Rootin' Tootin' Case Mod Roundup

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.

Comments

It's beginning to look like /. repeats it's self..

[MBCook]

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! That's right it's a repost! Keep your eyes peeled, you may never see this again (*sure*)

Useful Article at Tom's hardware

[donnacha]

Tom's Hardware is currently running a feature entitled How To Select The Right Case For Your Computer which takes modding potential into consideration, even suggesting the Directron/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.

nope, the fish are just fine

[devphil]

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:Mailboxes

[henry44]

Not until you actually install them.

this from the son of a retired postmaster

Re:Doesn't a case-mod have to work?

[C0DE]

"Not only is it a DOA laptop before the ambitious girls got started..."

Actually, this guy made the mod. And this is a picture of him. Excuse me, I feel food coming back up.

Re:Fish Tank Mod

[Jzanu Syr]

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.

Some helpful aluminum tips for modders

[Erris]

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 ...

[marnee]

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. Hope you guys find it useful :) ... My own case mod is over here.

Re:Mailboxes

[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).