Tag: Apple Vintage Macintosh Limited Edition Collectors 20th Anniversary Twentieth

While surfing the net, I came across a new website created for owners of the 20th Anniversary Macintosh or TAM for short.

The original site can be found at tam.axon.net and is no longer maintained. This new site looks promising and there was a lot of interesting information and links that I have never seen while searching in google.

Having bought a used G4 Cube as my first mac, I was introduced straight to OS X. Using OS 9 or earlier seemed a little difficult to adjust.  I have yet to get the PCI ethernet card installed in the TAM till this day.

It’s a dream to shoe horn a mac mini, 12 inch ibook or powerbook into the case of a broken TAM to run the latest OS X and bring the computer up to date. However, searching online has never revealed anyone who has successfully done it.

Finally, on appletam.ning.com was a link to a youtube video showing how someone has a touch screen OS X running TAM. This guy in Japan has successfully installed an Intel Mac Mini into a TAM.

Besides using a mac mini, would the MacBook Air be the next best candidate for such a mod? It is wafer thin making it easy to fit within the TAM. The power supply is also a lot smaller than the one from a Mac Mini.

The following guide is based on information from the now defunct tam.axon.net forums for the 20th Anniversary Macintosh. Special thanks to Philippe for providing the information.

The TAM subwoofer is held together by the ‘cap’ on the top and screws below. Removing the screws at the bottom is the easy part. The ‘cap’ has to be gently pried out or the ‘legs’ holding it down will crack easily. You will need to find a suitable item to lift the ‘cap like a wooden spatula or screw drivers wrapped with insulation tape as I have done.

1. Flip the subwoofer upside down and rest it on the table. Remove the rubber strips by carefully peeling it out. It is held by double sided tape and should be easily removed. Be careful not to pull too fast for the rubber may have hardened over the years and snap.

2. The screws will now be visible. Remove the screws and sit the subwoofer the right side up.

3. Here comes the tricky part to remove the ‘cap’. It has to be lifted up evenly or the ‘legs’ holding it will break. I have used four screw drivers to pry it loose. Place a soft cloth to cushion the screw driver or it will leave marks on the rubber part of the subwoofer. Electrical insulation tape is wrapped around the screw driver tip to prevent scratching the ‘cap’.

4. With the ‘cap’ removed, the rubber piece can now be pulled off. It is held by double sided tape and should come off with a little force. Remove the screws that are now visible.

5. A helping hand may be required to hold the base of the subwoofer while you lift the case off.

Now that the case of the subwoofer has been removed, follow our next post to solve the buzzing/ humming issue.

*Photos will be available soon*

Many people have pointed the buzzing/ humming sound from the speakers are caused by a bad contact in the subwoofer.

Inside the subwoofer is a large connector where all the audio is routed. Overtime, the metal pins in this connector oxidise causing bad contact leading to the irritating hum.

Purchasing a new subwoofer solves the problem temporarily for in time, it will develope the same problem. After so many years, this part is no longer available from Apple and hard to come by.

Ever so often, people put up their TAM affected by the dreaded hum giving you a chance to pick up one inexpensively.

Don’t dispair if your beloved TAM is exhibiting this problem for it is not that difficult to resolve this problem by following the steps in our guide to take the subwoofer/ powersupply apart.