Key Takeaways
1. Nick Gillard has created a tiny functional Macintosh Classic called the pico-mac-nano, measuring only 62 mm tall, using a Raspberry Pi board.
2. The pico-mac-nano runs a modified version of the pico-mac Macintosh 128K emulator and is available for purchase online for around £56 (~$75).
3. The project faced technical challenges, such as adapting the display resolution and color depth due to hardware limitations of the compact design.
4. The device features a 2-inch LCD display and connects to keyboards and mice via a USB-C splitter cable, with a custom 3D-printed case.
5. Beginners interested in Raspberry Pi can find a helpful guide on Amazon to assist with starting their own projects.
Nick Gillard has introduced one of the tiniest functional Macintosh Classics, standing at only 62 mm (2.44 in.) tall. This innovative project utilizes the compact WaveShare Pico Zero Raspberry Pi board, which runs a tweaked version of the pico-mac Macintosh 128K emulator. You can buy the fully assembled pico-mac-nano from the 1-bit rainbow store for £56 (~$75). For collectors, there’s a boxed edition available for £78 (~$105).
The World of Macintosh Emulation
Macintosh emulation has existed for many years, with passionate fans running the operating system and applications on various devices, from desktops to tablets, often employing Hackintosh techniques. Interestingly, the only touchscreen Macs that can be found today are PCs running macOS. The pico-mac project effectively emulates the original 128K Mac Classic using Raspberry Pi boards.
Crafting the Pico-Mac-Nano
To bring the pico-mac-nano to life, Mr. Gillard employed multiple hacks and modifications to fit the functional components into the tiny 3D-printed case. One of the main challenges was addressing the hardware limitation of rotating the display frame buffer to accommodate the 2-inch 480 x 640 pixel LCD display. Due to the restricted processing bandwidth, the native Mac display resolution of 512 x 342 pixels could not be implemented, so the pico-nano emulator was adjusted to output 480 x 342 pixels, which worked out just fine.
Technical Challenges with the LCD
The LCD panel requires an RGB input of 5 bits for red, 6 bits for green, and 5 bits for blue; however, the total 16 bits once again surpass the available hardware bandwidth. The solution involved adjusting the two most significant bits of each color channel, which greatly lowered the total bits needed to operate the display.
The custom interface PCB and case were made using 3D printing, which made it easy to connect the LCD to the Raspberry Pi board. The USB-C port on the back of the board provides power and connects to an external keyboard and mouse using a USB-C splitter cable. The modified pico-mac emulator operates through the rear-facing microSD card.
Getting Started with Raspberry Pi
For those new to Raspberry Pi projects and looking to dive in, there’s a helpful book available on Amazon that can guide them through the basics.
Check out the 1-bit rainbow blog, visit the 1-bit rainbow store, explore the pico-mac-nano gallery, or find out more about pico-mac on GitHub and WaveShare.
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