PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet in a 9600 Case

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PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet in a 9600 Case
Or Beige Is Beautiful!
By Robert C. Word
Published 9/22/2002

Disclaimer/Warning: This page is for entertainment only and is not guaranteed 100% accurate. Performing modifications or other work inside your Mac will void your Apple warranty, may cause damage to your computer or result in personal injury. The author and site publishers do not recommend attempting any of the mods listed here. You assume all risk from the use of any of the information in this article.

Custom Parts

Here are the custom-made parts I needed to complete the project. Many of these were made of sheet metal so they don't look pretty!

Power supply mounting plate

This plate is needed to adapt the ATX sized G4 power supply to the 9600 case.

PS Mtg Plate

Back plate with L-brackets for support

Momentary reset switch

As you can see, the reset switch will use an unused PCI slot on the back.

Reset Button

Momentary Internal Power Switch

This is mounted near the motherboard where the long plastic power button can press it.

Front panel wiring assembly

This is a tricky part of the project. I needed to make a connector for what would be to the front panel assembly of a G4. The cable was swiped out of an old 486. The power and reset switches are visible here, but I could not figure out how to get the power light working. You could use Ian Kalas' diagram from the G4 AGP to ATX case conversion article at XLR8yourmac.com to build the cable assembly or use the figure I made. The sleep contact must be grounded or else the computer will not go to sleep. I haven't made a switch for the programmer's button yet, but I included it in the diagram below.

I used my multimeter to measure the power-off voltages given in the diagram. I expected the LED voltage to be 3 or 5 volts when the power is on, but I only read about 0.5 V. The +5.0 V lead is present when the power is either on or off and when the machine is asleep.

Frt. Panel Assy diagram

The Power Light

Since I couldn't get the power light working using the front panel assembly, I built my own. This plugs into a drive connector and lights when the machine powers up. It doesn't light when the machine is in deep sleep mode, but I'm happy with it anyway. The LED fits into the power button. By the way, this is a 5-V blue LED in series with a 220-ohm resistor. It contrasts great with the OSX blue highlights and buttons!

power light

G4 Gigabit in 9600 Case Article Contents:

Page 1: Introduction

Page 2: Parts and Budget

Page 3: Custom Parts

Page 4: Installing the Power Supply

Page 5: Installing the Logic Board

Page 6: The Final Product

Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM

Copyright © 2002.

The opinions in this reader submitted article may not reflect those of the site publishers.
No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written 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.

The Source for Mac Performance News and Reviews
PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet in a 9600 Case Or Beige Is Beautiful! By Robert C. Word Published 9/22/2002
Disclaimer/Warning: This page is for entertainment only and is not guaranteed 100% accurate. Performing modifications or other work inside your Mac will void your Apple warranty, may cause damage to your computer or result in personal injury. The author and site publishers do not recommend attempting any of the mods listed here. You assume all risk from the use of any of the information in this article.
Custom Parts Here are the custom-made parts I needed to complete the project. Many of these were made of sheet metal so they don't look pretty! Power supply mounting plate This plate is needed to adapt the ATX sized G4 power supply to the 9600 case. Back plate with L-brackets for support Momentary reset switch As you can see, the reset switch will use an unused PCI slot on the back. Momentary Internal Power Switch This is mounted near the motherboard where the long plastic power button can press it. Front panel wiring assembly This is a tricky part of the project. I needed to make a connector for what would be to the front panel assembly of a G4. The cable was swiped out of an old 486. The power and reset switches are visible here, but I could not figure out how to get the power light working. You could use Ian Kalas' diagram from the G4 AGP to ATX case conversion article at XLR8yourmac.com to build the cable assembly or use the figure I made. The sleep contact must be grounded or else the computer will not go to sleep. I haven't made a switch for the programmer's button yet, but I included it in the diagram below. I used my multimeter to measure the power-off voltages given in the diagram. I expected the LED voltage to be 3 or 5 volts when the power is on, but I only read about 0.5 V. The +5.0 V lead is present when the power is either on or off and when the machine is asleep. The Power Light Since I couldn't get the power light working using the front panel assembly, I built my own. This plugs into a drive connector and lights when the machine powers up. It doesn't light when the machine is in deep sleep mode, but I'm happy with it anyway. The LED fits into the power button. By the way, this is a 5-V blue LED in series with a 220-ohm resistor. It contrasts great with the OSX blue highlights and buttons! G4 Gigabit in 9600 Case Article Contents: Page 1: Introduction Page 2: Parts and Budget Page 3: Custom Parts Page 4: Installing the Power Supply Page 5: Installing the Logic Board Page 6: The Final Product
Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM
Copyright © 2002. The opinions in this reader submitted article may not reflect those of the site publishers. No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written 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.