The Apple Mac Mini M4 is a fairly powerful machine, so it is quite at home in its role as a desktop computer. It is also very small, taking up little more space than a pair of hobbyist-grade single-board computers. Due to its diminutive size, it almost seems like a shame to keep it tied to a desktop. It seems so obvious that this tiny beast was born to roam! Is there no one to set it free?
YouTuber Scott Yu-Jan felt the calling and took on the challenge of making the Mac Mini M4 into a portable computer. Since the hardware is already so compact, there is nothing much to trim or slice — at least not without totally messing up the Apple aesthetic. So the challenge was really about finding a suitable keyboard and display for the portable system, then making a slick case to tie it all together.
Yu-Jan decided to go with an Apple Magic Keyboard for input, and a small, widescreen display with touchscreen capabilities. Fortunately this display also had VESA mounts, which made the job of integrating it into the build much easier. Unfortunately, its casing was black, which just does not fit in with the Apple hardware. But with a little bit of disassembly work and spray paint, that minor issue was corrected.
The hardware components (📷: Scott Yu-Jan)
After designing the casing, a Bambu Lab H2D 3D printer was used to manufacture the parts. When assembled, the display folds down onto the keyboard much like a standard laptop, but the Mac Mini M4 sits just off to the side of the keyboard. Care was taken to ensure that all of the ports and buttons are still accessible, and proper ventilation was also accounted for.
The printer’s laser cutting module was used to create some cutouts for padded feet so that the computer can better grip the surface of a desk. After working with the computer for a while, Yu-Jan reprinted the bottom piece of the case, but this time using the printer’s multi-material capabilities. That allowed him to add TPU pads between where the upper and lower portions of the case come into contact. That makes the closing smoother and protects the finish.
With all of the additions, the computer is definitely more portable, but it is not mobile like a laptop — it still needs to be plugged into a wall outlet. Yu-Jan is thinking about adding some batteries to eliminate this requirement, however, this will also make the computer bulkier and heavier. Be sure to stay tuned to see how that turns out.
