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PC in Apple IIe case?

Raven

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Mar 7, 2009
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DE, USA..
Anybody ever done this or seen it done? I love the keyboard/computer combos, and that case in particular is large enough for a full desktop board to live in.. card height would be an issue, possibly, and maybe some other concerns... any thoughts?
 
heh that'd be pretty interesting. i'd use one. i think the biggest problem would be how the keyboard would work with the PC. i dont know the tech details on it, but i would imagine major modding is required.
 
You'd just need to translate between whatever Apple was using for the keyboard and PS/2 or USB. Doable, but you'll be playing with a microcontroller.
 
I figured I'd replace the keyboard, actually - just mount a PC one (Model M Spacesaver probably, for size interests and proper vintage) in it's place, if i were to attempt this project. Also, I probably should have clarified, but while a modern PC in it would be pretty awesome too, I was referring to a 486-class or Pentium-class machine.

I'm not a microcontroller-experienced guy, so that's out of my league, really (at least as of now).
 
When I was a young kid -- about 11 or 12 years old -- I imagined doing the opposite: putting the guts of an Apple II into an IBM PC case. I was inspired by seeing that IBM's and Apple's full-height floppy drives had visually identical faceplates, except for the logo. I also noticed that the Apple IIGS used a detached keyboard, but still didn't have the disk drives built into the case, which seemed kind of stupid to me.

I also once read a book titled "How to Build Your Own Macintosh", which basically gave you instructions for putting the guts of a Mac Plus (minus the monitor) into any generic PC case.
 
I also once read a book titled "How to Build Your Own Macintosh", which basically gave you instructions for putting the guts of a Mac Plus (minus the monitor) into any generic PC case.

The Beige PowerPC G3 "Gossamer" boards will more or less fit in an ATX case as well...even jumpers for using a regular ATX power supply!
 
I have seen poeple to it but so far NONE of them have turned out to look like something that actually looked like a IIe.
 
When I was a young kid -- about 11 or 12 years old -- I imagined doing the opposite: putting the guts of an Apple II into an IBM PC case. I was inspired by seeing that IBM's and Apple's full-height floppy drives had visually identical faceplates, except for the logo. I also noticed that the Apple IIGS used a detached keyboard, but still didn't have the disk drives built into the case, which seemed kind of stupid to me.

Yes, I used to dream of doing the same thing with the System 80 (TRS-80 clone) in order to tidy up the rat's nest of cables, expansion units and drives. I wanted to put it all in a PC case. Now I know more about the hardware I appreciate that the keyboard interfacing would have been a major challenge.

Of course, you can get the same experience now, by just running a PC-based TRS-80 Model 1 emulator in full screen mode. :D

Tez
 
If you are just looking for the all-in-one form factor, why not get a Tandy 1000EX/HX/whatever, or for that matter some minor brand like a V-Tech Laser XT etc? At least here in Europe there were a bunch of manufacturers who built 8088 based PC compatibles in that form factor, see various Amstrads, Sinclair PC-200 and Olivetti PC-1 to name a few. Indeed they won't look exactly like an Apple IIe but the design is similar, keyboard fitted with those keys you would expect on a PC and so on.
 
Interestingly a few Taiwanese companies (e.g. Redstone) produced computers that looked just like IBM clones...but in fact were Apple IIe compatibles!

Tez
 
I've done it. Many years ago. I put an AMD K6/2 system in an Apple IIe case (beige). I rewired the keyboard to use an encoder scavenged from a PC keyboard. It looks exactly like a IIe from the front, and the back looks pretty close, save for the addition of a VGA monitor connector and an Ethernet connector. I mounted the hard disk under the keyboard. I'll have to take pictures...

-Ian
 
I've done it. Many years ago. I put an AMD K6/2 system in an Apple IIe case (beige). I rewired the keyboard to use an encoder scavenged from a PC keyboard. It looks exactly like a IIe from the front, and the back looks pretty close, save for the addition of a VGA monitor connector and an Ethernet connector. I mounted the hard disk under the keyboard. I'll have to take pictures...

-Ian

Looking forward to those -- I figured /someone/ had to have crammed a Mini-ITX board or something in one of these! With the right video card, you could even use the Apple composite display.
 
If you are just looking for the all-in-one form factor, why not get a Tandy 1000EX/HX/whatever, or for that matter some minor brand like a V-Tech Laser XT etc? At least here in Europe there were a bunch of manufacturers who built 8088 based PC compatibles in that form factor, see various Amstrads, Sinclair PC-200 and Olivetti PC-1 to name a few. Indeed they won't look exactly like an Apple IIe but the design is similar, keyboard fitted with those keys you would expect on a PC and so on.

Because I'd be looking for a 486 or Pentium - I've seen a small number but they're rare (and expensive! :O ). Also, if I were to use an ordinary desktop setup it would have expansion capabilities, capacity for lots of RAM, whatever CPU socket I wish, etc.

Anyway I doubt I'll ever do this project, it's really just theoretical discussion.


I've done it. Many years ago. I put an AMD K6/2 system in an Apple IIe case (beige). I rewired the keyboard to use an encoder scavenged from a PC keyboard. It looks exactly like a IIe from the front, and the back looks pretty close, save for the addition of a VGA monitor connector and an Ethernet connector. I mounted the hard disk under the keyboard. I'll have to take pictures...

-Ian

Very cool! I'd love to see how you handled card height/placement.
 
I've done it. Many years ago. I put an AMD K6/2 system in an Apple IIe case (beige). I rewired the keyboard to use an encoder scavenged from a PC keyboard. It looks exactly like a IIe from the front, and the back looks pretty close, save for the addition of a VGA monitor connector and an Ethernet connector. I mounted the hard disk under the keyboard. I'll have to take pictures...

-Ian

Pics?

Also, anyone else seen this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Vintag...h=item4ac2c70805&ssPageName=RSS:B:SHOP:US:101
 
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