 The Compubrick 160 Tom
Owad likes repackaging Macs with toy bricks.* The Compubrick
160 takes a PowerBook 160 and
converts it into a very compact desktop computer. In fact,
Tom says the design was inspired by Apple's Twentieth
Anniversary Macintosh (TAM).
A huge ClarisWorks fan, Tom decided that the 25 MHz 68030
and 640x400 screen in the PowerBook 160 would be perfectly
suited to his needs -- but he didn't want to use the
PowerBook's keyboard and trackball.  With
this design, he can use a standard Macintosh keyboard and
mouse. All the ports are on top of the Compubrick 160, the
floppy drive is on the right, and the battery (a built in
UPS!) is on the left. It even uses a brick as its power
key. Okay, it's a bit less professional looking than the TAM,
but it's one of the must fun CustoMacs I've ever run
across. This is just one of several projects on Tom's Applefritter
site, most of which include several photos and project
details. In addition to the Compubrick
160, he has also rebuilt a Macintosh
SE using plastic bricks, creating the Compubrick
SE. For those needing a PowerPC, Tom has repackaged a
Power Mac 6100 into a
minitower Compubrick
6100 and a compact Compubrick
NC (the NC is the only Compubrick that is not a working
computer). And then there are the extended keyboard, QuickCam, and
mouse.... - * Tom originally used
LEGO® bricks, but
they got upset when he used their trademarked brand name
to describe his Mac rebuilds. All projects are now built
using the competing MEGA
BLOCKS made by Ritvik.
Recent CustoMacs Profiles- Compubrick 160, 1/18. Would you
believe a PowerBook 160 converted to desktop use with plastic
blocks?
- The bronze SE/30, 1/10. A look at a
"bronzed" SE/30 customized by Gary Thornton.
Do you have a story about a customized Mac you'd like to share? Send
it to Dan Knight at Low
End Mac
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