer, to be able to use it for today use.

I'm getting by just fine doing exactly that, though I suppose my iBook G4 is probably clocked higher than that iMac. Can't really think of anything I want to do that I can't with either Leopard WebKit, InterWebPPC, or an offline program. Even Discord works fine.
I do know I've been able to scrape by with my 450 tower, though that one was legitimately a stretch. 867 and up I think are still probably viable.​

 

[PML7554]

Update! After some hesitations, I’ve decided to upgrade my mod to M1…

I bought the Mac Mini (M1, 256GB, 8GB ram), and I’ve done some improvements I’ll detail the work on posts these next days.

 

[PML7554]

First step, I changed the way I connect the screen. I was using a female DVI to male HDMI, but I had sparkles on the screen… I replaced this adapter by the traditional molex DVI one advised by Dremel Junkie, with the pins hot glued to avoid short circuit. Thanks @connor55 !

 

[Wouter3]

You are getting experienced in modding the G4. Great job. I love to see the results of your M1 mod and the screen output.

 

[PML7554]

My mod is now completed.

I faced some issues :
. I had to change the antennas, the connectors on the M1 are different from them on the 2014 Intel Mac Mini (IPEX 1 vs IPEX 4). Finally, it was a very good idea, the quality of the reception was largely improved.
. The On/Off button is linked to the motherboard with a flat ribbon cable on the M1 while it is a standard cable on the Intel. And I did not want to break anything on the M1, to be able to put back the motherboard in the Mac Mini if necessary. So I bought a complete rear panel with antennas and On/Off button, and I used the button and the ribbon cable of this panel, and soldered two extension cables on the button.

I added another feature : a USB c connector, instead of the Mini VGA that was completely useless. I can now plug an external screen.

I also put inside a USB C hub to plug the USB 3 extension and the Ethernet.

This is the result !

Next step : I plan to mod a 20" iMac G4.

To be continued...

 

[Wouter3]

Wow, looks fantastic. Next step to install a retina display in iMac G4?

 

[Amethyst1]

Next step to install a retina display in iMac G4?

Fortunately 17" WQUXGA (3840×2400) displays are a thing.

 

[Ursus1968]

My mod is now completed.

I faced some issues :
. I had to change the antennas, the connectors on the M1 are different from them on the 2014 Intel Mac Mini (IPEX 1 vs IPEX 4). Finally, it was a very good idea, the quality of the reception was largely improved.
. The On/Off button is linked to the motherboard with a flat ribbon cable on the M1 while it is a standard cable on the Intel. And I did not want to break anything on the M1, to be able to put back the motherboard in the Mac Mini if necessary. So I bought a complete rear panel with antennas and On/Off button, and I used the button and the ribbon cable of this panel, and soldered two extension cables on the button.

I added another feature : a USB c connector, instead of the Mini VGA that was completely useless. I can now plug an external screen.

View attachment 2001182

I also put inside a USB C hub to plug the USB 3 extension and the Ethernet.

View attachment 2001185

This is the result !

View attachment 2001186

Next step : I plan to mod a 20" iMac G4.

To be continued...

Great work! Can you share specifically which antenna you bought? And did I understand it correctly that you bought an Mini M1 rear panel with antennas and On/Off button? May I ask where you found it?

 

[johnmarki]

Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, much love and respect to you! I cant wait to see what you have up next!

 

[PML7554]

Great work! Can you share specifically which antenna you bought? And did I understand it correctly that you bought an Mini M1 rear panel with antennas and On/Off button? May I ask where you found it?

Thanks!
I bought these :
ASHATA Antenne intégrée IPEX 1, 2... https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B08L612G86?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

For the rear panel, I bought it on a French website for spares : bestinmac. Unfortunately, they had just one item for sale… and it is very expensive for this specific use…

Lunette arrière de Mac Mini modèle M1 A2348 (2020)

Lunette arrière de Mac Mini modèle M1 A2348 (2020) ✓ Livraison 24/48H ✓ Garantie 1 an ✓ Pièces en Stock ✓ Paiement Sécurisé ✓ 🛒

www.bestinmac.com

 

[PML7554]

That’s it, I bought the iMac G4 20" and it started to work on it.

First step, to convert the TMDS video connection to a HDMI one.

Specificity of the 20" : no need of a 5V power source, it is possible to use the 5V of the HDMI connector to power on the inverter.

It works!

Then I replaced the original antennas by new one with an IPEX 1 connector.

 

[Pedro147]

After participating on a few threads about these modifications, I finally decided to post my own...


It really is a long lasting project. I opened and closed the iMac so many times, did mistakes and did and undid lots of things… But I’m quite proud of the result !

After reading through @connor55 's post with the MI > G4 conversion, I saw that you had done some using older intel Mac mini's. This appeals to me too because the MI machines are far too expensive to justify putting one into this project - I am cheap

Even say a 2014 lower specification Mac mini in Australia is at least $350AUD.

I bought a nice working G4 on the weekend, so now I will look around for a suitable (cheap) intel Mac mini. Thanks for posting your project @PML7554 it looks great.

 

[CooperBox]

I love the design of this iMac.
But today, a G4 can not be used daily… this is why it is interesting to improve the capacities of this computer, to be able to use it for today use.

I appreciate the iMac G4 mods you are doing here, especially with an M1 Mini inside - which will be interesting to see the 20" once completed.
With reference to your comment, "a G4 can not be used daily" I would agree with that statement until I installed an SSD and especially Sorbet Leopard onto my 20" G4 iMac. It really flies and internet use is at last a real pleasure, I use it daily to keep up-to-date with MacRumor news updates and info from the forum. And with maxed-out memory (2GB) no problems either for general office tasks, Word/Excel etc. Sorbet Leopard truly has to be experienced to appreciate it's superiority compared to Tiger or Leopard.
Obviously a Mac Mini Core 2Duo or Core i5 are superior in many ways, but 10.5.9 is great for what it is and how it performs.

 

[Pedro147]

With reference to your comment, "a G4 can not be used daily" I would agree with that statement until I installed an SSD and especially Sorbet Leopard onto my 20" G4 iMac. It really flies and internet use is at last a real pleasure,

Wow, thanks for the info about Sorbet Leopard I will give it a try while I am sourcing a Mac mini. Hoping that I can make a bootable installer using Instal Disk Creator, it's so simple to use https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/55532/install-disk-creator

​

 

[lepidotós]

@Pedro147 Just flash it to a USB stick or FireWire drive and boot off of it, it's a bootable image and from there you install it by copying over from Disk Utility. But before you go wiping the iMac, check to see if there's any software on it that hasn't been archived on the Macintosh Garden. And since you said the original board still works, try to sell the board as parts if you at all can.​

 

[Pedro147]

@Pedro147 Just flash it to a USB stick or FireWire drive and boot off of it, it's a bootable image and from there you install it by copying over from Disk Utility. But before you go wiping the iMac, check to see if there's any software on it that hasn't been archived on the Macintosh Garden. And since you said the original board still works, try to sell the board as parts if you at all can.​

Thanks I know what a bootable drive is 🤣 if you actually read what I posted, I said that I hope that I can make it with Instal Disk Creator. Thanks for the other tips though, I appreciate your reply 🙏

 

[PML7554]

Hi everybody... I'm finally back with some news !
It has been a while since the last time I wrote here.
In between times, I had a child and bought a house, so I was a bit busy.

I finished my 20" modded iMac, and even did 3 ones for other people ! I did two 20" with M1 Mac Mini, and a 17" with a NUC.

I improved some things on the audio part : I now use a LED Power Adapter providing 24W and 12V instead of a small 5V one, and changed the amplifier by a 12V, based on the same chip than the amplifier embedded on the iMac G4 mother board.

This is the result !

 

[PML7554]

Here a a picture of the integration of a Nuc in a 17" iMac. It was a simple work, without the audio part.

I just inserted the entire NUC, and fastened it in the original metallic piece for the DVD Drive and the hard drive.
I also cabled the On/Off button of the iMac.

 

[PML7554]

I also did a 20" M1 for somebody, with a HDMI port on the rear of the iMac.
I'm not very satisfied of it, because it changes the look of the ports, but it was a request.

For the motherboard and the Power Adapter of the Mini, I also used the metallic cradle.

This is the rear panel : 3 USB 3 ports, one 40Gbps USB c, and a HDMI.
On the other side : One Ethernet, the Apple Pro Speakers port, and a In/Out 3.5 audio port.

This is what it looks like without the Mini inside.

I now am waiting for a M2 Mac Mini, to put in my own 20" mod in replacement of my 2014 Intel, that will be put in another 17" !

 

[CooperBox]

Hi! Still reading and immensely enjoying your posts.
How does the NUC perform compared to the M1 Mac Mini transplant?