Showing pretty photos..
Original photo : theducks.org/gallery/banff/IMG_1241_01?full=1
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It has been mentioned that I was a little skimpy on details.. here's a comment I posted on TUAW:
Sorry for being skimpy on details :)
Here's a couple of construction tips and thoughts, both from previous work and what this one has shown me:
- Cutting long straight edges with a Dremel-type tool is a pain in the neck. Try to find an appropriate table saw (think low-ish speed, fine teeth). That being said, this was all done with a Dremel-type tool, but it meant I had to spend a lot more time on finishing the edges than I would have liked.
- Your laptop was originally made in south east asia/somewhere other than america. This means all the threads in components like the hard drive are metric. Get a big-box-o-metric nuts and bolts to mount things. Try to find countersink heads, as they'll look nicer, but failing that, the normal pan-heads are ok too.
- Drilling holes larger than about M3 will tear through plastics unpleasantly if the drill bits are too sharp. I solved both this problem, and the one of our pavers not having any holes in them simultaneously. Alternatively, find drill bits made for plastic
- Conical grinding attachments for your dremel-type tool are the easiest way to make countersinks for screws.
- Keep a spare piece of plastic around to test drill bits, grinding bits and technique, before cutting into the pieces you want to use
- Drill all holes before removing plastic/paper covering of plastic panels
- If you find a hole is slightly off, don't bother trying to re-drill, just use a small grinding attachment to extend it in the appropriate direction. The screw head will usually cover it up.
- Plastic garden tubing makes good standoffs. Threaded onto screws between the back panel and components, it stops the circuit boards and components from sagging, not being at the right level or scratching the plastic.
- It's hard to keep the smaller screws and plastic standoffs in the right place to mount the hard drive. A tiny bit of model making plastic cement is handy for this. It won't outgas and fog the plastic like super glue (cyanoacrylate), and it will break free once it's in position
- Wire up your new power plug with the INSIDE conductor live, not the outside one :)
- Soldering new wires to old wave-solder connected points (such as the existing power plug and sleep reed switch) is helped by adding more solder to the existing connection, tinning your wire well, and having a good eye for when the solder has reflowed.
- If your laptop was made after about 2001, it will likely be RoHS soldered, meaning you shouldn't use lead based solder to connect to existing solder points. Try to find lead free solder, to match types. It will be much easier to work with
- 3PDT (3 pole, double throw) switches aren't wired up like you expect. Check the datasheet BEFORE you solder it in place.
- To construct the LCD assembly, drill holes in the area to be obscured by the LCD panel and thread cables through there.
- To join the two panels together.. drill matching holes in each corner, thread a long bolt through them, tighten one nut up to the other side of the plastic to the head of the bolt, and leave one near the far end of the bolt. Place the bolts through the holes in the other piece of plastic, then put a third nut on each one on the other side to the one left at the end. Adjust and tighten as appropriate.
Tada, done :)
Showing pretty photos..
Original photo : theducks.org/gallery/banff/IMG_1241_01?full=1
--
It has been mentioned that I was a little skimpy on details.. here's a comment I posted on TUAW:
Sorry for being skimpy on details :)
Here's a couple of construction tips and thoughts, both from previous work and what this one has shown me:
- Cutting long straight edges with a Dremel-type tool is a pain in the neck. Try to find an appropriate table saw (think low-ish speed, fine teeth). That being said, this was all done with a Dremel-type tool, but it meant I had to spend a lot more time on finishing the edges than I would have liked.
- Your laptop was originally made in south east asia/somewhere other than america. This means all the threads in components like the hard drive are metric. Get a big-box-o-metric nuts and bolts to mount things. Try to find countersink heads, as they'll look nicer, but failing that, the normal pan-heads are ok too.
- Drilling holes larger than about M3 will tear through plastics unpleasantly if the drill bits are too sharp. I solved both this problem, and the one of our pavers not having any holes in them simultaneously. Alternatively, find drill bits made for plastic
- Conical grinding attachments for your dremel-type tool are the easiest way to make countersinks for screws.
- Keep a spare piece of plastic around to test drill bits, grinding bits and technique, before cutting into the pieces you want to use
- Drill all holes before removing plastic/paper covering of plastic panels
- If you find a hole is slightly off, don't bother trying to re-drill, just use a small grinding attachment to extend it in the appropriate direction. The screw head will usually cover it up.
- Plastic garden tubing makes good standoffs. Threaded onto screws between the back panel and components, it stops the circuit boards and components from sagging, not being at the right level or scratching the plastic.
- It's hard to keep the smaller screws and plastic standoffs in the right place to mount the hard drive. A tiny bit of model making plastic cement is handy for this. It won't outgas and fog the plastic like super glue (cyanoacrylate), and it will break free once it's in position
- Wire up your new power plug with the INSIDE conductor live, not the outside one :)
- Soldering new wires to old wave-solder connected points (such as the existing power plug and sleep reed switch) is helped by adding more solder to the existing connection, tinning your wire well, and having a good eye for when the solder has reflowed.
- If your laptop was made after about 2001, it will likely be RoHS soldered, meaning you shouldn't use lead based solder to connect to existing solder points. Try to find lead free solder, to match types. It will be much easier to work with
- 3PDT (3 pole, double throw) switches aren't wired up like you expect. Check the datasheet BEFORE you solder it in place.
- To construct the LCD assembly, drill holes in the area to be obscured by the LCD panel and thread cables through there.
- To join the two panels together.. drill matching holes in each corner, thread a long bolt through them, tighten one nut up to the other side of the plastic to the head of the bolt, and leave one near the far end of the bolt. Place the bolts through the holes in the other piece of plastic, then put a third nut on each one on the other side to the one left at the end. Adjust and tighten as appropriate.
Tada, done :)