Would it be posible to put some neon lhights in a tray loading imac. If any one has done this mod or knows anything about this mod please post. thanks

Epex,

neon in a tray load was one of my first mods. Its actually not hard to do at all, if you're willing to take the machine apart, and get dirty with it. Here's the basic rundown

You'll need neon tubes, the brighter the better, usually a 2 tube rig, with an inverter, and a toggle switch. Pull the bottom panel off the imac, disconnect everything, and pull out the "can" that houses the computer. then unscrew the bottom housing, remove it, the front housing, remove it, and the top housing. this will leave you with a CRT thats bolted to the shassis.

At this point, notice the anode cap (looks like a suction cup on the CRT back) BE CAREFUL. you let that thing shock you, and you may be unconcious for a long time (like forever) CRT's hold a lot of stored charge, and they are dangerous.

That aside, rig up the the neon tubes under the gray plastic shelf of the CRT housing, above the CRT. Most neon kits come with adhesive mounting tabs. These work like a charm. Then run the wiring down the left side of the machine, outside the EMI shield, and towards where the can was. On the can, you can remove the CD drive, and the hard drive. Connect the neon's inverter to the molex power connector. Run the power switch wiring over to the access panel on the side of the can, and drill a hole below the audio ports, so you can mount the neon's rocker switch.

At this point, you may have to play with running the wires, in order to get it done decently, but when done, you power up the machine, trip the rocker switch, and the dome of the unit will glow.

Sorry about the long post, but that's it in a nutshell

That sounds unnessecarily complicated (and dangerous, exposing the CRT)

In the tray-loading iMacs, CCFL tubes can be inserted up the sides by removing the system tray and the bottom plastic bezel. I used these from xoxide, but any should work as long as they are this size or less. While these fit as is (barely), I'd suggest using a dremel tool to shave down the endcaps, which will also allow them to fit more parallel to the front. (No glue or velcro was needed) With no case modifications at all, the inverter will plug into the HD power and hang out the back. For better fit, the leads on the CCFL need extended, and the inverter removed from it's plastic case and heatshrinked (or electrical taped) to allow the inverter to fit underneath the motherboard in the system tray (be careful here)

I have pictures in this thread.

It depends on your experience level, and how far you're willing to go I guess. I work around CRT's all day long, so they dont worry me. Similarly, when I modded neon tubes into tray-loads, I wanted them up top, and I wanted the rocker switch installed. So, I went the extra mile

And without saying a word, Mr. Whitlock cuts to the chase. The short answer, if you know what you're doing around CRT's, good, you dont have to be told. If you're not experienced, read the manual. And then be careful anyway

great thanks But do any of you have any picture of the finished mod

Would you believe it happens to be one of the ones I've never gotten around to photographing? The machine is actually on the service counter of our shop. We use it to access our Filemaker database in order to check machines in to service. Heh, people get a kick out of the factr that our check in machine glows.

I didnt make it to work today, so no photos today, but I'll snap and post a couple on monday for all to see.

OK Great