I did something like this, with some improvements: as the controller card has sound output, I kept the speakers, which works very well. The power supply was also to supply power to the controller, and the on/off button was also, to turn the board on and off (connected to the keyboard). The next step is to integrate a remote control (I will need to buy a new keyboard with support)
@@philliplanos I kept the speakers' original connectors and just connected the wires to them (I chose wires of suitable thickness for the connection). A small workaround. The most important detail is to connect according to polarity, or it may render the speakers useless. You may be able to get a suitable connector for more professional work (I couldn't tell you what type or connector code).
2 года назад
Best tutorial for this conversion ever. Nice, clear and entertaining without becoming a joke. I'm going to do something like this soon, since my iMac is getting too damn slow... I guess I'm buying a M1 Mac Mini soon :)
thaet board that you got also seems to have a audio amp on it so it is also possible with a bit of improvisation to use the imac onboard speakers aswell and have it full working
If you could get the display plugs (HDMI, VGA, display port, etc) to be on the bottom so that you just plug them in through the ram hole then that would be the best.
Great idea. If there was a 3D print to mount the buttons on the bottom to, and maybe use some extension cables so that things could be unplugged at the back, it'd perhaps be perfect. Or perhaps a 3D Print and tiny PCB at the rear for the HDMI/VGA/Power ports.
honestly if I was planning to use something like this as a main display, I definitely would. however this is quite just a lazy project that anyone capable of using a screwdriver can do.
This is exactly what I wanted to do. I've got a 2011 21" iMac that got struck by lighting but a working display and a 2015 27" 5k imac with a failed drive. Thought it'd be cool to use one as a display for a PC workstation.
You can very easily make these iMacs perfectly useable for basic tasks. Upgrade the cpu to Intel T9300/T9500, 4gb of ram or more (6gb max), clean out the dust, add an SSD and install MacOS Catalina with a patcher, or windows
A small rubber grommet would help out with the HDMI / power cable hole. Also you might consider adhering the control board to the bottom. Dangling like that takes away from the OEM look, IMHO
Could you please list the control board and the inverter board model numbers? I have exactly the same model that I would like to do the same modification to.
Can you give us a link to this controler? I cannot find it. All of these are just the main logic board but you have the second one to power up the backlight.
Could you please list the control board and the inverter board model numbers? I have exactly the same model that I would like to do the same modification to. Me too!!!
I was able to convert a 2011 27" 2K - words of caution: keep the speakers in place. At first I removed as much as I could but the speakers are necessary to support the bottom of the screen. be careful where you purchase the controller board. may sellers ship from china and offer returns where buyer pays for return shipping. This can easily be 3x the cost of the board. The sniper pays deeply discounted shipping rates that aren't available to most of us. I got good results but not full 2K resolution -- there are limits on the controllers boards. After a few weeks getting dimming screen. I wil need to check my power supply. It may need more juice specs ask for 12V 3A which is not a common power supply. I have boxes full of 1.5A and 2A.
I have iMac 2007 mid exactly same model you have. I want to know whether I have to buy specific controller board. please let me know the name of the board or give me the link to buy it.
No es mala idea pero.....1- primero yo hubiera fijado el inversor a la pantalla con celo de doble cara 2- segundo los controles lo hubiera fiado a la tapa de la memorias, 3- tercero - la fuente la hubiera colocado dentro protegido con alguna pantalla metálica para evitar interferencia y hubiera aprovechado el conector (220v) que trae el Imac de fabrica.
Very cool, but there got to be some kind of solution to make for that exposed piece of print dangling underneath, somebody should make some actual button housing for it
I did this with a 2009 27". I was able to wire up the iSight camera, the speakers, the superdrive and the microphone so that they are fully functional. (The SD card reader is USB, so I could technically wire that up too, but I haven't.) I even wired the power button to the power switch on the controller board. I put a USB-C power brick and USB-C dock on the inside so I'd only have one cable to connect my MacBook. I want to fill the USB and ethernet ports on the back, but that is a project for another day.
Hey i have also a imac 27".The Problem i have is that i think the controller that i found and buy have not enough power für the imac srceen , i mean its works fin but the srceen is too dark ,Its very darker than the original imac. Do you have similar probelms? Iam sorry for my englich it is not my native language
Is there a controller board that can also send audio to the iMac speakers. You use an HDMI cable but sacrifice the audio signal. I have a 2007 20 in iMac and want to convert it to a display with working speakers.
actually it's way more usable with the same amount of storage in present day than back then. with more advanced cloud services large local storage is slowly getting obsolete.
@@purely_maxwell Back when that Mac was released, the size of the OS, your applications and media files would be somewhat smaller than today. Whilst backing up your important data to the cloud is probably not a bad thing per se, assuming you feel it's secure enough to withstand a concerted effort to hack into it, it's definitely not an ideal replacement for local storage. Relying on cloud storage means relying on your Internet provider and your storage provider... two potential weak points in the chain. I still prefer offline storage solutions and installing software locally, rather than using cloud based services and apps. Physical storage devices are pretty cheap these days. 🙂
if possible, just get a belkin av360 if you own a 27' imac from the year ( 2009 / 2010 ) boom a dope gaming monior 😎 and i havent tested it yet myself but i think using the " Mclassic " adapter can bring out the 1440p. dope video !
Awesome M3tech, i was wonder to convert my imac 27inch 2009 model by a lenovo laptop mother board, im thinking if how to directly jumper the power button since its integrated on the keyboard it self, and if possible the bare motherboard can bootup without attached battery, mousepad and keyboard.
Nice, however, critical details left out, such as who to find the replacement video controller board that is compatible with the screened some of the connectors as to how they go into the new controller set up...If this was just for entertainment - good job, other wise look for other videos to help.
that's why I don't tell people which one to buy, because every Mac is different, and people would need to disassemble their Mac and find the display serial as I mentioned in the video, then buy the controller board. I got mine locally, it's also on sale in a lot of places
@@rcpmac I did the same thing after watching your vid. And I believe I bought the same boarf you used. The board has one speaker port and iMac has two speakers inside. So I couldn't connect both speaker ports into the board😱
How do you keep the screen tilted where you want now that you’ve removed all the internals? The weighting is screwed up so it tilts to the sky all the time…
hello my imac 2012 model a1418 does not have a display. it works fine but it's too slow slow slow it's because it doesn't have the screen. can i do something for it to work normally with the external monitor sorry my english. Thanks
you need to take off the display from the iMac, and see the display model number. every Mac is different. you then need to find the controller board for that specific display
no, it is not possible for me to give you a link for a controller board as every one of them is made for a specific type of display panel. you will need to find out the model number of your display first
@@madgemccoy4695 I did the same thing with my 2006 white iMac. the internal DVD drive has a PATA style connector so I simply purchased a PATA to USB adapter to plug into my computer. Now the DVD drive works seamlessly and appears as if it were a real iMac
Unfortunately you have to take a part the iMac and look at the display to get a serial number and use that serial number to get the controller card. It’s not as simple as the video makes it out to be !!
@@JustFixIt99 it is an issue when trying to buy parts. It’s a pain in the ass to take it apart to find the serial number to order the controller card. Who knows how long it will take for the controller card to come in the mail, etc.
@@soulrebel2006 Again though, you have to take it apart anyways to do this mod, so there is no difference. Presumably if you're trying to use it as a monitor you have another computer anyways. I really don't see your issue here...
I explained this in the video yet a lot of people still kept asking me if I could send them the link to buy the same controller board I used. I said every display model is different and they're not interchangable.
Why not just give people the link to the product page of the board...so people at least can have a place to start the project, yes, I know the board is not for every imac, but why not just give the link so we can start from somewhere, or the point of this video is useless
yeah I've thought of this. but the gpu chipset is directly soldered onto the motherboard on the 20 inch models, nothing much I could do tbh. I'd rather put it into use this way.
wow I was about to watch but apparently you dont actually list any controller board numbers cause you were too busy making a video instead of something truly useful. not to pile on, but your vid is even lamer since you didn't keep the SPEAKERS in the display.
