Apple Mac mini gets a lot smaller thanks to this YouTuber’s work

An even smaller Apple Mac mini, Quinn Nelson’s design is fully functional.

The market for mini PCs is relatively small, admittedly, but now you can find very compact complete machines for different needs. Apple also has this type of machine, the Mac mini, in its catalog. The YouTuber still found the device too bulky, so he has been working on making it even smaller.

Apple Mac mini even smaller

The Apple Mac mini is, as the name suggests, a compact computer. However, it is only compact compared to conventional computers. The YouTuber thought it could be even smaller. So Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs pulled out all her DIY supplies, electronics knowledge, and embarked on a downsizing project. The result of the operation, Mac mini lost 78% of its volume.

To achieve this result, Quinn Nelson had to remove the main culprit, the item that takes up the most space in the Mac mini, namely the 150W power supply. After it was removed, he replaced it with a 65W external power supply from Microsoft Surface. and was able to connect them through the MagSafe 2 port, which I then plugged into a DC voltage regulator to get to the Mac mini’s motherboard.

Quinn Nelson’s project is fully functional

One of the reasons for integrating an “empty”volume into an electronic device case is to provide better thermal management in order to better dissipate the heat generated by the components. As the chassis shrinks and therefore components shrink, this thermal management is obviously less effective. So Quinn Nelson 3D printed a plastic chassis and borrowed the Mac Pro’s “hole design”to allow air to circulate.

If you’re curious, know that Quinn Nelson has posted a pretty comprehensive guide that explains step by step the steps you need to follow to achieve this shrink yourself. If you want to fit your Mac mini into a very small space, this might be the solution.