I love my new laptop.... but it still has to be modded, otherwise it would just no be my computer. I have opened the case, to study the innards, but my wift won't let me mod it inside.... YET! Here is a picture of what I see when I use the laptop. I like the alu parts, but the plastic is very dark brown - and I do not like dark colors. So today I realised just how much it depresses me to look at that dark neutal designer color. I love blue, so I decided that it had to somehow become blue. Now it's blue! Now that's more like it!
That definately is a giant vinyl sticker! - with some kind of holografic design in it, so it reflects the light in facinating ways.
Taking a second look at the thing - I like the silver lining that is on the edge of the screen. So I decide to add a silver lining to the base as well. Preping the frame, so I can paint it. I am going to sand the plastic frame, to help the paint stick better. The sanding is done using 1000 grit sandpaper. Boy should i have done that painting BEFORE I added the blue vinyl.... but I guess, that at the time I did not know I wanted to paint the frame.... and none of you guys warned me either .... anyway - here it is with a silver lineing around the base. Me like!
What else - laptop related - can be modded? I have been thinking: What other mods can be done in connection with using a laptop? Well, with my laptop I also use some accessories, like: external HD, Laptop Mouse, USB hub, USB LED lamp, and more. So it must be possible to mod some of that stuff. Here are pictures of some of the items I carry with me in my laptop bag. External USB 120Gb harddisk, USB 3-port hub and 23-in-1 Flash RAM reader, cellphone USB connection cable, 5V AC adapter. USB LED light, USB fan, Laptop mini-mouse, 4-port mini USB hub. Bluetooth earmuffs (well I suppose some also call them headsets) with speakers and mic. And a hacked charge cable, that connects to USB, rather than another AC adapter. And here you have the lot. And what it looks like when its all hooked up. I find it to be a bit messy, (this picture was obviously taken before I modded the laptop blue). Like I said, I find it a bit messy when connected on the table, and frankly, it's also a bit of a mess to find the stuff inside the laptop-bag. So in order to organise it all a bit more, I decided to make a pocket-of-pockets so to speak......
Pocket-of-pockets Using the size of the 15" laptop, I try out to see how I might organize some of the accessories. I then made a sheet of paper the size of the 15" laptop, and drew lines where the pockets should be. I found some materials in our local fabric store (Style and fabric - the place for creative women). The fabric is called "nervous velour", and the color will be...... you guessed it: BLUE The velour is not very strong in it self, and it also easily stretches a bit, so I decided to add a stronger back of polyester. Between the two layers are "sheet-cotton" which will help make the pocket-of-pockets soft and protective to the laptop and its accessories. For the pockets I found some "net" style fabric we in danish call tyl (the dictionary suggests the english word: tulle), as in "The ballerina's skirt was made of white tulle" . I'll double layer it, so any rips will not cause the pocket to loose its contents. Testing the transparency of the pocket material. And... here is a picture of my new toolbox!!! Then on to transfere the outline of the paper to the fabric. I'll use large temporary stitches to mark the outline. These large - removable - stitches will also help to keep the three layers of fabric stay together in a way so I'll avoid stretching or schewing it. The outline is done. Then proceding to transfer the outlines of the pockets. First I mark it using pin-head needles, then the long temporary stitches. I use a contrast color thread for "drawing" the lines. This velour stuff makes it very hard to see same color thread. The transfer of lines is proceding according to plan. I mix and match between my normal acrylic and metal tools and the soft fabric tools. I suppose that no regular talor will be using a metal ruler for his work. I am however not a talor, I'm a MODDER!! Again - what ever tool may be handy may also be usefull. I found that using these small clamps was some times easier than using the pin-head needles, to hold tings together while I do one of the sowing steps. I'll later insert some elastic at the rim of the pocket, before it is attached to the velour base. Making some fabric strips. Using whatever is handy, here to aid in makring rectangular cuts. I do not have a sewing machine, and though I could borrow one, I'll just hand stitch thing for now. Not too bad, not too bad at all - for a guy, that has not sown stuff since some time in the 7th grade... durning home making (thats like ... four decadeds ago!!!). At Ikea I found these plastic placemats, that I'll use to give the main-pocket some staying power. The placemat was a bit too large, so one of the cut-off strips are now beeing used to help the elastic band get in place. And I'm ready to attach the first pockets to the big pocket base. To be continued....
More Pocket-of-Pockets When done with the red guide thread, it can easily be removed Here I'm test fitting an USB hub, as I have come up with the idea of being able to attach wires to all the parts while they are still in the pockets. This way I may be able to run the extra HD space (and maybe more) while its still tugged away inside my laptop bag. Though I do not intend to have the Laptop running, while inside the bag, as the laptop is very, very likely to get too hot. But we'll have to see what comes up, as one of the fun parts of this modding is that ideas pop up as the project progresses. A look at the back. where you can see the outline of where the pockets are attached. Folding the fabric so I can close and finish up the edges. Test fitting all the pockets with the accessories, and testing how I might be able to hook up all the units while they are still in the pocket of pockets. That's it for now. Be sure to check back later, as I'm going to add some bling to the accessories.
I don't want to say it but .... Rip of that horrid blue crap, Buy some nice wood lamanit (thin wood sheet) and stick on then replace the ali with some nice brass.
Hi eegg, thank you. I was starting to wonder how my endevours was being recieved. Hi 500mph, glad you like it, and yes - I know that this sowing stuff is not (yet) normal to see on bit-tech. But what's a guy to do? Everyone needs a fully functional bag for those laptops. At a recent sale at zepto.dk I got the laptop - and bag - for dkr. 1,00 (~ US 20 cent). I only had to wait in line for 48 hours to ensure that I got one of the ten good deals they had that day. Hi AJB2K3, don't worry about saying it. I get some of the same mixed responces from the people I show it to IRL. Everyone says: WOW, and over the next couple of minutes I get all kinds of interresting responses. Basically, people either really like it or they really don't like it! fortunately, most of them end up agreeing that: "however, it it really is so you." You may have noticed that around the original keyboard was this sort of bronze colour. I'm sure some designer somewhere thought that was very hot - and I'm sure some people very much agree with him .... I just don't happen to be one of those people. It sort of reminds me of my fathers normal statement about colors, as he says: I like all Colours.... so long as they are Green!!! ...and I very much agree with that statement. I too like all colors.... so long as they are BLUE!!! One of my brothers LOVE wood. I like wood, but he really LOVES IT, so he would tend to agree with you: Wood and brass would make the perfect style and colors for him. For me, its light, like ahorn, blue and metalic grey to silver. And then with a little stuff being some contrasts to blue, like red, yellow, purple, white, and other shades of blue. My wife loves purple, so we have a lot of blue and purple stuff in our home. So either way - on with the project.
Theme-ing up the accessories You have seen the collection of units that I use with the laptop. Now that the pocket-of-pockets basically is working, I thought it would be nice to add some of the blue theme bling to some or all of the accessories. Here is the 7-port USB hub. Those scratches are not visible IRL. Anyhow, I'm going to add a rounded corner sticker to the hub. This AAA battery has just the roundnes I need. Here it is with a rounded corner theme sticker added. Here are a couple of stickers that I'm going to add to the HD enclosure. This little USB hub is already blue, and the surface is rounded. Not the best for adding theme sticekrs to it. But if you look closely, one can sort of see the green PCB board within. That has to change, as blue is the theme color. One can easily open the hub, by removing three screws. The topside of the board only has three components, the controller chip is melded into the back side of the pcb. All the wireing is also on the backside of the pcb. So here I am adding som blue theme bling to the pcb. And there you have it. No more shade of green on this device. The black of the mouse is not a perfect fit with the blue theme, but it will have to do for now - until I think of something else to do to "correct" the colors of the mostly black mouse. I have also added a bit of blue theme color bling to my power-squid. Here are the accessories in one picture. Enjoy.
Hey, Pegasus! I have a dress that needs to be hemmed... are you interested? ;P Really though, you did a nice job of customizing it all.
Nice job, but not my kind of taste as that kind of light would hurt my eyes. [Some condition i have etc..]
Hi Scirocco, thanks for the wote of confidence. Having four girls myself, I know how those dresses can be very perssious, and NOTHING must go wrong with them. Okay, I get it. So thank you anyway. Hi cnvrt, Thank you. And yes, all this modding stuff often have the effect, that it works for some and not for others. I suppose that's why modding often is all about personalising stuff. Well, sometimes, it's also all about getting everyone to say wow. I'm however usually happy, when I like it. And then I really appreciate when others can see and acknowledge the effort put into personalizing the stuff. Hi AJB2K3, thank you. Side note to all: My youngest daughter (12) is visiting, and is now reading this thread. And what's her first comments? Ahhhh... I REALLY like that.... SMILEY. And there is is again - Ohh.... that SMILEY is just cute! Well, girl. Always glad to put a smile on your face - even though I probably COULD have done it without the need for hours and hours of sowing Ah, well - like I have previously said: I mainly do this for me. Anyway she has also said other stuff, so I know that she is happy - that daddy is happy about his new laptop stuff. I just thought it to be very funny, that the first comments I get from her, reading about the modding efforts , were about the smilies.
Summing it up - for now! Here are a few pictures of everything made so far. Accessories and things stored in the blue pocket-of-pockets. Things stored - and hooked up and working!
This is beautiful! I love blue, purple, green, silver and black myself, so I think this is insanely beautiful. Hubby has been trying to get me interesting in modding for years, but he'd show me pics of ammo boxen or devils and flames. But this kind of mod, shiny happy magic I can sure get behind. I love the laptop itself, but my favorite, I think, is the USB port. It looks like a mini UFO. And the accessory bag is a clever concept. Using net for ventilation is genius.
Hi zelox991, glad you like it (and sorry that I have not responded sooner - had to "mod" a new storage space I have had made available to me) Hi Mrs Gooey, really glad to hear that I have made you (and thus hubby) a bit more happy about the modding stuff. Well, I mean, hopefully we'll all see a Mrs Gooey mod some time in the future, with a bit of the Mrs' modding style. And then hubby can show us his more masculine style ammo boxes - and such. And about laptops in general, I think that they have many properties that we usually associate with feminine qualities - and it bothers me a bit - but obviously no more than I have decided to get in touch with my feminine side, and have produced parts and components with a bit of shiny magic to it. Tanks for making that association. I really like the "ufo" as well. Unfortunately it seems that a sub-standard chip has been used, not supporting the full usb variations of protocols, as my multi-function-printer can not get propper connection through it Anyhow, I have ordered - and recieved - more accessories, and hope to be able to mod them a bit in the near future, before they come on display here. In the mean time, you may want to take a look at this laptop - modded by Mary - I think its a genuine mrs mod.
