This one of a kind Mac Mod utilizes all of the default electronics from a LEGO Mindstorms NXT set. Crammed into the iconic Apple Power Mac G4 Cube’s famous “8-inch” (acrylic) cube are a LEGO NXT programmable brick, 3 interactive servo motors and all 4 sensors: touch, sound, light, and ultrasonic.
Tag Archive
Announcements Apple Apple OS X Belt Buckle Deals Design Desktop of the Week enclosure Gaming Graphics Hacking Hacks Hard drive hard drive enclosure How To humor inspiration iPhone iPod iPod Touch Knox Ware Linux Mac Mac Software Merch Modding Mods News Photoshop Phreaking ps3 Reference Reviews Shop Site News Software Tech Deals Technology Text Tips Tutorials upates Updates vantec Xbox 360Do you find your computer boring just sitting there? You might want to check this out
Thumb Drive mod 2.0
This mod here is version 2.0 of the first thumbdrive mod (this one is slightly enhanced). This time around, I used the newest 1 Gig thumb drive from PNY to do the modification. My 512 died after dropping it on the ground really hard.
Guide is below the images. Feel free to share your projects in the comments area.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Materials Used
1. (1) 1 GB PNY Attaché Thumbdrive
2. (1) 100 ohm resistor
3. (2) 3mm UV pink led (I would have put a 5mm in, but I don’t have any at the moment)
4. (1) Small Flathead screwdriver
5. Solder, I used 0.032″ diameter solder.
6. (2) Low guage wires, I’m not sure the size, I took it out of an old usb cable.
7. Some electricians’ tape (optional)
8. Solder Iron, I used a Weller iron that has voltage adjustment. Any 15W iron will work.
How I Did It
•1) I took the thumbdrive and I slid the plastic silver sleeve off of it. Mine came off easily because I’d taken it off a while back for another mod that I did. Yours might be a little tough to get off, just pull on it, it’ll come off eventually.
——-
•2) Then I took the small flathead screwdriver, placed it underneath the metal connector part of the usb connector and pryed up a little bit. This popped the secondary casing off. Some models have 4 little clips around the edges, be sure you bend those back first, they will release the casing halves pretty easily.
——-
•3) I then decided how I wanted to do this. I wanted the led to project the light towards the front of the thumbdrive, because this would allow it to distribute the light throughout the entire casing. I figured I would run wires all the way to the back of the casing and place the led in that way. That’s what I did (see picture #9) here it is with the points all soldered down and everything.
Note: the top most solder point is the negative connection. You’ll put the resistor on there. The bottom solder point is the Positive
After that, it was time to test it out. I did and it works. 
(picture #11)
——-
Since its working correctly it’s time to put the drive back together. Make sure you tuck all of the wires into the casing, you don’t want to risk pinching a wire. Slide the cover back on and there you have it. That’s all there is to it. Hopefully I’ll find a nice green or blue 5mm led somewhere so I can throw it in because the 3mm looks nice in the dark but it’s not blazing, you know? haha. Enjoy and have fun modding.
——-
Hard Drive Belt Buckle
Today (Sep 29th 2005) I took an old, busted 15 gig ipod hard drive and thought, “what am i going to do with this useless hunk of junk?” I didn’t want to throw it away because I am a pack rat, I keep all kinds of things, even if they’re broken. I got to thinking, “I could make this bad boy a belt buckle”, so that is what I did.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Custom MacBook Case
After purchasing a MacBook, I discovered that I didn’t have a proper case to carry my new computer around in and I didn’t feel like shelling out lots of money for one. So I decided to sit down at my mother’s sewing machine (one so technologically advanced that I had to read the instruction manual to find out how to make it go) and make one for myself. I rooted through my fabric stash and found some fabric that I liked and asked my mom if she had any fabric I could use as well. I ended up picking a cotton fabric for the inside and a smoother, more decorative fabric for the outside, both of which are black.
inside fabric:
Happy 30th to Apple – My Celebration = Apple Tattoo
Today marks the 30th year anniversary of Apple Computer, Inc. On April 1st 1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple. 30 years of ups and downs have proven to the success of what Apple is today. Apple has a loyal user base, if you’re an Apple / Mac user, you know what I mean. We have stood by our favorite company through the thick and thin years. I am sure we will do the same for the years to come. I would like to wish Apple more success in the future! This is my tribute to one of my favorite companies. Apple Computer, Inc.
I went out today and got the classic Apple tattooed on my left arm above the elbow. Pictures of my Apple tattoo are below.
This is to you Apple. Thank You for the years of great computing joy!
- Apple tattoo. This was taken a few hours after getting it done.
Edit: It has now been 24 days after getting the Apple tattoo done. The colors are much more accurate and the tattoo is nearly healed.
- Apple tattoo after 24 days of healing
Edit 2: The images have been featured on BMEzine.com Link 1 Link 2
The images can also be found on my Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/20334233@N08/sets/72157604852146820/
Make Your Own Battery Snaps
In this write up I am going to teach you how to make heavy duty battery snaps. These snaps are a lot more sturdy than the store bought ones that you get at RadioShack and other electronic outlet stores. These snaps are very simple and rugged and can be used for all kinds of projects and testings. Plus you’re creating less waste by recycling parts from your electronic goods, it’s a win win situation.
——-
Materials Needed
Dead 9v battery
Pliers
22AWG Wire (preferably a red and a black wire)
Soldering iron
Solder
Hot glue gun (optional, but works well in assembly)
——–
How To
First, take your dead 9v battery and start prying at the seam of the battery, starting at the bottom until you can get the battery all the way apart, like so:
——-
Read the rest of this entry »