One of the best parts of 3D printing is being able to make just about anything your mind can imagine. This makes 3D printing a great way to relive the golden years of computing, thanks to retro models designers have made.

From lamps to charging stands and full-on PC cases, there’s a retro style here to fit everyone’s tastes. Here are five 3D printing projects that you can do to bring you back to the golden age of computing.

5

RetroTosh Lamp – A Macintosh 128k Tribute

Fans of retro Apple will love this one. Designed to resemble a Macintosh 128k, this 3D print is definitely not for the faint of heart.

There are five total plates to print if you have a 256mm 3D printer, and six plates for the smaller 180mm printers like the Bambu Labs A1 Mini. Each plate has a bit of a different style, with two being multicolor, meaning you’ll want an AMS to print efficiently.

Fully assembled, this desk-based accessory is about 173 by 150 by 139 mm in size, which equates to around 6.75 by 6 by 5.5 inches.

You’ll need to supply the actual lamp fixture for the build, but those can be picked up on Amazon. The full bill of materials for the build can be found in a Google Doc provided by the designer.

While the only necessary materials are the lamp socket and light bulb, you’ll likely want to get the heat set inserts and such to go along with it and make assembly easier.

4

Macintosh-Style Retro Apple Watch Stand

Continuing on the retro Apple tech is this Macintosh-inspired Apple Watch stand. It’s designed as a charger for your Apple Watch and prints in three pieces.

Actually printing this one might have some challenges because it needs supports, so you’ll want to make sure that your printer’s support distance is dialed in to get clean removals.

Once printed, you’ll simply glue the three pieces together and have a functional charger for your Apple Watch! Yes, you can buy a silicone version of this on Amazon, but there’s something about being able to personalize the color of the dock and also the fact that you made it yourself, which makes 3D printing so alluring.

3

Retro Style Mini-ITX PC Case

While not for smaller printers, this retro Mini-ITX PC case looks like it houses a ton of fun.

Designed to resemble an old PC, you’ll be able to build a full-on Mini-ITX PC in this 3D print. It’s definitely more involved and will likely take nearly two days of printing to complete, but it’s gorgeous.

A surprising aspect of this Mini-ITX case is that it fits full ATX power supplies. Typically, Mini-ITX systems require small form factor power supplies, which are more expensive and less powerful overall. So, the fact that the model designer built this case to fit a full ATX power supply is fantastic.

It also supports air coolers up to 50mm tall, a 3.5-inch drive in the front (or a floppy drive if you’re feeling nostalgic), and simply looks great.

Something to note is it’s not designed to fit a dedicated graphics card, and you won’t find any 2.5-inch HDD/SSD mounting options in the case.

However, I don’t think either of those will be a huge issue. I think this would be the perfect build to put on your entertainment center as a retro arcade gaming console, run just by integrated graphics and a NVMe SSD. Connect some retro Bluetooth controllers, and you’ll have a system that everyone will be talking about.

2

Early-2000s Raspberry Pi PC Case

Keeping with the retro PC theme, this Raspberry Pi case reminds me of the desktops I grew up with in my bedroom. That yellow-white color, the iconic Intel Inside logo, and the big power button next to the floppy drive. Ah, the nostalgia.

Designed to house a Raspberry Pi 3 or 4, the project also has areas for you to plug in LEDs and other items to make it more period-accurate.

The designer uses (and recommends) a retro-inspired Raspbian 95 operating system, which mimics Windows 95. There are other options, and you can always just run traditional Debian on your Pi, but Raspbian 95 fits the theme of the case better.

This build is definitely a bit more involved, though, especially if you want to go all-out. The case is designed to house a functional power button, green, orange, and red LEDs, and magnets. All of that is extra and is available on the model page at Makerworld, so be sure to check out the bill of materials before printing this awesome-looking case.

1

Retro Desktop PC Raspberry Pi case

Closing us out is another Raspberry Pi case, but this time one that resembles an old 286 PC from the ‘80s. Designed with a screen that sits atop the base, your Raspberry Pi will feel right at home in this unique 3D print.

The designer here has gone to great lengths to make this 3D print as unique (and accurate) as possible. The boot SD card is located in the floppy drive area, to mimic how this PC originally would have booted.

The monitor is also fully functional if you pick up a small 3.5-inch HDMI display to fit there. There’s even room for a rear-mounted USB pass-through port so you can power the Pi from the back of the PC instead of running a cable inside, helping seal the illusion that this really is a 286 desktop.

Like the other builds here, there are more materials than you can simply 3D print to fully accomplish this build, but it’s totally worth it. The finished product is awesome, and would actually make a great homelab monitoring system with the little display on top.

Build Volume

10.4in x 10.4in x 10.4in

Printing Speed

500mm/s

The Centauri Carbon is Elegoo’s first core XY printer, going up against printers like the Creality K1C, Bambu Lab P1S, and Bambu Lab X1 but at half the price in many cases. This would seem like a joke if the printer itself wasn’t so competent and well put together.

Looking for a great 3D printer to get started with? I typically recommend Bambu Lab printers, because they’re easy to use and do all of their own adjustment on startup.

However, if you’re not a Bambu fan, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon is a fantastic choice. It’s accurate, offers a sizable build volume, and is extremely affordable.