G4 iMac and its intense heat. A brainstorm.

[trag]

Would they be powerful enough to kick open the drive flap though? I have a few external slimlines but the ones I have really just pop open and don’t manually extend out on their own.

That's why one would need to "figure out a way"... The particular model I listed -- which I am rather fond of for what I am beginning to suspect are irrational reasons given the overall reliability I'm seeing, but then again, even if unused, the drives are very old and likely to be suffering belt decay -- is actually a slot loader making the issue even more severe.

I liked that model because when combined with this https://www.silverstonetek.com/en/legacy/info/accessories/FP58/

it was an elegant and practical way to have an optical drive.

Obviously, that (discontinued) bracket is not going to work in an iLamp. However, making something similar for an iLamp might be an interesting 3D printing project. To stay relevant to the thread, it would need to include fan mounting brackets in the assembly...

Has anyone matched the iLamp plastic color with 3D filament?

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

I like the idea of a slot loading slimline more actually because to your point, you could 3D print a replacement stationary door with a slot & still retain the space savings for additional fans. I don’t currently own a 3d printer but if it was me, I’d have fun with different colors like a rainbow filament. I think it would look really nice against the lampshades white plastics. I’d also definitely look at expanding the case with @phunguss ‘s collar mockup - that’s just such a very simple & elegant idea. To add space. So much could be done to improve airflow & upgrade I/o with a 3D printer imo.