Unlocking Free USB 2.0 on a Power Mac G4: A Retro Hardware Hack
By
by: Jenny List
Plain bagel done well. Pleasantly substantive.
Summary
[Pierre Dandumont] has revisited a vintage Power Mac G4 and discovered that Apple shipped the machine with an NEC USB 2.0 controller but only used it for USB 1.1. By enabling the controller's full capabilities, he was able to unlock free USB 2.0 support on the classic Mac, something Apple never officially provided back in the day.
Key quotes
· 2 pulled[Pierre Dandumont] has revisited a Power Mac G4 from that era and unleashed what Apple never did back in the day: a USB 2.0 port.
The hack lies in Apple shipping the machine with an NEC USB 2.0 controller, but only using it for USB 1.1.
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