Making a Small Mac From a Raspberry Pi 3 (Instructable)

By cgenco, in Circuits

In this Instructable we are making a slightly larger version of the Tiny Mac. There are a couple of reasons you might want to make this version.

Supply change issues (it is almost impossible get a Raspberry Pi Zero)
A larger screen
This version uses a 3.5 inch display. This version’s is about 25% bigger than the Tiny Mac and about 40% of the size of original Mac. I’ve also included a version of the case of the Pi Zero if you have one. Look at the Tiny Mac for Pi Zero specific instructions. Follow these instructions for the screen drivers.

I will refer to the original Instructable for much of the process. This Instructable will only cover the significant differences.

Supplies

Let’s assemble what we need.

For The Raspberry Pi:

Raspberry Pi 3A’s or Pi 3B’s (the case won’t accommodate the 4)
A 40 Pin Header
A Micro SC card at least 16GB
A compatible power supply (one with an integrated On/Off switch is a nice to have)
A keyboard. The keyboard is only really needed for setup… unless the applications you will be running need keyboard input. Not sure I’d write a novel on this ;-). You can borrow a keyboard from your desktop.
A mouse, wireless is a nice to have.

If doing the Pi Zero version, you will also need a mini HDMI to HDMI adaptor (for setup) and A small unpowered micro USB hub

In addition:

Waveshare 3.5inch LCD For Raspberry Pi, 640×480
A SHORT GPIO 40 pin Male to Female ribbon cable. An 8″ (20cm) should fit. Anything much longer would be difficult to squeeze into the case.
Bluetooth speaker (optional). There are plenty of cheap options out there.

For The Case