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Comments: 129 +- Hardware: MacBook Mod Gives Base Station Chassis New Purpose on Tuesday December 01, @10:30AM
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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."
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Down already? (Score:2, Insightful)
Slashdotted already?!? Damn you people!
Um (Score:4, Insightful)
I think hacking together your own "Mac" out of a mac logic board and non-mac hardware still counts as being a "Hackintosh".
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
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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.
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True. It's more like the quintessential definition of hack. Closer than your average hackintosh ever gets.
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What he did is what "Hackintosh" should mean. A lesser term should be given to using OSX on non-apple hardware.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
What he did is what "Hackintosh" should mean. A lesser term should be given to using OSX on non-apple hardware.
Slappedontosh
Re:Um (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Um (Score:5, Interesting)
With the important distinction that as far as the OS cares it's a real Mac. Thus OS updates work with no problem.
Parent
Google Cache working (Score:5, Informative)
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 [74.125.93.132]
Parent
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That's exactly how my hackintosh works. I've been installing updates with no problems at all. The world's changed a lot in the last year.
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Sure. But you have no guarantee it will continue to work. As the Atom hackintosh owners found out.
It might be a small risk, but it's a risk nevertheless.
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You have that same risk on real mac hardware. It's not just Hack users that had trouble with Snow Leopard.
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Generally most OS updates are either a) people who fail to read the documentation describing things that will not work or b) people who are running shady software hacks.
Either way, if you're running Apple hardware you have support, warranties, etc. If you're running a hackintosh you don't. From what he said in the summary, that's an important factor to this guy.
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This is Apple we're talking about. The only documentation you get is "You need to install this. Don't ask any more questions."
I have to use Photoshop, you insensitive clod!
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Re:Um (Score:4, Informative)
Just in case anyone thinks building a Hackintosh is clearly bad...
Installing OS X can be an easy process IF the hardware which it's being installed on plays nice with it. I believe a lot of people, myself included, got turned off to getting OS X working on their machines because of the *MANY* issues people faced while trying to get Tiger to work. Now that the entire OS is written for the x86 platform, many machines with Core 2 Duo processors or higher can at least install OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard using the retail disc, which was never possible previously. The only thing that's needed to get the disc to boot is a bootloader that can recognize it.
Choosing the right hardware makes a huge difference in getting OS X running just right. Lots of people run into issues with sound, graphics and wireless, but they also fail to consider that these fail because OS X lacks the native support to make them work. Furthermore, many of those experiencing growing pains fail to look at the HUGE wiki of compatible devices that have been tried and proven working.
I was able to get OS X Snow Leopard installed on my Dell Latitude E-series laptop with minimal pitfalls. The only trip-ups are in areas that don't bother me, but might bother others. I can't sleep the machine if I want to keep my webcam and USB 2.0 at the moment, and everyone's having problems shutting down and restarting their machines using ACPI. Considering the minimal amount of time I needed to get it up and urnning, I consider these side effects negligible. The fact that I can use OS X in my daily workflow and virtualize Windows 7 within it is more than enough to keep me happy.
In the end, though, I wouldn't recommend that people build rigs expressly for getting OS X installed on it unless it differs significantly from Apple's offerings and is significantly less expensive. Their prices are coming down quite nicely, so I don't think they are as unreasonable as they used to be. Plus, their Mac Pro is pretty nice...
Parent
So you bolted together a Mac from parts ... (Score:5, Insightful)
... and put it in a case.
And it worked.
Umm yeah , and?
Must be a REALLY slow news day today.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re:So you bolted together a Mac from parts ... (Score:4, Funny)
no shit. hey, i bought a PC with a beige case and painted it orange. do i get my own slashdot story now too? we can talk about the technical differences between latex and enamel paints, glossy versus flat, and other really fascinating pieces of technicality! it'll be great ... for a slow news day
There have been a few slashdot stories about people painting laptops, and a few on restoring old cases... So, yes.
Parent
Re:So you bolted together a Mac from parts ... (Score:5, Interesting)
no shit. hey, i bought a PC with a beige case and painted it orange. do i get my own slashdot story now too? we can talk about the technical differences between latex and enamel paints, glossy versus flat, and other really fascinating pieces of technicality! it'll be great ... for a slow news day
Don't be absurd, that's not news at all.
Now if you were to make a stencil of the Apple logo and paint it on the side of your machine, you could write a howto on that and make the front page of Slashdot for sure.
Parent
Re:So you bolted together a Mac from parts ... (Score:5, Funny)
... and put it in a case.
And it worked.
Worked, past tense.
He hosted TFArticle on the abomination, and it apparently decided to put itself out of its misery.
Parent
Re:So you bolted together a Mac from parts ... (Score:4, Funny)
Not to mention it's another "my time is of no value" story. Why not buy a used Mac and start developing?
Well, I need some breakfast. Excuse me while I go raise a pig and a chicken and sow some wheat.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
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Who labeled this informative? A single chicken will lay eggs just fine; if you want them fertilized you need 2.
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GP said one chicken.
Re:So you bolted together a Mac from parts ... (Score:4, 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.
Parent
Who the hell cares? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Who the hell cares? (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Looks like a Hackintosh to Me (Score:2)
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
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Unless 'that much work' amounts to putting a Mac in a different case. He made a non-portable MacBook, but of course OS X installed on it, it is an Apple computer.
No, it's a Mac case mod. (Score:5, 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.
Parent
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I still want to do a Classic Mac modded with a Mac mini inside and an LCD replacing the old CRT.
If I knew more about hardware mods, I'd do that! That would RULE!
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I never could find an appropriate LCD for this, but that was pre netbook era so maybe things have improved. My hang up was wanting better than 800x600 in that size. I almost went with a CRT instead as you can still find old high res VGA displays from sales terminals in 8" but never pulled the trigger.
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What would you do with all the rest of the empty space inside?
Ooh, you installed OS X on a non-Apple-branded... (Score:4, Funny)
...er, box. I'm tellin' Apple!
Not a bad little hack (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
drive and memory is cheap. 500GB 2.5" is $70. So we can safely say that new you can get them for under $100.
I think it is reasonable to say that a $350 is significantly less than $600.
And if you go on ebay(ewww) and buy a semi-broken macbook and take its logic board, or buy a used working logic board they are significantly less than $250. Most of the buy-it-now prices are more than $250, but you can usually get one for under $200 with a little effort.
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my time is worth (Score:2)
$250.
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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.
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Link already dead (Score:2)
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He slashdotted himself...
OT: your sig (Score:2)
Probably best to indicate your preferred variety (from http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/grapefruit.html#Varieties [purdue.edu] )
'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 t
It all evens out (Score:5, Funny)
He just used a logic board? Well, I just ordered a new case for my 13-inch MacBook. The universe is in harmony again.
Or... (Score:3, Funny)
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 [ebay.com] and a replacement screen [ebay.com] and built a laptop.
Of course then you wouldn't be on slashdot.
Re:Nanny cam of sorts (Score:5, Funny)
"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
Parent
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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"