29 replies to this topic

[TheyCallMeGunny]

So thanks to a pm between me and el_capitan i came up with an idea for a good topic:

What are some of your most creative tinkers with computers? It can be creative, unique, or downright weird.

My first example to start the topic off is a little if each: soldering signal activated LEDs into speakers.. Tools used: my trusty Leatherman's pliers, a really big lighter, and an oven mitt. Don't have a soldering iron, so I had to make do.

Apparently capitan did the same.. without the oven mitt xD. I salute my fallen comrade.

Other random tinkers involve velcroing my speakers to the underside of my desk to reduce space taken up, and velcroing the volume knob to the ride side of the desk (actual side, not top).

Drilling the plastic front panel of my case out and breaking off the eSATA port to put my cold cathode switch up front right by my power switch.

Bought a broken 1000W stereo receiver for a case of beer, fixed it up with a tiny heatsink from a vcr and a fan from an old laptop. Hooked up to my now, can use Comcast remote, android phone to control volume.

Once, long ago.. when my case was in a bookshelf, the heat would cycle around from my exhaust back to the intake.. so i cut up a pizza box to create an exhaust tube that directed the heat entirely out of the case from exhaust.

And off the top of my head, cant think of much more pc related. Started a bunch more projects, but haven't finished most so I don't really count those.

--EDIT: I've gotta stop posting from Android.. Goes from completely to coherent to "wtf did he say" in half a sentence.. -_- And half the time, I don't even know what I was trying to say.. For instance, the comcast remote line.. I get the feeling I'm missing half a sentence there. But it's a little confusing to edit. o.0

Edited by dragonsdontfly, 24 March 2012 - 01:06 PM.

[El_Capitan]

Hail no dragon, I didn't do the same with my computers, lol. Though I have done something similar for other things.

[TheyCallMeGunny]

Hail no dragon, I didn't do the same with my computers, lol. Though I have done something similar for other things.

Ohhh.. You did it to something else then lol. Guess I just kinda self-implied the computer part, since that's what I was talking about when you said you've done it too. My bad lol.

[90sgamer]

The most I've ever done to tinker physically with my hardware was the so called "Pencil Mod" on my nForce 780i LGA775 motherboard. It basically involves drawing pencil lead between two points on the motherboard to short out vdroop functionally. My vcore voltage would drop ridiculously when under load on my Core 2 Duo E8400, but after the mod, no vdroop at all. Completely stable voltage and it helped out a lot with overclocking.

[Waco]

I did the exacto knife trick on my old 1700+ to up the multiplier and used small bits of wire in the socket to raise the vcore. I also cut the heatspreader off of my old opteron 175 for better temps back in the day.

There have been a few other oddball things over the years but nothing too crazy I don't think.

[Stonerboy779]

Cut up a brand new pc power supply not even hours old mounted it inside a box as high and wide and only slightly wider than an atx power supply. Then added a set of fuses and 12v accessory sockets for 3 sockets that can supply 20amps each 24/7 was a god send when we went camping ment we had the car fridges on the whole time.

Yet again too screwdriver and pliers to a psu and ran 2x 200watt rms 2ch amps of it powering the now speakerless towers in my room.

Will soon destroy yet another PSU although this time I will minimize what I do so I can retain warranty on the 1200watt gold rated silverstone I wish to mod.

[Hyper]

The most I've ever done to tinker physically with my hardware was the so called "Pencil Mod" on my nForce 780i LGA775 motherboard. It basically involves drawing pencil lead between two points on the motherboard to short out vdroop functionally. My vcore voltage would drop ridiculously when under load on my Core 2 Duo E8400, but after the mod, no vdroop at all. Completely stable voltage and it helped out a lot with overclocking.

lol, I did the same to 780i for a q6600 (I think).

Other mod's I've done is cut hole's in cases for extra or larger fans and cable management, make brackets out of metal coat hangers to point fans at the chipset... Oh, and there's that case I built from squair and L channel alum. and plexiglass does that count?

As far as wiring, I've made a few splitters for fans and molex connectors, and sleaved a bunch of cables.. as well as made extension cables for the 24pin power and pcie power cables (each wire indivigually sleaved of course)..

had a leaky sli cuppler (for my 2 WC'ed GTX285's) so I had to improvise a bit by looping a hose from the bottom side of the lower card to the upper side of the top card (looks a bit silly but works), but plan to get another cluppler..

[Tjj226_Angel]

I turn some old s*** box pc cases into some drawers for a night stand. I just gut the case and drill some sliding brackets on the side, glue the panels together and cut out an opening for clothes and stuff. Took three boards and made two sides and a top and then secured the 4 female sliding brackets on the inside of the two sides and boom! Two drawers out of old pc cases and a night stand out of some wood lying around.

[DexRain]

Haven't done too much with my computers, but I've rigged up other electronics haha.

Made a duct tape side panel on my first case after a friend stepped on the side panel when I had it off and broke window.
Replaced the dead fan on my buddies 500w coolermaster power supply with an off the shelf scythe slipstream and had to run the wire out of the psu and plug it into a fan header since it was a 3-pin and not a 2-pin.
The molex connecters for the LED strips in my case are cut apart molex to pci-e power adapters that I spliced on.

This monster is my favorite though, that's my old PS2 that the case got shattered on when I caught the cord with my foot and dragged it off the entertainment center onto the concrete floor 5 feet below, managed to fix it with a case of beer, a bike tire, and some duct tape


It still works to this day.

[Muchoman1]

Haven't done too much with my computers, but I've rigged up other electronics haha.

Made a duct tape side panel on my first case after a friend stepped on the side panel when I had it off and broke window.
Replaced the dead fan on my buddies 500w coolermaster power supply with an off the shelf scythe slipstream and had to run the wire out of the psu and plug it into a fan header since it was a 3-pin and not a 2-pin.
The molex connecters for the LED strips in my case are cut apart molex to pci-e power adapters that I spliced on.

This monster is my favorite though, that's my old PS2 that the case got shattered on when I caught the cord with my foot and dragged it off the entertainment center onto the concrete floor 5 feet below, managed to fix it with a case of beer, a bike tire, and some duct tape


It still works to this day.

That thing is truly an abomination.

[TheyCallMeGunny]

I forgot to mention something, kind of a "tip" for cheap soldering:

The lighter, pliers, and oven mitt combo were used a certain way. I didn't just burn the board with the lighter:

I held the pliers with the oven mitt, and heated the pliers up: Using the tip of them as a "touch point" for soldering. Much like soldering copper pipes: Heat the middle, and the end will eventually be hot enough to melt solder on touch.

This is a safer (but slower) way to solder.. I wouldn't advise even trying direct lighter contact to anything except maybe speaker wires.

--Edit: If you're really impatient, use ALL METAL NEEDLENOSE PLIERS (NO RUBBER OR PLASTIC HANDLES- like I did) and let them sit over the flame of your stove for about 5 minutes, then grab them with the oven mitt. Can usually get a few points soldered this way before reheating them. This is what I did at first, but once it got hot enough using the lighter worked for reheats.

Edited by dragonsdontfly, 27 March 2012 - 03:51 AM.

[Andrewr05]

My life revolves around making and modifying things, I've always been hands on.
Some people scoff at such things "That is so redneck", but to me it's just the way to do it.
I couldn't buy something new without trying to make do with what I have or re-purposing or attempting to fix what it's replacing.

Function over form for me.

Actually I've grown to like the DIY, rough, modified, hand-built look.
It adds a bit of a personal touch, some individuality to the object.


Plus tinkering with things is fun and usually cheaper.

Redneck engineering and Ghetto modding for life.

(see my latest signature addition)