Ugliest Strongest Case for Powerbook Transformer

by cesar harada in Circuits > Apple

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Ugliest Strongest Case for Powerbook Transformer

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Cables when extensively use tend to ... DIE ! Mac Laptops are no exception. I wanted to fix it, for a looong time.

First : BRUTALITY !!!!!!

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First locate the problem. For me the cable was dead on the thin cable at the beginning.

I didn't find any 'clever' way to open the transformer, maybe someone did an instructable called 'how to open a powerbook tranformer with ease', i didn't find it, sorry for this. So I opened it with a hammer and a few flat drivers with anger and sweating. Don't forget to unplug it before you start, don't forget to test it without the case (BE CAREFULL TEST IT WITOUT TOUCHING THE TRANSFORMER ITSELF, I GOT AN ELECTRIC SHOCK 220volts because i played with it while on).

After opening it, i discover that in the box, the cable was stopped by an ingenuous knot molded into a cube of plastic. This time delicately, not with a blade but with a sharp cutting pliers, I extracted the knot off the cube and unlocked the knot.

The Replacing Box

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I was in a hurry, so i just took a piece of wood and made simple (ugly) case with 'spagetti' holes.
I firmly fixed the cables so they come out by the same hole (I know it's not good ...).

Cable Protectors

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In order to prevent too radical torsion to my old cables, i used these long steel springs. My springs were so long, it took a little while, and the third hand is Nasser who popped in by chance a this precise moment of the night, thanks mate !

Cable Fixing, How to Use It Now

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As the cable were already firmly attached to the case, only remained the necessity to hold the cables in place, i took an other shortcut : brown tape ! hehehe.

The outcome is absolutely ugly (i love it) and no one will ever presume it's an apple product designed in Califorbnia, BUT you can also pretend it's a
-Microphone (with potentiometer !!!)
-Spagetti machine
-Wired talkie-walkie
-A shower thing
-Anything you want actualy

Apart from this, it works good and dissipates hit much faster than before (it used to be sooo hot). And wood is so charming.