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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.

47 of 175 comments (clear)

  1. I can't get all the components :-( by ObviousGuy · · Score: 4, Funny

    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. :-(

    --
    I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
  2. Laptop mod? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    First laptop mod? Not by a long shot, and it's a Mac to boot.

    1. Re:Laptop mod? by chrisd · · Score: 2
      I meant the first we've linked too, but that might be wrong too.

      Chris

      --
      Co-Editor, Open Sources
      Open Source Program Manager, Google, Inc.
  3. Rootin' Tootin' by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ya'all get a hankerin for some Denny's eatins after readin that? heh

    --
    "Derp de derp."
  4. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  5. And if you get bored... by El_Nofx · · Score: 3, Funny

    while looking at AguaTank, here is some complimentary porn to keep your attention!

    --
    It's not the OS it's the user that sucks. If it's user friendly, you get stupider people. - clinko
  6. It's beginning to look like /. repeats it's self.. by MBCook · · Score: 2, Informative

    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*)

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
  7. I see "First" has a new definition by MBCook · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Let's see, the site you linked to seems to be dated this year (2002), while the PHKL is referenced in a posted e-mail dated.. what class?... that's right, 1998. It's good to know you know your math so well.

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
  8. Mailboxes by cscx · · Score: 4, Funny

    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? =)

    1. Re:Mailboxes by henry44 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Not until you actually install them.

      this from the son of a retired postmaster

    2. Re:Mailboxes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      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).

  9. I should make an Ant Farm case mod... by antdude · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That would be hard :).

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  10. Doesn't a case-mod have to work? by loren · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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... :(

    --

    Loren Osborn

    Software isn't software without source code. -- NASA
    1. Re:Doesn't a case-mod have to work? by C0DE · · Score: 2, Informative

      "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.

    2. Re:Doesn't a case-mod have to work? by alacqua · · Score: 3, Funny
      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.

      --

      Move on. There's nothing to see here.
  11. Classic quote by alexburke · · Score: 2

    "Since I forgot to take more pictures of the construction process, here is a pair of hotties in thongs to even things out."

    ROFL!

  12. Useful Article at Tom's hardware by donnacha · · Score: 4, Informative


    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.

  13. nope, the fish are just fine by devphil · · Score: 2, Informative


    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.

    --
    You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
    1. Re:nope, the fish are just fine by alacqua · · Score: 4, Funny
      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.

      --

      Move on. There's nothing to see here.
  14. Case mod? by realgone · · Score: 2

    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.

  15. fish tank case? by cosyne · · Score: 2

    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.

  16. As has been suggested before.... by Bonker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... 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...

    --
    The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
  17. Re:No links to porn! by davidmccabe · · Score: 2, Flamebait

    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.

  18. Forget fishes in PCs. I keep my kitten in a... by SIGFPE · · Score: 2

    ...Book PC.
    It's a Bonsai Kitten

    --
    -- SIGFPE
  19. My favorite mod... by Phantom100 · · Score: 3, Funny
  20. Re:No links to porn! by topham · · Score: 2

    I take it you never go to the beach then?

  21. Why do I get the feeling... by gdyas · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...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."

    --

    The only tool you've got against psychosis is experience.

    1. Re:Why do I get the feeling... by ender81b · · Score: 2

      Too late. They already have.

  22. Re:Fish Tank Mod by Aexia · · Score: 2

    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!

  23. Re:Fish Tank Mod by Jzanu+Syr · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

  24. Re:No links to porn! by caferace · · Score: 4, Funny
    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. :)

  25. Casemod: French bathroom fixtures by sam_handelman · · Score: 3, Funny

    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.

    --
    The good and new comes from no quarter where it is looked for, and is always something different from what is expected.
  26. Some helpful aluminum tips for modders by Erris · · Score: 5, Informative
    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.

    --
    DMCA, Hollings, Palladium. What might have sounded like paranoia is now common sense.
  27. Re:grrr, what a waste by elmegil · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A waste of an already dead laptop? Hardly. Not my taste, but hysterical nonetheless.

    --
    7 November 2006: The day Americans realized corruption and incompetence weren't addressing 11 September 2001
  28. List of over 300 case mod articles ... by marnee · · Score: 3, Informative

    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.

  29. Shiny NeXT Cube-based System by PotPieMan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm pretty surprised chrisd didn't post this:
    http://www.pheatonforums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php? t=137&postdays=0&postorder=&start=0

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

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

    You can buy one of those displays at B.G. Micro, in case you're wondering.

  30. Re:No links to porn! by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 4, Interesting
    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 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.

  31. Speaking of REPITITION by PhatKat · · Score: 2

    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

  32. Really Really Stupid by Ogerman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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?

    1. Re:Really Really Stupid by wampus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      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.

  33. Well said by Wee · · Score: 2
    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

    --

    Ash and Hickory, straight-grained and true, make excellent bludgeons, dandy for the cudgeling of vegetarians.

  34. Thread title. by chris_sawtell · · Score: 2

    Shouldn't it be "Hot-Rodding for nerds of bosth sexes"?

  35. Security mods by m0RpHeus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Kinda late but I haven't seen any security mods until I saw this mod!

    --
    Take-off every .sig! For Great Justice!
  36. Personal Preference by VernonNemitz · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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.

  37. And FU all too. by Linux+Ate+My+Dog! · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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.

  38. Re:Grr. Mac's don't lend themselves very well to by MsGeek · · Score: 2
    I call BS. Mac users were modding long before the PC '1337 got in on the act.

    You want evidence?
    http://www.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?"

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
  39. Re:grrr, what a waste by Abreu · · Score: 2

    So lets pray to the gods that they dont make a Powerpuff Girls branded laptop...

    I mean, Hello Kitty is huge in Japan, but has a small (yet loyal) fan base everywhere else... But it would send shivers down my spine to see a Barbie laptop, or a Teletubbies IMac...

    (shudder...)

    --
    No sig for the moment.