This is a fun mod, but is a thermal printer more useful than a floppy drive in 2026?
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A retro computer enthusiast has fitted a thermal printer into an ancient Apple Macintosh Plus. A short video clip shared on social media shows the mod is effective and, dare we say, practical. The otherwise redundant floppy drive in this Mac Mini brain transplanted desktop looks almost perfect for spewing forth coils of thermal copy paper.
1円で落札したサーマルプリンタをMac mini仕込んだMacintoshに入れてみた。なんとなくなりたい事がわかってきた様な気がする。 pic.twitter.com/Lb4z8lVj2Q February 5, 2026
The original Apple Macintosh has such iconic computing appeal that it is natural that enthusiasts repurpose the old chassis if or when the innards deteriorate beyond repair. But what do you make of the cutout where the floppy drive used to be?
The above perfectly valid answer is provided by Japanese pickle store manager and Mac enthusiast, Meinan, on X. Apparently, they were lucky enough to get this thermal printer in some kind of auction for ‘1 yen’, and were looking for a good way to make use of it. We don’t know how it is hooked up to the computer, but would guess it simply interfaces via USB, like printers have done for decades now.
Intrepid modder builds an M4-powered iMac G3
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/case-mods/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/case-mods/retro-apple-mac-mod-implements-thermal-printer-floppy-swap-machine-also-benefits-from-a-mac-mini-brain-transplant#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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