Miniature Packard Bell PC Oozes Nostalgia
A strong feeling of nostalgia must have driven Baylin to design and build this Packard Bell Mini.
The 1990s were a strange time for the home computer industry. Standardization was driving down costs, making upgrades more accessible, and giving people the ability to build DIY PCs. But that also resulted in a plethora of boring beige boxes that all looked the same. Unlike during the days of the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, we ended up with computers that were almost indistinguishable unless you knew what parts were inside. At the time, that was depressing. But now that those PCs are part of the distant past, many of us experience nostalgia. That feeling of nostalgia must have driven Baylin to design and build this Packard Bell Mini.
Baylin designed this after the Packard Bell Legend 2CD, which was an Intel 486-based model from the mid-'90s. Like many computers from the era, the Legend 2CD had a horizontal layout intended to support a CRT monitor. Millions of Americans jumped on computers just like this one in-between episodes of Saved by the Bell. I had a similar Packard Bell model in the late '90s and hated it. But seeing Baylin's project still brought up warm memories. I suspect the same is true for you, if you're reading this.
The PC case and monitor enclosure were both designed by Baylin in CAD and then 3D-printed. Baylin originally used a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, but ended up switching to a Dell WYSE 3040 thin client. The design of the Legend 2CD was scaled down and it isn't a perfect replica, but it is very close. The "CRT Monitor" is actually just an enclosure containing a 5" Eyoyo LCD screen. The 5-1/4 inch and 3-1/2 inch drive bays are dummies, but the latter can contain an SD card slot for removable storage. The Dell WYSE 3040's ports are accessible on the back of the case, and the front has a green LED and a power button. Baylin even built a pair of matching speakers to complete the look.
At startup, the computer boots into DOS. From there, the user can load up whatever vintage software they'd like in order to experience the '90s in all its digital glory.