The G4 iMac is one of the more popular computers in the restomodding scene given its charm and unparalleled ergonomics. Most modern machines that people squeeze in don’t have a disc drive anymore though, so [EasternBloc Engineering] has fitted a retractable MagSafe charger into the drive bay of the machine.

In this example, the iMac has become simply a monitor, instead of an entire all-in-one computer, and the original 15″ display has been replaced with a lightweight 22″ monitor on a 3D printed VESA mount. The narrow confines of the iMac neck meant [EasternBloc Engineering] had to sever the connectors from the HDMI and power cable before reconnecting them once they were fed through.

The really novel part of this restomod is the engineering of the retractable MagSafe charger mount that pops out of the drive bay. [EasternBloc Engineering] started by looking at repurposing an original disc drive, but quickly turned to a bespoke 3D printed solution. Using a LEGO motor and gears for the drive, the system can stick its tongue out at you in a more modern way. A straight in-and-out mechanism like on an original disc drive would’ve been easier to implement, but we appreciate the extra time for angling the phone that respects the ergonomics of the machine. We hope the files will become available soon for this part of the mod since electromechanical components are more interesting than the VESA mount.

We’ve taken a look at how to implement MagSafe (or Qi2) into your own projects and also a few different G4 iMac restomods whether you prefer Apple Silicon or a PC-based approach.