Converting an old Wii into an M1 Mac mini was the BEST IDEA

[@lukemiani]

Legit my favorite thing I've ever done on the channel. Would you build a Mac mini Wii conversion?

[@laneyslaney]

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.

[@camion__]

Fuck yea

[@Shibes770]

Th th that was an early model with the doors. I am both horrified and impressed.

[@connortoale3953]

Oh man this is cool. This video needs to blow up.

[@beswick1985]

Your best project and video yet Luke 👍

[@RatchetLive]

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.

[@katosnook]

Add a HUB in the front too: to use SD card like the original or more.

[@pierreromki]

@@katosnook and one in the back, for the original usb ports ;)

[@afrenchcocorico164]

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

[@sylvainfilteau]

and a super drive 😂

[@dylanmooney327]

@@afrenchcocorico164 i was thinking the same with the cdrom

[@snazzy]

A fun build to be sure!! Absurd, ridiculous, certainly foolish. But fun! Great work!

[@Aieieo]

Hey it’s you

[@rlm-q]

Lol

[@Juy3Playing]

The OS for Wii was named IOS

[@blasphemous24]

Bruh, digital trends made me thought this dude was going to turn the m1 mini into a Wii, fml...

[@jeromederouette2922]

look at that Quinn he did at least as good as your mini mac mini!

[@TheEvilCommenter]

Okay, but now put the WII in the Mac Mini

[@Luigi_bros4321]

That’s smart

[@Atlas-loves-gaming]

Stole my comment lol

[@Stormlywing]

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

[@Monado.]

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! :)

[@GANONdork123]

Except Mario Party 8 for some reason.

[@Mr.Krabs12]

@@GANONdork123 and DKC Returns...

[@billnocolis9368]

@@Mr.Krabs12and new super Mario bros Wii

[@LukePollack]

The Windmaker 😂 16:15 but in all seriousness this was awesome to watch man. Love this type of content you produce!

[@ralvolvi7668]

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.

[@lukemiani]

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

[@micratatata]

@@lukemiani fun fact, the Wii used PowerPC CPUs in it so technically you upgraded from a PowerMac to an M1 mac

[@purplelord8531]

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.

[@ezequielbraunstein]

It would be great if you could link the Wii’s Power Button to the Mac Mini’s Power Button! Excellent video Luke

[@lukemiani]

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 😆

[@OfflineRocket]

@@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

[@DrSalvador555]

16:14 "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Maker" ...who's gonna tell him?

[@djditty8012]

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! 🎉👍🏼

[@lukemiani]

I'm glad you enjoyed! Appreciate it 👊

[@djditty8012]

@@lukemiani absolutely!

[@tellyintokyo]

@@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!!!

[@ben2808]

Jesus Christ loves you

[@ben2808]

@@tellyintokyo Jesus Christ loves you

[@tdlerox9181]

Missed opportunity! You should have done the GameCube. It’s literally so similar to the Mac mini in form factor

[@Stop4MotionMakr]

I can't believed you passed off the opportunity to call it the Mac Winnii 😂

[@TheAlexandreBoivin]

I was thinking the same thing!!

[@aadityalikesmiatas]

Wiini

[@DiGi_FPV]

11:20 the connector is called UFL. It’s used for basically all wireless devices 🙂👍🏻

[@Ronin-fr1wm]

super bro

[@pierreromki]

came to write this, thanks bro

[@sciamachy9838]

Thought the same

[@vexnity460]

i think he was suprised becuase of apples history of non-repairability with the M1

[@TimothyTimPSP]

It's actually called a wind maker. 16:12

[@kaisarantonn7225]

Blower fan (centrifugal) is more suitable for heatsink because heat on the heatsink needs to be blown away by air static pressure. Axial fan will peform worse for moving air between the cramped aisle of the heatsink. And with its chopped off, the axial fan will perform worse than the expected. No problem for light use, will be a problem for long term & heavy use. My suggestion is put back the original blower fan.

[@agrpductions]

I would've used the Wii's original power button and also would've connected the Wii's disk LED but this is great!

[@lesthelegendofficial]

Why not?

[@mikepxg6406]

I disagree it's rubbish.

[@zaprodex]

@@mikepxg6406 explain, lay it out bud, what sucks.

[@evindrews]

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

[@jerbear7952]

Do it and post the video

[@SDRIFTERAbdlmounaim]

i didn't take u for the build type, but good change of pace

[@JUKE179r]

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. 👍🏽

[@mikepxg6406]

its garbage.......

[@IceColdH2O]

@@mikepxg6406 can you tell me the parts about it you dont like

[@lastgunman5270]

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.

[@DoRC]

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.

[@iCaveDave]

This made me even more excited for my M1 powered Macintosh Classic II! In progress!

[@tiernankeane5643]

Dude these modding projects are so much fun to watch, hoping you’ve got more on the way! 🎉

[@lukemiani]

what do you want to see next 👀

[@tiernankeane5643]

@@lukemiani sleeper Macintosh plus with a Mac Studio inside? 😳

[@Jay-Strand]

@@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.

[@wengfongcheah]

@@lukemiani 12inch macbook with m1

[@_morn_my]

@@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

[@mattelder1971]

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.

[@YD_.]

The Mac mini M1 is truly the most versatile mac

[@midimike88]

Well done. Was hoping you'd get that SuperDrive in the DVD/CD slot...

[@garytimeless7251]

Danke!

[@trulyirrelevant17]

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.

[@thewiirocks]

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.

[@Krishy-dz4ov]

@@thewiirocks and the Second Wii alteration has “Family Edition” branding on it and was only available in light blue

[@codezero7981]

@@Krishy-dz4ov I have that blue Wii model, it's really pretty

[@daspec]

You should try to fit a slim DVD/BLURAY player and connect it with a SATA > USB adapter

[@antonio4055]

The Windmaker is my favorite lol

[@zaccariafrancescato3320]

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.

[@SM0003]

When you said the mac need more than 53w I knew your buck converter was the issue. Perhaps skip the buck all togheter. I run my m1 mini on V-mount power, 11-16.8v and the internal regulators have no issue (so far) with it. Been using it daily for 6 months. To clearify, I run my battery unregulated into the M1 PCB. I use my M1 mini for live streaming IRL content and with obs running the unit pulls 7.5w of power of AC running via a 12v3ah power adapter. When using battery my 100Wh v-mount lasts a day easy. I have so far not run into any throtteling because of power. I built mine in Snazzy labs 3d printed case and I did almost instantly run in to thermal issues though. I salved that by adding the stock fan externally blowing into the case. Works and has never given me any issues. Thanks!

[@Kapsb]

Great job! The Wii is one of the most beautifully designed pieces of hardware ever. It looks so nice sitting on a desk!

[@johnmcgraw4789]

Very interested to see if there’s a way to make the original power button work

[@TechnoboxOG]

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

[@setoth1234]

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.

[@donovanleemurphy9349]

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.

[@ReagenLamborghini]

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

[@solarpunkstation]

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?

[@odd_onni1259]

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)

[@adderalll]

Now put the Wii in the Mac mini housing

[@macmaniac3080]

You can tell by Luke’s face and constant smiling that he genuinely enjoyed this

[@FoxbitPlayz]

fun fact! you could have skipped wii disassembly by buying an aftermarket wii chassis.it also would've been cool if you got the wii's origional power button working and the reset button working like a sleep button, and finally, I would've liked to see an sd card reader atleast, all of these seem more than doable and it wouldn't even be that much of a squeeze.

[@Tomd8002]

You should try putting the Wii’s electronics into the Mac mini case! 😂

[@B0A2]

You could get the power led / power button working

[@danielriossuarez]

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?

[@Bezi77777]

the wii itself is some sort of a mac, because it has IBM powerpc cpu which was used by apple before 2005

[@robertvilen6007]

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 !

[@mike_junmin]

Whoever decided that Wii will sit slanted on a grey base was a genius. It gives 80% of the ‘special looking’ aesthetics imo

[@alexanderthegreath1215]

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 😂)

[@gizarry]

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 :)

[@josephcadwell6773]

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.

[@ReplayVendore]

Your content is always incredible ! The amount of dedication is soooo high ♡ thank you.

[@uKoalele]

The only way i'd use a mac - well done!

[@MasonHeaux]

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! 🔥🔥🔥

[@theSUBVERSIVE]

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.

[@stevejamieson1613]

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.

[@cassiuscartland]

Next video idea: Convert Mac mini to WII

[@stevenbeshures6962]

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 😢

[@atulyatejapadival1965]

He didnt throw away wii's parts so that he can put it back together again

[@ErikGT]

That’s without a doubt the best computer ever made!

[@charminbaer2323]

Went from boring Mac Mini design to an even more boring Wii design.

[@cooperray9879]

Your excitement and positivity really comes through in this video. Such a cool project, and well done!

[@King_K_Rool_]

Wind maker? Linkie needs to cut out the beans 😳

[@theon__]

such a clasic Retro consol and you rouind it by making a Mac out of it

[@cbhome3525]

5:23 every electrician just cringed making the hot green and the ground black 🤣 but solid build. The silver and white aesthetic with the stand matches perfectly with the keyboard and mouse.

[@MrMohammedAdyanRahmanCho-tt8mj]

Now put a Wii in a Mac mini shell!

[@ROMANPANTIN]

Nice!!! Loving the Mac WiiNi. 😀

[@WarriorsPhoto]

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?

[@jfk4229]

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.

[@androsmorin]

How do you solve the EMF background nose of the buck converter in that small space?

[@blakegriplingph]

I find the case trimming a little janky tho, but that's just my OCD. One thing you should have done to polish things up is make an IO shield where the controller ports used to reside.

[@BLARG0w0]

16:16 “the legend of Zelda the WIND MAKER “ This KZbinr is on the Side is he a gamer or is he not a gamer lmfao

[@Mkcash]

“The WindMaker”

[@SMGElectricBoogaloo]

Honestly this is really interesting because, for a while there (I think), the Macs used to use the same CPU chipset as a Wii (PowerPC).

[@JB2X-Z]

You would be very much correct.

[@LamarMK]

Great Job, Luke! I Love This Build. 💯👍💪

[@robsquared2]

Now we wait for a wii in a mac mini.

[@linusgsebastian]

Good to hear AGST as the intro music!

[@gigabytemmx]

a few people have recommended a lot of this, but: i think some definite improvements would be connecting the front power button, and dvd led to the mac in some manor. another thing i think would help with it being more original is possibly replacing the psu internally with a higher wattage psu. possibly the macs original psu to make it less suspecting. and (in my personal opinion) finding a way to get the sensor bar to work and firing up dolphin for that sweet sweet wii gameplay

[@OfflineRocket]

imo Gamecube ports too, having the Gamecube port cover hide the internal IO is kinda unsatisfactory, it's not too difficult to rewire a USB gamecube adapter for a OEM look

[@scottrobert]

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!

[@RaniRani-zt2tr]

I have a homebrewed nintendo wii so you know i meed a mac mini now

[@Anchorheart401]

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.

[@FederalBureau_OfInvestigations]

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

[@captainchaoscow]

Top notch content from the Luke Miani KZbin Channel

[@markd.9538]

Given that you present the final wii form factor with its vertical stand, couldn't you just incorporate that stand into the case mod and potentially fit the entire m1 (sans aluminium case) into it, without needing to do the power/fan mods?

[@HotActionKop]

I think this is my favourite video you've ever made... really good fun, thank you!

[@kevinwestmor]

Congratulations to you having fun and being proud of your accomplishment on this project in particular! Thank you for sharing :)

[@davidneven5545]

Just genious. U saved a console from the recycle bin and gave 2 devices a 2nd life. Nice project.❤

[@oouje]

This is so cool! it would have been nice to connect the original power button from the Wii along with its light

[@shinrasboy]

I’ve always wanted to do this but with a Dreamcast

[@geotrick]

Hello, you have an attachment on your rotary tool I have not seen before. The plastic shroud that goes around the cutting wheel. Dremel has something like that but there is too much plastic around it. Could you post a link or name the product Thank you.

[@Nateography]

I would buy this from you in a heart beat. This is beyond amazing and impressive!

[@ImInterestedInApathyII]

Was there any space left to put an optical drive inside?

[@sear9993]

Imagine bringing your dad over to play Mario Kart and then you ask him a question that he doesn't know the answer to and you search it up on your Wii.

[@MaiElizabeth]

I love this design. I don't mind if the design remains the same. It's clean and minimal.

[@Zooderss]

So if it ever turns off you need to open it up to turn it on? I don't remember you saying anything or doing anything for the power button

[@XInfinity2024]

Good video but why didn't you use capacitors to help with the voltage drops?

[@stocki_esy625]

nice build, i have some experience with small formfactor PCs, there is 2 things i might change on your mod: 1: get rid of the buck converter, the original Wii PSU has enough power (as long as you don`t power an external monitor via USB-C or sth) and much cleaner power than those chinese converters 2: get a 40mm Noctua cooling fan or several of them. and use the silent cable. They have good airflow and basically silent you could also try to house the PSU internally so you do not have to carry the power brick

[@micratatata]

it hurt to see at first but it was actually fun during middle and end, you could use the USB ports on the wii with the mac mini, buy a GameCube Controller adapter for the controller ports on top of the wii and buy a USB to Sensor Bar adapter (if there is one) for the sensor bar port and there you go an actual Mac (Mii)ni EDIT: you can try add a disc drive, take advantage of the front SD card port and the buttons (POWER= power obviously and eject and reset is up to you) idk its up to you but it would be a cool idea

[@OfflineRocket]

Disc drives are pretty much impossible because of the size they take up as for the rest, it's entirely possible, I've added them to mine that I built a few years back, it's not that difficult to do. Not really sure why he didn't add them here

[@PikaveeT]

this is one of the coolest vids I've ever seen, I wanna do this for myself now

[@PikaveeT]

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.

[@jeromederouette2922]

AMAZING! genius! you and Quinn created the best 2 mac minis ever ! the wii mac is just soooo good!

[@JohnPaulMusicUK]

Now you just need an M1 Wii emulator for.. y’ know… playing Wii Games. 😉

[@Sidiann]

you know what i just realized would be cool is a colab from you and DIYPerks

[@HarrisonBorbarrison]

Now try connecting a Wii remote to Monterey! I think they broke support for devices like Wii remotes after Big Sur.