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.
Hi,
my pico-mac-nano just arrived and I wanted to thank you for a great product. I will be ordering the battery and the sound modules as soon as the latter becomes available. Thank goodness that there are still people with the time and talent to produce entertaining objects like the pico-mac-nano.
Regards,
P. Smith,
Canada
You’re welcome! Glad you like it. I think you will love having the battery module. It’s great being able to power it up without wires.
I got my precious little friend delivered. Thanks! Sorry for the stupid question, but will the screen burn in if I let it run 24/7? It’s too beautiful to turn off 🙂
Glad it arrived safely. I’m not sure whether the LCD would suffer from burn-in. It may do over a long time and I’m not sure whether heat build up might be an issue if left permanently on. The case is printed in PLA which starts to go soft as low as 60ºc.
There’s a lot of new information here that was not available when I ordered…
I want to be clear, the pico Mac I just received with the battery pre-installed, will not work also with the USB-C connector?
I didn’t receive a user manual or other such documents, where can I find that?
Hi,
Yes, you can power from USB-C connector as long as you have the switch on the back of the battery module switched off.
There are links to the user manual, FAQ and other resources on the main project page at https://blog.1bitrainbow.com/pico-mac-nano/
There are also some useful videos on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@1BitRainbow
Thanks, I found the introduction video very helpful – but it also a can of worms of more questions! I’ll try the email address I received my purchase confirmation from for that…
Just received my pico-mac-nano and it brings a smile to my face every time I turn on my MacBook Pro system and look up at the monitor where it is currently residing. I bought the first 1984 Macintosh and the pico offers up memories.
Thanks. I love hearing these responses to the little guy.
Hello
I just received this incredible masterpiece!
Congratulations to the entire team that led this project.
I have a question: can I power the Pico Mac with an iPhone charging battery with two outputs: 10w and 12w? . Which one is/are compatible or not?
thousand thanks for this fabulous extra-mini-computer
As far as I am aware, it should make no difference. Either should be more than enough to power the Mac and any USB charger should supply the required 5V. The wattage is just the upper limit that the charger is rated to supply.
I am not an electrical specialist, and I did not want to destroy the Pico Mac by providing it with inappropriate power. I’m back playing with Pico LodeRunner! A masterpiece this Pico Mac, be congratulated for this work. Thank you Nick.
I just assembled my pico-mac-nano, and it is utterly delightful. Now I just need to get my mouse settings just right so I can beat crystal quest! Thanks for creating this lovely little project.
I received my pico nano today and unfortunately in order for it to power up, I must push very hard on the USB-C cable. If I am not actively pushing on the cable, it turns off. Please advise.
I know this is resolved now but just for reference here, in case anyone else has this problem, it’s caused my the two parts os the case coming apart at the bottom. Support the front case when inserting a USB device.
Totally awesome device! I’m using mines mostly as a live display. And it so happens I loved playing Lode Runner decades ago and it’s the perfect app that just loops the demo player. Since I’d rather not keep the pico Mac on 24/7, I’ve tried a couple of tiny keyboard/touchpad combos that uses a usb dongle. However 2 completely different brands, the mouse just moves in a vertical line up and down. Oddly, the left click moves the cursor to the right and so does the right click. A different mice (full size) didn’t exhibit this behavior so I’m not sure why these tiny keyboards with mice built in dont work. Any ideas?
Your experience matches my own. In terms of basic 2.4GHz wireless mice, I have tried 15-20 different models and only found two that work and one of those is a bit temperamental (both are listed on 1bitrainbow.com). All the others either do nothing or act in exactly the same way you describe. I have also tried a combined mini keyboard and trackpad with the same result. The only unified solution I have found to work is Logitech Bolt (I purchased and tested one keyboard and a couple of mice with the USB-C Bolt receiver) but the peripherals are expensive and I can’t guarantee all Bolt compliant devices will work.
I believe it is all due to the very basic USB support in pico-mac being unable to deal with certain USB device protocols. Even some wired USB mice don’t work though most do. It’s on my to do list to investigate this.
How to change time in the control panel?
I have tried to find the right way to change the default time, but the arrows to tick up or down disappears when moving the cursor to the arrows. I was however succesfull twice but have no clue what was the trigger to make the arrows stay visible. Any suggestions?
Does the pico-zero have a realtime clock that will run on the optional battery?
Best Claus
Hello! I received a fully assembled Pico Mac Nano as a Christmas present and was astonished over and over during unwrapping and unboxing: First was the amazing replica of the “Mac Picasso” box art and Apple Garamond typography; then at the miniature recreations of the packaging foam and accessories box; and then finally realizing that the tiny 128K Macintosh was, in fact, operable! So much astonishment within just a minute or two almost overwhelmed me! 😀
I will say that the Pico Mac Nano also recreated that sense of wonder and magic of using those early Macs. No other computer platform did that, except for the Newton!
Thank you for unleashing more magic upon the world! Cheers!