The Most Adorable Little Raspberry Pi Computer You’ve Seen All Year
We love mr_deelee’s project, because it combines retro computing, 3D printing, and Raspberry Pi into one delightful device.
The “maker” label encompasses many different interests, from robotics to quilting, but there is a massive amount of overlap between those. If we were to draw out the Venn diagrams, it would look like we gave a child a pencil, a compass, and a whole lot of caffeine. So it is always a treat when you come across a project that incorporates several of your own interests. That’s probably why I love Redditor mr_deelee’s Raspberry Pi Retro PC V2 so much, because it combines retro computing, 3D printing, and a Raspberry Pi into one delightful device.
This is a tiny little computer modeled after an Intel 286 PC. It doesn’t seem to be an exact scale replica of any particular model, but rather the kind of quintessential 286 PC from the late ‘80s or early ‘90s that never really existed. All of the details are there in the beige case: a 3.5” floppy disk drive, a 5.25” inch floppy disk drive, arbitrary styling lines, and even a tiny little 286 “sticker” in the corner.
While it may look like the original version mr_deelee published, this V2 has a very cool upgrade: the 5.25” floppy disk drive is actually a slot for the SD card! That connects to the Raspberry Pi, so the user can swap out boot images any time they want. This was designed for the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, but it might work with other models, too. It isn’t a requirement, but mr_deelee left space for an audio board (with amplification and speakers) to give the little PC some sound. Finally, there are two places to mount 25mm fans if the user wants to ensure that the Raspberry Pi stays cool.
The monitor looks like a cathode-ray tube (CRT), but is actually a modern 3.5” LCD that connects to the Raspberry Pi via HDMI. That “monitor” can swivel, just like the real thing.
The case itself is 100% 3D-printable and only requires a handful of screws and a small dowel pin to hold everything together. Mr_deelee was even kind enough to upload those 3D files to Printables so that everyone can get in on the fun.