Converting an old Wii into an M1 Mac mini was the BEST IDEA
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2024
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It's no secret that the Mac mini design is a little bit stale. While everyone loves its price point, size, and performance, we aren't exactly excited by the little aluminum square anymore. Today that changes. The other day I was looking at an old Wii and I thought HMM, that looks like about the same size to me. What if I put a Mac mini in there? An Apple Silicon Wii?!? heck yeah! Today we'll build a DIY Mac mini Wii conversion perfect for retro gaming on a Mac. Wii games, Nintendo Gamecube, even PS2 emulation through Dolphin and Aethersx2 in the package of a Wii? Heck yeah!
So many things used in this video:
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Small 12V fan: amzn.to/3DMWXUV
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Buck converter with heatsinks: amzn.to/3tau1kG
Helping hands for soldering: amzn.to/3FYqZaR
Hakko digital soldering station: amzn.to/3teucLU
3D Printed parts: www.thingiverse.com/thing:560...
time stamps
0:00 Intro
1:45 The concept
2:43 Tearing down the Wii
3:18 Tearing down the Mac mini
4:25 Wii case modifications
4:58 Custom power supply
7:15 Cooling solution
8:20 3D Printing components and assembling
10:13 WiFi/Bluetooth solution
12:23 The Final Product!
15:18 Playing 4K Wii games!
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Legit my favorite thing I've ever done on the channel. Would you build a Mac mini Wii conversion?
It’s hilarious but it’s lost cool factor. I want to see a Mac mini in a full tower chassis and the ability to plug in many extension cards.
Fuck yea
Th th that was an early model with the doors. I am both horrified and impressed.
Oh man this is cool. This video needs to blow up.
Your best project and video yet Luke 👍
Recommended improvements: Wire up the front power button, add a second fan for exhaust and connect the blue lighting from the original wii drive for aesthetics.
Add a HUB in the front too: to use SD card like the original or more.
@@katosnook and one in the back, for the original usb ports ;)
And maybe a cdrom
Btw i think it was possible to use the og psu and
I find it a bit dumb that the fan is on constently
and a super drive 😂
@@afrenchcocorico164 i was thinking the same with the cdrom
A fun build to be sure!! Absurd, ridiculous, certainly foolish. But fun! Great work!
Hey it’s you
Lol
The OS for Wii was named IOS
Bruh, digital trends made me thought this dude was going to turn the m1 mini into a Wii, fml...
look at that Quinn he did at least as good as your mini mac mini!
Okay, but now put the WII in the Mac Mini
That’s smart
Stole my comment lol
see if they get tricked by it like one of their team
Do you want this Mac mini M1 for £72
they may say what the problem with it
Use a HDMI Port for the Wii see will they think is a mac mini
than plug AV to HDMI with usb to HDMI and see will they think they got a mac cheaper than apple telling it
make sure no one can see it misplace on it because it would show is not a real mac
This is a fantastic project, and I absolutely love it.
One little thing though about the 4K, 16:9 Aspect Ratio. The Wii actually natively ran 16:9! You just needed to swap between 4:3 to 16:9 in the settings menu. But every 1st party game had both modes available for each of the games with no flaws! :)
Except Mario Party 8 for some reason.
It would be great if you could link the Wii’s Power Button to the Mac Mini’s Power Button! Excellent video Luke
I should have mentioned but I did initially intend to wire the power button and LED light around the DVD drive into the Mac mini power button and SIL. Two problems though: 1: the LED used is a very weak 3V one that immediately overloaded and died (RIP) and the problem with the power button is that it's not actually a button! The front plate just has a plunger that pushes a button attached to the actual Wii board; thus in order to rig it up I'd have rework the Wii fascia into a traditional button assembly, then wire that into the 4 pin ZIF connector on the Mac mini... It ended up being a bit much for a project where the normal power button is still accessible 😆
@@lukemiani All you really have to do is glue in an LED and button in roughly the same spot as the original, then it'll work, you don't need to hack up the original wii at all
can't really speak on the Mac Mini connector though, I know with my NUC I was able to get the specific connector from intel, and then buy from digikey, but Apple wouldn't be that nice
This is probably one of my most favrotie videos on this channel now. The amount of work that was put into this thing and the fact that ti came out looking absolutely fantastic, really fills my heart. I loved how it didn't look like one of those frankenstien PC's that have random cuts in the casing everywhere that make it look absolutely horrible.
I appreciate that and am glad you enjoyed! I had a ton of fun and I'm completely shocked that I didn't end up creating a horrible monstrosity LOL
@@lukemiani fun fact, the Wii used PowerPC CPUs in it so technically you upgraded from a PowerMac to an M1 mac
The Windmaker 😂 16:15 but in all seriousness this was awesome to watch man. Love this type of content you produce!
You should try putting the Wii’s electronics into the Mac mini case! 😂
I can't believed you passed off the opportunity to call it the Mac Winnii 😂
I was thinking the same thing!!
Wiini
We use an older model Mac mini as an emulation computer running Batocera. I might have to look at doing something similar. Our mini is one of the models with a DVD drive in it, so I might even see if I can go a step further and incorporate that into the housing as well.
11:20 the connector is called UFL. It’s used for basically all wireless devices 🙂👍🏻
super bro
came to write this, thanks bro
Thought the same
i think he was suprised becuase of apples history of non-repairability with the M1
It's actually called a wind maker. 16:12
I can’t tell you how many times I chuckled while watching you have a ton of fun building this project! These are the kinds of videos and projects I love seeing you do Luke! Keep up the great work! 🎉👍🏼
I'm glad you enjoyed! Appreciate it 👊
@@lukemiani absolutely!
@@lukemiani Great channel, Luke! I particular enjoy that you're making a living at doing what you love.
Keep it up, with lots of mazel!!!
Jesus Christ loves you
@@tellyintokyo Jesus Christ loves you
Great job! The Wii is one of the most beautifully designed pieces of hardware ever. It looks so nice sitting on a desk!
You can tell by Luke’s face and constant smiling that he genuinely enjoyed this
I would've used the Wii's original power button and also would've connected the Wii's disk LED but this is great!
Why not?
I disagree it's rubbish.
@@mikepxg6406 explain, lay it out bud, what sucks.
Would be more complicated wiring up 12 volt and dissembling the board to access the power button. This looks pretty fun and straight forward following Snazzy Labs video and 3d printing some parts
Do it and post the video
Dude these modding projects are so much fun to watch, hoping you’ve got more on the way! 🎉
what do you want to see next 👀
@@lukemiani sleeper Macintosh plus with a Mac Studio inside? 😳
@@lukemiani I think it would be really cool to see a workable Mac mini, or Mac Studio, inside of the colorful G3 powermac. I've always loved how those looked.
@@lukemiani 12inch macbook with m1
@@lukemiani Put a Mac mini in a touchscreen tablet lol the first Mac OS ipad. It could be a touchscreen on the front with like 3d printed sides and back around it, containing the mini idk
She will be very thicc and very impractical, although it would be next level if a gyroscope or something was also added to monitor orientation/rotations, and a code was made that maps rotations and rotates the screen to one of the 4 orientations when triggered. Again although very absurd
Pretty crazy project. One suggestion: to increase thermal performance, you can 3d print a channel that goes into the M1 heatsink, like the stock fan did. It may be not very aerodynamic, but the Wii has 2 (stock) fan holes.
Dude, this is bad ass!
I told my wife I was going to disassemble her beloved Wii console and install a Mac Mini. Now I’m in the dog house. 😢
Btw… haako is a great soldering station. 👍🏽
its garbage.......
@@mikepxg6406 can you tell me the parts about it you dont like
yes, it's because it's HER beloved Wii. If someone did a thing like this to my beloved consoles, all Hell'd break loose. Just buy a broken Wii on ebay.
Well done. Was hoping you'd get that SuperDrive in the DVD/CD slot...
Cool project here are some improvment ideas:
-second fan exhaust
-reduce that power cable frankensteinery to one prober cable (even if its usbc, i mean the wii didnt have hdmi either)
-would be really awesome if you could install a disc reader inside so could use the original slot
-the same for the SD card reader on the Front
- and the most important: you need that blue led when powering on :)
I think it would be cool if you managed to put a slot-loading DVD or Bluray drive in it. You could maybe take apart an external one and wire through USB
Your excitement and positivity really comes through in this video. Such a cool project, and well done!
This made me even more excited for my M1 powered Macintosh Classic II! In progress!
Tbh I was hoping you would load Mac OS on the Wii (bc the Wii uses a PowerPC CPU) and make a super tiny Power Mac
I don't think it would run anything later than Tiger, and that's really pushing the old 750-based Wii CPU to its limits.
Congrats!! I think this project will springboard your creativity into other similar projects and your 3D printer skills will get even better! This is the start of a new era for Luke M!
i have an idea for the power delivery! you could put the mac mini power supply into the wiis original power supply (like taking out the components of the wii power supply to where its just a gray box, then placing the mac mini one in there)
You should’ve mentioned that the later models of the Wii dropped GameCube support (aka what’s behind those doors) and the doors all together.
Those versions look noticeably different. The mini in particular looks very Fischer Price. The RVL-101 looks a bit “wrong” if you’re looking for that original vertical Wii look. Thankfully they’re pretty easy to avoid as those models didn’t come out until the very end of the Wii’s lifespan. The vast majority of Wiis are a variation of the one Luke has in this video.
@@thewiirocks and the Second Wii alteration has “Family Edition” branding on it and was only available in light blue
@@Krishy-dz4ov I have that blue Wii model, it's really pretty
Hi, great project and excellent vid, congratulations! What’s the use of the buck converter if you already have the right voltage in the surface PSU?
The only way i'd use a mac - well done!
Congratulations to you having fun and being proud of your accomplishment on this project in particular! Thank you for sharing :)
So, i Guess you went "all-in" and used a 3D printer (did you buy it for this project in particular ?) And you got other tools aswell, a dremel and soldering tools, Multimeter and more. And you got it all working in the end was really cool. All things considered, With all the knowledge and skills you aqquired during your first "build" i can hardly wait to see your next project :) Awesome !
DankPods: runs Windows and Doom Eternal out of an iPod classic
Luke Miani: retrofits a Mac into a Wii
Now we need LGR to get Linux working in a graphing calculator.
Just something to keep in mind in the future. It is possible for a radio to self-destruct if you run it without having an antenna connected. A lot of chips have protection built in but some don't.
Nice!!! Loving the Mac WiiNi. 😀
Your content is always incredible ! The amount of dedication is soooo high ♡ thank you.
This is literally so cool! I love the way you used all of the ports . But I can’t get the question out of my head… what if you put the Wii in the Mac mini (or maybe a Wii mini 😂)
Luke, this is probably your best video ever. Extremely fun, and educating to watch - great job man, keep it up! 🙏
For a video that basically amounts to pulling a computer’s internals out of one box and putting them in another box, this was a lot of fun.
this was amazing to watch! your projects always blow my mind. also, luke my guy, you have *taste* because midnight club 3: DE Remix is literally one thee best ps2 classics & my one of my all time faves. 💁🏽♂️😂😂
but i never would’ve imagined this form factor to work & it did… so cool! 🔥🔥🔥
I am such a huge fan of repurposing. Excellent job. Someone needs to print these out as a kit. On a side note I always wished Apple would make a Mac Mini see through case or make them available in a range of colours.
Such a cool project! Very very nicely done, super clean build.
Good to hear AGST as the intro music!
As a retro gaming collector, this video irritated me in the most infuriating fashion. What a waste of a completely good Nintendo I certainly hope that there was something wrong with it that could have not been fixed because what you did to its case is undoable there for a completely good Nintendo, wii was destroyed and not even for science either. Don’t care what you say like there isn’t enough Mac Minis out there. They’re still being produced today, but one thing that certainly isn’t being produced. Today are Nintendo Wii’s your more worried about keeping the antenna intact for the Mac mini when I’m on the other side of the screen, screaming who cares about that thing leave the damn wii alone 😢
He didnt throw away wii's parts so that he can put it back together again
I loved seeing the genuine excitement for this type of thing, and I appreciated the retro aspect as a gamecube and wii user. I also like that you absolutely didn't clickbait us and that created what you advertised.
You can try to make a 3D printed air flow router inside the case and and add another fan for exhaust and then it won't lose any performance from the original - and possibly even improve thermals.
It would be interesting to use some extensions to have the USB-C ports on the back.
Perhaps I’m showing my naivety here, but is the buck converter necessary if you’re already feeding 12V in? Or is the surface power supply a different voltage?
Absolutely amazing! This is why I love this channel, Great work.
I loved every aspect of this video! Thanks for making!
WOW, great vid dude, had tons of fun watching it.
Had me smiling the whole time. I've been wanting to do this with my old steam machine but you know how it goes when your to do list gets back logged into near oblivion lol
I think this is my favourite video you've ever made... really good fun, thank you!
I would buy this from you in a heart beat. This is beyond amazing and impressive!
I absolutely LOVE this kind of content.
Whoever decided that Wii will sit slanted on a grey base was a genius.
It gives 80% of the ‘special looking’ aesthetics imo
Now you are just showing off. Pulling out the dremel tool and re-engineering one product to meet new specs for your mod is just awesome.
Great Job, Luke! I Love This Build. 💯👍💪
Okay, this was really slick. Well done! That's clean!
Luke, this is why I used to watch your channel all the time. I hope you keep making these kinds of videos.
Wait will you keep making these kinds of videos?
bruh this is absolutely legendary, love it :3
I am absolutely amazed! Love it!
this is why your channel is the best. great video.
Your passion projects always amaze me 💯
Now, to dig up my old Wii :) Excellent project and lots of fun, thanks, Luke!
Amazing, as a both Nintendo and Apple fan I am very tempted to try this myself! You could try the GameCube next, I think its a bit bigger!
This is a really neat build! I'm wondering though when the new Mac Mini comes out with the M2 Pro Chip will you make a 2nd Version of this with better cooling and the new chip?
What a roller coaster. Loved it
Awesome Luke, love it!
Awesome project! Great job.
You got a bit lucky with that antenna. Cause they are tuned to a specific frequency. The connector matching is not a guarantee that it will work! For anyone looking for one: Find an antenna for 2.4Ghz with an U.FL connector.
That was a great job. Thanks for video.
this is one of the coolest vids I've ever seen, I wanna do this for myself now
a few thoughts i'm having:
- what if you could use up a usb port on the mac to make the disc drive on the wii actually function using the usb-c to optical drive dongle
- what if you routed the power button to actually use the wii's button
- take another usb port up. turn the memory card slot off the front into front io using a usb hub.
AMAZING! genius! you and Quinn created the best 2 mac minis ever ! the wii mac is just soooo good!
This was super awesome loved it,Nice work!!!!
Absolute genius! Loves this video!
The Windmaker is my favorite lol
Great concept and video, Luke.
Sweet idea Luke! Well done!
Great build! I had no idea you were local (ish) until I saw that speed test. Been addicted to your vids for a while & you’ve helped me out of more than one troubleshooting rabbit hole
This has gotta be the best project I’ve ever seen on your channel
This is so cool! it would have been nice to connect the original power button from the Wii along with its light
I’ve been waiting months for this video lmao. Nice job dude
Just one word: amazing!
I love this sooo much, what a great concept - I'd be tempted to do this myself, if I had the eyesight to do it!
Great job love the project!
this got my attention and such a wizardy! keep it up
Awesome video Luke!
Dude...brilliant project. I would daily drive the hell out of this thing.
How done huge company hasn't hired you away based on this channel is beyond me. Hands down one of the most creative and intelligent channels on the entire platform.
The Mac mini M1 is truly the most versatile mac
Awesome project and execution!
I like the panning effect you did
I really love such projects as I find them kinda cool
the mac mini mainboard sold by itself(possibly for even cheaper and with a usb c power board?) would quickly become the most popular hobby computer in the world, and then with side companies popping up would become the most popular computer in the world period. within the span of two years.
Good conversion. I think one of the reasons the custom small fan works is all that extra space inside the WII 😊. I prefer the unadulterated original macmini M1 as it has nostalgic properties going way back to the very 1st macminis 😊. Well done on a great build 👏👍
Well done dude, this is so cool
This is great. One of the most fun things you've done. Looks like your learning to solder and 3d print. I'm looking forward to more fun videos!
I also just learned soldering so I could build a laptop motherboard into a custom box to convert it into a desktop backup server.
That’s without a doubt the best computer ever made!
This is next level Luke
Really cool project, I love it.