Bobby MacBrain's Bubble-gum and Baling-wire Mac Hack Handbook: Listing all manner of Apple Macintosh and other Mac OS mods, patches, kludges, Rube Goldbergs, and jury-rigs which may or may not be useful. This site is run by Bob Rabun who can be contacted at: robertotec@aol.com
This is NOT a place to help you break into the Pentagon's classified systems. This site is a place for legal, ethical, and unusual really cool stuff you can do to or with your Mac.
04/15/00
One Dollar iMac! UPS delivered an iMac to my home today. The entire cost is being paid by credit earned on the PointClick Network (less $1 for printing the check).
02/25/00
The top pay-to-surf program, AllAdvantage, just released a Mac version.
Dan Kraeuter is working on a patcher to make running 8.5/8.6 on unsupported PPC upgrades easier. Check out his page here.
01/22/00
Running MacOS 9 on Unsupported PPC Upgrades: Mark Tannen reports success on his PowerBook 520c/PPC. He was not able to get his IIci/Turbo 601 to work, though. I have not been able to try it because my PowerCard 601 is still fried. If you have tried, let me know of your efforts at robertotec@aol.com
01/01/00
Much of the information from 1999 has been archived here.
Running MacOS 8.6 on Unsupported PPC Upgrades:It takes a little more work than 8.5, but it can be done.
My Own Hacks:
Running MacOS 8.5 on Unsupported PPC Upgrades: It's not a trivial task, but it can be done. First you fool the installer into thinking you have a supported Mac. Then, you hack the System file with Resedit to make the System file think your Mac is supported. Once you do that, you can take advantage of the speed and stability of MacOS 8.5 on a machine that Apple says is not supported. Update 12/7/98: Once you have 8.5 running, the upgrade to 8.5.1 installs without any additional mods or hacks. Update 12/23/98: The International versions of the 8.5.1 update are now available. I would like to here from anyone installing an international update on a their "Hacked 8.5" system. Update 1/3/99: I heard from Asao Ouchi(Hitachi, Japan) and Yoshiaki ADACHI that the Japanese localized update to 8.5.1 installs easily on top of the "hacked" MacOS 8.5.
The World's Ugliest Mac: I installed my Performa 475 motherboard in an old Packard Bell case along with 3 hard drives, 2 power supplies, PPC601/100 upgrade, and floppy. I did remove the "Intel Inside" sticker. I guess I could call it my "Mackard Bell". I also came up with a way to use the LC PDS slot, even with the PPC601 upgrade card installed. I currently have my Ethernet LC PDS card in there. The next step is to figure out how to install my VideoSpigot LC video input card at the same time.
Floppy Drive Cleaning Hack: I set up the $9.95 Mac SE for my wife to use to write letters. BUT I ran into trouble when she was ready to print out the first letter. I realized that I needed to get the file onto my main desktop Mac to get the fonts she wanted and to use the Stylewriter. The SE had System 6.0.1 and I couldn't get FileSharing to work between it and a PowerBook. I found that the floppy drive would not read, write, or successfully format a disk. I decided to try to make my own FD cleaner. I took an old disk and opened it up at the seams. I then cut out 2 pieces of paper the same size as the magnetic media (I had to trim them a couple of times to get them exactly right.) I then used a couple of pieces of double-sticky tape to attach the paper to both sides of the magnetic media. I tried the disk cleaner in the SE to no avail. Time for the big guns... I applied a small amount of isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) to the disk cleaner. I inserted it into the SE again. I let it dry for a half hour. I tried a regular floppy and was able to format it as single-sided, so there was progress. I tried the drive cleaner again and this time I was able to read a double-sided (800K) floppy. Success! I could then transfer the file to my Desktop computer and print out the letter. Update: The store-bought version of this costs about $5.95, and it does use isopropanol as the cleaning fluid.
ColorPlus Screen Adjustment: I hesitate to post this because this can KILL you. Don't do this unless someone else is around (and they know CPR!) And don't do this with children or pets around. With the power off, the capacitors in a monitor store enough energy to stop your heart. With the power on, the high voltage can turn you into a French-fry. You don't even have to touch it, just get too close.
The border around the window on my Apple ColorPlus 14" monitor was about 1/2 inch all the way around. I saw this posted on the Quadlist and decided to try it myself. I was able to enlarge the viewable area on my screen considerably. (Of course the resolution stays the same since this is a fixed-synch monitor.)
Update 1/14/99: I got a good deal on an Apple 16" Color Monitor (this is the same size as the monitor that Apple later sold as a 17" monitor). This monitor has a panel on the left side that gives you access to horiz. postion, horiz. size, vert. position, and vert. size. I removed the case to gain access to the pincushion and pincushion balance controls. The brightness and contrast on the front of the monitor are all the way up, but I need a little more brightness adjustment.
Update 1/17/99: I took the back off of the 16" monitor again and took off 2 metal shields. I traced the wires from the front panel brightness and contrast adjustments to the printed circuit board at the the back. The circuit board had the brightness and contrast wires labeled. About 1" above those labels there were 2 holes in the circuit board leading to 2 tiny potentiometers. I used a jewelers screwdriver to make adjustments with these pots.
QuickTake 200 Camera Power Supply:
I needed an AC adapter for my QuickTake 200 camera. The Apple or Fuji adapters cost $29-$39. Then I realized that I have a couple of LC Powersupplies that I'm not using. The QT200 can take a voltage as low as 5 volts. I just bought the connectors I need at RadioShack, 4.0mmx1.7mm size, Cat. No. 274-1532. Soon I need to get out the soldering iron and get to work.
Update 12/7/98: I fixed up a cord to connect the LC PowerSupply to my QT200, but it was just too much of a kludge ... even for me. Back to the drawing board. I found a 6 volt, 800mA PS in a junk box at Renaissance Computers. I gave them $4.99 for it. I soldered on the correct RadioShack adapter plug, and it works fine. I won't show a closeup of my soldering, though. I even added a ferrite choke for good measure. There's still a little 60hz hum in the LCD which also makes lines in the pictures taken with it plugged in. Back to the drawing board...
Logicboard Hack to Accelerate My Performa 475
I have known for years about a logicboard resistor swap to clock-chip my Mac from 25mhz to 33mhz. But I had an accelerator clip from KS Labs installed, so I didn't need it. The KS Labs accelerator worked fine and let me run the bus at 33mhz while I had a PPC601 card running at 100mhz. However, there was one problem. The KS Labs speed upgrade would only work with a 640x480 resolution monitor. No problem there either until last week when I got a great deal on an Apple 16" monitor with 832x624 resolution.
Anyway, I pulled out my soldering iron and made the resistor swap (see the clock-chipping section below). I put the system back together and restarted. Everything works fine with my 16" monitor at 832x624. Update 1/23/99: The eBay auction just ended on the KS Labs Accelerator.
Cheap Stuff:
2/5/99: I just bought a 10-pack of Maxell CD-R disks at the local
Office Depot for $19.99 and mailed in the $20 rebate form. Tax was
$1, so my cost was 10 cents per disk. The offer is good through
3/31/99. (I got the Philips 2x6 SCSI CD-R on eBay for $156.)
Crash and Burn: Stuff I tried that didn't work ...
15 Minutes of Fame: References
and links to my pages by people demonstrating a high degree of
intelligence, discernment, and taste.
Good News and Bad News about MacOS 8.6
MacWorld Expo!
I took Tuesday (1/5/99) off from my day job to watch Steve
Jobs' Keynote Address by satellite at the Atlanta Apple Market
Center. WHOA!
Here's the scoop ... and me
with my hands in one of those new babies!
New G3 hacks will be posted later. (Interesting note, the Gestalt
mach id is 406, same as the iMac.)
Hacks Wanted:
I would like to hear from others who are "stretching the envelope"
on Macs, who are doing things that are "unsupported" or that are not
obvious at first glance. One good example is the Color
Classic Power Up Web Page. This page includes several hacks
including upgrading the Color Classic to a G3 and upgrading the
internal monitor to 640x480. It's a great page if you own a Color
Classic (or even if you don't). Check
here for the hacks I'm looking for.
Software Hacks: Check out these
hacks,
patches, and mods to make your Mac run better than Apple wants it
to.
Projects: Here are some
other hacks I'm working on and some hacks I have thought of (or
for Mrs. Abbott, my 11th and 12th grade English teacher, "some hacks
of which I have thought.")
Apple System 7.5.3 has been posted to the Apple Download site.
The
Unofficial PowerPro Page: It's back after about a 3 week
hiatus.
Accelerate
Your Mac! has much info now on Overclocking your new
Blue and White G3 Yosimite machine. My own input to the issue is that
you may be able to dislodge the "Waranty Voiding Tape" intact by
applying a small amount of isopropanol with a Q-tip. I haven't tried
this myself, though. (But don't do this with the power on.)
Sonnet Technologies Resurrects PowerPro 601/100's and Announces 8.5 Patch for Sale!
Sonnet
Technologies announced that it will be resurrecting the PowerPro
601/100mhz with 1Mb L2 cache. This card upgrades Quadra
700/800/900/950 and Quadra/Centris 610/650 computers. I had heard
last Spring from a former Daystar employee that Sonnet had bought up
the remaining PPC upgrade cards and working inventory when Daystar
went out of business. Looks like they are finally doing something
with it. The press release also announces a MacOS 8.5 Enabler for the
PowerPros. Current PowerPro owners can purchase the Enabler for $49.
(Or do it yourself for free.)Thanks
to Mike Meyer for the heads-up on this one.
Update: The
card is listed in Sonnet's online store, so it should be
shipping. More
info on the Sonnet Technologies PPC 601 upgrade card from
MacCentral.
iHacs: Hacks for iMacs.
Emulators: Emulators
are some of the best hacks around.
Add a Slave IDE drive to your Rev. 2 Mac G3 or just upgrade to a larger/faster IDE drive.
Convert an IDE
drive to SCSI with this adapter available in Australia. I haven't
seen a US source yet. Accelerate
Your Mac has a page devoted to this. I received this email
giving me a price of approx. $70 US shipping included from
Australia to the US (Visa and MC accepted).
Things I Wish I Had Written:
To Hell Will Microsoft, Netscape, AND AOL Too! by Bill Troop -- The title says it all!
AOL
and Netscape, eh? I'm Going Back to Cyberdog by Mark Delfs --
(But then, I have never left Cyberdog myself.)
Other Interesting Hardware Hacks:
Camneerg is Green Mac spelled backwards. This is just about my favorite hardware hack of all time. This machine started as a Mac Plus. The owner of this machine, spacerog@l0pht.com, replaced the failed monitor with a 9" green screen. However, he found that everything displayed on the screen backwards.
Good hardware
hacking page, especially the operating hard
drive with the lid off.
PowerBook Hacks:
It appears that Apple has shipped at least 2 different modems in otherwise identical PowerBook Series 2 PBG3/300/8.0/64/DVD's sold in the US. I disassembled about $10,000 worth of PowerBook G3's to check this out.
Powerbook battery hack from Andy Ihnatko using a 12 volt lead acid battery. I may try to find one of these. I was even considering carrying around a 10 pound UPS until I saw this article.
The AC Adapter for the PowerBook 2400C will also work with the PB3400C, PB G3, and PB G3 Series. The only limitation is that this 36 watt adapter doesn't have enough juice to run the machine and charge the battery at the same time (or it charges very slowly). But you can get one for $16.62 from Sun Remarketing (and there's a 5% discount for ordering online). Not bad for a backup. Note that this is the only item at Sun Remarketing that does not have an outrageously high price. It is part no. 922-3029.
Headless PB540 as World's smallest 040 Desktop Mac. Post from the Quadlist.
Clear Case PB500 and other PowerBook hacks.
A Mac made
of Legos! I wish I had thought of this first!
Digital Camera Hacks:
Power supply and battery hacks for a QuickTake 200. I bought one of these for about $200. It's not the greatest camera, but it's got an Apple logo on it and it's decent for the price. But it EATS batteries.
In fact this
whole site is a treasury of lens hacks, software hacks, cable
hacks, exposure hacks, and focus hacks for the QuickTake 200 and Fuji
DS-7 (it's near-identical twin).
Multi-Mac Hacks:
Here's a gang of Mac G3's at UCLA with supercomputer performance. This includes comparisons of the Mac cluster to Cray supercomputers. Speaking of Crays, here's an interesting story about Seymour Cray and Macs.
Here's a world-wide network that boasts of being the "fastest computer in the world". This group, distributed.net, is currently working on cracking the RC5-64 encryption challenge. Join the effort and crack some keys.
Hypercomputer
from Star Bridge: Sounds a little fishy to me.
Clock-Chipping:
Clock-chipping includes several types of hacks for increasing the clock speed of your computer. Here is Marc Schrier's definitive site for Mac clock-chipping. Here's a Japanese site for Mac clock-chipping (in English, Italian, or Japanese). It contains some info that isn't on Schrier's site.
400mhz
G3 Clockchipped to 500mhz with voltage increase and extra
cooling.
Translation Hack:
This isn't really a hack, but it is a cool trick. Select this link to Babelfish.altavista.com, then select "Translate". You will get the excellent German Mac News Page, MacGadget, translated into English. (It is also entertaining to read and realize the shortcomings of machine translation)
Does anyone know of anything similar for Japanese to English? I expect that would be MUCH more difficult to do by computer.
The Dialectizer.
Try this one.
Home Control Hacks:
Nice site on Macintosh Home
Automation. I haven't done any of this yet, but I'm tempted.
PC Hacks:
Finally, I found one thing that PC's are good for.
A photo by Roger Carlson provides an interesting statement on PC's and iMacs.
Blake's PC to Mac
Page: Here's a site by a guy in the process of upgrading from a
fairly powerful PC system to a Mac. (It's not a "hack" per se, but
there are a few interesting hardware challenges.)
Non-Computer Hacks:
Airline movie sound: I noticed that the coach seats on 767's have both the old "stethoscope" type of headset plugs plus jacks for electrical headphones. Instead of paying the outrageous $5 entertainment charge for stethoscope headset, you can plug in a set of Walkman type headphones. You only get sound in one ear, but at least it's free. There is a separate jack for each stereo channel, but there should be an adapter available to allow you to get stereo to your headphones. I looked at Radio Shack, but I couldn't find one. I don't know what the flight attendants would say if they saw that you "rolled your own" headset.
Charcoal Lighting Hack: How do you light 60 pounds of charcoal in 3 seconds? All it takes is 3 gallons of liquid oxygen. George Gobel (not that George Gobel) tells how it's done.
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