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Rootin' Tootin' Case Mod Roundup 175

Posted by chrisd from the ghost-of-quickies-past dept.
So we get a number of case mods submitted in any one week, and while they are very cool and fun and we like to post them, they don't really warrant a whole story of their own, so I decided to do a recently submitted case-mod round up. Anyhow, if you are interested, in this first set we have a beautifully engineered mailbox among others. If you are interested in such things, read on....
First, ViceClown writes: "I thought I'de seen it all but here's another in what seems like a never ending barage of weird and out-there case mods. this guy took a regular old aluminum mailbox and turned it into a computer. Guess it gives new meaning to that old phraze, "You've got mail!""

BeoR writes "Modding is extremely popular nowadays... with the exception of some, a lot of mods end up in disappointment. Some mods just don't look right... This article is aimed at making "Case Modding" easy... as well as letting you try out any kinds of mods on your case without even scratching it... Check it out"

smallstepforman sent in a link to the aquatank, featuring very real, and probably unhappy, fish! That said, you'd think a computer case would be a happy place for a lizard or snake that would like a little bit on warmth.

We also ran a sectional story which I thought would be interesting for the round-up: PC Cases with Side or Top Mounted Drive Bays?

And, finally, JoeD writes "For my sins, I was emailed the following link: The Pink Hello Kitty Laptop. I struggled to find the adjectives to adequately describe this case mod, but decided that words are inadequate for some things." I think this might be the first custom modded laptop that we've featured on slashdot. Hope the next one won't be as disturbing.
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Rootin' Tootin' Case Mod Roundup More

Rootin' Tootin' Case Mod Roundup

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  • The aqua tank seems to be just out of reach. Those last two components are not widely available in this area for a reasonable price. :-(

  • Laptop mod? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 31, 2002 @09:20PM (#3620897)
    First laptop mod? Not by a long shot [mac.com], and it's a Mac to boot.
  • Ya'all get a hankerin for some Denny's eatins after readin that? heh

  • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • And if you get bored... (Score:3, Funny)

    by El_Nofx ( 514455 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @09:29PM (#3620924)
    while looking at AguaTank, here is some complimentary porn to keep your attention!

  • Does that Hello Kitty laptop seem familiar? No, it's not because it's the same one your useing to view Slashdot right now (you sick twisted...), it's because It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Quickies [slashdot.org]! That's right it's a repost! Keep your eyes peeled, you may never see this again (*sure*)
    • I don't exactly understand why slashdot of all places--with a database of stories with URLs that one would think could be easily scanned for repitition before posting--continuously repeats itself. but having said that..

      I've seen just about enough posts about /.'s repetition as well. So could we all, as posters, just stop doing this? And could we all, as moderators, stop encouraging it? Because the people who know it's a repeat ALREADY KNOW. And the people who don't know, DON'T CARE. So it really doesn't benefit anyone. Taking shots at the slashdot editors is so passe. It's pretty obvious they don't care about the occasional repeat, so why should I?

      PK
    • And the first time, you PHKL gawkers created 30 MB of traffic in 20 days, and my provider thre me off. Now I am on a metered provider, and you people are probably going to cost me a fortune.

      chrisd could have just fucking asked first, and given me a chance to say no. It's not like my email isn't at the bottom of the page

  • Mailboxes (Score:4, Funny)

    by cscx ( 541332 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @09:38PM (#3620956) Homepage
    He DOES realize that US Postal Service mailboxes (yes, that includes aluminum house mailboxes you buy at the Home Depot) are actually property of the US Postal Service. Yep, even though you physically own it. That's why it's a bad idea to go around putting Dran-O bombs in unsuspecting neighbors' mailboxes. Oh did I say that? =)

    • Re:Mailboxes (Score:2, Informative)

      by henry44 ( 556157 )
      Not until you actually install them.

      this from the son of a retired postmaster
    • They are not USP property till you place them on the street... and it's only about putting/taking stuff out of them... (I've not read any of the postal codes in about 10 years....

    • Re:Mailboxes (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      The ones you buy at Home Depot are not actually postal service property. They are (once installed properly) only for *use* by the postal service. For example, FedEx or UPS can't leave anything in it.

      (I know this because I delivered newspapers as a kid, and we were constantly reminded that if we stuck a newspaper in a mailbox, the company we worked for would be in hot water).

  • That would be hard :).

  • Did anyone notice that the Pink Hello Kitty Laptop is a NON-WORKING mod... Not only is it a DOA laptop before the ambitious girls got started, but the "mouse" is a yo-yo attached with a plastic-bead necklace to the computer...

    I don't see how this counts as a "case-mod"... Maybe "doorstop-mod", but that's about it...

    P.S. Yes, I realize that my comment on such things is proof that I was bored enough to actually read through the better part of the PHKL page... :(
    • "Not only is it a DOA laptop before the ambitious girls got started..."

      Actually, this [exonome.com] guy made the mod. And this [exonome.com] is a picture of him. Excuse me, I feel food coming back up.
    • Did anyone notice that the Pink Hello Kitty Laptop is a NON-WORKING mod

      Whether it works or not, I'm still gonna have nightmares about it.

    • You know, looking at what you guys all write about the laptop and about me, I have to say you people are kind of mean. No, really. The recipient was very happy with it, and it was fun to do.

      I would like it noted that I never submitted this a case mod, and have never claimed anything about it. And if my Halloween costume makes your lunch come back up, get help for your gastrointestinal disorder.

      Meanwhile, my latest mod did indeed work when I delivered it to the offices that requested it. It may be in the pages of the next issue of Popular Science.
  • "Since I forgot to take more pictures of the construction process, here is a pair of hotties in thongs to even things out."

    ROFL!

  • Useful Article at Tom's hardware (Score:4, Informative)

    by donnacha ( 161610 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @09:41PM (#3620969) Homepage


    Tom's Hardware [tomshardware.com] is currently running a feature entitled How To Select The Right Case For Your Computer [tomshardware.com] which takes modding potential into consideration, even suggesting the Directron [directron.com]/Super Flower - 201S as a sort of "pre-modded" option for those of us too busy playing games or just too plain lazy to put in the necessary work ourselves.

  • No links to porn! (Score:1, Insightful)

    by davidmccabe ( 516209 )
    I don't thinks it's nice of Slashdot to link to pages with PORNOGRAPHY without warning us!
    • Oh, come on. That was barely cheesecake. You can see more on prime-time US sitcoms.
      • I don't really care how cheesecakey it is. I don't want to see that kind of junk at all; even the thought of it I find repulsive. It's addictive. It hurts people's brains. Things which offend *vast* numbers of people (and I'm guessing are probably forbidden by every religion there is except the Church of Emacs) should not be covertly hidden in what would appears from the outside to be a perfectly harmless article. If there was some note ("that link has some porn randomly deployed in it"), I wouldn't mind at all; people who don't what to subject themselves to that can refrain from reading the article.
        • I take it you never go to the beach then?

        • Re:No links to porn! (Score:4, Funny)

          by caferace ( 442 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @10:45PM (#3621165) Homepage
          I didn't have a problem with the chicks. The laptop however I found repulsive.

          To each his own. Welcome to the Internet.

          Now go home. :)

        • Re:No links to porn! (Score:4, Interesting)

          by _Sprocket_ ( 42527 ) on Saturday June 01, 2002 @12:32AM (#3621426)
          So if I understand your complaint correctly... you would avoid the entire article since 2 out of 23 images (not including banners, etc) depict a shapely female backside form in a thong bikini. This is because such an image meets your definition of "pornography". And futhermore you are repulsed by the idea because you will find these images addictive and damaging to your brain.


          You have serious personal control issues.


          It might be worth noting that the images might meet the dictionary definition [m-w.com] of "pornography" depending on your personal reaction to the image. But they hardly meet the usual type of content associated with the term.


          I found the included imagery... imature. But it was very easy to scroll past the two images and pay attention to the real content of the site: a fish aquarium in a computer case.


          But hey - I have that kind of self control. Maybe you don't.

          • You make many good points with which I agree completely. Very nice.

            Thong/bikini models aren't my taste (by a long shot), but I would hardly find them outright offensive. Indeed, most common decency laws state that pornography and indecency are based completely on the morals and judgement of the community. Given the goatse.cx that has typically proliferated here, I think one would be hard pressed to argue that an "average" /. reader would be offended by images of women in small bathing suits.

            Even if I don't have to agree with the site author's taste in pictures -- swimsuit or otherwise -- which he chooses to put on his site, I most certainly do have to agree with his right to put those pictures there.

            People get worked up (no pun intended) over the strangest things...

            -B

        • Some of us read /. @ work. We can get away with reading /. the whole stinking friday to prevent us from falling asleep. and monday too. Cause the Boss think it's news and technichal stuff for the weird LAN or 'puter guys (Reesurch). But as soon as the boss or any person that hates the computer geeks walks by and see me staring at thongs...I'm outta there. And please take a look at the job market. It Is SLOW! That's why a warning would be very much appreciated.
          • And please take a look at the job market. It Is SLOW!
            Hmm... You're mad that what you're doing at work might be exposed, causing you to be fired... and somehow, this is someone else's fault?

            Here's an idea: If you don't want to be fired for reading Slashdot at work, don't read Slashdot at work.

            Thank you.

    • Girls in thongs don't qualify as porn in my estimation.

      Find something to do with your time, aside from whining about non-problems.
    • Is that why the aquatank page is the only page attached to this article that has been slashdotted?
    • Just imagine the slashdot effect if they did note that a link had pornographic content.


  • What, are people too hung up on the soft-pr0n ch1xs in th0ngs to read the rest of the auqatank page?

    #2. Why doesn't the heat from the PC make the water hot enough to kill the fish?

    A) The location of the tank is isolated from all the components that generate heat. Several fans are placed in the case as well to move the air though. When the computer has been on for a long period of time, there is a slight increase in the water temperature, but not enough to exceed to livable range of the fish. One of the reasons that I selected the neon tetra was because of it's small size and it's rather large temperature range (23C-28C).

    BTW, the "neon tetra" he talks about is the breed of fish, not some kind of four-way processor mod.

    • Re:nope, the fish are just fine (Score:4, Funny)

      by alacqua ( 535697 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @10:30PM (#3621124) Homepage
      BTW, the "neon tetra" he talks about is the breed of fish, not some kind of four-way processor mod.

      Man, could you imagine a beowulf clust... errr... school of them.

    • Just what range of UV is that LED [nobispro.com] cranking out?

      There are apparently a host of different types of UV LEDs. From the LED Museum [att.net], here's a quote about one particularly nasty one:

      "This is one LED that you should NEVER, EVER look at directly with your eyes. This is because the invisible ultraviolet radiation is harmful to them, and can cause corneal fogging that mimics cataracts; and can cause even more severe damage to your eye's lens with only slightly prolonged exposure.

      Thankfully here, the LED's UV emission is all long-wave, and not the even nastier medium and shortwave kind. If you need to view this LED directly for any reason (studying it, curious, etc.), obtain a UV filter and place it between your eyes and the LED's window before you try feeding this LED any power."
  • Not necessary -- my PC case is already at the karma cap. (What can I say? It posts a lot when I'm not home.) But hey, thanks for keeping it in mind.
  • I'm not sure about that. Unless you're using the water as a coolant system and just happen to have fish which tolerate a wide range of temperatures, it doesn't seem that different from having a fish tank next to the computer. Although i admit it's an accomplishment to get them to match, i'd rather see some integration or something. Like a computer case/hamster cage. You could set it up with onscreen readouts of hamster wheel speed and tell people it actually effected your processor speed. And it'd be a great excuse: sorry, i didn't get your message last night. Furball was sleeping and i didn't want to wake her up just to check my email...
    ok, maybe not.
  • Well, I heard this suggestion a while ago on slashdot but (for fairly obvious reasons) I have yet to see/hear of it again:

    Why not make a case mod in which all of the components sat in deionized water? The theory behind this is that deionized H2O doesn't conduct; therefore, it wouldn't conduct and thus submersing all of the components in your case would work. Has anyone done any investigating into whether this is practical? Has anyone already done it?

    If it works, this is is definitely the holy grail of case-modding.
    • Just a WAG here, but with all of the metals, plastics, and other materials in the case the water would soon become tainted with conductive substances. This effect wouldl likely be exacerbated by the heating of the water by the components.
      • also, I don't think a large sitting body of water like that wouldn't be able to circulate very well to let off heat.. water coolers all have the water flowing throw piping and such before the resevoir, letting off heat, same as the coolant pipes on the back of a fridge.
      • "ASCETIC FOOLS! THERES NO ESCAPE!!" - StarScream in Transformers: The Movie

        Pretty sure that's just his roboty voicebox garbling the phrase "Pathetic Fools!"

        Not that I have the movie on DVD and watch it on a daily basis, or anything, in case you were wondering.
    • If I remember the problem is that the water eventually gets contaminated enough that it'll start conducting again. And when that happens, fried computer!

    • Re:Fish Tank Mod (Score:2, Informative)

      by Jzanu Syr ( 556819 )
      The problem with immersing nearly any computer components in deionized water is that while the water no longer conducts electricity when deionized, it still causes galvanic corrosion. Galvanic corrosion occurs when two different elements or alloys of metal are immersed in a common electrolyte over a period of time. If any solder flux, an alloy usually of tin and lead, for example, were to be immersed in the same electrolyte as any other metal on the circuit board, galvanic corrosion is certain. Note that even the purest water, at least for all practical purposes, still contains some residual electrolytes.
    • There is story I heard about a friend of a friend of mine who owns a 1.4 ghz processor which he wanted to overclock. So, he made the OBVIOUS decision, he filled the case with liquid nitrogen. I'm not sure about the physical state the nitrogen is in, but I know he was able to get upwards of 2 ghz. However, I can't stop from wondering..."How often does his computer *freeze* up?"

      • Re:Fish Tank Mod (Score:1, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        ...filled the case with liquid nitrogen. I'm not sure about the physical state the nitrogen is in...

  • As has been suggested before.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Bonker ( 243350 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @09:57PM (#3621012)
    ... Some of us really like to read about nifty hardware presentation hacks like case mods, lego cases, acrylic and cast iron cases, liquid-helium cooled processors, teddybears with routers embedded, etc... and so forth. Why not create a new topic area for material like this *separate* from the regular hardware area so those of us who are interested can see the stories more often and those of us who aren't can filter that area.... like most of us do with Jon Katz...
  • ...Book PC.
    It's a Bonsai Kitten [bonsaikitten.com]

  • My favorite mod... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Phantom100 ( 216058 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @10:05PM (#3621041)
    Hypercooled [2cooltek.com]

  • Why do I get the feeling... (Score:5, Funny)

    by gdyas ( 240438 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @10:06PM (#3621045) Homepage

    ...that these are the same people who can make a bong out of anything?


    "OK, get me a broomstick, some PVC pipe and a cantaloupe."


  • On that mailbox mod, the position of the Panaflo (looks like 80mm) fan is absolutely horrible. He has the fan stuck up against the side of the box, with a screen to the outside only covering maybe a 1/4 to a 1/3 of the fan area. Number 1, you are getting absolutely horrible air flow from that (especially with the heat coming off of the cathode in there) and number 2, you are stressing the fan by forcing it to blow air on (or suck air from) a directly connected flat surface. With the amount of work he was putting into getting the metal and making brackets already, he should have just cut up a duct for the fan, and placed it at least a couple inches away from the screen. The duct would increase air flow dramatically, would be fairly easy to build, and would look much better under the cathode than a bunch of empty space.
  • Having done quite a few Mods myself I find myself craving to do more. But is it realy worth it? Most of the time you either draw power away from the components that you need or compromise the soundness of the case itself. Ever taken your mod one step too far only to realize that you just fried your hard-drive... or even worse under powered your processor with all of those cool lights and fans? Just wondering if people truly think it is worth the trouble to do those outrageous mods.
  • case mods. Otherwise i'd have it glowing blue.

    Pi
    • Hmm, ironic... Not actual Macs, but just a day or 2 ago, memepool [memepool.com] had stuff on people doing casemods on NeXT cubes... VERY slinky.

      I think my favourite of the images shown was this [planetcasemod.com] one.

      Not got a NeXT machine meself, but that did make me wish I had...

    • I call BS. Mac users were modding long before the PC '1337 got in on the act.

      You want evidence?
      http://www.applefritter.com [applefritter.com]

      There's your evidence.

      Ever heard of MacQuariums? Little Blue the budgie and its Classic cage? The Lego Mac? This has been going on for years. The Classic Mac has always been an inspiration to modders...there's something just so kawaii about it that decoration of it is second nature. All I can say to the 1337 PC c@s3 h4x0rz is "what took you so long?"

  • You've moved your bathroom to your computer, or vice versa.

    You've overclocked everything with a transistor; you're watercooling them.

    Now, you have a use for all that warm water; it makes a comfortable wash that keeps you hygienic, and prevents you from getting a rash from sitting in front of your computer, on your toilet, for 72 hours at a stretch.

    The Art of Design is all about taking harmonious advantage of the resources already available to you. It is all about turning your tower into a bidet.

  • Some helpful aluminum tips for modders (Score:5, Informative)

    by Erris ( 531066 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @11:18PM (#3621240) Homepage Journal
    I saw, yuck, tin snips in that mailbox link! A $15 paper cutter from any office supply store makes much cleaner cuts.

    Sheet metal does rock, but aluminum flashing won't rust and is easier to work. A big roll of the stuff that will last for years. It's easier to work than steel and much lighter. The drawback is that flashing is thin and not as strong as available heavy steel sheet. You can overcome this by bending a few edges and mounting stiffening pieces. I love my aluminum sheet roll almost as much as I love duct tape.

    Mixing steel and aluminum is a bad idea. Their electronegativities are far appart so your steel will rust quickly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it can be done and there are places for it.

  • List of over 300 case mod articles ... (Score:3, Informative)

    by marnee ( 582703 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @11:28PM (#3621280)
    Hi, I'm a case modder myself, and I've compiled a huge list of over 300 case mod articles that has been properly categorised. Check it out HERE [softchitect.com]. Hope you guys find it useful :) ... My own case mod is over here [softchitect.com].

  • Shiny NeXT Cube-based System (Score:5, Interesting)

    by PotPieMan ( 54815 ) on Friday May 31, 2002 @11:30PM (#3621283)
    I'm pretty surprised chrisd didn't post this:
    http://www.pheatonforums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php? t=137&postdays=0&postorder=&start=0 [pheatonforums.com]

    And the final pictures here:
    http://www.planetcasemod.com/NeXT/Final/angleshot1 . PG [planetcasemod.com]
    http://www.planetcasemod.com/NeXT/Final/angleshot2 . PG [planetcasemod.com]
    http://www.planetcasemod.com/NeXT/Final/angleshot3 . PG [planetcasemod.com]

    This is quite possibly the most impressive case mod I have ever seen.

    You can buy one of those displays at B.G. Micro [bgmicro.com], in case you're wondering.
    • Oh my God, it's the Borg!
    • This sort of thing should be punishable by death. They've taken perfectly good, classic NeXT hardware and dropped in the motherboard-of-the-week - hardware which will be obsolete and forgotten in six months. Along the way, they've reduced the already small supply of NeXT equipment that exists out there for those of us who like the machines. Thanks for keeping the costs of cubes up with stupid mods like this, guys.
      • From the first forum posting linked in my post:
        ... in the thread at [H], the guy mentioned that another guy in Colorado was selling reconditioned NeXT cubes and parts and that one of the cube cases alone could be purchased. Fascinated and letting my better judgement fly out the door, I bought one on impulse.
        Implication: He bought a case from a guy in Colorado, without the motherboard or components. While he did reduce the already short supply of pure NeXT cases, it wasn't like he took a working NeXT Cube and gutted it for this system.

  • Really Really Stupid (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Ogerman ( 136333 ) on Saturday June 01, 2002 @01:08AM (#3621509)
    I can understand painting, LED's, custom fronts, etc. but cutting "windows" in one's case is just plain stupid. Why would you purposely expose yourself to so much unnecessary radiation? (not to mention any electronic equipment nearby., which could interfere in either direction.) We're not talking about miniscule radiation of debatable health effects (like cell phones, etc.) The microwave-range radiation from a modern PC without metal case shielding is rather substantial. That's why the FCC requires shielded design. For example, what happens when CPU's reach the 2.4GHz. region? All of a sudden, your "cool" case is going to interfere with your wireless LAN and cordless phone. What's the point?

    • Re:Really Really Stupid (Score:2, Insightful)

      by wampus ( 1932 )
      Just like all the 900mhz CPUs out there destroyed the usefulness of those OTHER cordless phones, or when the 100mhz Pentiums wrecked FM radio, or when the C-64's destroyed shortwave with their 1mhz processors.
    • Hmmm...I'm pretty sure there's a fairly substantial number of /. readers who have their cases open with their computers running some or all of the time. I did that for about a year, but had to quit when my computer room became no longer cat free. (cat hair and dust are horrific in combination)...of course, this was back in the days where a CPU fan dying didn't mean instant processor death--i was cooling mine with a desk fan for a while after the bearing on the CPU fan got gunked up. Curiously enough, I haven't developed any precancerous lesions on the side of my body that was closer to all this radiation...(the other side is shielded by my body quite effectively. If that doesn't make any sense to you go read a book.)
      Isn't this kind of like asking the point of climbing Mount Everest? Because it's human nature to do difficult/interesting things that aren't necessarily productive just because we can. I should think anyone with any observational ability at all would have figured that out by now.
    • If you're really that worried about the readiation...Here is a great solution for you. http://zapatopi.net/afdb.html
    • You going to die of something, wether it be old age, cancer, or your own stupidity, something will get you in the end. Anyway, you shouldn't sit infront of your monitor either, the radiation that the sucker puts off will surpise you, also don't stand infront of running microwaves, ahh don't sleep with electric blankets on, don't live close to a transformer sub station...blah blah blah, but if you didn't know they do make plexi-glass with radio-sheilding in it, similar to the "purple glaze" windsheilds on cars that block out alot of the sun.
  • Shouldn't it be "Hot-Rodding for nerds of bosth sexes"?
  • Kinda late but I haven't seen any security mods until I saw this mod [angelfire.com]!

  • When I put together a new computer for myself, I have a tendency to replace the 12-volt case fan(s) with 120-volt fans. Such are widely available, and are the same size (except thicker), so they fit the mounting holes. The perceived advantage is the reduced load on the 12V regulator in the power supply, so that maybe it will run a bit cooler and last a bit longer. The mod has to be done carefully, of course. I might recommend Radio Shack Cat. No. 274-222 (2-conductor male/female Molded Nylon Connector Pair) as a means of bringing 120V from inside the PSU to inside the main computer case, so that the power is available for the 120V fan(s). Yes, this means the fans will run all the time, unless you have either provided an additional switch to the PSU, or tapped the switched 120V line inside the PSU.
  • I did painted my computer in a dbz theme [charter.net] featuring Vegeta. I know the debate is out about as to the mod requirement of a working computer, but I don't know if painting qualifies as a mod job?

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