Category: DIY + Hacks

Here’s a fun weekend project for all you hardware hackers out there. The Ybox2 is the latest version of a programmable IP-connected set top box which can fit entirely inside an Altoid box. The system can be programmed to display widget-like channels on your television, using a library of freely-available software.

This strange appendage snaps on to the bottom of your standard PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS joystick, turning it into a poor-man’s DualShock controller. PEGA’s oddly-named “Vibrating Bag” adds rumble capability to your stock PS3 controller. Now they don’t specify if the vibration actually works when the game generates its feedback signal, or if the thing just continuously rumbles.

I’ve been keeping my eye on this Portal-inspired casemod project for a while now, watching and waiting for the builder to eventually finish his creation. And just like the cake, I guess that case was a lie.

As soon as I saw this Volkswagen Minibus PC, all I could think of was the cast of Little Miss Sunshine pushing this thing down the road and running to jump inside. The intricately painted case is part of Cooler Master’s high-end CSX series.

Actually, it’s more like a luggable. This custom-modded Xbox 360 has an LCD monitor embedded into its side, making it ever so slightly portable. Why you’d want to play your beautiful high-definition next-gen games on a tiny monitor is a mystery to me, but whatever floats your boat, I say.

As one of the first PCs I ever owned, 8-bit Atari computers really bring back fond memories for me. So I was delighted when I came across this cool modern take on one of the later models in the line, the Atari 600XL.

When my original 2005 Xbox 360 finally succumbed to the dreaded Red Rings of Death, it ended up going on the scrap heap. This enterprising modder showed a bit more creativity than I could muster by turning his overheating Xbox lemons into a souped-up glass of PC lemonade.

This computer has to be the biggest hunk of junk I’ve ever seen. Cobbled together from cardboard, red duct tape and embellished with a Sharpie, the UbuntuBox V1.0 certainly won’t win any awards for build quality.

This automotive-inspired casemod embeds a complete high-end PC built inside an alloy wheel from an SUV. The liquid cooled SLI-Machine Wheel PC is loaded into an 18-inch wheel from a Porsche Cayenne, then wrapped up in a Bridgestone Dueler H/P radial tire to round things out.

I’ve seen plenty of Nintendo casemods in my time, but this is the first time I’ve come across a SNES game console that’s not only been turned into a portable, but also in such a lovely wooden case.

It’s kind of funny that this isn’t the first giant NES controller story I’ve covered. The last one I wrote about was a mammoth controller which could actually play games. This time, we’ve got the same monster controller concept, but beneath the hood dwells a completely functional PC.

Here’s a fun little holiday project for you mechanically-inclined folks out there. This strange looking contraption connects to your computer and rings a little bell every time a visitor hits your website. With a few bucks worth of off the shelf parts, an Arduino board, a USB cable and a little code, you too can have one for your website, thanks to this detailed “how-to” article over on Tinkerlog.

This wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve seen a Nintendo NES console turned into a Windows PC, but it is the first time you can buy one for yourself. The maker of this beautifully crafted NES PC casemod has put it up for sale to the highest bidder.

If you’ve never bothered to get out of the 80’s and upgrade from that old Commodore 64, it turns out you don’t have to miss out on modern video games. Heck, why shouldn’t you be able to play Guitar Hero on your C64?

What’s got 8 tentacles and the brains of a Nintendo GameBoy? It’s an 8-bit music maker’s dream, that’s what. Electronic musician Joey Mariano (aka “Animal Style“) took an old GameBoy Color system and built a custom controller for it that uses 8 individual foot pedal controllers to jam out on the device.

This has got to be one of my favorite casemods in a while. Guitar geek Ben Lewry had an old laptop lying around and decided to see if he could cram it inside of the body of an electric guitar.