My beloved iMac G3's internal monitor seems to be dying. At first, there were bright flashes, and now, I often see quick "static" on the bottom of the screen occasionally, and sometimes it will "snap" and realign itself. Needless to say, it seems to be more common than before.
It's probably not worth repairing, and my strategy to turn it into a stand-alone computer (with monitor connection) needs more skills than I have, I suppose....
Does hooking an external monitor up to the device show the video on the external monitor? I ask because turning the imac into more of a traditional desktop shouldn't be impossible.
The screen is pluged to the mother board using a plain standard DB15 video connector (VGA). So extracting every component to a home made box and pluging any VGA capable screen should do the trick.
You could also buy a LCD display and replace the CRT by the LCD inside iMac's box, and this can be cooool 
Here is a link to a site that shows how to repair several Apple devices (I used it to replace mi 1st geneation iPod's battery and to replace my iBook G3's hard disk). The given URL points to the page that shows how iMac's screen is pluged : http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-iMac-G3-Model-M4984-Logic-...
I heard that there's an external monitor connector in the back of the iMac, but it either has moved from where it was on iMacs before 2000 or removed altogether.
EDIT: I think it moved, because mine is above 400MHz.
However, given the cramped desk space that is currently where the iMac is, I don't want to have the heavy dead CRT hanging around with the keyboards and peripherals wiring upwards toward the desk. If the CRT indeed dies, I like my mod idea (where I could do some improvements, such as replacing the internal drive with a Combo drive). Then I could move it merge it with my current setup (with my MacBook). Either way, having an LCD screen would be pretty awesome, admittedly.
In my second solution, I was indeed thinking of removing every CRT related part from iMac's box, and putting an lcd display in here. You would then have a moded iMac with a beatyfull lcd display (and it will consume less energy, and heat less, ... )
My 333MHz tray-loading iMac has a third-party add-on that allows an apple or vga monitor to plug in the back. Ain't I lucky? There definitely is an apple monitor socket inside though. You could just unplug the built-in monitor and cut a little hole in the plastic outer shell to allow for plugging in an external monitor. A relatively easy mod.
What model do you have exactly Temporary Joe? Sounds like a slot-loading version.
My old rev.A 233MHz had the VGA port inside, nothing on the outside that would allow a "2nd" monitor. From memory, as you take it apart, it's right underneath at the back, in the area of the back of the CD tray.
Best strategy here ? you could probaby buy an eMac for less money than a VGA monitor. Assuming that you want to run OS9 over OS8.
The iMac is a Summer 2000 slot-loading model. DV SE+, I believe. In its glory days, it was quite a machine! It's definitely gone through some changes. Today its primary purpose is to play Mac games, and I say it does an excellent job at it.
The LCD hack does sound intriguing, but that would require an exact monitor, and leave lots of space open in the machine. Plus, due to the nature of the CRT, it would require a slight tilt. With my "Mac-in-a-Box" idea, it would give it a form factor similar to a pizza box Mac or a game console. Though if I was going with the "console" idea, it would certainly be quite large, possibly the size of the first-gen PS3, except not as nice-looking.
If you want some examples, you can have a look at those two moded computers :
- here, the content of the iMac as been completly removed and changed for a PC with an LCD screen : http://maxent.org/entropy/frankenmac.html
- here two pismos have been used to build a totaly new (and superb) computer : http://www.flickr.com/photos/theducks/379057750/in/set-72157594510329242/
I think my family has an extra LCD monitor I can use.
Problem averted, for now...
If you can't find a monitor port, you could try one of those USB to DVI adapters...
What about building the guts of an iMac into an existing device? Say a CRT TV? I suppose if you found one with enough empty space in the bottom, it could be doable. It would certainly be cool, but a ton of work...
Or replace iMac's CRT with a flat panel, thus making a lot of room in the case 
What would you possibly put into an iMac's case without the CRT inside it? CD storage? A cage for a pet hamster?
Some air ... As there often is more than 40°C here in summer, my father's iMac don't like that ... at all.
I think that having a LCD instead of the CRT would cause the computer to eat far less power, and to have way better heat dissipation.
Wait, 40 C (104 F) inside? Don't you have A/C? 
No , not inside. The temperature is usually measured outside in the shade 
!
Anyway it's quite common that the temperature goes up to 30°C inside.
And no, there is no air cooler there, if that's what you meant , when it's 30°C, it's 30°C !
Well yes, I suppose you have a point there mathieudel. I've always noticed any iMac G3 I've used gets really hot inside, it didn't occur to me in that last post strangely enough.
Though to be fair, since winters can get cold around here (especially where I keep some of my computers), having a iHeat Computing Unit isn't such a bad thing. It keeps the room overall warmer and the iMac's heat has some place to go.
Slot-loading iMacs don't have fans, at least not the 350MHz one that I had. Consequently they often overheat and die earlier, and their plastics often turn brittle. I appreciate Mr. Jobs wanting them to be simple and quiet, but the earlier tray-loading iMacs were more reliable in the long run because of their fan.
Yep, this 500MHz slot loading iMac (white spotted coloration) perfectly fits your description MCP. I dropped this Mac on the carpet once and the front monitor bezel popped off and some of the brittle plastic underneath broke apart. Managed to get it back together, but you can still see where the holes in the plastic are under the transparent bezel.
*sigh*, nothing lasts forever I guess. Used this iMac for quite a long time earlier this decade. It's a shame to see it slowly break down.
Hello,
out of curiosity I once tried to connect an external Apple monitor to my iMac's video port. That was the original bondi blue. As far as I can recall, the system did not boot that way. Could it be, there has some signaling to be done, that tells the system the display is up and running?
@24bit:
Certain early iMacs corrupt their NVRAM when an attempt at installing OS X is made without applying the correct firmware updates.
External video still should work though.
http://guides.macrumors.com/Fixing_No_Video_on_iMac_G3_After_Mac_OS_X_In...
Thank you Balrog,
I shall try next time I have to change the battery.
