Build Yourself a Tiny Macintosh Mini Linux Console
What is this? A Mac for ants?
The original Apple Macintosh computer was released way back in 1984, and garnered quite a lot of buzz. That wasn’t just because of the now-legendary launch commercial that was inspired by George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, but also because it was the first mass-market personal computer with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and a mouse. Considering Apple’s current megalithic tech presence, the original Macintosh has quite the cult following. Now you can make your own tiny Mac(intosh) Mini Linux console.
Not to be confused with the Apple Mac Mini, which was first released in 2005, this Mac(intosh) Mini designed by "likeablob" is an itty-bitty Linux console designed to look like the original Macintosh—just at a much smaller scale. The “monitor” is a small 2.4” 320x240 pixel SPI LCD display, which should give you an idea of the size of the Mac(intosh) Mini. Despite its diminutive stature, this is still a fully-functional computer.
The enclosure can be 3D-printed, and contains an Orange Pi Zero Plus2 (H3) and a micro-USB breakout board in addition to the LCD screen. The Orange Pi Zero Plus2 is a single-board computer (SBC) similar to the Raspberry Pi Zero W, but with upgraded hardware and a different form factor. In this case, it’s running Armbian Bionic 5.90 Linux. Other distros can be used, but likeablob has instructions on how to set everything up with Armbian Bionic. In particular, it’s helpful to upscale the display to overcome the limitations of the tiny screen. This may not be the most practical computer in the world, but it is impressively small and adorable.