Install a Raspberry Pi 4 With Bootable NVMe Inside a Mac Mini Case (first Generation, 2009)

The Raspberry Pi is a fun, low-power, pocket-sized Linux computer. The Raspberry Pi 4 can boot from an NVMe drive seated inside a USB-C enclosure. (Example: https://www.instructables.com/Booting-a-Raspberry-Pi-From-USB-No-SD-Card-Needed/) I have already configured my Raspberry Pi 4 to boot this way. I use a Western Digital NVMe drive inside an Orico enclosure. My Raspberry Pi 4 is fitted inside an official Raspberry Pi 4 case that includes a fan ("active cooling"). This is desirable for the type of installation described here.

I had an Apple Mac Mini case that I wanted to re-use. So I removed the contents of the Mac Mini case (always recycle responsibly!) and fitted it with my Raspberry Pi 4 and the USB-C enclosure containing an NVMe drive.

Why would you want to re-use this iconic Apple Mac Mini case to house a Raspberry Pi? Well...

= putting the Raspberry Pi and the USB-C NVMe enclosure inside a box/case of some sort reduces clutter and makes them easier to move/store

= the case is a convenient size and is made of aluminum

= re-use, recycle if you don't have a 3d printer

= it's an iconic Apple Mac Mini case; for silly bonus retro points, put an AOL CD halfway in the CD slot ^_^

= a complete Raspberry Pi 4 kit (case, power supply) that is configured to boot from an attached USB-C enclosure containing an NVMe drive (Raspberry Pi OS installed and working) Example: [ https://www.instructables.com/Booting-a-Raspberry-Pi-From-USB-No-SD-Card-Needed/ ] I use a Western Digital NVMe drive inside an Orico enclosure.

= a "Piswitch", which is an in-line on/off switch for the Raspberry Pi

= an old Apple Mac Mini case (first generation, mine is from 2009); I assume that you have a) opened the case with a wall scraper (a hand-tool with a flat metal blade used to, well, scrape walls and other surfaces) and b) removed the contents of the case

= tin snips or other tool to cut plastic

= a wood or metal file to smooth any sharp edges

Installing the Raspberry Pi 4 in its case within the Mac Mini case keeps the items and cables inside separated. For an advanced installation, you could modify the Raspberry Pi 4 case to improve air flow.

When stripping the inside of the top half of the Mac Mini case, remove the foam that was used to keep dust out of the CD drive. This will improve air flow.

Modify the lower half of the Mac Mini case. Cut and remove the separator between the network port opening and the USB opening. You could use tin snips to keep the job simple. I used an oscillating tool. Be careful if you use power tools! Use a wood or metal file to smooth any sharp edges.

Fit the Raspberry Pi 4 case topside up inside the bottom half of the Mac Mini case.

There are two options for fitting the USB-C enclosure. The top of the enclosure is made of metal and is a designed to dissipate heat. One option is to place the USB-C enclosure on its side, with its top facing away from the Raspberry Pi. (Pictured)

Another option is to have the USB-C enclosure on its side, facing the front of the Mac Mini case.

The length of your cables will determine how you can best fit the USB-C enclosure. Fit the components snugly, you don't want them sliding around inside the stripped Mac Mini case. You may want to insert a plastic (non-conductive) spacer of some sort between the Raspberry Pi 4 case and the USB-C NVMe enclosure. (I seriously considered using some empty plastic dental-floss containers!)

Feed the following through the widened port opening at the back of the Mac Mini case:

= USB-C end of the Piswitch in-line power switch

= network cable (RJ45) if using a wired network

= the micro-HDMI end of the Raspberry Pi HDMI cable (a cable with a Micro HDMI Type D connector at one end and a full-size HDMI connector at the other end)

= the USB-A cable that you use to connect your mouse and keyboard (I use a USB hub to connect both mouse and keyboard)

Carefully snap the top half of the Mac Mini case onto the bottom half. Ensure that you do not pinch/trap any cables.

Be careful, take your time. If you have done the work to separate the two halves of the Mac Mini case, you know it is challenging.

Connect your Raspberry Pi USB-C power supply to the Piswitch connector. Congratulations, you have recycled an iconic Mac Mini case for continued use with your Raspberry Pi 4 booting from NVMe in a USB-C enclosure.

The Raspberry Pi 4 will begin to throttle performance if it grows too hot (i.e. 85 C). In this Mac Mini installation, the Raspberry Pi 4 is reporting temperatures in the low 60s Celsius. If a cooling fan is installed ("active cooling"), this is within the operating tolerance of the Raspberry Pi 4 CPU and components.

The temperature of the Raspberry Pi can be monitored by running the command:

> vcgencmd measure_temp

You could run this command in a loop to show the temperature every, say, 10 seconds:

> while :; do clear; vcgencmd measure_temp | awk -F'=' '{print $2}'; sleep 10; done