Check Out This Functional 3D Printed Macintosh

[bayportbob]

great hobby project... well done!

 

[motorazr]

This is a work of art. The detail and care in execution is amazing;

 

[dmr727]

Pretty impressive stuff, and I'm sure the video isn't showing the immense amount of trial and error needed to get things fitted and working just right.

 

[jaster2]

Remember how those top two torx bolts were so deep inside the shell? Had to have a special version of the tool to get at them. But once you got it open you could swap out most anything.

 

[Lioness~]

I would rather go with a mix of retro/modern/future project like this. A mix of an iPad mini in a retro inspired case. Etsy sells the case, without the mini - and similar things.
I like them, but haven't been enough inspired to buy it.
A Mac with a touchscreen even, almost 😉

 

[bodhisattva]

That's my point...as far as I am aware, you cannot print screens and processors with a 3D printer. There are 3D printers that print metal but I've never seen them in use and don't know their limitations.

I don't think I'm being pedantic about this...it was a question that I honestly wanted to know based on the article title, the 40 weeks of work it took, and the long video showing how he did it plus the hype from MR. The title of the article (and the youtube video) is quite misleading when all he 3D printed was the shell (as far I can tell) which probably took 1-2 weeks out of the 40 weeks of work. If that's the case (no pun intended), he might as well have just grabbed a Mac case and polished it up and used that instead of 3D printing one.

Maybe taking things a bit too literal? Not trying to be mean here, but how do you react when a local mom/pop coffee shop posts on the door "World's Best Cup of Coffee" ... Worlds Best Cup of Coffee

 

[Numbah One]

Computer history museum. Like how Babbage's Analytical Engine is re-constructed.

Also so everyone can nerd out on its construction and the skill it took to create it. Practical, of course not, but very cool!

 

[bzgnyc2]

This is a work of art. The detail and care in execution is amazing;

That was exactly my reaction. I didn't intend to watch the entire video but I was mesmerized. He has a truly impressive breadth of skills, and I am blown away by the inherent level of planning required to pull this off.

Did he get each item working and matching the rest in only one iteration? To 3D print the case, he had to know where all the holes and such were to line up with the interior chassis. Which itself had to line up with multiple custom made modules that were derived from hacked/repurposed items. I mean he took a stock USB floppy drive and then converted it to self-ejecting drive with a stepper motor controled by a customized module running a custom program. And then this had to fit in the custom bay he planned for it. Did he develop that first and build around it? Or did he work outside in and just hoped he could made everything fit together?

Plus the finishing touches like the Brewintosh, keyboard port pictogrpah, and rear label...

And then he documented it all on video.

 

[00001000bit]

If that's the case (no pun intended), he might as well have just grabbed a Mac case and polished it up and used that instead of 3D printing one.

That was addressed in the video. He felt it would be a waste of the original hardware to just scoop it all out and replace it with modern equipment. Don't get hung up on 3D printing being in the title. It's an important part, but not the only part of a larger, impressive process.

The importance really is on the BUILD itself, not specifically that it was 3D printed. All the work required to make this "mac-alike" is what's impressive: the 3D printing, the custom microcontroller setups to allow the original keyboards to interface, the conversion of a modern USB floppy to have the same self-ejecting behavior as the originals, even the attention to detail in making the embossed pictograms on the case. It's not just the 3D printing, but all the other work that was only made possible BECAUSE he could 3D print a case that had all the right mounting points to fit his custom work. This project wouldn't have been the same if he'd just jammed a raspberry pi inside a retrobrighted OEM case.

 

[Tailpike1153]

Unless I am mistaken, this is NOT a 3D-printed Mac. The outer plastic shell was 3D-printed. But everything else was salvaged or replacement/upgraded parts. If he did print all the non-plastic (metal) parts, he didn't show him doing so in this video. And he didn't show how he printed the plastic parts like the wiring shell, the integrated circuit boards, and buttons, etc. If I'm wrong, please let me know and maybe a timestamp in the video where he shows/talks about these discrepancies I listed.

Impressive that he did all this, but I think it's extremely misleading to title this article "Check Out This Functional 3D Printed Macintosh".

Not mistaken. He didn't completely 3-D print everything. "Man builds Mac Classic in his Attic" probably would have been a better title.