Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!milton!whit
From: whit@milton.acs.washington.edu (John Whitmore)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Hacintosh--putting the Plus/SE into another chassis
Summary: it's not hard, just time-consuming
Keywords: mini-tower
Message-ID: <1507@milton.acs.washington.edu>
Date: 22 Jan 90 23:39:15 GMT
References: <6376@yunexus.UUCP> <1990Jan15.230235.10653@ccu.umanitoba.ca> <1088@pmafire.UUCP>
Reply-To: whit@milton.acs.washington.edu (John Whitmore)
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Lines: 40

In article <1088@pmafire.UUCP> geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen) writes:
>
>So how tough is it to build a hackintosh?  Are the parts (e.g.
>motherboard) difficult to come by?  What's the approximate cost of
>building one?

	I built my first a few months after the Dr. Dobbs upgrade article
came out (January '85).  Since I'd hacked my motherboard, it seemed prudent
to spend a couple hundred on a pristine backup motherboard... which only 
needed a few parts to become FrankenTosh.
	It took a keyboard ($35), a mouse (I modified a game trackball, 
which was closeout priced: $10), a power supply ($10), a box (free,
but took two weekends to properly perforate), a video monitor ($25),
and about seven weekends of tracing signals and gradually integrating
the components so it'd work.  A better monitor showed up for $40,
and I got a used single-sided disk drive for $250.  It worked fine
without a fan, but I got nervous and ($10) installed one (took another
weekend-the simplest installation was too noisy, so I added a
plenum and RF shielding).
	Modern prices will differ; keyboards are $100 or so, and
a double-sided disk drive is now down to $150.  I have since bought
a 128k motherboard for $20.  Anyone considering this much work will want
to plan for upgrades; the Gemini board will need provisions for slightly
more power (35 W is all the Mac, exclusive of monitor, really needs),
and SCSI connectors.  That upgrade runs $1000 to $1600, and gets the
capability of an SE/30, exclusive of ROM differences and superdrive.
	A good guide is the Computer Shopper articles in issues
of August, September, October of 1988.  Also invaluable are the Mac
schematics (available from Beck-Tech, I believe, and in MacPaint
form on some BBS'es).  Most video monitors require some "glue"; I
used a CMOS gate and a few resistors and capacitors.  No problem if
you have an oscilloscope and know how to wirewrap and/or solder.
	One caveat; test all the power supply connections by making
sturdy, neat wiring harnesses and running dummy loads (resistors)
before you wager your motherboard on the correctness of the
connections.  Stray powered wires are DEADLY.
	Good luck.

I am known for my brilliance,                John Whitmore
 by those who do not know me well.