Logo by Jamie Bakum
The Source for Performance News, Tips & Reviews


SuperDrives!

Click for Wireless Networking Adapters and Bases!
Click for Wireless Adapters and Bases!

Reviews and Daily News with a  Difference!
Select a Topic Area To See a List of Related Reviews & Articles
Systems  | CPU Upgrades  | SCSI | IDE | Firewire  | Video  | Audio  | Games  | Misc/OS  | Archives  | Search

Searchable Databases of Mac Owner Reports on:
CPU Upgrades | Drive Compatibility (HD/DVD/CDRW/Tape) | <System/Graphics Benchmarks | Game Reviews

Got Questions? - Check the FAQ for Answers
800+ Answers on CPU Upgrades/CDR/DVD/Storage/Video Cards/Firewire/Games & More!
Email News/Tips/Reviews | Forums |  Advertise here
12/26/00 Tuesday's News: Story DetailReturn to News Page
Reader's Backlit B&W G3 Case Mod:
Last Updated: 12/26/2000, 4:08 AM
Reader Rick Thrust sent photos on how he used a salvaged PC notebook LCD backlight to illuminate the side cover on this B&W G3. This is not a project for the inexperienced so don't try this at home.
" hey mike,
thought you might be interested in this casemod I did on my blue&white.. I snagged an old 286 laptop from work over the summer with the intent of harvesting for interesting laptop parts, and came away with the cold-cathode tube that illuminates the lcd. it's fairly small, about 6" in length which I thought would be perfect for backlight illuminating the translucent side of the smurf. this is how I proceeded:

step 0: void warranty

step 1: remove the side plastic cover (watch for the clip in the center, you need to remove the fan inside to release it). drill 2 holes in the sheetmetal to run the wires through, position the lamp (I wrapped it in a deep purple theatre-lighting gel first for a blacklight effect (hey, what can I say, I missed the 60's)).

step 2: reattach the plastic side (if you cut carefully it fits upside down)

step 3: mount the powersupply for the cold-cathode just behind the main case fan (out of convenience, not because it needs lots of cooling). wire it in to +12v and +5v via drive power pigtail splice thingy.

step 4: reinstall main case fan (I use the fan housing from a g4 so I can stack two drives in an odd arrangement).

step 5: reinsert drive tray, mod electronics are safely hidden out of the way behind everything.

step 6: power on and hope it lights =) my next job is to figure out how to shut it off when the monitor powersaving kicks in.

I would say this is a fairly difficult modification to do, but well worth the effort. thanks for the great site, keep it up =)
r. "

Warning: LCD backlights normally use inverters that generate high voltage (appx 100 VAC I think), which could be hazardous to your heath. Do not try this at home....

 
Return to Main News Page


NT External HD


FasterMac.net
Internet Access

OWC SPECIALS!
(see full list)

= MEMORY =
4GB (2x2GB) Mac Pro RAM (800MHz) $175!

4GB (2x2GB) Mac Pro RAM (667MHz) $145!

4GB (2x2GB) PC6400 for 2008 iMacs $109.75

2GB PC2-5300 SODIMM $45.75

2x2GB PC2-5300 SODIMMs $90.05

2x1GB DDR400 DIMMs $79.50!

512MB PC-133 SDRAM $40!

= WIRELESS =
802.11N/g/b PCI, PCMCIA or USB adapters under $50
802.11N/G/B Router $65

= TV TUNERS/DVR =
ElGato Turbo.264 $77.50!

Miglia TVMicro Express $37.50!

= CPU UPGRADES =
G3 1GHz ZIF upgrade $125!

OWC G4/1.2GHz w/2MB L3 $195!

7448 1.8GHz $325!

7447A 1.6GHz $225!

= HARD DRIVES =
FAST Samsung F1 1TB $198.25!

Samsung F1 750GB $125!

400GB Hard Drives from $85!

500GB Drives from $88!

750GB Drives from $125!

1TB SATA HDs from $198.25!

= NOTEBOOK HDs =
160GB 2.5in HDs from $69.50!

250GB 2.5in HDs from $100!

320GB 2.5in SATA HD $122.75!

320GB 7200RPM Firewire Drive $117.50!

= GRAPHICS CARDS =
ATI 9800 Pro AGP $205!

ATI X1900 G5/PCIe $297.50!

ATI 9600 Mac/PC AGP $179!


XLR8YourMac.com T-Shirts $14.99!
Support this site!


= Buy this Website! =
Make an Offer
Millions of page views/mo.
Huge potential!



Mac Help Now!
Freq. Asked Questions
(Check First!)

Mac Model Articles

CPU Upgrade Articles

Video/Card Articles

Storage Articles

Search Mac Drive Upgrades/Compat. Database

Search the CPU Upgrade Database

Search the
Game/System Perf. Database

Read Game Reviews




Make a Difference: Be the Difference
Randy Mita, Brad Lau and I came up with a new slogan and theme for Mac advocacy - "Make a Difference: Be the Difference". We're asking that all Mac owners take advantage of every opportunity to let others know the Mac advantage. It's a grass-roots approach that will surely help.


This site is not affiliated with nor supported by XLR8 or Apple Computer.

Thanks to my wife, the ultimate computer widow
for putting up with all the time I spend with the site work, tests and email.

= Top of Page =

Copyright © 1997-2008. All Rights Reserved
No part of this site's original content is to be reproduced in any format without permission.
All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies.

Legal: Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.

Site Logo Design by Jamie Bakum