{"id":47326,"date":"2026-03-30T01:27:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T05:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=47326"},"modified":"2026-04-08T07:32:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T11:32:26","slug":"reclaiming-my-creative-life-with-vintage-macs-the-cigar-box-mini-stack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/03\/30\/reclaiming-my-creative-life-with-vintage-macs-the-cigar-box-mini-stack\/","title":{"rendered":"Reclaiming My Creative Life With Vintage Macs: The Cigar Box Mac Mini Stack"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

The Murci\u00e9lago Mini-Stack: Two Macs, One Keyboard, Zero Subscriptions<\/p><\/div>\n

After months of tinkering and a few detours, this is where I landed \u2014 a 2010 Mac mini stacked neatly with a 2022 M1 Mac mini. I finally have a setup that feels like it\u2019s on my<\/em> terms.<\/p>\n

Even if Adobe still sold boxed versions of their software on physical media, I was eventually going to step off the upgrade treadmill. I never wanted to withdraw from the digital world or become the old man shaking my fist at the clouds. I just wanted a practical way to keep using the hardware and software I already own.<\/p>\n

Photoshop is a fabulous program that has changed the design world, but I already paid for my copy. I don\u2019t want to keep handing over a monthly fee just to stay \u201ccurrent.\u201d Adobe isn\u2019t entitled to an ongoing slice of my productivity. I own the versions I bought, and that should be enough.<\/p>\n

Adobe has made all the money it\u2019s going to make from me.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To clearly show how the Murci\u00e9lago Mini-Stack<\/em> comes together, I created the isometric illustration I use in this post in Affinity Designer <\/em>on another heirloom — <\/i>a 2012 Mac mini.\u00a0 It took me straight back to high school mechanical drawing class. I measured every piece and drew them to scale. (I\u2019d forgotten the old isometric sizing formulas, but Affinity 2 made it easy.)<\/p>\n

It also reminds me of the first digital freelance work I did on my old Packard Bell Pack-Mate 386\/25<\/em><\/a>, but I digress…<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get on with the show. Here\u2019s the stack from top to bottom:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \"\"\n

    The secret weapon and crown of my vintage setup is a 2010 Mac mini.<\/strong> This was the first Mac mini to feature the sleek unibody aluminum enclosure that Apple used for over a decade. It was also the last mini with a built-in optical drive.<\/p>\n

    I scored this one on eBay for a great price. I already had an SSD cloned from my old 2009 Mac Pro<\/em>, complete with Snow Leopard<\/em> and a full installation of Adobe Creative Suite 4<\/em> (installed from the original physical discs). I performed some minor surgery: installed the SSD, refreshed the thermal paste on the CPU and GPU, and maxed the RAM out to 16 GB.<\/p>\n

    Because Snow Leopard no longer receives security updates, this 2010 Mac mini lives completely offline. It\u2019s used only for the vintage Adobe CS4 suite I already own. No internet, no subscriptions, no modern risks \u2014 just reliable, familiar creative work whenever it’s needed.<\/p>\n

    \n<\/li>\n
  2. \"\"\n

    Next is a simple but perfect spacer: an ELDSTJ\u00c4RT<\/em><\/strong><\/a> trivet from the IKEA in South Philadelphia. Made of compressed bamboo, these are designed to protect tables from hot pans or casseroles. They create a nice air gap between the stacked computers and cost just $5 for a pair.<\/p>\n

    \n<\/li>\n
  3. \n

    The third item is an M1 Mac mini<\/strong> (2020 model), which we bought new in late 2022. This\"\" machine is still fully supported by Apple and handles modern apps and secure web browsing. It\u2019s the computer my wife Tina uses for anything that requires newer software.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s currently running macOS Monterey. We could update it to the latest version, but we both prefer Monterey\u2019s cleaner interface over the newer visual effects.<\/p>\n

    \n<\/li>\n
  4. \"\"The fourth item is the USB-C hub we bought with the M1 mini. Apple has always been stingy with ports and storage. The base model only has 256 GB, which fills up fast with photos and artwork, so this hub adds extra USB-A ports, an SD card reader and space for a built-in mechanical hard drive for additional storage. It matches the footprint of the minis perfectly.
    \n
    \n<\/li>\n
  5. \"\"\n

    Another ELDSTJ\u00c4RT<\/strong><\/em> trivet (green this time) sits below the hub. It may not be strictly necessary since the hub doesn\u2019t generate much heat, but it keeps the stack looking consistent.<\/p>\n

    \n<\/li>\n
  6. \"\"At the very bottom is the Murci\u00e9lago<\/em> cigar box \u2014 hence the name of the whole project. I originally bought a couple of empty cigar boxes years ago from a smoke shop in South Philadelphia. They sat forgotten until I realized this one was the perfect base for the stack. (I had planned on using just the trivets and hoped to find a suitable box at IKEA, but the Murci\u00e9lago turned out even better.)
    \nInside the cigar box lives the real hero of the setup: a KVM<\/strong> switch (Keyboard, Video, Mouse). With the press of a button, Tina can instantly switch between the vintage 2010 machine running her familiar CS4 setup and the modern M1 mini.<\/p>\n

    \"\"

    A KVM switch without the rat’s nest of cables.<\/p><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I\u2019d never used a KVM switch before, but a quick internet search turned up plenty of budget-friendly options. This one fit the bill perfectly.<\/p>\n

    \"\"

    Yeah, I bought it for the bat logo.<\/p><\/div>\n

    The cigar box would hold the switch which isn’t very large and some of the cables which are still a rat’s nest but a more manageable one. All that was required was a couple of holes so that cables could be routed out of either side.<\/p>\n

    \"\"

    The KVM switch tucked neatly inside the Murci\u00e9lago box, with cables routed out the sides.<\/p><\/div>\n

    The finished stack is compact \u2014 just 6.5 inches tall. One button press is all it takes for Tina to jump between the latest Mac experience or a rock-solid, subscription-free desktop publishing setup that still runs great after 16 years.<\/p>\n

    \"MacOS <\/a>
    MacOS Monterey on a modern mini <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
    \"MacOS <\/a>
    MacOS Snow Leopard on a 2010 mini <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

    You really have to hand it to Apple \u2014 they built machines that last.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Next:<\/strong> The Greenstreet Mac Mini: Adding Another 2010 to the Cigar Box Fleet<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    After months of tinkering, I finally built the Murci\u00e9lago Mini-Stack: a 2010 Mac mini sitting on top of a 2022 M1 Mac mini, all resting on a cigar box. Two Macs, one keyboard, and zero subscriptions. Here\u2019s how I reclaimed my creative life with vintage hardware I already own. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":47351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[317,7,518,5790],"tags":[6314,6266,3465,6321,6319,3153,6318,6316,6315,6149,6323,6313,6317,6229,6265,6322,6324,6320,6298],"class_list":["post-47326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computers","category-illustration","category-joes-garage","category-vector-illustration","tag-2010-mac-mini","tag-adobe-cs4","tag-affinity-designer","tag-apple-hardware","tag-cigar-box","tag-desktop-publishing","tag-ikea-hack","tag-kvm-switch","tag-m1-mac-mini","tag-mac-mini","tag-mac-stack","tag-murcielago-mini-stack","tag-no-subscription","tag-retro-mac","tag-snow-leopard","tag-subscription-free","tag-the-cigar-box-mac-mini-stack","tag-vintage-computing","tag-vintage-mac"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/stacked-isometric-minis-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-cjk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47445,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/04\/08\/the-greenstreet-mac-mini-adding-another-2010-to-the-cigar-box-fleet\/","url_meta":{"origin":47326,"position":0},"title":"The Greenstreet Mac Mini: Adding Another 2010 to the Cigar Box Fleet","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"I wasn\u2019t planning on building another cigar box mini-stack anytime soon, but eBay had other ideas. A very clean 2010 Mac mini popped up for auction so I took a shot. I threw in a maximum bid of $37 on a whim\u2026 and was genuinely surprised when I actually won\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Computers"","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/computers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Greenstreet.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47281,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/03\/25\/the-end-of-the-adobe-era-reclaiming-my-creative-life-with-vintage-macs\/","url_meta":{"origin":47326,"position":1},"title":"The End of the Adobe Era: Reclaiming My Creative Life with Vintage Macs","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"March 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"After three decades with Photoshop \u2014 from floppy disks and beige Macs to monthly subscriptions \u2014 I finally hit cancel. Here\u2019s why I\u2019m happily back to my old software running on old hardware, and how I reclaimed my creative life.","rel":"","context":"In "Blast from the Past"","block_context":{"text":"Blast from the Past","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/blast-from-the-past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bundled-photoshop-1997.jpg?fit=800%2C654&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bundled-photoshop-1997.jpg?fit=800%2C654&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bundled-photoshop-1997.jpg?fit=800%2C654&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bundled-photoshop-1997.jpg?fit=800%2C654&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47420,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/04\/03\/friday-five-number-two-hundred-twenty-five\/","url_meta":{"origin":47326,"position":2},"title":"Friday Five \u2013 Number Two Hundred Twenty Five","author":"Tina Garceau","date":"April 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Two hundred and twenty five in a continued series creating a collage using five elements. This is the first new collage crafted in subscription-free Photoshop CS4 on the fabulous contraption that Joe has dubbed The Cigar Box Mac Mini Stack. Switching back and forth between the old and new computers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Collage"","block_context":{"text":"Collage","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/collage-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/FridayFive225web.jpg?fit=500%2C700&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":47075,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/02\/12\/forward-to-the-past\/","url_meta":{"origin":47326,"position":3},"title":"Forward to the PAST!","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"February 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"When tech giants rely on subscription software and planned obsolescence, the only direction I can go in is Forward to the Past!","rel":"","context":"In "Blast from the Past"","block_context":{"text":"Blast from the Past","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/blast-from-the-past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/FORWARD-TO-THE-PAST2.jpg?fit=1000%2C386&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/FORWARD-TO-THE-PAST2.jpg?fit=1000%2C386&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/FORWARD-TO-THE-PAST2.jpg?fit=1000%2C386&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/FORWARD-TO-THE-PAST2.jpg?fit=1000%2C386&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47119,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/02\/19\/it-never-ends\/","url_meta":{"origin":47326,"position":4},"title":"It Never Ends!","author":"Joe","date":"February 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Two Mac minis dating from 2012 are pictured above. 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It is a server version of the Mac mini and it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Computers"","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/computers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Two 2012 Mac Mini Computers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55068101278_fdd6cfa24f_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55068101278_fdd6cfa24f_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55068101278_fdd6cfa24f_c.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55068101278_fdd6cfa24f_c.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46968,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2026\/01\/27\/party-like-its-2009\/","url_meta":{"origin":47326,"position":5},"title":"Party Like It’s 2009!","author":"Joe","date":"January 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week I wrote about upgrading a Mac Pro tower with a Solid State Drive or SSD plugged into a Peripheral Component Interconnect express card which I placed into one of the PCIe slots within the Pro's enormous aluminum chassis. It may sound daunting, but it was really straightforward. 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