Well...since I'm a cheap @^&$%*! and I am not going to buy a big hard drive I decided to make a cheap solution. I am making basically a htpc...but not really. Here's my case: It's an old radio shack vcr that didn't work. I say it, and my first thought was put a computer in it! So here's the plan... 1. Open it up and cram a full computer in it. 2. Network it with my main desktop 3. Rig a remote control so I can change Winamp songs I got lucky...this vcr has a rear panel full of holes for ports! As you can see...I've already put the rocker switch for my psu into place. The two vhf/uhf ports are going to be modified into ps2 ports for a mouse and keyboard. The video in/out ports are going to be cut out and turned into a vga port for video. The audio in/out might be turned into audio in/out ports or into a network port or something. To fit my psu, I had to remove its cover. Seeing visions of frying electronics...I knew I had to insulate the bottom of the psu pcb. In comes the duct tape... To cool this beast, I'm putting some blow holes in the sides. here's one Well...so far I have a fitted psu and some fan blow holes! To do: 1. Fit my mobo and network card! Luckily I came across one that has onboard video so I'll save space on a video card. I'll take some pics tonight after I've fitted everything 2. Fit all the hard drives! Since I'm too cheap to buy a big one and I have 4 decent ones I am planning on putting all 4 in and no cd drive and floppy! Anyways...thats all for today...
Ducktape cool! For as they say: it has a dark side and a light side and binds the universe together, just like the.... I forgot, whatever p.s. that’s a very suspicious white thingy hanging in the background of your first pic. Maybe you should incorporate it into your mod. ha lol. I amuse myself.
looking cool. Give me a screwdriver and i can take apart the world, give me some duct tape and i can put it back together. -My Boss, Pat
I've gotta say that's the one taping application where I woudn't use duct tape. And as I live in vermont where we hold our cars together with it, that's saying something. Anyways, interesting idea, I hope it goes somewhere
For the love of all that is good, don't use duct tape! It's not an insulator. If you absolutely must use tape to mount, use electrical tape.
Yes I do. the electrical tape is simply holding space until I grab another roll of electrical tape... No idea...not my room...Its probably what it looks like knowing the owner... It definitely will. Once I get home today... Hmm...insulation maybe... lol
Duct tape is perfectly safe to use. It's just some palstic, some nylon string, and some glue. The silver is just silver paint. I use it to back all my inverters. My multimeter reads an infinite resistance across it, so I assume it's safe. Anyway, keep up the modding.
Wow, you have the same VCR I have, hmmm mine just went bad two days ago actually, it won't go on, no power or anything, just won't work when i plug it in the wall. And its not the outlet, i know that works... Maybe i'll make an htpc
Well if he stops posting we will know You should set up the thing whare you can use vhs tapes as backup
Wow...lots of interest. I feel so loved. Lets answer some posts and then update... Don't know if thats possible...but VERY cool idea. Too bad there isn't room(you'll see in the update) Go for it! If you have a dremel, or just a sharp utility knife you can carve out the insides and cram plenty into there. You'll probably need 90 degree pci adaptors to fit cards and such though... Thats cool.. I went ahead and slapped some cardboard onto it too. If that doesn't insulate...I don't know what will... Now for the update! Last night I found the ultimate modding time...during commercials! I was watching Last Comic Standing (anyone else love that show?) and modding durning commercials. So much fun... Anyways...The plan is to slap 4 hds in this vcr...so I needed a way to mount them. What I did was glue four little rubber bushings onto the top of two hard drives and then put two sets of two together. This is what I came up with... Note the use of the worlds best building material...duct tape! Well, I crammed eveything into the vcr to see how much room I had. Turns out, the network card I had was too tall, so I have to scrounge another one up thats smaller. Heres the mobo that I chose for this project. I chose it simply because: 1. it was free 2. It had onboard video 3. I had a processor for it, Heres my i/o panel that I have to route all the connections too. I couldn't fit a normal heat sync and proc fan in this case, so I added a modified one. Here it is Note the small heat sync and fan! Basically, with a little cramming, I'll be able to fit everything. Wiring will have to get creative, but whatever. I came up with a great idea last night. This vcr has a whole control panel on the front under a front. If I can figure out how and fit it, I plan to set that up as a wired remote for win amp! Also, where the display used to be, I am going to either mount a led panel that says "on" when the computer is on, or just mount my power and hd leds there, I'm not sure
Nice idea, but thats the most foul looking VCR I've ever seen mate. If you ask me, some M0Dd4g3 is in order . Replace the LCD screen for something a bit cooler perhaps? and maybe stealth the Tape bay thingy and paint it? The actual inards look pretty cool and stuff, but please, for the love of god, do something about that case. Unless you're going for some kind of ghetto theme...
sink...sync...same difference And yes it is ghetto. Note the extreme use of duct tape and card board.
is taping those hard drives not going to encrease your temps a lot ? isn't it possible to use the lcd from the VCR again ? annyway it looks cool
I am doing this with an xbox inplace of the lcd for the vcr im using an areogate 2, it fits almost perfectly. good luck.
Probably....thats what 120mm fans are for :thumbs: Probably, but not very easily. The internals of this vcr have seen better days! Why thank you. You Thats a good idea, but your xbox probably takes less room than my computer. I don't have room in there for an aerogate. On to the update: Well, no new news really. Basically, I just collected parts yesterday. I grabbed up a cheap dlink network card and some ram for this beast. I plan to make some network cables today, and maybe buy extension cables for my ps2 abd vga ports tomorrow (If I can find them at circuit city or staples). School starts moday, so modding is going to greatly curtailed. I hope to have this mod and monolith up and running by september! Anyways...mod on all. I've got to get to work getting this computer lab working1
