I want a Mac tablet, I want one really really bad, though not quite $2,400 (modbook) bad. Bad enough to try OSX86, but all those PC tablets are butt ugly and I really don't feel like dealing with a hacked/pirated OS. I really really want a real mac tablet. So here I go.

I googled around and around and around. I found that the Gateway M275 tablet has a 14" LCD that is the same panel used in some G4 ibooks. (pretty darn sure anyway) even if the panel itself does not work the Wacom tablet board and tempered glass overlay could be transferred to the ibook. The trouble is that tiny little wacom board and how the heck to wire it. I have been emailing the author of the tabletmagic serial driver for help on the software end. What I also need to pull this off is help on the hardware end as well, how the heck am I going to figure out how to wire this thing to a usb adaptor? I know knothing about serial connections. I will post a photo of the board and its connectors so everyone can collectively scratch their heads. It has 14 pins on but only 9 wires are used. The pins are not labled. There is a little 3v printed on the board that may be running from the 8th connected pin. I want so bad to believe that the number 9 is not a coincedence and its a normal 9 pin serial connection. But I am very wary, one mistake can fry this thing.

As Promised...

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Note the row of labled contacts along the upper left as well as pin 13 on the board with its thick trace leading over to where 3v is written.

i just printed out that picture... i've got some spare time this afternoon, i'll see if i can come up with anything... i might have to pick up a 14" ibook g4 now too... good work! talk to you soon

so, i've been looking at the connector area on the left side... there seems to be a lot of wires coming in that dont have traces on this side of the board, is there anything on the other side?
Pins:
2
3
4
5
6
have no wire coming from the harness

Pins:
1
7
8
14
have no trace visible on the front of the board...
Pin 1 has a large trace, maybe power of some sort... as does pin 14...
I do see that pin 13 runs over by the resistors where it is labeled +3Vd so that is definitely our main power.

So do you have any explanation for the wires that come in but have no trace past the connection on the left around where it says "CN101"? Maybe a picture of the back side of the board would help

Well it seems to be glued in place so its tough to see the back. There are thin traces there on each pin, 7-11 snake off toward the large chip toward the bottom. I have been googling the labels on the pins in the top left, all are standard serial functions, SDI = Serial Data In, SDO = Serial Data Out...

I am stunned, I emailed wacom on the off chance they would send me pin-outs, expecting the corporate blow-off. They actually sent it!

[attachment=0]<!-- ia0 -->20080709101404924.pdf<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment]

wow that helps!!! So do you think you'll be able to get it switched to usb? also... the aux 1-4 pins, what's that about i wonder