pico-mac-nano : fact or fiction & FAQ

Is pico-mac-nano a fully functional Macintosh?

No. Although many online reviews have used this expression, it is not true and we have never claimed this. pico-mac-nano is running the amazing umac Macintosh emulator but it does not emulate every Macintosh function. Most notably, (as of writing) it does not have sound support but there are other limitations. It does not have and floppy disk drive and or ANY of the original ports so you can’t connect a printer or network it.

Do you need to provide a disk to boot from?

No. Although the micro-SD slot allows you to create your own boot disk images, pico-mac has a default built in disk image with Macintosh system 3 and a selection of apps and games. When pico-mac nano powers up it first checks for a valid disk image file on a micro-SD card and boots from that of it finds one. Otherwise it boots from the built in image. The process of creating a bootable disk image file on a micro-SD card is covered in Matt Evans’ original pico-mac project README under the section “Disk image”.

Is it battery powered?

Yes … and no. By default pico-mac-nano is powered through its type-C USB port on the back. However, there is an optional batter power module available for purchase here should you want that. It sits within the pico-mac-nano case, takes a single CR2 non-rechargeable lithium battery, and plugs into the main PCB. It has a tiny rocker switch to turn power on and off and when fitted, the small blanking plate is removed from the back case and the switch fits there. We have a YouTube video showing how to fit the battery module or change the battery.

Does it have USB?

Yes, pico-mac-nano has a single USB type-c port at the back which performs three functions. The first is to power the device (if you are not using the optional battery power module), the second function is to connect USB peripheral like a keyboard or mouse, and the third function is to connect to a computer to flash new firmware (hold the B button down while connecting). If you are using the optional battery power module, you can directly connect either a USB-C keyboard or USB-C mouse or use a USB-C to USB-A adapter to connect either a USB-A keyboard or USB-A mouse. If you want to connect a keyboard or mouse while powering pico-mac-nano from USB (i.e. not from battery), you need to use the included OTG adapter/cable. You can connect a keyboard AND mouse (even when using the Battery Power Module) if your keyboard has a USB port for the mouse. However, not all USB keyboards work and we can provide no guarantees. I have used an Apple M4848 iMac G3 keyboard and the Apple Pro USB keyboard successfully with an Apple Mighty Mouse.

Can I make my own pico-mac-nano?

Yes, you are free to make one or more for your own use. The source code, 3D model and PCB gerber files have all been made public on GitHub under an open source, non-commercial licence. What you cannot do is make and sell any of these three components or complete assembled units.

Can I open up my pico-mac-nano?

Yes, there are two black, 1.5mm hex bolts recessed in the Macs carry handle. The hex key that you received from us is to undo them. Quick tip: Don’t take them all the way out. Just undo them until the head is flush with the edge of the recess. Make sure nothing is plugged into the USB port then pull the front of the pico-mac-nano forward. It sometimes catches on the reset buttons inside and if it does, don’t force it. Just tilt the front backward slightly and try again. Once open, you have access to the connectors for the optional battery power and speaker modules. There is also a YouTube video showing the process.

Is my existing order affected by Apple’s cease & desist request?

No. Apple requested that we no longer offer the pre-assembled pico-mac-nano for sale but this does not affect any backorders or pre-orders placed before we de-activated the web store listings. It also does not currently affect the sale of the component parts which are all available and listed here.

When will the pico-mac-nano I ordered arrive?

At the time of writing, all pre-assembled pico-mac-nanos were sold with a 90 day lead time. It has been a huge logistical challenge to produce these little bundles of fun in high volume but we still expect to be able to meet that original time frame. In the mean time, we are unable to tell you when individual orders will ship so please be patient and resist the urge to email us about your order. Orders are being shipped in the order they were placed.

Has Nick Gillard created the worlds smallest working Macintosh?

No. pico-mac-nano might be the world’s smallest working Macintosh; I don’t know, but all the really clever stuff (in my opinion) was already done before I even started. Fellow Brit tinkerer Matt Evans wrote the stripped down Macintosh emulator (umac) and all the code to output the screen image to VGA, to handle USB keyboard & mouse, and to support boot from micro-SD card. Most remarkable of all, he managed it all on the super-cheap RP Pico board.
Without pico-mac, there would be no pico-mac-nano. I have extended the project but I did not create it.