Amiga A500 Mini user builds working scale-sized Commodore 1084 monitor with 3D printed components — 3D printer project details shared for all

A retro computing aficionado with a love of the classic mini releases has built a complementary compact and cute monitor. Press any Key to Continue (PKC) shares their philosophy, chosen components, and methodology in a new video called Mini monitor for the Amiga A500 Mini & The C64 Mini: Commodore 1081/1084 in 3D-printing. It’s embedded below, for your convenience, but we needed to turn on English closed captions as the narration is in French.

Games shown in the video: Barbarian on the Amiga, Shadow of the Beast on the Amiga, and Commando on the Commodore 64.

During its all-too-brief life as a computer industry leader, Commodore built “80 different screen variations, 30 of which were just of the Amiga ecosystem,” notes PKC, in the video introduction (machine translation). The TechTuber and maker narrowed down the Commodore 1081 and 1084 as the ideal remake targets, concluding that these particular models “truly symbolize the C64 and early Amiga.”

Though CRT vs. LCD debates can (and do) go on for pages, PKC whittled down several LCDs they had considered on Amazon to just one. It's an 8-inch model with HDMI, various analog inputs, speakers, and a remote. It looks like PKC cannibalized this security camera monitor, which is currently available on Amazon.com for $69.99.

With the LCD choice out of the way, PKC did their 3D modeling in Fusion 360, and it looks like they have some skills in this department. They kept the essence of the 1081 and 1084 styles and distilled the design down to just four major parts to be 3D printed.

A Bambu Lab A1 was selected as the 3D printer. We note that a significant portion of the monitor chassis was printed as a single piece, but with extensive supports that had to be cut out before use. PKC seemed pleased with the output, and rightfully so, with all the parts we saw in the video snapping precisely into place, as per the master plan.

The maker reused the existing LCD mounting system from the disassembled purchased part, and the remote buttons could be used to provide user-accessible touch controls on the monitor bezel.

Once the LCD and controls were all in the frame, PKC slid closed the monitor chassis – it looked great for servicing, or upgrades. Lastly, they finished the design with some custom stickers – logos, model numbers, branding, etc.

With the project finished, PKC claims the 3D print quality is just as good as the A500 Mini they purchased, the inspiration behind this maker effort. They find the screen to be pleasing to use, and the speakers “not bad at all.”

Another judgment from the maker was that the quality of an original CRT wasn’t reproduced here. Nevertheless, it makes gaming much more enjoyable with the A500 Mini or C64 Mini, especially when friends come over – thanks to the cute factor, the maker said. When not in use, PKC has this monitor on show, with the A500 Mini in front, and some other retro minis around. It has “become my favorite decorative object,” they admit.

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