Can We Save This Rotten Molar? The Power Macintosh G3 All-In-One Rescue - iiiDIY
Рет қаралды 4,365
Күн бұрынNow you can support the channel directly! Be one of the first iiiDIY Supporters here: / iiidiy
The Power Macintosh G3 AIO was the most powerful and practical beige all-in-one Mac ever made. Its design language was cluttered, confused and tooth-like... a rare example of function over form. It was sold exclusively to the education market, so they are getting harder to find.
I came across this Molar from a long-closed school. It has been scraped around a moldy garage for many years, so hopefully we can save it!
Once we get it restored, I have a few modifications that I would love to try out too.
If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to my channel so get more retro computing repair and restoration videos in your feed. Thank you!
Thank you to PCBWay for sponsoring this video. You can check them out at www.pcbway.com/
CREDITS:
Original GPU Mod Instructions: www.ppcmla.com/downloads/PCI_...
Action Retro's video demonstrating the original mod: • Hacking A Video Card i...
Intro Music: Ballerina by Yehezkel Raz
Thanks again to Nickposting & Technight on the Retro Electronics Repair Discord for their support and advice
Chapters:
00:00 Intro & History
01:52 A Checkered Past
02:33 Cleanup & Inspection
04:25 First Test Boot & Troubleshooting
04:50 Disassembly
06:33 Troubleshooting
08:15 Logic Board Clean & Recap
09:56 Power Troubles
12:07 CRT Testing
12:45 Full Disassembly & Cleaning
15:08 Scratch & Scuff Repair
16:50 Sponsor
17:26 Assembly & Channel Announcement
18:09 Test Boot
18:35 RAM, ZIP, CPU Upgrades
19:42 Gaming Test
20:14 GPU Upgrade Mod
22:15 Wrapping Up
#apple #MolarMac #PowerMacG3 #PowerMacintosh #Macintosh #retrocomputing #nostalgia #PPC #vintagecomputer #90s #PCBWay
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
It's MAY of 2024 but DaVinci Resolve still doesn't have spell-check in their titling tool, so... POST YOUR FAVORITE TYPO BELOW!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
12:45 - Disassemble
@pedrocx486 2 ай бұрын
0:13 DEPATURE 😂
@jryankennedy12 2 ай бұрын
Many people dunk on the molar Mac, but it is one of my favorite Apple computers. I remember being young and thinking about all the ways I could upgrade and max out this computer.
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
The looks... OK, I understand. But it was a very capable & expandable computer in its day!
@TechAmbr 2 ай бұрын
Finally, some love for the Molar Mac! My highschool was full of these machines back in the day, and I appreciated the sheer amount of STUFF they contained inside a single machine. Thanks for such a loving restoration, and the overclock + Rage128 mod is brilliant!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
It's a seriously impressive machine! A genuinely "pro" computer in classic home computer form factor. If only their design department had stuck with Espresso for *one more generation* it would've been gorgeous too...
@glonch 2 ай бұрын
Brilliant restoration and Rage mod... so nice to have the internal monitor still usable without an external cable
@1BitFeverDreams 2 ай бұрын
I was already rightfully impressed with the machine's restoration, but then you had to go the extra LIGHT YEAR with this internal video mod. Well done!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Hah, thanks! :)
@trekintosh 2 ай бұрын
Seriously this is a fantastic video. Incredibly watchable, I was glued to my screen the whole time, which is a shame because I’m at work and have stuff to do, but I don’t care.
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Aw, thanks! My apologies to your boss and/or clients :)
@trekintosh 2 ай бұрын
Someone alert Action Retro!
@GarthBeagle 2 ай бұрын
What a difference, cleaned up nicely!
@horizonman3835 2 ай бұрын
Great job. I loved your way to cure it.
@gperme1993 2 ай бұрын
Wow! This was a great restoration! You are very thorough with your work. I hope your videos get more attention
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thank you very much!
@corrugateddesigner 2 ай бұрын
So many tin whiskers! Helpful, even though I own other all in one macs. This feels like a Performa Mac
@dpro34s 2 ай бұрын
Idk why but this video instantly brought back memories of Elementary School playing Oregon Trail with my friends for hours 😂 they were eventually replaced with eMacs, but by the time I graduated to middle school, they had just started getting the first gen aluminum intel iMacs
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Hah, they were still playing Oregon Trail in the Molar era? That's great!
@mac27collection 2 ай бұрын
Your trypophobic-nightmare-tooth is looking great! :D At least the CRT bolts to a frame in this one, so much better than relying on brittle plastic standoff posts like in the LC/Performas.
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
A solid metal frame, and plastics that aren’t deteriorating… imagine that! :)
@BigBadBench 2 ай бұрын
Beautiful work all around!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thanks BBB! My soldering isn't nearly at your level, but I was trying my best to channel your energy with the pin header :)
@riverhoneybee 2 ай бұрын
I love you and I love this. Please keep making vintage computer restoration/troubleshooting videos :) love from Texas
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!
@toddholcomb1 2 ай бұрын
Impressive restoration - great job!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
THanks!
@subynut 2 ай бұрын
That was fun to watch! And I think I may have found my favorite mac! Super cool!
@ianpolpo 2 ай бұрын
Wow, love that internal video mod for the Rage 128! Very clean!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thanks Ian!
@InitialiseDisk 2 ай бұрын
That Rage 128 mod was so good. Well done!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thanks! :)
@danfm1 2 ай бұрын
superb editing m8, great job on the restoration
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thank you!
@LeSpameurYT Ай бұрын
Amazing work, what a beautiful video !!
@iiidiy Ай бұрын
Thank you very much!
@rlima81 2 ай бұрын
Awesome video! Love the attention to detail.
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@hycron1234 2 ай бұрын
Nice work and upgrades! 🙂
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thank you!
@badger67 Ай бұрын
I am so impressed with your technical knowledge and commitment. You have a new subscriber. I have a soft spot for the pre Intel Macs having bought my first Mac in 1994, a PPC 6100.
@iiidiy Ай бұрын
Welcome! That's the same year I got my first Mac, the LC630! I was jealous of my friend who got the 6100 :)
@XodiumLabs 2 ай бұрын
This makes me happy to see. I had a molar for a little bit (Garth had given it to me) but back then space was very much at a premium so I had to hand it off to someone who had the space and the know how to get it working. It was also angry, I think the PSU on it had died because all it'd do is make a hissing noise whenever I tried to turn it on. Seeing one of these spring to life like this is awesome. Even better yet that internal video mod, that looked surprisingly simple. That's really cool.
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thanks Xodium! Do you know if the next person ever got it going?
@hullauttttt 2 ай бұрын
this is amazing!! interesting how the molar released not even half a year before the G3, obviously the Power Mac G3 AIO was exclusive to education, but if there were a reality where Apple decided to have the Power Mac and the iMac G3 competing together, lmao the two well known ways to stress test a GPU : video games (quake, half life, doom, unreal, the like) *y2k music videos* also, this entire video is really well made, but that 128 mod was NICE; unreal tournament running at 30 fps on a powerpc feels unreal, it all did turn out REALLY really well
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Hahaha, there's just something about those (legally acquired) MPG music vids... Yes, there are so many fun "what if.." questions around this return-of-Jobs-era!
@pedrocx486 2 ай бұрын
The loud echoey snaps when disassembling and reassembling the computer is just… Glorious.
@seth8629 2 ай бұрын
Really nice
@cla3d 2 ай бұрын
Nice Job!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@rogierius 2 ай бұрын
A deep bow to you sir, the effort you put into these videos is remarkable. The clean room, the perfect lighting, the many different camera angles + shots all edited together... It's great! And then I haven't touched the content. I hope your channel takes off!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thank you! That's very kind of you to say :)
@OctavioGaitan 2 ай бұрын
Hi. I just so happened to come across your channel (thanks KZfaq recommendations) and so far I LOVE your content. If only my rotting Molar Mac G3 were this easy to revive... 😢 Sadly I lack the expertise to fully get into a computer, nor have the knowledge to recap, and I'm way too scared to get zapped by the exposed CRT.
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thanks! That's too bad about your Molar... Recapping is fairly straight-forward to pickup, but it's very wise to steer clear if you're not familiar with CRTs, it can be dangerous. Hopefully one day you can get it repaired and up and running!
@marc6340 2 ай бұрын
I have one of these, but could never get it to boot up. Maybe I need to give it a second chance?!
@CantankerousDave 2 ай бұрын
Molar? I only see the face of a guy grimacing in pain at the bottom because a huge monitor is bursting out of his forehead.
@john_ace 2 ай бұрын
Well done. The G3 AIO has 3D acceleration with the ATI Rage Pro. Although with only 2Mb of VRam, it may have some compatibility issues. You should add another 2Mb VRam module to get you about 80% of Voodoo 1 performance. Even Unreal will play at sub 640 resolution with around 20-30fps. UT will be a bit much for the onboard Video.
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Yes, my note about "no acceleration" was about that early Mac Quake demo software, not the hardware, sorry! I didn't have any SGRAM cards in my other machines (the early iMacs use the same GFX chip)... and a used module would've cost me more than the Rage128 :)
@user-cf7to8zv3x Ай бұрын
i have my coolection one i upgraded 400mhz g3 cpu 384mb ram 20gb original apple scsi2 hdd and radeon 8mb vga :)
@JeffGeerling 2 ай бұрын
One of Apple's strangest designs, for sure.
@danielktdoranie 2 ай бұрын
Really, Apple’s designs have gone stale. I wish they would bring back translucency. They’re not “fun” anymore. Not ugly by any means but just not fun.
@JeffGeerling 2 ай бұрын
@@danielktdoranie DJI has a new translucent shell microphone that's
@user-cf7to8zv3x Ай бұрын
one more think any solution to config the molar mac bios to vga treatment sdr ram type? i read to only edo or sg ram type vga treatment but i very want my molar mac a voodoo 3 any card :) + i saw u 20 th anyversal mac video gpu type same the plan any offer the 20 th anyversal mac same gpu?
@bcupp15 2 ай бұрын
I live in Harrisburg, PA and have seen a listing similar on Facebook Marketplace? Is this the same location? If so I wonder if they still have that LC5xx
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
That's a LC575, and it may have wound up in my minivan...
@KevinYapjoco 2 ай бұрын
What an awesome restoration! What UV lights did you use?
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Thanks! I just found the cheapest high-output UV bulbs I could find on Amazon, but they had to have a bracket for clamping/mounting. I'll add some tool links to my descriptions soon, but here's an affiliate link for the actual lights: amzn.to/4aCwhEv
@sjgrall 2 ай бұрын
How did you manage to fix the cosmetic issues while retaining the plastic texture? I saw you use sandpaper and scrub pads, but typically that would ruin the texture. I’m intrigued, as if you have a technique, others may benefit from it!
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
No magic technique, unfortunately :) I'm only sanding at the edges and the speaker grill where there's no texture. The scouring pad definitely IS abrasive, so it's important to only do the bare minimum necessary, and I feather it out lightly and widely, so that you don't notice the slight loss of material as much. It's not perfect, but I prefer this trade-off to a much more noticeable scuff mark. Also, I work under very good lighting - bright and broad, but directional... so that helps a lot.
@JasonPleet 2 ай бұрын
I like the Rage 128. But is its Unreal Tournament then it needs to be driven by a 3Dfx card. I have always wanted to use a Voodoo 2 added in line from the from the onboard graphics to the internal display. When I had a working G3 AIO I used a Voodoo 2 to drive an external display just for testing and thats as far as I got.
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Interesting! I never had a Voodoo card. I was still on a 68k machine when they were a thing. My first PPC was a G4, and by that time it seemed to be all ATI & Nvidia. I'd love to get a 3Dfx card some day, maybe without taking out a second mortgage ;)
@danielktdoranie 2 ай бұрын
Great work! Did you test the Zip drive? Is it SCSI or IDE on the molar Mac?
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Ah, shots I cut last night for time :) Yes, the drive works great and it's SCSI
@jjohnson71958 2 ай бұрын
it needs an ssd mod .. and faster case fan
@nathanbinns6345 2 ай бұрын
Everything had to be transparent for a few years there didn’t it.
@dave4shmups 2 ай бұрын
Great work! Are PSU problems common with this Mac?
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
I don't believe they are... and if there is a problem, I have been told by a couple people that these boards are compatible with a standard ATX supply with very little modification. Second-hand info, so take with a grain of salt. Apparently the weakness on these Molars is the CRT flyback
@dave4shmups 2 ай бұрын
@@iiidiy Gotcha. Thanks!
@bobweiram6321 Ай бұрын
The molar mac doesn't just look like a molar, but also yellows overtime and can be bleached using hydrogen peroxide and UV light like teeth.😂
@iiidiy Ай бұрын
Hah! You're unearthing the truth! :)
@Runco990 16 күн бұрын
Interesting that I never saw a Molar Mac, despite having had many different one's thanks to the back then USC surplus outlet. I never got into mac's due to their closed eco-system, but the one I WISH I had kept was a Lisa I picked up for $100 WITH the hard drive option. Oh well..... I think you have to be a bit of a Masochist to restore old Mac's. 😉
@iiidiy 16 күн бұрын
I finally had a few minutes of hands-on time with a Lisa for the first time a few months ago. Very interesting computer! And yes, you certainly do need to be a masochist :)
@LetsPlayKeldeo 2 ай бұрын
cool video but i would like it more if you would do commentary whilst working on it nobody talking sounds eary
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
That's not in the cards for now, but always appreciate the feedback!
@LetsPlayKeldeo 2 ай бұрын
@@iiidiy I guess its a person problem as I am not one for ASMR too but awesome video besides that seeing old electronics being recovered is great to watch whilst I do work myself
@ceebee23 2 ай бұрын
when Apple let you take their equipment apart to fix it!
@celsotrio 2 ай бұрын
a m a z i n g
@USArmyVet91 2 ай бұрын
Absolutely incredible work. I am just now getting into the older macs.. albeit 2008 MAC PRO 3,1 isn't quite this retro, but man that was impressive to see you not only restore that machine, but the upgrades just make that a beautiful, powerful beast. You filled the cavity for sure. Thanks for your hard work. 🖱🖱
@iiidiy 2 ай бұрын
Hah, thanks for the kind words! Congrats on the MP3,1 - those were SO good back in their day!
Eater Straw Hat
Рет қаралды 24 МЛН
iiiDIY
Рет қаралды 3,8 М.
FISPECKT
Рет қаралды 229 М.