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MacBook Mod Gives Base Station Chassis New Purpose

Posted by timothy on from the hyper-extension dept.

odysseus31173 writes "A little over a year ago, I began developing for the iPhone and needed a working mac (not a Hackintosh), so I decided to purchase a MacBook logic board to save on cost. I modded a Linksys case to accept the logic board (along with all of the other hardware) and made it function again. The Mac currently runs Leopard and has a working iSight and mic along with fully functional WiFi and bluetooth. The RAM is the standard 1 gig, but the hard drive has been upgraded to 160 gigs. The iSight/mic holes in the front panel are hard to see and this could be used as a nanny cam of sorts."

11 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. Down already? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Slashdotted already?!? Damn you people!

  2. Um by somersault · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think hacking together your own "Mac" out of a mac logic board and non-mac hardware still counts as being a "Hackintosh".

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    which is totally what she said
    1. Re:Um by bsDaemon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Still counts? I think this is the quintessential definition of "hackintosh."

    2. Re:Um by putch · · Score: 2, Insightful

      not quite. the "quintessential" definition of a hackintosh is intalling OSX on retail PC (as opposed to mac) hardware. this guy used a real mac mobo. so, basically he just modded a mac into a linksys case. not quite a hackintosh. also, not quite news.

      --
      just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand!
    3. Re:Um by MooUK · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What he did is what "Hackintosh" should mean. A lesser term should be given to using OSX on non-apple hardware.

  3. So you bolted together a Mac from parts ... by Viol8 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... and put it in a case.

    And it worked.

    Umm yeah , and?

    Must be a REALLY slow news day today.

    1. Re:So you bolted together a Mac from parts ... by Sandbags · · Score: 3, Insightful

      if he did it for less than the cost of buying the same model Mac (used, and out of waranty), then it's a win. If a used/refurb Mac of the same or better model WITH a waranty costs less, then it;s a big lose... In fact, I'd say, to be a viable system and worth the effort, it would have to cost 70% or less than a used Mac with a waranty, including all the parts needed to make this what it is.

      --
      There is no contest in life for which the unprepared have the advantage.
  4. No, it's a Mac case mod. by MsGeek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hackintosh = bog standard PC running Mac OS X.
    Case mod = hardware stuffed into a case that is wildly different or decorative or super-functional.
    Mac case mod = Mac logic board stuffed into a case that is wildly different from standard Macs.

    I still want to do a Classic Mac modded with a Mac mini inside and an LCD replacing the old CRT.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
  5. Re:iSight? by GizmoToy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yea, what were they thinking? No one ever names their products! Apple's iSight, Microsoft's LifeCam, and Logitech's QuickCam should all just be renamed "camera"

  6. More of Case Mod... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This is more of a "case mod" type hack than a hardware or software hack. Style points gained for actually putting it together. No points awarded for doing anything new.

  7. Re:Not a bad little hack by th1nk · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The worth of his time is only relevant if he was trying to sell these for profit.

    See, people have these things called hobbies that keep them entertained.

    I, for instance, enjoy working on my car. Sometimes it takes me 3 or 4 times longer than it would take a shop. Is it worth my time? Absolutely--it's fun.