Laptop Case Modding?

TechnoLust asks: "Ok, we all know how popular case modding has become. Just visit Thinkgeek for proof. But what about laptops? I can't impress that hot geek-girl with my ultra-tricked-out PC if it is sitting at home. But pull out a modded laptop at the airport and she may delay her flight. So my question is this: What places have /.ers found to get modded laptop parts and options? I know we've covered building your own laptop here and here, but I'm not really concerned with building my own, just modding a "mass manufactured" laptop. Of course, this brings a new element into modding (i.e. you don't want to run your neons when on battery.) I am also interested in knowing what manufacturer's laptops you guys think would be easiest to mod. I've had very good luck out of Toshiba laptops. The perfect laptop for me would be a clear cased Toshiba with neons around the edges. I know it will be expensive, but it's something I use everyday, so I can justify treating myself."

Comments

Maybe I'm just an old fart....

[john@iastate.edu]

but this sounds like a pointless waste of time and money.

If you have this desperate need to stand out maybe you could just run a USB cable through your nose piercing or something.

lots o work or very expensive

[TheMMaster]

Well, i think it COULD be done however:

you would need to take the laptop apart (duh ;-) ) especially all the stuff you want to make translucent, make a mold out of them and fill them with liquid plexiglass or something, I think you could get that kind of stuff somehow, but it'll be a long-winded and pretty tedious work.

you could however opt to let a company that specializes in this kind of stuff make it, but I think you'll have to reach deep in your pocket for that...

my suggestion: buy an iBook, looks cool and if it's running linux, you'll get your share of geek-girls ;-)

Delayed flight

[Anonymous Coward]

The only reason she might delay her flight is if you are boarding the plane.

Re:Delayed flight

[isorox]

The only reason she might delay her flight is if you are boarding the plane.

thats funny, not troll! sheesh, [some] mods today...

Dunno if a custom paint job counts, but...

[Gid1]

Apple Powerbooks (the older ones -- Titaniums don't really need painting!): http://www.applefritter.com/hacks/laptops.html

I'd consider doing that to my Powerbook, but it has a history of catching fire, so I leave it well alone!

Unhappy Old Fart?

[TechnoLust]

but this sounds like a pointless waste of time and money.

Waste of time and money? Depends on your definition of waste. I drink Dr. Pepper soft drinks. I get them for $2.50 per 12-pack. That comes out to ~20.8 cents per drink. I can get water out of the tap for WAY less than that, and it does the same thing (quenches my thirst) and is way better for me as far a health is concerned. But I enjoy drinking them (I do drink water often, too, but sometimes I want a Dr. Pepper.) So is this a "waste" of money? I use my laptop for several hours every day, and having a nice laptop that I will enjoy, does not seem to me like a waste. I have a Sea-Doo that I enjoy very much, and many of the older people I work with can't understand why I would pay so much for something I can only ride 4 months out of the year. Because I enjoy it enough during that time for it to be worth the cost. Also, I enjoy working with computers and electronics, so I don't consider the many electrical/electronic projects that I have worked on (and learned from) a waste of time.
Also understand, I don't spend every penny I get. I have a few savings accounts, an IRA, and a nice 401k that I contribute the max amount to. But I make sure to enjoy my life. I have seen too many people die with millions in the bank, that lived their whole lives like paupers, waiting for the second Great Depression when they would need that money.

As for the desperate need to stand out, I mentioned attracting the hot geek girl as an attempt at humor. I want this because I will enjoy it. If others think it is "cool" then all the better. As for the USB cable through your nose piercing, I have no body piercings or tatoos. I am an IT professional and as such, I dress that way.

I hope I'm not coming off too "preachy" and I definitely don't mean to belittle you. I just hope you don't lead an unhappy life, with thousands in the bank getting moldy, because you don't want to "pointlessly waste money."

Re:Unhappy Old Fart?

[drix]

Gee, thanks, Captain Obvious. I think his point was that it's a waste to spend all this money just to impress other people, when you can just spend it on things (like DP) that make you yourself happy. Which is something I totally agree with, and apparently you do as well.

Just buy an Ibook

[Noodlenose]

Just buy an Icebook 2001 and she will happily following you to your lair, wanting to see your collection of old slashdot-postings. Dirk

Well, it's not clear, but it would look cool...

[iforgotmyfirstlogon]

I came across these instructions for making custom carbon fiber pieces. That would not only look cool (if done right) but it would also be lighter and stronger than the original case was.

Re:Well, it's not clear, but it would look cool...

[Howie]

From halfway down that page, some facts about carbon fiber:

• It's flammable. Carbon Fiber doesn't make a good firewall.
  
• It's conductive. Watch out for wires and electrical devices.
  
• It's not heat proof. Watch out for hot engine/exhaust parts and maintain a safe distance.
  

The conductive is probably bad, and depending on the heat part, that might also be bad (my Toshiba Satellite puts out enough heat that I can't actually put it on my lap).

Happy Old Fart

[john@iastate.edu]

Oh, don't worry about me -- one of the benefits of being an uber-geek is you can have both plenty of money stashed away and a good time in the meanwhile.

My prediliction is to spend money doing things with my family rather than on shiny bits, YMMV.

And the USB cable nonsense was my attempt at humor, too.

Oh, and my doctor made me give up Dr. Pepper (etc) a couple of years ago, so that's one vice I can no longer enjoy :(

Fun at the airport

[stinkydog]

Bag Checker: What is in the bag?
Laptop modder: My custom laptop.
Bag Checker: (gets hammer and screwdiver) We need to open it up!
Laptop modder: Please don't I spent a fortune on that.
Bag Checker: (to coworker "Bubba") It's cavity search time.

Keep it generic, nobody wants to see "custom electronics" at the airport these days.

If you REALLY enjoyed Dr. Pepper

[John Harrison]

Then you would find it in glass bottles with real sugar. After being taunted by my family for paying $1.50 a bottle for superior Dr. Pepper I conducted a blind taste test at a family party. Out of ten people 9 preferred the glass bottle Dr. Pepper. One couldn't tell the difference, but after the blind test claimed to enjoy the bottle version more. BTW, this was conducted against Dr. Pepper in a can. The WORST Dr. Pepper in my experience is Dr. Pepper in a 20 oz. plastic bottle. I have mixed experience with Dr. Pepper from the fountain and from 2 liter bottles.

Now before you claim that $1.50 for a bottle of Dr. Pepper is too much, remember what you just said:

I just hope you don't lead an unhappy life, with thousands in the bank getting moldy, because you don't want to "pointlessly waste money."

Re:If you REALLY enjoyed Dr. Pepper

[John Harrison]

You are correct, it is Dublin Dr. Pepper. I buy it at the local "fancy pants" market.

FMJ

[Xunker]

I have a laptop, and I'm paranoid about it (even though it be cheap), so my case mod was designed for safety.

It's a Compaq Armada 7380, and the back of the screen assembly (the _top_ when the screen is closed) seemed pretty thin and weak and I felt that if anything hit the top with any speed the LCD would buckle.

To counteract that I found a piece of aluminium plate and had it cut to the size of the top of the laptop with the edges beveled, fasteners holes added and a cutout for the name/model display square. It attaches with 8 very short/small bolts with washers to the the top so if anything is dropped in the closed laptop, or if the laptop is dropped upside down on something, the screen won't be pushed in from the back and shatter. It also adds some much needed rigidity to the screen as a whole.

Re:FMJ

[Xunker]

I think you're underestimating both the minimal pressure required to break an LCD panel and the sheer paper-thin-ness of the plastic involved. :) Really, on the 73xx line, the plastic on the top has way more give than I like, and there is enough screen torsion to annoy me.

Hard dives, especially while not running/parked, are mightly resiliant (something like 500g non-op shock withstanding or such for the Travelstar).. and as for the the other stuff, well it soldered in, my boy!

If I drop the machine while it's running, I've probably got problems bigger than can be fixed with casemodding.

Okay, okay, and the metal looks cool. Metal laptops look cool. We can't all afford a Powerbook G4!

One of these days...

[chrysrobyn]

I will be heavily casemodding a Thinkpad one of these days. Certinaly, the first version attempt will be with my old 750, but a future attempt may be my work machine (reversable for job security and manager happiness). My plan is thus: Get damn good with a Dremel tool. Visit my local Home Depot or Lowe's and look for some good, thick, cherry wood. Use the aforementioned Dremel on the aforementioned hunk of wood (probably a saw to trim the wood to reasonable dimensions first) and hollow out the wood that gets in the way of the electronics parts. Sand and lightly stain to taste. The downside to such a project is that wood is thermally insulative, so any part of the laptop that gets warm sure won't get cool. Fan holes must be preserved, and the wood would be thicker than the (now missing) plastic shell in most places to make sure that it's as structurally sound as possible. If I ever get TOO bored, a project involving LEDs, plexiglass and my favorite logo of the day will be used like the glow in the dark Apple logos on the Powerbooks. Having a real wood (no veneer here!) laptop would be killer!

well, if money is no object

[StandardDeviant]

find yourself a skilled artist (sculpter, painter, whatever) and say "make me a cool case, here's $BIG_NUM, do your best". E.g. you could have somebody paint on the existing case, or you could have a skilled metalworker make you some l33t burnished steel case replacement, or... Basically pick some style you'd like, find the corresponding artisian, and open your wallet. Alternatively, learn enough about $artform to DIY... as an example, see: http://www.exonome.com/fj/phkl/ for the Pink Hello Kitty Laptop...


speaking of drool-worthy case modifications: http://www.schrotthal.de/sgi/misc/tn/hotrod_onyx.j pg.html

Powerbooks

[penguinboy]

Case modding on Apple Powerbooks is a pretty big scene. No doubt a quick Google search will turn up dozens of sites. The techniques can most likely be applied to PC laptops as well.

Re:A wing like a rice car...

[shumacher]

Good idea, actually. Most of those wings look like good "car handles." Sadly, I can't pick up the car to test it out. On a laptop, it would be more aerodynamic, so it would be faster, and I'd have some way of carrying the computer about.

Check out this dude's laptop

[morcheeba]

This dude (maybe you've heard of him) has modded his dell laptop with a k-rad sticker

He also modded his car, perhaps you've seen it.