When one Mac modder found himself in possession of a well-worn PowerBook that was having some screen problems, he decided to breathe new life into it by turning it into a Mac desktop. (MacTop?)
Essentially, the case is made of two sheets of white acrylic, bolted together by socket countersunk screws. I’ve used 15mm chrome pipe as the four spacers between the acrylic sheet. The perforated steel was cut to my specifications by a very helpful chap found on eBay. Cutting the CD drive slot was a little tricky, as was drilling the power button hole, but once done they seem to function ok.
The trackpad now thinks the lid is closed thanks to a well placed magnet (so that it runs in external monitor mode) and the original laptop battery acts as an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), so it’s now quite the machine.
Future plans may include an overclocking now that extra space is available for a bigger heatsink, but as it is, the creator seems rather happy with his creation.
[MacMod - PowerBook to Desktop]
Despite (or perhaps because of) their ‘80s/retro style and unique look and functionality, Casio’s G-Shock watches continue to be popular among the hip and trendy.
Their latest series of limited edition watches, the G5500C series (aka Vivid Colors), features a unique solar technology which “combines a super sensitive solar panel with a high capacity rechargeable battery to power high-load functions”.
The solar technology also powers an auto light that illuminates the display automatically when the watch is angled towards the face (and only when available light is below a certain level).
There are three colors to choose from, and other features of the Vivid Colors series include shock resistance, 200M water resistance, World Time (48 cities), 4 Daily Alarms and 1 Snooze Alarm, Hourly Time Signal, Countdown timer, 1/100 Sec. Stopwatch, 12/14 Hr. Format, Battery Level Indicator, Power Save Function Tone and Button Tone Operation On/Off.
Get yours online and nationwide for just $120.
[Casio - G-Shock]
With a simple bulb and battery replacement, you can make your $5 grocery store flashlight brighter than a $100 SureFire flashlight.
You’ll need to be careful with the finished flashlight, because the extra power is going to create extra heat that will melt everything if you’re not careful, but for a fun, quick, and useful project, this can’t be beat.
[Flashlight Reviews - Flashlight Modifications Archive]
[Via: Lifehacker]
With 13 dimes, 13 pennies, 13 paperclips, salt water and an ice cube tray, you can make a 1.5-volt battery, powerful enough to light up an LED. Is there any better way to spend $1.43?
[MAKE: Blog - Penny-Powered LED]
