Lego is a paragon of creativity – one of the most recognisable toys all over the world, these plastic bricks have been used in the creation of wonders such as the 23-ton, 5.3-million-brick X-Wing replica. Now, Lego bricks are the driving force behind another act of design daring - forming the building blocks for a miniature Macintosh computer.

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Programmer Jannis Hermanns was building Lego models with his son when he suddenly had the idea to replicate one of the first computers he could remember using – the 1990 Macintosh Classic. Starting with a multi-coloured prototype for the Macintosh structure, Hermanns soon progressed to ordering a 2.7-inch e-paper display from Embedded Artists, in order to affix his model with a functional screen.


Jannis Hermanns / via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence 2.0

However, the original prototype didn't match up to his expectations. The multi-coloured blocks didn't achieve the desired look, and the screen sizings needed to be adjusted. But Hermanns explains in a blog post that, since "it looked so good in [his] mind," he was encouraged to look for other methods to build a more efficient prototype – one that mimicked the signature grey of the Macintosh.

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He used free Lego Digital Designer software to create and edit 3D models of his prototype. Using his original measurements for the multi-coloured prototype, he was soon able to develop a computer-generated model that more closely matched his requirements.

Jannis Hermanns / via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence 2.0


There were certain setbacks. After creating a model that was one brick too wide, Hermanns had to adjust accordingly in the manner of all professional modellers – cut away the part that doesn't fit.

"Lego is all about freestyling," Hermanns writes, and his intuitive approach to design quickly evolved.

Jannis Hermanns / via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence 2.0

From here, he was able to order the necessary bricks and start planning for the most intricate part of the build – utilising the programming abilities of the Raspberry Pi Zero to create the functional display of the Macintosh. This involved his own mapping of GPIO pins and cables to make sure that all of the technical aspects of connecting the screen could fit inside the miniature model.


Jannis Hermanns / via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence 2.0

If that wasn't impressive enough, Hermanns was also able to build in functioning Wi-Fi to the Lego Macintosh, as well as a resin.io function that means the screen can be updated regularly with docker base images. He manually added a Wi-Fi port to the Pi Zero, although since he started the work a the Raspberry Pi Zero W has been released.

Downplaying the impressiveness of his project, Hermanns writes that it was "about taking things too far while playing Lego with your kid." It might be taking things too far in terms of hobbyist Lego building, but one thing's undeniable – as far out as this project's sprawled, it's grown proportionately in terms of impressiveness. It exemplifies the ethos at the heart of all Lego products – if you can dream it, build it.