Mystery Mac/Clone faceplate? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: WolfmanTech
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 08:14:36 am
content: [ Specified attachment is not available ]I have a square cast-aluminum face-plate that I have been unable to identify by looking up pictures of computers online.It is 7+1/8 tall and 7+7/8 wide with slots for a 3+1/2 drive-bay and a 5+3/4 drive-bay.It is mounted via four screw-holes, one near each corner, and has a double-row of ventilation holes at the bottom.It has marked holes for a power-button, power-LED, HDD-LED, a reset-switch, a pair of USB ports, a MIC port, and audio-out port, and a single Firewire port.Here it is:

author: AndyBeez
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 08:55:58 am
content: Firewire was a built to order option in Macs from around 1997 to 2011. It might be a plate from a power mac that someone used for video editing, which was a common need for Firewire back in the day. Possibly?Happy huntinghttps://everymac.com/systems/by_year/index-macs-mac-clones-by-year.html

author: WolfmanTech
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 10:01:01 am
content: This thing, if it's real, looks the right size/shape/aesthetic:Any ID on it? Not coming up on EveryMac as far as I can see.It's like a fat Power Macintosh G5?

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 10:05:16 am
content: Doesn’t look like a Mac. More like one of those Shuttle mini PC cases from early 00’s. I had one with FireWire in it.

author: WolfmanTech
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 10:14:42 am
content: Hey, I think we have a winner!The G5 cube definitely isn't it, but this Shuttle case looks close:

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 10:20:36 am
content: Closer

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 10:24:00 am
content: Closesthttps://www.olx.ro/d/oferta/pentium-4-shuttle-windows-xp-sp2-IDf4UF6.html

author: WolfmanTech
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 10:34:32 am
content: Perfection, thank you!Looks like it's specifically the Shuttle SS50 model.Now, what to do with it? I've already found a front-panel board with USB and audio-jacks that line up to the holes in the face-plate, just need to find a Firewire port and maybe make a new PCB to mount the lot in the right places. The other side is easy, two switches and two LEDs, just need round buttons of the right size.The real question is, how do I go about hacking together a case to mount this face-plate to? I foresee much hackery and brazing will be involved.But that's for a future date, whenever I feel adventurous enough to attempt such a build, not to mention having time, money, and materials!Thanks for satisfying my curiosity, had this thing for a decade and never knew what it was from!

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 11:04:12 am
content: I would go ooh ahh, have some flashbacks to LAN parties and playing UT99 and Q3A then throw it in the bin

author: AndyBeez
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 11:29:11 am
content: Quote from: bd139 on July 10, 2022, 11:04:12 amLAN party! I had forgotten about those. Such was life before broadband when we were forced to 'borrow' someone's WEP key. The warmth of those overclocked Pentiums meant we never needed central heating.btw I thought that was a strange 'Mac' faceplate, but Apple has had so many form factors over the last 25 years, I thought maybe it was some non-European server clone variant thing. Would have been worth $2 if it was Mac scrap. Otherwise just scrap.OP if you want a shuttle case, these do come up on ebay as parts junk. So you may get lucky with a search. The mobo was something like a mini-itx form factor if I remember correct. Anyone have a user manual?

author: WolfmanTech
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2022, 12:00:43 pm
content: Already did an Ebay search out of curiosity, no luck! (not that I could afford such a frivolous purchase anyway)Like I said, I'll save it for a hair-brained future build. Thinking I might built some sort of multimedia system out of it, put some integrated speakers to either side of the face-plate to pad out the width so a larger mobo would fit behind it...The possibilities are endless! (and unlikely to be explored for some time, plenty of complete vintage systems in my collection to build/repair before then)Edit- Correction! Tried a different set of search parameters and Ebay is thick with them, but mostly the later black cases and just one of the white cases with the clear-plastic face-plate, so far.