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MacBook Mod Gives Base Station Chassis New Purpose
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."
Slashdotted already?!? Damn you people!
I think hacking together your own "Mac" out of a mac logic board and non-mac hardware still counts as being a "Hackintosh".
which is totally what she said
... and put it in a case.
And it worked.
Umm yeah , and?
Must be a REALLY slow news day today.
I've built plenty of computers in my day, and never submitted a story about it. Now get the hell off of my lawn.
Ok, I know it isn't OSX installed on a PC but, when you've done that much work to make a computer that runs OSX, I think it qualifies as a Hackintosh.
And that's not a bad thing - I use a Mac every day and recently got myself an MSI Wind and set it up to dual boot Ubuntu and OSX so I'm all for a little Hackintosh love so don't take my above comment as a knock. If anything, I respect the work you did. But, let's call it what it is - you've hacked together some hardware to get a computer running OSX. It be a Hackintosh.
...er, box. I'm tellin' Apple!
Not the greatest mod ever, but he probably saved a ton of cash by buying the logic board and doing it this way. Gives me some ideas actually. Using the linksys box is kind of an interesting choice, but hey, whatever works. Kinda amazed he was able to get the isight thinger working too. I wonder how airflow will be? May wanna mount in a fan or two for exhaust and intake...
The link to the article on the mod is already dead and showing a "database error".
"The iSight/mic holes in the front panel are hard to see and this could be used as a nanny cam of sorts."
Make sure you load it with porn that "happens" to appear when you touch any button at all, and send me the tapes.
There's An App For That
I beg to differ, This is the prettyest mac i've ever seen, i'd like one on my desk disguised amongst my routers and AP's :)
:D a cheap(er) Xserve :D
I do have a spare 19" 1u switch wich I could use
http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.phantomdev.com%2Fmacbook_mod_2%2F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
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.
Yes, because no other manufacturer brands their peripherals and features.
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The Deathlings (comic) - http://thedeathlings.com
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"
That double-wide Linksys case looks stupid. I'm just sayin'.
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.
$250.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
He just used a logic board? Well, I just ordered a new case for my 13-inch MacBook. The universe is in harmony again.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
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'Duncan'
'Foster' ('Foster Pink Flesh')
'Marsh' ('Marsh Seedless')
'Oroblanco'
'Paradise Navel'
'Redblush' (including 'Ruby', 'Ruby Red', 'Shary Red', 'Curry Red', 'Fawcett Red', 'Red Radiance', and 'Webb'
'Star Ruby'
'Sweetie'
'Thompson' (Pink Marsh')
I find your idea intriguing and would like to subscribe to your news letter.
Also, your peel makes your future in aromatherapy appear to be quite promising.
There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
Huh. I see the top case with the keyboard in one of your pictures. So for less than $200 shipped (and a lot less work) you could've bought the bottom case and a replacement screen and built a laptop.
Of course then you wouldn't be on slashdot.
This sig intentionally left blank.
Installing OSX on a Linksys router, now that'd be impressive.
(You can already install Linux, of course - http://lifehacker.com/178132/hack-attack-turn-your-60-router-into-a-600-router)
Prisencolinensinainciusol. Ol Rait!
This was a big thing a few years back, when everyone seemed to want a small Mac desktop in a "pizza box" form factor. I guess this was pre-Mac Mini. You would get a PowerMac G4 logic board and power supply, and add your own case and accessories. Someone even came up with a concept for a ready made kit called the iBox which was a bring-your-own-logic-board PowerMac system. Not sure if that ever really saw the light of day. I really wanted one.
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2003/04/58310
You're wrong in several ways: 1) It's not an xbox dev kit...it's standard PC parts stuffed in an xbox shell 2) It's not mac hardware like in TFA, it's a 'hackintosh', with standard PC parts
sig? uhh, umm, ok
The iSight used to be a standalone product; Apple just happened to integrate it with their computers. They then kept the name because, hey, brand recognition also works for individual products.
USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
"You should post this on a modding website – you would get a bunch of traffic I bet!"
/. he's getting a bunch of traffic just fine without needing to post it on a modding website.
I'm sure that now this is on
"We live in a global world" - Harvey Pitt, former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman
I understand your point, but the other two examples at least have "cam" somewhere in there. That way you can go "oh, they mean a camera". iSight? I thought at first it was some sort of special addon for blind people. That's the only reason I griped, and my bad for coming off as a Troll.
The name still sucks though. (iCam would of made more sense)
I think part of the difference is that most people just say "webcam" for all the other products. Anyone who constantly said "Lifecam" instead would get weird looks. But because it's an APPLE product people actually refer to it as "iSight" and take that seriously. It's bizarre.
Other examples of this mentality:
If talking about a Dell, HP, IBM, Acer, or any other type of laptop, most people just say "laptop". "Hey, grab your laptop and get over here," or "I hear Jane got a new laptop."
But not with Apple. Oh no. Then it must be called a Macbook. "Woah, nice Macbook." "Hey, how come Joe got a Macbook from IT?"
There are a thousand different mp3 players out there and most people just say "mp3 player" or "music player". Unless it's an Apple product. Then it's an iPod! Woo!
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If you use Firefox, have a look at this addon.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
lol, thats a great idea for a prank. I think I will look into it.
The logic board wasn't that bad in terms of cost. I think it was 150, I stalked ebay and google. So the total price to complete this was like 250 or so.
The Macbook Air motherboard might lend itself quite well to the innards of a eviGroup tablet, or something along those lines (I also happen to have a Samsung Q1 Ultra I'm barely using). It wont be a pretty, nor cheap, Apple Tablet, but if Apple doesn't pull their heads out, it might be the only way to get one that's legal.
Though, with the economy the way it is lately, I don't have that kind of throw-away money right now. But the idea keeps sitting there in the back of my mind...
Pretty good marketing, don't you think? And btw, probably it's because "it just works".