Tiny Macintosh replica: Pico-Mac-Nano brings the classic to 62 millimeters

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It is just 62 millimetres high, but its functionality corresponds to that of the large original: a British hobbyist has developed a functional Macintosh replica that is a true-to-scale miniature version of the original Apple Macintosh from 1984 and can be operated with a USB mouse and keyboard. In a blog post, he provides instructions on how anyone can build this Pico Mac Nano themselves using a Raspberry Pi Pico.

According to him, the project is based on the open source project "Pico-Mac" by Matt Evans. While the original project provides a Macintosh emulator for the Raspberry Pi Pico with VGA output, Nick Gillard goes one step further and integrates a tiny LCD directly into a detailed housing.

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Winziger Macintosh-Nachbau: Pico-Mac-Nano (5 Bilder)

The heart of the system is the Pico Zero

At the heart of the system is a WaveShare Pico Zero, a compact version of the Raspberry Pi Pico. The emulator runs on Macintosh System 3 and supports USB input devices via a special OTG splitter cable that provides both power and peripheral connectivity.

The biggest challenge was the display: A 2-inch TFT panel with 480 × 640 pixels had to display the original Macintosh resolution of 512x342 pixels. Since rotating the framebuffer would have been too computationally intensive, Gillard quickly adapted the emulator's ROM file and reduced the horizontal resolution to 480 pixels. This even had advantages: The housing could be made even more compact and the LCD flex cable did not have to be bent awkwardly.

Picasso packaging for collectors

The housing was created using 3D printing. The hobbyist was also inspired by the original when it came to the screw fittings. The replica also has space for a micro SD card reader to expand the memory. The Pico's RGB LED shines through the ventilation slots and indicates the various system statuses.

If you would rather not do it yourself, you can buy a collector's version from Gillard, which even comes in a "Picasso" cardboard box that he had printed in India. Without the box, the fully assembled version costs the equivalent of around 66 euros. In the future, the hobbyist would like to install an internal battery module and implement the Mac's power-on sound.

Just a feasibility study

Even though it is quite obvious, Gillard points out that this is just a joke and a feasibility study. The display is far too tiny anyway. However, the overclocked chips could also lead to stability problems, he warns.

(mki)