Introduction: Hack Mac Laptop to Be a Mac Tablet in 15 Minutes or DIY Cintiq

About: dad hacker tinkerer maker
I've had lots of questions from places where this has popped up:
1. yes it is pressure sensitive
2. it only works where my wacom sensor is... basically that white block in the video.
3. i used the g4 because it has a broken motherboard and was virtually trash anyway. it only boots some of the time. Any laptop should work.
4. yes, it could be prettier. I know. I don't care.
5. yes writing on an lcd is bad for it. If it were to be used more often I would place a small plexiglass or lexan sheet over the screen.

There are many many people who want mac tablets. Also, many artists like to be able to draw directly on the screen. Wacom offers a product that does this, but it is $1,000 - $4,000 depending on size.

There is also a company that modifies mac laptops to be tablets here: modbook

While both are fantastic products and far superior to what I've made I can't afford either of those. So, I took an old mac laptop and a wacom intuos2 tablet and hacked them together. It was fun and serves its purpose well enough for me.

Step 1: Disasemble Laptop Screen

Follow the diagram below.

1. first remove the white casing. It is held by 4 allan screws.
2. Remove the metal shielding from the back of the panel, it is held by a few small screws.

Step 2: 5isassemble Tablet

5 screws hold the case together, simply remove them and pull out the panel guts.

Step 3: Mount the Panel on the Back of the Screen.

place the panel so that the sensor area is not blocked by any circuits. Fasten into place. I used duct tape.

Step 4: Tweek in Software.

In the wacom software, you can specify the screen area to be effected by tablet input. make the effected area match the shape, size and location of the sensor. this will line the cursor up with your input. This will require a lot of trial and error to get right.

Step 5: Enjoy!

I really felt that this needed some drawings. Really the one you saw on there was the only one I did with it before I took it apart. So, I'll include other stuff I've done with the tablet and just assume you didn't read this paragraph. Enjoy!

Step 6: Visit Links of Better Made Versions.

These are others I have found on the intertron. They are all better than mine. But they all required more than 15 minutes to make.

The original DIY cintiq.
http://www.bongofish.co.uk/wacom/wacom_pt1.html

Some guy that did a powerbook mod. Just found this while looking for images for my instructable. His is pretty nice.
http://www.fabiennemaurer.com/flo/tablet/