Upcoming Challenges

There is obviously a reason why nobody has been able to pull this off before: the laundry list of obstacles to overcome is immense. Here is an incomplete list of problems I must overcome in the process of doing this transformation:

• Replace the Apple LCD panel with an off the shelf Computer Monitor - The panel in the iMac uses a proprietary connector type which is not directly compatible with standard VGA or DVI connection formats. It requires both the iMac's integrated graphics card and built in power supply, neither of which are compatible with the MacMini.  
• All those I/O Ports - Of course all the USB, Firewire, audio and networking ports are soldered directly to, and held in place by, the iMac's motherboard. 
• Power - I have one power cord going into the iMac's shell and at least 2 devices that will need direct AC Power (the mac mini and LCD power supplies)
• Space - It's going to be a tight one. Even though the MacMini is only a 6.5" square that's 2" tall and the iMac is ~10" dome, the two weren't designed to fit together. There's also the power supplies and probably more I'm going to have to find room for. It's going to be tricky.
• Power button - I guess it has the same problem as the I/O ports. Probably should have included it up there. Ooopse...
• DVD Drive - To keep things authentic, I'm going to be ditching the super slim slot loading drive that comes with the MacMini it favor of the full sized tray loading 5.25" drive which will eject out of the front like it's supposed to. However, not only is this devise much bigger, it requires more power than the smaller, notebook sized drive from the Mini. 
• Sleep light - I would really like to get the pulsating sleep light from the MacMini to power the existing one on the display of the iMac
• Speakers - The sphere speakers that came with the iMac plug into a special powered speaker port on the iMac. Like the monitor, all the circuitry required for these is integrated into the motherboard so you can't just plug it into the Mini. There is an adapter called the Griffin iFire but they haven't been made in years, only pop up on ebay every few months or so, and end up fetching $300+. I'm not into that and hopefully I can get the specs for the speakers and make my own amp. 
• Heating - Both the Mini and the iMac were carefully designed to move air through them in specific ways once the Mini is opened up and the parts are all over a larger area, its fans might not be enough to cool every component. 

I will be adding to this list as more problems become apparent.