On Saturday, Oct 12, 2002, at 01:55 Europe/London, flawed jai wrote: > Hey mark--you could call the project 'flat pack mac hack"
I prefer the Q805. It has a ring of 'Q605 with a bit extra'. It is true though, it can be done with any LC cases and any logic board that fit's in one of the sides. Consider if you will the possibilities for an LC with Dual floppies AND 2 hard disks! > it's evident that nobody from Apple cares anymore. and the public > doesn't anymore. people are crying to be relieved of pallets full of > old > macs. so why not start experimenting? > > mark beleives that the frankencase will warp if some portion of the > center divider(s) is(R) not left down the center to reinforce the > architecture. My exact worry was that LC cases are put under stress wen clipped shut. This says to me that the hacked lids of the siamese macs that are tack together might warp and the ABS plastic rip, which it does if twisted. It may be a problem especially where the lid is hard to close, as it is on one side of mine. Also modeling adhesives may stick the two lids together but, and my grandfather was a pioneering plastics chemist and my dad was an early amateur fiberglass moulding expert who made his own canoes in the 1960s/70s so I have a fair bit of polymer chemistry to go on here, some adhesives may change the properties of the plastic slightly making it more brittle and/or less strong. the key here is that the cases of a computer flex when it is moved, when it has anything put on top of it, or when it heats up. The trick is not to loose that flexibility but also not to make it so flexible it is vulnerable to twisting or stretching outside it's load bearing capability. This is why Apple used ABS in he first place, it's a light, cheap and durable plastic with enough 'give' in it to take most strain. > I would be willing to try trimming the center panel(s) way out by the > sides, or glue the central surfaces together and cut out holes maybe > back to within an inch of the edges, for maximum space inside. This wouldn't be advisable. If you do do a hack take a 1" thick strip of the scrap ABS you hack out and twist and bend it lightly. See how much it flexes? That's what happens when you start throwing your new siamese LC around. The more you have left the more strength there is. I have to say I do tent to throw some of my Macs about (not literally *throw* but generally not treat them with kid-gloves) so i tend to like them to still take a jar or knock or two, afterall that's how Apple designed the LCs, to be tough. > a bigger fan and cutting some more air flow slots would probably be > advisable too, given the presence of more heat-producing compents > inside > the finished creation.. I have found heat is not a problem. I too the speaker/fan assembly out of the case with no board in and there are now 2 slatted holes in the extra HD space allowing air in, the fan in the other half exhausts out and the hole was cut so the air-flow would go across the '040 processor. and out of the other side. > if cases are plentiful, why not? I really really wish I had 4 605s. I could make a server out of them. I'd need 7 hard disks and a means of blanking the floppy slots though.... Any UK members got an excess of 605s they'd like to donate for the price of postage? If you only have 1 keep it, if you have a garage full of the buggers i need 4, all with PSUs and at least 2 logic boards with full 040s (I want tone for my existing 805. I now want to create the Q905 :). -- Mark Benson AIM - SilValleyPirate Visit FlatPackMacs online: <http://fpm.gotdns.com> Mac LC Central -- Vintage Macs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Vintage Macs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/vintagemacs.shtml> The FAQ: <http://macfaq.org/> Send list messages to: <mailto:vintage.macs@;mail.maclaunch.com> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:vintage.macs-off@;mail.maclaunch.com> For digest mode, email: <mailto:vintage.macs-digest@;mail.maclaunch.com> Subscription questions: <mailto:listmom@;lowendmac.com> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/vintage.macs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
