The Macintosh Minus - pi-powered mini Mac Plus clone with 5" CRT display

Trash80toG4

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Apr 1, 2022
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8" FDD? Too BIG scaled to that extent. Drop it to Lisa form factor so the CRT is at an ergonically correct height.
Put something like six open 5.25" bays on the right as the Macntosh Lisa 3/TPDc DTP/CAD Release.
 
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vorg

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Sep 3, 2022
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Gotta fix the scaling, but I figured out MinivMac. Turns out what I was doing wrong was not having a desktop version of raspbian installed.

It's literally just a matter of dragging and dropping files otherwise. And one executable mod command.

IMG_4600.jpg
 

Trash80toG4

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Color display? Still need length of tube from mounting bracket to rear of cap and cap's height above centerline of tube. Profile pic of display would be appreciated. Oblique views too if possible.
 

vorg

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Sep 3, 2022
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Unfortunately, not color. Just bluish phosphor and poor color balance from my phone.

I have two color 5 inch CRTs but they're both in disrepair unfortunately.

Tube length from the bracket is approximately 160mm; and the center is roughly 5% off the "equator" of the bulb side. (That's a total visual guess though).

IMG_4612.jpg
 

Trash80toG4

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Nice, was wondering if it was color because the neck seems soooo long for a 5" tube.

I can estimate from that shot, but a straight-on, full profile of front bezel and tube I can use as a template in AI to figure out how well the BackPaq Camo thing might work out. Looks promising! ;)

Edit: was the lap joint rim on the bucket where it snugs up into the front bezel the missing link in Rev.1 model?
 

vorg

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Sep 3, 2022
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Nice, was wondering if it was color because the neck seems soooo long for a 5" tube.

I can estimate from that shot, but a straight-on, full profile of front bezel and tube I can use as a template in AI to figure out how well the BackPaq Camo thing might work out. Looks promising! ;)

Edit: was the lap joint rim on the bucket where it snugs up into the front bezel the missing link in Rev.1 model?

Give me a few more minutes now that work is done and I'll screenshot the 3d models with dimensions.

The missing thing in v1 was related to that! Yes, the flange is missing, but the actual design problem was forgetting to put a radius on the actual edges where the gap is.

EDIT: @Trash80toG4 I hope these help with your design. TBH I didn't realize the necks on tubes were off center from the phosphor side. This is why I need a phone with lidar haha. Or a dedicated 3d scanner.

CRT Bottom.jpg
CRT Top.jpg
 
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retr01

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Hey @vorg! Is that set up as a projector style? Make a box and add an optical zoom lens. Could it blow up the B/W Mac display on a wall? Would distance from lens to wall cause blurry? Add a focus lens? 🤓📽️📺 🔦🤙
 

vorg

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Sep 3, 2022
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It's an actual CRT. No way to really project the image anywhere with significant brightness.

1663262913451.png


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1663262944274.png
 
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vorg

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@vorg, what was the purpose of that specific CRT? Was it designed for a product? How old is it? Who manufactured it?

Mine is a TOSHO, some are SONY. The design appears to be SONY's. There was a larger 4 inch Watchman they sold and this is a derivative of that. This module was used specifically in "video doorbells" in the 90s (Analog Ring haha); and this particular unit is new old stock from Aliexpress.


Micro 4-inch CRT black-and-white display supports video input V4W 4 12-inch electron tube

My favorite display I own is actually a projector. Sadly they are hard to get right now because there was low commercial demand, no one really understood why it's so much better than any other pico projector. The other issue is the chip shortage + the MEMS powering it is being used in other products like automotive.

So here MacOS with real raster scanlines, projected onto a Macintosh Plus analog board:

 
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retr01

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Nebra/AnyBeam MEMS Laser Pico Projector.

AnyBeam in some markets, like the US. Nebra elsewhere.



Did I find it? :)
 
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vorg

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Did I find it? :)
Yup!

I wish I heard of it in time but they did a Raspberry Pi hat version on kickstarter once too.
 

vorg

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Sep 3, 2022
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I might try to copy this digital concept that I saw a few years ago:

1663374651568.png



Although that's begging for an e-ink display. Maybe I'll make an "80s" iPod though.
 

JDW

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Although that's begging for an e-ink display.
If e-ink could be used without refresh lag, it would literally take over the B&W flatscreen market. But after all these years, the tech hasn't really taken off due to that problem. They've reduced the time required for refreshes down to about 3 Hz, but compare that to 60Hz and higher for normal LCD screens, and you can see why e-ink has serious usability issues for anything outside a basic eBook reader.