My readers (you) are great. A few years ago, I was asking for help with a little project: the reuse of the Power Mac G4 Cube speakers on a recent Mac. Then Jean designed a small program that allows it.

• Cube Way 2 Mac Os Catalina
• Cube Way 2 Mac Os Version Get Rid Of One Macos

Technicals details

To begin with, where is the problem? The Power Mac G4 Cube is a bit special, it does not contain any audio controller or output, and completely relocate sound management on its speakers. More precisely, on a small USB box connected to the speakers. In this box there are three important things: a UAC3552A USB chip (basically an USB audio controller), a Tripath TA1101B amplifier (the same as in the iMac G4 and Power Mac G4) and a voltage booster which will provide 12V to the amplifier from the 5V of the USB. This way of operating involves several things, the first being that an USB port capable of supplying enough energy becomes mandatory to get an acceptable power. In theory, you need a Power Mac G4 Cube or an Apple Display screen with ADC, the only devices capable of delivering the necessary power to the speakers. A typical USB connection is limited to 2.5 W (5 V, 500 mA) and as far as I know, the appropriate ports provide 20 W (thus a priori 4 A). The second thing needed is a driver that will turn the amplifier on (literally). Apple has integrated it into the audio drivers of Mac OS X until 2010, the latest compatible version being Mac OS X 10.6.4. With the driver only (for example on an Intel Mac), the speakers operate at a very low level due to the lack of energy (8x less than the maximum expected).

The box

Jean’s solution

What Jean did is looking at the original open source driver and encode a small program that will activate the amplifier. The original USB part (the audio controller) is standard, it runs directly under macOS but therefore only provides the jack output on the case.

1. Steve Jobs admired the cube as a design. The Power Mac G4 Cube shows this in its DNA, and pays homage to the NeXTcube from Steve Jobs’ computer company befor.
2. Cube Way is a relaxing puzzle game, that is loaded with calming music and sounds that engage players through a.
3. Cube-OSX is a port of the open source Cube 3D first person shooter to Mac OS X. Currently everything works (hopefully) except for networking. It gets pretty good performace: about 35-70fps on a 500MHz G4 with Radeon 7000 PCI video card and about 200-400fps on a Dual 2.0GHz G5 with Radeon 9600 video card. Quick list of features from Cube's website.

In MS Excel 2007 on PC you can connect to a MS Analysis Services Cube via Excel. I can't see how to do the same on Mac using Excel 2008 there.Does anyone know how to access the OLAP cube data on. Microsoft Virtual PC 2004.In July 2006 Microsoft released the Windows version as a free product for Mac OS 9. In August 2006 Microsoft announced the Macintos.

I have done some deeper research on the USB case working with the Apple Pro Speakers. As a result, the box contains two chips: a DAC Micronas UAC3552A and a Tripath amplifier (now Cirrus Logic) TA1101B. To activate these speakers, the original driver in Mac OS X sends a plugin and EQ parameters. The “plugin” is a piece of code loaded into the RAM of the UAC3552A, and the EQ parameters are used to configure the DSP built into the UAC3552A. To better understand the purpose of the plugin, I coded my own disassembler. With insufficient documentation on the UAC3552A, I can only deduce that the plugin changes the logical state of one of its GPIOs. By crossing my information with those of the Californian hackerspace “Sudo Room“, I deduced that this disables the MUTE function of the TA1101B.

The program is called Trinity Enabler (Trinity is the code name of the Power Mac G4 Cube).

The test

The program is available on GitHub and offers four options, depending on the available power: 500 mA, 1500 mA, 3 A and 4 A. If you test, I suggest you find a USB hub capable of supplying enough energy and do not connect the speakers directly to the Mac. In the basic mode (the safest), the power is really too low and (more importantly) the speakers disconnect when you play quickly on the volume, a priori because of the lack of power. In theory, the 1500 mA mode works on a recent Mac – they provide 2 A to an iPad without worry – but as macOS always considers that the port only asks for 500 mA, it sounds like a bad idea to me. In addition, the 1500 mA mode reacts strangely, including an audio balance that shifts itself. The safest solution is to use a USB hub powered by a block powerful enough (in my case, 4 A), the great majority of models accepts to overload the USB port. Given the losses, I stayed on 3 A, which gives a good output power (and no bug). I assume that with an old Cinema Display in ADC, it must also work, but I confess that I was too lazy to install everything.

macOS see only 500 mA

To conclude

Thanks to Jean, I can (and anyone can) reuse good quality speakers. It lacks a bit of bass, but my speakers are not in very good physical condition. This small program allows to override the arbitrary limitations and marketing of Apple. Be careful though if you try: the 500 mA mode is the only one really safe for the Mac, the others require devices capable of providing enough power. Do not cry if you turn on 4A mode on a live Mac and destroy the USB ports.

Ever since seeing the Cube I'd wanted a dual G4 version. (Or a spare dual G4 module after getting a Cube earlier this year to modify my G4/450 Cube.) Since the Cube uses the same G4/AGP module as the Sawtooth G4 towers, other than the issue of adding a contact block to make sure both CPUs had heatsink contacts - my only other concern was power use/heat. (Assuming the wider dual module would fit - apparently it does.)

Cube Way 2 Mac Os Catalina

Although Sonnet told me their Duet (Dual G4/500) would not work (per my PR contact there earlier this year), a reader named Flemming sent photos of his modified Cube running a Dual G4/450 module. I have been surfing your site numerous times - it's a fine job you do.
It might be of your interest that I run a Dual 450 mhz Cube - upgraded totally on own.

I took a Dual 450 mhz processor from a desktop G4 and took off and replaced a few components and I then managed to put it in my Cube. I also had to add some extra alu-plates in order to have full contact between the two processors and the cooling-plate. But it seems to work now - temperature is between 40 and 56 degrees celsius - fully acceptable !

I also added a new harddrive, extra RAM and a different videocard - but all standard spareparts.

I now just need to find a tool to benchmark-test it under Mac OS X - but it seems really fast already. CD-ripping went up from max 7x to max 12x. Do you know of any tools by the way ?

I enclose a few pictures to your inspiration...
Yours electronically...
Flemming K. aka Kokio '

I asked Flemming for more info including the issue of the (wire wound) Coil that was moved/laid down, any info on the size of the plates for the heatsink mod, etc. and he wrote:

The inducator/coil was tinmelted (I hope that's the right english word ;-)) [unsoldered] off and replaced 'lying down' and doing that I had to tinmelt a little piece of extra wire - because as you see it is placed beside the CPU module.

Besides that two plates of aluminum was made - app. 20 x 20 mm - each 2 mm thick. A friend of mine - working with cooling/heating for the foodprocessing industry - measured and made the plates for me.

I just attached the alum plates with - a little - thermal adhesive between both heatsink/new aluplates and between CPU/new aluplates.

Cube Way 2 Mac Os Version Get Rid Of One Macos

So there's not that much of cutting-edge developing in this - it's just a small piece of practical work-around - but anyway, I have a speedy Cube running - that pleases me...
Mac salutes from Flemming'

I've posted some of the photos he sent below, showing various phases of the mods. (I've asked how he attached the contact block to the heatsink (i.e. thermal adhesive, etc. rather than just a friction fit I assume).

(Disassembled Cube showing Dual G4 CPU module installed)

(Testing w/Dual G4 Tower heatsink)

(Bottom View of Original Cube Heatsink)

(Modified Dual Contact Heatsink w/Artic Silver II Thermal Compound)

(Side view of Cube CPU heatsink)

Completed System w/Cinema Display
(original CPU module shown in front of display)

Flemming also sent photos of adding a fan/heatsink to the original Rage128 graphics card but to save bandwidth I've not posted these yet. Here's a photo of the Apple Single vs Dual G4 CPU module from a G4 Tower dual G4 cpu module swap guide.

Cube Cooling Options: I'd forgotten about the reports of mounting 80mm fans in the bottom of the Cube noted about a year ago. A reader sent a reminder (might be of use for dual G4 modified Cubes)

' One thing that the dual g4 cube owner may want to consider is installing an 80mm fan in the bottom of the cube case (there are mounts and space for an 80mm IIRC). A 19.5 CFM @ 15 dBa 80mm is $20 from Plycon.com. Since the heatsink setup is optimized for passive cooling, I believe that forcing air over it should only improve it's cooling ability. (also the air coming out of the vent should keep papers from resting on it).

Just a possible future upgrade, to lengthen the life of a really awesome cube.
-Chris'

Low-Noise Fan Source: (from the 12/4/2001 news)
After posting a note about the ability to mount an 80mm fan in the cube, a reader sent a comment about sources of low-noise fans (some of the past articles also list sources).

' RE: Adding a fan to the cube
Being the owner of an Old Power Computing PowerCenter I have been taking steps to make it more silent. If something was bad about the old PowerComputing machines was that they were not very silent. Doing some research on fans I found a very silent one from Zalman zalman.co.kr.

The 80 mm fan comes with a resistor making it possible to run at lower rpms and even more silent (20 dB, according to Zalman). The result was almost stunning, I went from being disturbed by the fans to be concerned about the silent IBM drive that was almost impossible to hear over the fans before. Such a fan at the lower rpm setting should be ideal for a Cube user.
Thought it might be of interest.
Cheers!, Magnus N.'

Other Apple Cube Upgrades and Articles:

• Apple Cube with Dual G4 500 Sonnet Duet CPU Upgrade
  
• G4 Cube Modifications for Radeon 8500 AGP Card
  

The Mac Mods/Upgrades page has articles on Mac Pros, Mac mini, iMac, Macbook Pro, and PowerMac G5.