DIY iMac
When faithful Macenstein reader Joven wanted to buy a new iMac but found himself coming up short on funds, he did what any good Mac Geek would do – he built his own!
Joven already had an LCD monitor he was happy with, but loves the “Where’s the computer” design of the iMac. So he purchased a Mac mini, drew up some brackets in SketchUp, and headed to the garage for some good old fashioned aluminum bending!
“You can bend aluminum strips by hand. What I did was, first measure everything according to my design ( I posted the plan here: http://www.protodojo.com/downloads/ProtoDojo_BIGMac_final.pdf ). I drilled the holes using my drill press and cut the raw strips down to size with a hacksaw. Then placed the strip in a vise and bent it by hand. You also could use a rubber mallet instead. After that, it just screws in to the standard VESA mount holes on the back of the LCD.”
Joven says he wanted to avoid the $50 cost of commercially available VESA mounts, but I know for me, once I factor in the cost of buying a Drill Press, hacksaw, and a new LCD after I somehow ruin the first one, odds are I could have afforded 2 iMacs. Still, if you are handy, and not a total spaz like me, feel free to download Joven’s blue prints and have at it.
$111.02 drill press
$6.02 hack saw
$238.92 lcd displayx2
$594.88
$599.00 el cheapo mac mini
cheapest iMac $1200
doc your math is a bit off did get prices from google could be that
Pretty sweet stuff. Well done, I say.
I tried mounting a G4 MDD to a LCD with duct tape once…
Good job, well done… but I have a better idea…
Mac Mini = A
New Mouse = B
New Keyboard = C
Selling your sams LCD = D
DVI cable = E
All the time you spent = F
All the product and electricity and wearing off tools = G
>>>
A + B + C + D + E + F + G = X
X = iMac 20″
eh, fugly. But I guess it’s fine as long as you don’t turn the thing around…
Joven has obviously reached his manhood. A real man BUILDS his stuff, not buys it, no matter how much extra it costs!!! Looking at something and being able to say, “I made that myself,” priceless.