Apple G3 to PC Modification

Modifying an Apple G3 case to fit an AT style motherboard is not an easy task. Even so, I decided to do this modification because I happened to have all the parts at hand. The project began in 1999 when I acquired a G3 with a defective motherboard damaged by water ingress. I always liked the case and thought it was too good to throw away. I had many ideas for the case such as housing a valve amplifier as it had a cooling fan inside, however, where can you find a valve amplifier these days?

The design of this computer was influenced mainly by parts Borged from dead machines, and currently it houses an Optiplex 170L motherboard. Just like Michelangelo building a statue, I set out to build a computer. The computer was always there, and I simply removed the unneeded bits. :-)

The idea was to keep the external look of the G3, while making changes only to the inside. I considered changing the front switches, and cutting an extra slot for a CD-ROM drive, but decided not to as it would detract from the overall look of a G3. I have some digital filter algorithms that I have developed in 8086 assembly language and C++, and using a separate faster machine has been very useful. I also used this machine at a charity event connected to an OHP to display some very smoothly rendered high quality graphics and captions. The computer attracted a huge crowd as everybody thought it was a new experimental design.

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