ApplePi: Refurbishing a MacPlus (1986) into a Modern Streaming DAC
Overview
The ApplePi project is a restomod of the Apple Macintosh Plus originally released in 1986. It was the solution to two projects I had planned:
- A centerpiece to demonstrate my engineering/design ability.
- An easily accessible head unit for guests to stream music to my stereo.
My inspiration came from the computers used in animated series such as Archer and Neon Genesis Evangelion. The computers at ISIS headquarters and the terminals used by Nerv to access the Magi are both example of 80’s themed technology with modern access to large scale compute power. Much like these works of science fiction, the ApplePi will be the front end terminal to my homelab. Through this terminal, users will have easy access to my full music and media collection. It will be a familiar and approachable way to remove the barrier guests often have with using an unfamiliar media center.
The ApplePi runs an Raspberry Pi 4 with a HifiBerry DAC2 Pro for audio processing. The unit features a hidden Apple SuperDrive for easy media burning. Discs are loaded through the original vent holes on the units side. The floppy drive is fitted with a momentary switch and acts as the computers power button. The screen brightness knob has been retrofitted with an Adafruit 16bit ADC and now acts as a volume knob. The unit runs off 5V from a 50W MeanWell power supply. The screen is a Pimoroni 8” 4:3 LCD panel. The screen was mounted behind the original glass to keep the original look and feel.
Note: The CRT was cut by a stained glass cutter. They used a diamond blade on a rotary tool. I then wiped away the phosphor layer (with appropriate PPE) and sealed the cut edge with silicone. This process hasn’t been properly discussed in previous versions of this project. CRT’s contain an internal vacuum and could implode if the presure isn’t equalized before cutting. I am not responsible for anyone copying this process.
Proficientcies
Media
Further Readings
