g4 lamp style

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Hi all, this is my first post and this did seem the most relevant place to put it, although I wouldn't exactly call the iLamp 'current'. Does anyone know if it's possible to replace the IDE optical (CD/DVD) drive in a g4 iMac with any other? Is there a specific firmware/model necessary or will any suffice?
 
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Hi! Thanks :)

Unfortunately not, I know how to fit the driver as I have swapped them over before, but I live in the UK and was wondering if I can replace the drive with a non-apple-specific device. For example, a Sony optical drive. Many IDE drives for sale on computing websites say 'PC/MAC' in some generic way that would indicate it does work, I just wanted to ask the experts.
 
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MacHeadCase

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I don't think so. Not only is there a problem with the size of the hardware, there is also a problem with built-in hardware support in Mac OS X itself.

Better buy from a Mac retailer online or from a real life store. No need to buy from Apple though. I'm sure you have an online Mac part reseller in the UK.

Take the time to read the articles I linked you to ad it will give you an idea of models to look for.
 
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Well the hardware size isn't a problem, imac g4 ilamps take standard size cd/dvd rom drives, all the components are standard size other than the motherboard of course, and the integrated panel uses a digital connector (TMDS I think) instead of stock VGA/DVI.

As for the mac resellers, yes, I am aware for them, but at the risk of sounding rude, thats not what I'm looking for, I'm looking specifically for a generic device that will do the same job at a significantly lower price, but thanks for the enthusiasm.
 
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The IDE and power connector are both standard. I bought a used one off ebay for $20. The bad one I pulled and the new one I installed both said pioneer on them. Be careful of the connectors on the hard drive it is easy to dislodge them while removing the optical drive. Make sure you get some thermal paste for the CPU heat pipe. It is my understanding the g4 iMacs don't have any thermal sensors on the CPU so it will literally sit there and fry itself if the CPU isn't cooled. From a Unix standpoint you could find the command to list the ATA devices the kernel sees and match it with something similar.
 
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The IDE and power connector are both standard. I bought a used one off ebay for $20. The bad one I pulled and the new one I installed both said pioneer on them. Be careful of the connectors on the hard drive it is easy to dislodge them while removing the optical drive. Make sure you get some thermal paste for the CPU heat pipe. It is my understanding the g4 iMacs don't have any thermal sensors on the CPU so it will literally sit there and fry itself if the CPU isn't cooled. From a Unix standpoint you could find the command to list the ATA devices the kernel sees and match it with something similar.

Yeah I've taken a few apart before, good call on checking device however... I will give it a go and see what I can match up. Thanks.
 
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After swapping a few different drives in, it would seem that the iLamp g4 is compatible with most if not all drives, all I have tested so far appear to have been perfectly functional. OSX didn't even bother to tell me it had new hardware, it just worked.
 

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