Mac Mini Wallmount for models from 2010-pre2014 by makibox850

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

This thing is a holder for Mac Mini models built from 2010 up to 2014 before the they have startet soldering on the RAM.
It has to be mounted having the cable ports looking to the top side.
Will be mounted onto a pixel board or similar in my workshop.
Now it is good enough to make it a usefull thing in my workshop.
--THE END--
Have fun.
This thing will not win the Red Dot Award ;-) Visual appearance has no priority.
Some parts are taken from thing 385676
Had to change, combine, resize them much for using with the newer MacMini's (2010-pre 2014 model).
Do not use the (bottom) holders alone. The Mini might fall off.
Some pics are taken in early stages while developing the thing.
Requirements:
-screws M5x20mm (lenshead, slotted or cylindric), screw length is depending on the board thickness
-hexnuts M5 or hammernuts M5
-screws 2x M4x16-20mm (depending on the bar thickness)
-hexnuts M4 for the top bar mount thing
Parts:
-left side bottom holder
-right side bottom holder
-top clamp (single board mount screw), can turn a bit when removing the Mini, depends on your mount technology
-top clamp (two board mount screws), it should not turn a bit when removing the Mini
The bottom mount parts
bottom mounts V4 , cutout following the spherically shaped backside better then before
Please have in mind the case model I have designed is a very rough approximation only.
So the cutouts might not match the body perfectly.
Now it has deeper pockets - regular cylindric head screws should fit now as well.
The top bar clamps.
They have to be mounted leftside/rightside 30mm away from the top edge where the rounded corners have ended.
Put one clamp to the left / right side each, make a bar across the top surface, screw it on using screws M4x20.
If you have one grab a ruler from the childrens schoolbag, cut it to length, put two holes in.
I have measured the hole distance on the bar to 218mm.
Check it out before drilling holes into your stuff.
If you want put some film/foam/thin rubber inbetween to protect the top surface of the case.
Exception:
If you have a Mini running headless, means having less cables, there is a chance securing it by putting a single top clamp only into the middle of the ports side. Find a small bar the goes down toward the centre of the case.
Check carefully if you have made the bottom holders following the shape of the case very well so it can not move to the left/right.
Printing:
Parts can be printed out even on small printers.
1x right bottom mount
1x left bottom mount
2x top bar mount of your choice
Filament: PLA, no fancy stuff required here
print settings:
perimeter/shell count: 4 or 5 when printing at
layer hight: 0.2 or 0.3mm
infill: 10-15 percent
support: no
No raft or brim required if your filament sticks very well.
Lay the parts flat for printing.
Postprocessing:
When you have printed them out remove any blobs, sharp edges comeing from the first and the top layers, esp when printing PLA.
Slide the parts over the edge gently, start from the outermost left / right side
Feel the resistence, have an sharp eye, do small adjustments on the printed parts using a file,
Remove tiny portions from the inside of the beveled plane on the back claw.
Check often.
For the single screw mount only.
On the backside of the board I will use nuts to be hammered into the soft surface MDF or pixeldust board. Those nuts spares some space on the wall side and the requirement for cutting out a cave for a regular hexnut.
For the two screw mount take something other like regular hexnuts,...
Very tight fit with two hammernuts, not recommended.
Put the holes 5mm on the board/wall:
all screws positions layout should be symmetrical
Best praxis: put all the parts on a paper, board, cardboard or so, find the best fit arangement, mark the lines/holes then, drill at last
single top holes line, 42mm below the top case edge
holes distance 198mm (the single screw mount)
two bottom holes lines
exact hole distance left/right is uncritical
but think of it-the beveled edge insed the mounts cutout should match the shape of the caseback, better match the mounts first find the holes positions then
two lines each with two screws 120mm apart
-first bottom line 140mm below the top holes line (not critical)
-second bottom line 50mm below the first bottom holes line (given by parts dimensions)
Easy? No drawing atm.
Mac Mini case dimensions (with bottom coverplate):
-Mac Mini 2004 -> 2009
165x165x54mm
-Mac Mini 2010 -> latest model before they introduced the 2014 crap with the RAM soldered on
197x197x36mm
The body thickness alone at the front edges is 30.5mm on the MacMini 2010/21012