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17" Monitor Case Modding -- The "iMike"

Posted by timothy on from the lots-of-time dept.

greyrax writes "So what does a Canadian cabinet maker who's a closet techie do during those long winter months? You modify a 17" monitor case to house your computer (think iMac). The blow-by-blow descriptions and pictures outline this three-month project. The only question that I'm left with is 'What is that antenna for?'"

31 of 381 comments (clear)

  1. Completed pictures by cascino · · Score: 4, Informative

    Completed pictures here.
    Also, does anyone else think the green paint looks hideous? IMHO, he would've been much better keeping the factory grey.

    1. Re:Completed pictures by scsi_pants · · Score: 4, Funny

      hideous?
      Are you kidding? Here in Iowa that color (especially when paired with yellow) is very popular. :)

    2. Re:Completed pictures by nackrm · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Kind of reminds me of the green color Acer used to make some of their computers. Maybe if he used a satin finish paint instead of the really glossy paint. Another thing I would change... Why would you put the audigy panel centered above the monitor? Maybe this guy bought a soundcard that he won't use nearly a quarter of the features on, but still if you want to plug in your head phones the cord will dangle down unless you secure it. Just my two cents...

      --

      Be a man! View at -1
      acm.cs.uwec.edu
  2. The antenna by macemoneta · · Score: 4, Informative

    Looks like an 802.11b/g/a wireless unit is in the box too.

    --

    Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.

    1. Re:The antenna by fractalrock · · Score: 4, Informative

      I can see in one of the pics on the last page...it's a Linksys WET11 802.11b wireless adapter that he used.

    2. Re:The antenna by Chunky-Spinach · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, it's for his Hauppauge WinTV card. You can clearly see here

    3. Re:The antenna by Mr_Matt · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, YOU ARE WRONG!

      Holy crap, dude, don't pop your sphincter - it's just a website after all. Breathe in. Breathe out. Now, don't we feel better? :)

      Personally, I don't care what the antenna is connected to - when you're being pedantic enough to put all your junk in a 17" monitor case, you hang antennae on it just because. See the beauty?

      --


      But what does my opinion matter, I just vote here. It's not like I have any money or anything.
  3. If you use a Mac... by Dopefish128 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I saw something like this a while ago on Apple Fritter where a guy built his classic iMac into a 21" monitor. He didn't go the easy way and use an LCD screen, though.

    --
    "Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Take over the world."
  4. Looks like someone has a bad case... by MsGeek · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...of Macintosh envy.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
    1. Re:Looks like someone has a bad case... by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Worst.... Pun.... EVER!"

      It wasn't a complete pun. It's two thirds of one. P.U..

  5. Great! by Zach+Garner · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just what I wanted! The size of a CRT and the quality of a LCD!

    1. Re:Great! by iomud · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think I counted at least 9 fans. It's a wonder that thing doesn't just float by itself.

    2. Re:Great! by MoneyT · · Score: 4, Funny

      I shudder to think about what all those fans would sound like when turned on!

      My guess would be:

      wrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rr rrrrrrrrrrrrr

      --
      T Money
      World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
  6. Antenna? by inertia187 · · Score: 4, Funny

    What is that antenna for?

    That's the gear shift, you insensitive clod!

    --
    A programmer is a machine for converting coffee into code.
  7. Mirror by jdoff · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://www.feep.org/mirrors/members.shaw.ca/northv anmike/page1.html

  8. He's probably got an order for 5,000 of them... by FearUncertaintyDoubt · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...from John Deere

  9. One word... by doppleganger871 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...nice.

    That has got to be the best monitor/case mod I have ever seen. Not my choice for colors, but I am really impressed with the quality that went into this. I'd like to see a company start making cases like this, with the LCD already mounted in the front. I do think there would be a market for it.

    --
    -- Liberalism is a mental disorder.
    1. Re:One word... by marauder404 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Actually, I think he picked the completely wrong design. You couldn't offer to do that to my computer for free. I'm impressed by his ability to solve various problems and make a working unit and he did a great job of being thorough, but I don't want it. For me, the biggest reason is that the whole point of the iMac and Macs in general are for understated elegance of design. The point is to actually remove everything that you don't need immediately. All those ports and drives and access ports should be off to the side of the monitor, not right in the front. It gives the whole thing a Battlestar Galactica look that I'd prefer not to have. I only want to see the display and I'm willing to live with a CD tray. I look at my computer, with my mid-tower is underneath. My only interfaces to the computer are the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, with occasional access to the CD-R drive -- a computer should be built with that in mind.

      Companies already make all-in-one machines that are smaller footprint (not much bigger than just an LCD monitor). It doesn't have everything as roll-your-own, but the trade-off is small enough that I'd prefer to have form over function.

  10. Re:Ugly by arose · · Score: 5, Funny

    It may not look like an iMac, but it's just as ugly.

    --
    Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
  11. Interesting, but ... by Cthefuture · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The antenna must be an 802.11 antenna or something, this person obviously likes doodads and gadgets all over his machine. I mean, damn, look at all the drives, bays, and other assorted crap on the front. Tacky. Look at all those fans! Egads! Blech.

    I'm by no means a Mac fan, but one thing they are is quiet. Either no fans or very quiet fans. This machine is old-sk00l, large and loud. Again, blech.

    The paint looks like an old boat or something. Hehe. The problem is that it's real hard to paint computer equipment and make it look good. It almost always looks amateurish. I think that's why a lot of people use aluminum, new or original plastic, and/or plexiglass instead of paint. Airbrushing might look OK if you're good.

    With that said, this person seems like a good fabricator. I really like the workmanship. Quality work, but the overall design is too clunky and bloated for me.

    But they certainly didn't ask for my opinion so I'll STFU now.

    --
    The ratio of people to cake is too big
    1. Re:Interesting, but ... by Idarubicin · · Score: 5, Funny
      But they certainly didn't ask for my opinion so I'll STFU now.

      So much time could be saved on Slashdot if people would put this sentence at the beginning of their posts, instead of at the end.

      --
      ~Idarubicin
  12. Admire the quality, hate the aesthetics by Brento · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I understand that he's got skills, but the difference between this and an Apple product is that Apple products reek of sex appeal. You know, they have gorgeous curves, feminine touches, and the colors work together really well. When a woman walks into your home office and sees a bunch of Apple gear, she says "Oooo, pretty. You've got great taste." When she sees this, she's speechless, and not in a good way.

    This thing is a farm implement. It's a high-quality farm implement, and I admire his work ethic, but it's still a farm implement.

    --
    What's your damage, Heather?
  13. One complaint... by shivianzealot · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've had to explain to people more times than I would like to have had to that opening up a monitor without understanding which parts can hurt you has the potential to hurt you. I'd like to say this is common sense, but it really isn't.

    So PLEASE warn visitors on any monitor modding site you build. Its an extra two seconds and might save someone a trip to the emergency room.

    And manafacturers, how about a sticker warning "DEATH MAY BE IMMENENT IF OPENED," instead of "No user servicable parts?" :)

    --

    Bored with karma, be a fan/freak

    1. Re:One complaint... by adamfranco · · Score: 5, Informative

      For those that "may try this at home" (like the article): which parts can hurt you are those which are plugged in (or any high V capcitors). To be safe stick to the following guidelines:

      1. Unplug it! Keeping a grounding wire connected is cool if you don't want to damage you or sensitive parts, but if the thing isn't plugged in, it can't send 5 amps through you.

      2. Use one hand All of the good (and alive) electricians I know tuck one hand into their pocket/coat while working. This provents current from traveling accross your chest (and heart) on its way to ground. I have one electrician friend who was trapped (hanging from the ceiling by an arm stuck in an electrical conduit) while 220V AC ran from his fingers to his shoulder. He is alive today because current didn't pass through his chest.

      3. Re-Read #1

      --
      "When ideology and theology couple, their offspring are not always bad but they are always blind." -- Bill Moyers
    2. Re:One complaint... by deranged+unix+nut · · Score: 5, Informative

      4. Discharge the capacitors if you are going to touch anything
      Take an old screwdriver that you don't care about and either use it to short directly across any capacitors. Those things can maintain a charge for months, and that charge can kill you if you aren't careful!

      (Yes, I have done stupid stuff like replacing a contact switch in my microwave, and I am not licensed to do such a thing, but I *STRONGLY* urge anyone to be very careful with high voltages.)

      I have felt 220V AC run from my index finger to my ring finger, luckily both were on the same hand. It only made contact for less than a second, left a 1/8th inch white burn mark on both the entry and exit point, my arm was flailing for several minutes, and my hand was jittering for several hours.

      Even the lower voltages in a phone system, I think the ring tone hits up to 48 volts, can cause a tingling sensation.

      Also, remember that while your skin normally acts as a good insulator, if you are sweating, or it is damp, the resistivity of skin drops to almost nothing and even a very, very small voltage across the heart can kill you.

      If in doubt, ask for help from someone who has some experience with TV or computer monitor repair.

    3. Re:One complaint... by cperciva · · Score: 5, Funny

      That feeling goes up exponentially thinking about someone trying to discharge the caps without someone there who knows what they're doing to guide them.

      Don't worry, they'll have no trouble discharging the capacitors...

      --
      Tarsnap: Online backups for the truly paranoid
  14. Keyobard? by Atmchicago · · Score: 3, Funny

    The whole thing is really cool, but what about a keybaord? He shows two mice but no keyboard, I guess you can just paste stuff from the character map.

    --

    You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it dissolve.

  15. not a farm implement by chunkwhite86 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This thing is a farm implement. It's a high-quality farm implement, and I admire his work ethic, but it's still a farm implement.

    I think that this compares to (in appearance anyways) to those silly rice boys who take a honda civic and lower it and put on a big wing and muffler and wacky paint job.

    The term to describe this look is the "angry kitchen appliance" look.

    ;-)

    --
    I'd rather be a conservative nutjob than a liberal with no nuts and no job.
  16. also positioning by chocolatetrumpet · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A great place for that audio gear is, you know, right in the top middle of the display. That way, if I plug something into it, like headphones, the cable hangs right down the middle of the.. oh wait.. maybe this is not a good idea.

    So THAT's why apple puts the audio connectors on the side/bottom of the machines! Ingenious!

    --
    Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.
  17. Re:an imac design that works by HeghmoH · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If slashdot would give us a "clueless" mod, then this problem would go away.

    --
    Mod down posts with a "Free Mac Mini/iPod" sig, they're spam!
  18. High-quality? by gad_zuki! · · Score: 3, Informative

    > It's a high-quality farm implement, and I admire his work ethic, but it's still a farm implement.

    I wouldn't even go that far. At first I was impressed that he got everything stuffed in there and working, but then again he's using NINE (or more) fans. That's just cheating; in a way.

    This is a nick hack, but that's it, a hack. Its a dirty "shove it all in a box" job. I would think a project like the PC in a picture frame would be more deserving of world-wide geek attention.