I Made a tiny Nostalgic miniature PC for my desk (3D Printed)

[Music] if you grew up in the '90s or early 2000s you probably remember these beige boxes back then this was considered Cutting Edge Tech and the internet was just going mainstream like many of you I've spent countless of hours on these machines growing up and I've been reminising a lot recently about those simpler times so I decided to make this working miniature computer for my desk to bring a piece of that Nostalgia into my workspace let's Dive In I started by gathering few images for inspiration and reference to help me replicate some of the interesting details later in the [Music] design I will be going for a compact horizontal desktop form factor with the screen on top making the miniature one attached piece for the brains I'll be using Raspberry Pi 4 because that's where I have one hand and like in this previous project I prefer to make a multi-functional prop so this pie will also run some of my home automation stuff taking into account the horizontal desktop form factor and the pi orientation we need an appropriate screen to match and determine the rest of the dimensions what I'm looking for is a screen with a squarish aspect ratio around 3 in wide and a decent pixel density to make the miniature aspect work most of the options I found were either too wide too tall or had a low resolution and when I found a decent option the interface was DPI which occupies most of the gpios and that won't work for this project so I settled on this Square 720x 724 in display by wave share I'll mask a bit from the top and bottom to make it look closer to the real thing I'll expand more on this later looking at the references again there are a few details that I definitely want to replicate one is the boxy light indicators that were very common in electronics from that era they usually used light pipes to spread lights from an LED Source given that iconic glow to my surprise I found a lot of Options under the key for light pipes in all sorts of configurations and sizes I ended up choosing these rectangular ones that look exactly like what you would find in devices from that time I'll be using this array of two one as a power indicator and the other for dis activity on the front of the disktop speaking of the front panel I'll also be adding a power button in a Micro SD card extension where the CDR floppy drive would be this seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass on and this is something that I didn't think of in my previous project the card stayed buried inside the case and every time I wanted to swap it I had to open the entire enclosure which got annoying very fast to implement these features I plan to design a custom PCB add-on for the pie that incorporates all these elements and distribute power where needed with the plan more less figured out let's hop into fusion and get started on the design first I defined the main toop box that will H the P to figure out the best shape for the add-on PCB since this will connect to the P via the 40 pin GPO header I had to account for the height of this connector after a few adjustments I had the components more or less in the right positions I then proceeded to wire it up including a USBC connector in the back and two headers to power the screen and this cooler I'll be adding as well for the micro SD card in the front I'm using a pushin push out connector wired to this flat ribbon cable this Bridges the PCB to tiny adapter in the micro SD card slot on the P although I know nothing about signal integrity and this is just a two-layer board I did my best at least to lent match the data traces and Stitch the ground planes to mitigate any potential issues if this fails I can still use the connector on the P directly after placing few Fasteners and adding details to fit everything in the disktop Box I turned my attention to the screen as I mentioned before I masked a bit from the top and bottom to get closer to the 4x3 aspect ratio and try to balance the bezel for a uniform spacing the screen assembly is mainly supported by this bracket that connects to the base through this joint to allow the screen to swivel slightly I added grooves and corresponding stops the wave share screen I'm using includes a small Audio amp to Output HDMI audio via disconnector so I added slots to hold two of these speakers that I used before I'll get back to wiring them later in the video next I imported the screen model into the other design to create the hold for the cables and add Fasteners to secure it to the desktop box I also added some aesthetic details and a tiny cover for the micro SD card I'm hoping that the pushout force will effectively eject this piece allowing for easy access later some of these features are extremely tiny and I'm not sure I can replicate them but I guess we'll find out soon with that we're pretty much done with the design and we can now send the board and the little adapter to PCB way for manufacturing in the meantime we can start printing the enclosure made possible by ha gears I'll be using their ultracraft reflex system to bring this project to life as someone new to resin printing I found their One-Stop production platform incredibly easy to use it makes prototyping straightforward and consistent allowing me to focus on design and finishing projects threatened and fiddling with the settings once the models are loaded into the blueprint slicer you can e e manually adjust the orientation or use the oneclick processing feature this feature automatically handles repairing orienting supporting and slicing the models which is a huge time saer I usually start with the auto features and then tweak things manually to ensure support marks are minimal on the visible parts for this project I'll be using using the pa10 resin which is recommended for end use products however if I needed to validate new ideas or run few iterations first I would go for the brand new rapid prototyping resin it's specially engineered by Hagar to have moderate viscosity making it suitable for Fast Printing and curing while retaining excellent details [Music] The Reflex systems ease of use and high success rate mean even a beginner like me can achieve injection mold like quality without a steep learning [Music] curve just like we send the prints over the network we can also send the wash and cure jobs to their respective stations the blueprint slicer calculates all the optimal settings in advance ensuring the best results with minimum intervention after removing the support secure in this first batch I repeated the same process for all the remaining [Music] pieces the pars turned out fantastic making me consider using resin a lot more for future projects this isn't my first time with the reflex either I used it for my modal macroad project and was equally impressed with the quality and consistency if you're looking for a reliable Advanced resin system I recommend you check out the ultracraft reflex plus hear are running a special promotion right now until August 10th you can get a $200 discount in two resin bottles if you use code Salem OR the link in the description down below thank you hey gears for supporting the channel now let's prepare these parts for painting even though the print quality was great we still need to address some support marks and ensure the surfaces are as smooth as possible and ready for painting I started by using an exacto knife and tweezers to carefully remove any protrusions from the supports [Music] next I move to wet sanding with various grits to even them out to tackle any remaining imperfections I gently used these 1,000 grip foam strips that easily conform to details on the entire model [Music] [Applause] before we start painting we need to apply primer to Ure the paint aders properly and the surface has a uniform [Music] texture airbrushing might seem a bit intimidating at first but I think it's the best tool for this type of work while I can use a regular brush I don't think I can get a uniform finish on flat surfaces like these [Music] to get closer to the off-white color in our references I mixed these two colors from Golden with some white and thinner once I was happy with the test color I prepared the larger batch and coated all the visible pieces in two to three layers it might be very hard to see on camera and it looks like a lot of work to go from the the original resin color to this off-white but I think it makes the entire difference in selling the miniature look after the paint fully dried I did a test fit and realized that I messed up this piece the bottom shell is way thinner than it should be causing the front panel to not stay completely straight when assembled but I think I can salvage this because the resin has some Flex to it which is great and these two holes will secure it to the add-on PCB pulling it back where it should be once everything is put together it should stay in place for the very tiny details I used the black wash that I made from this shading gray the wash settles in the recesses and crevices creating shadows and this makes the details more pronounced and gives the miniature a more realistic look [Music] [Applause] [Music] now that the detailing is done we can put toide the enclosure and move on to the electronics the few remaining parts I ordered for this project arrived just in time along with the [Music] pcbs I intentionally EPT all the SMD Parts on one side to make it easier to solder them using a hot plate [Music] there are few bridges that will need to be cleaned up but in my opinion this is still much faster than soldering everything by hand [Music] next I move on to the through hole components ordering the USBC connector the two headers for power and the 408 gpio [Music] connector now it's time to test the board and review few functions but before we do that a quick word from this segment sponsor flexis spot they sent me their E7 plus desk which you've seen me use throughout this build by now you've probably heard about the ergonomic benefits of standing discs what's even better is a height adjustable workbench changing the height to the perfect level while building stuff allow me to work standing or sitting comfortably for hours assembling it was straightforward although the frame is heavy so you might need help moving it once it's put together I chose this beautiful top with the dual motor full leg design it's incredibly sturdy wait it to lift 440 lb and has Rock Solid stability even underload check out the flexispot E7 to upgrade your desk or workbench they offer several beautiful finishes and accessories on their website with sales and promotions throughout the year link down below thank you flexispot for your support now back to the project after soldering the board it was time to test it out and see if that micro SD card extension work first I confirmed there were no shorts using a multimeter and then powered it on it seems to be running okay I ran several read and write tests and it passed with no issues so it looks like it's working this brings me to the next few features we added the LED and the power button I simply added few lines to the config file utilizing existing overlays as I mentioned before the LEDs are working as expected and the power button turns the p on and off without any custom scripts now for hooking up the screen this particular one is designed to be mounted directly to the pie and connect with these Pogo pins I opted to solder the power wires directly to the pins and isolate them with some heat shrink this is not ideal but there's no stress or tension so it should hold fine for the Audio I needed to figure out the pinout for the GST connector to wire up the speakers I couldn't find any information about this in the wiky OR with the package so a quick look at the amps data sheet and some probin helped me determine what goes where [Music] as for the software that will be running on the miniature that's going to be twister OS by pybs it's a general purpose OS with several Windows themes that perfectly capture the feel and aesthetic of those retro environments after running the install copying my custom settings to the config file and tweaking the experience a bit it's time to finally put it all together I secured the speakers with some hot glue in the designated slots and plugged them into the screen to test it out [Music] as a Finishing Touch I made these water slide decals to add a little more detail to the front panel [Music] and with that it's complete and here are the Final Shots [Music] [Music] check out the size of this thing it looks ridiculous and adorable and I'm really happy with how it turned out it brings me back so much memories it's been sitting on my desk for a couple of days and I thought I'll show you how I interact with it and go over some of the mistakes I made while building it to control it I have few options I can either connect peripherals via USB or Bluetooth or remote into it using VNC or SSH depending on what I need to do again pabs did an amazing job with these themes some of it really feels exactly like the real thing I explored some of the emulation stuff that comes with it to revisit some of the old classics and I also connected a wireless controller for the occasional retrop Pi sessions now for a few things that I could have done better aside from what I mentioned for the bottom case being too thin the little cover for the micro SD card slot didn't work like I wanted it's not as smooth as I'd like and the position for the card is a little bit hard to reach it works but it's fiddly I should have considered a cutout in that PCB and to center it in that opening even if it meant moving other components speaking of the components I've used some very small ones without having any major space constraints I try to make these projects as easy as possible to replicate and that should have been a higher priority in my list newcomers in this hobby are still intimidated by sodin and half mm pitch components don't look exactly inviting especially for a silly project like this one when working on the small aesthetic details it felt weird in time consuming to do all that stuff in sketch drawings and fusion I'm sure there's a better way to handle that let me know what you think in the comments below lastly tolerances in accuracy I didn't prototype some of the pieces that interface together properly and that created sloppy joints like this one I thought it was easy enough and not worth the hassle but I should have made sure that the tolerances are better regardless of all these shortcomings I'm still very happy with the result as usual everything I mentioned and project files are linked in the description down below thanks again to flexispot and hey gears for making this video possible and most importantly thank you for watching I will see you on the next one [Music]

Check out HeyGears UltraCraft Reflex: https://bit.ly/heygears-reflex Use code 'SALIM' to get 200$ off the Printer or Combo + 2 resin bottles. Join the HeyGears IdeaShapers community: https://bit.ly/41ZgYle Don't miss out on designing your dream setup with FlexiSpot.🌟 Use '24BDYTB50' for an extra $50 OFF on the E7 PLUS! Trust me, it's a rare treat! FlexiSpot E7 PLUS standing desk: https://bit.ly/46zyFvE Grovemade Premium Desk Accessories 🍃 Get 10% off using code SALIM10 → https://bit.ly/grovemade-accessories Inspired by the retro machines I grew up with during the 90s and early 00s, I decided to design and build a working tiny miniature PC to bring a little of that nostalgia to my desk. In this project, I'll take you through the entire process, from design to assembly, sharing my experience along the way. 👋 Follow me: https://linktr.ee/salimbenbouz ⚡️ Project links: Github: https://github.com/sb-ocr/miniature-retro-pc Instructables: https://bit.ly/3WVpQsw _______________________ ⚙️ Bambu Lab 3D Printers: Bambu Lab A1 https://bit.ly/4gwNFhK Bambu Lab P1S-Combo https://bit.ly/3VW4QBg Bambu Lab X1-Carbon https://bit.ly/3VTKfxx Bambu Filaments https://bit.ly/41RpVRe 🛠 Tools: Autodesk Fusion 360: https://bit.ly/49dQyQN Soldering station: https://geni.us/16zcw5 iFixit Driver Kit: https://geni.us/pE8dvKd Magnetic Helping Hand: https://geni.us/qmbA3W Digital Microscope: https://geni.us/OvfXE Oscilloscope: https://geni.us/rHzAS8 🎬Video gear: Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC Art Lens: https://geni.us/43RyE 90cm Octagonal Softbox: https://geni.us/tXzLg2U Motorized Camera Slider: https://geni.us/CKpHVYp Aputure Amaran 100D Light: https://geni.us/DitmF6 Aputure Amaran PT1C Tube Light: https://geni.us/zcYT Heavy Duty Light Stand with Casters: https://geni.us/W3aZy4Z RØDE VideoMic GO II Microphone: https://geni.us/3gEQb4 RØDE Wireless GO II Microphones: https://geni.us/HTWPS 🎧 Music: Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/cp32b6 _______________________ 00:00 Intro 00:30 Parts and planing 02:57 Design 04:59 3D Printing 08:33 Post-processing 11:35 Electronics 12:55 Sponsor 13:47 Testing and Assembly 16:34 Final Result 17:18 Usage and Mistakes 19:19 Outro Affiliate links may be included in this page. I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. #diy #miniature #retro #nostalgia