And just for those who like to browse the site in search of interesting and useful things. As usual nowadays, old things are disposed of in the most in the usual way, this is thrown into landfills, but sometimes it happens that from an item that has broken down or lost its basic qualities, you can collect something useful, in other words, give it a second life. In this homemade product, the author shares with us the idea of creating a vacuum cleaner from hard drive, which is not capable of working as a storage device due to its long service life.
In order to assemble a vacuum cleaner with your own hands, we will be needed:
*A hard drive from a computer that is not capable of functioning normally as a storage device or is simply unnecessary.
*Plastic ribbon.
*Glue "second".
*Hacksaw blade for metal.
*Thick cardboard or thin plywood of your choice.
*Insulating tape.
*Thermal gun.
*A filter, which can serve as an unnecessary stocking, tights or sock.
Once all the components are available, you can begin making the vacuum cleaner.
The first step will be to disassemble the hard drive and free it from unnecessary parts that we will not need,
Be careful when disassembling, as many elements are glued with strong adhesive and if torn off you can get hurt.
When only the engine and the disk itself remain in our hard drive, we move on to gluing the blades, which in finished form will look like an impeller. With glue "second" should also be developed caution, since its drying time is an instant.
After this, we need to make a hole in the lid for air supply and exit from the system, we do this using a metal file.
Now you need to make an air duct from thick cardboard, as the author did.
We heat the hot glue gun and glue the air duct to the cover of our disk, for convenience we glue it at an angle.
The place on the back side where the air will come out must have a filter, otherwise debris will fly out; you can use a stocking or sock for this.
In order to complete the homemade project, you need to secure our filter with electrical tape and connect the computer’s power supply; if it is used separately, then you need to connect the green wire with the black wire, simulating the power button on the computer.
Hi all! Actually the idea is not new. They say the Internet is full of such records, I haven’t seen it yet, the idea appeared on its own. I had the urge to, you know, urgently sharpen a knife and a screwdriver... But “OH GOD!” The sandpaper is in the garage, but at work there isn’t even a file... Well, we are “sysadmins”, simple people, and I went into the “bins of the Motherland” and got it... Old HDD from PC...
We take scissors, screwdrivers, sandpaper, our HDD and double-sided tape
Everything we need.
Unscrew the bolts. The 7th bolt is always hidden under the sticker.
……………………………………………………………….
Let's open it. and everything is so beautifully packaged there. glitters.
We unscrew the head drive and the head movement lever, magnets for experiments, the rest can be scrapped.
Unscrew the disk mounting cover and remove the washer above the disk, as well as the disk itself
Place the disc on the sandpaper, trace the contours and cut out
These are the bagels you get)
We glue double-sided tape onto our disk (you can also add glue to it, but it will be easier to replace the sandpaper with tape)
……………………………………………………………………………………
SPARK))))
Well, about the operation of this device.
It is better to use fine sandpaper; the engine is rather weak for coarse ones. But I had enough for sharpening everything I needed, even a lot. Bye everyone!
In this publication, we will look at what can be made using an unnecessary old hard drive.
Neodymium magnets in a computer
First you need to unscrew several screws that secure the housing parts. Under the cover we see a neodymium magnet. IN hard drives very powerful magnets are used that are capable of lifting 1300 times their own weight.
All modern drives always have two magnetic head block limiters and, accordingly, 2 neodymium magnets. To remove the 2nd magnet, you need to unscrew another screw and remove it together with the holder or first unscrew the block of magnetic heads and then pry it off with a screwdriver.
The uses of neodymium magnets are almost limitless. For clamps and fasteners, toys and entertainment, cleaning engine and transmission oil, searching for treasures and lost iron objects under water, making engines and generators, restoring the magnetic properties of other magnets and much, much more.
Mini sandpaper made from a hard drive
To do this, you first need to transfer the dimensions of the disk onto sandpaper; this can be conveniently done using a compass. You should use fine-grain sandpaper so as not to overload the engine. So, cut out the outer diameter with scissors and the inner diameter with a stationery knife.
Glue the sandpaper where possible using glue. But in order not to wait for a long time for the glue to dry and so that you can easily change the sandpaper, you can use double-sided tape.
The emery is already ready. We connect it to the connector from the computer power supply and use it. Despite its small dimensions, this sanding machine is quite powerful. Its power is enough to sharpen screwdrivers, pencils, chisels and carving knives.
How to eliminate PC noise
Often old computer cases make a lot of noise. One of the reasons for this problem is the direct mounting of the hard drive to the PC case. When reading information, the disk develops enormous speeds and, accordingly, a slight vibration appears, which is transmitted to the entire computer case. A small manufacturing defect, poor soldering or a screw not tightened completely in the case lid will always remind you of this.
To fix this problem we just need to cut 4 rubber strips. This could be old bicycle tubes, deflated children's balls, or a piece of silicone car mat. We screw the ribbons to the hard drive and attach it to a new place just below the DVD-ROM or even instead.
Overall, an excellent result is obtained, since all vibrations are absorbed by the rubber bands. This device can also be called an anti-shock. If you accidentally kick your PC, it will have no effect on the hard drive.
Don't rush to throw it away hard disks, left over after a computer upgrade or hard drives that have failed - you can always find a new use for them. For example, make a mirror, a clock, a safe for storing cash, network storage and other useful things.
The purposes for which old hard drives can be used depend on whether they are in working order or not. It is curious that a functioning hard drive has many fewer uses than a non-functioning one.
Portable storage
If the hard drive is in working condition, it can be turned into a portable drive. To do this, just buy an external hard drive container and place the hard drive in it. Depending on the size of the drive, a power adapter may be required, for example if the drive is 3.5" while 2.5" drives usually do not require an adapter.
Home cloud server
If you already have an external drive and don't need another, you can use a working hard drive to create your own network-attached drive so you can access the data on the drive from any device connected to your Wi-Fi networks. If you are not ready to spend extra money, you can build your own network storage device based on a Raspberry Pi single-board computer.
How to use non-working hard drives
A faulty hard drive cannot be used for data storage, but its physical components may have other uses. Before starting work, you will need to disassemble it into “spare parts”. The process is demonstrated in the video below.
Magnetic knife bar
Hard disks contain large neodymium magnets that can be used to create a magnetic knife holder. All you need is a strip, magnets, glue and a set of common tools.
Mirror
Optical disks located in the hard drive can serve as an excellent mirror. The discs must be removed very carefully to avoid chips and scratches. They can then be placed in the office, used as a signal or pocket mirror.
Wind chimes
From optical disks You can create not only mirrors, but also other cute little things, for example, wind chimes. To make them, you will need the optical disks themselves, a hard drive case, a metal mounting ring and a cord with which the structural elements will be connected.
Secret safe
Creative uses can be found not only for the components of the hard drive, but also for its case, for example, using it as a safe for storing money. It's quite easy to make - just remove all the components from the case and screw the cover to one of the upper corners of the case using a bolt. As a result, you will have a rotating container where you can put money.
If your hard drive is broken and cannot be restored, then, as in the joke, you can get an ashtray, a mirror and a magnet from it :) In fact, you can get MUCH more, and I will now tell you how to do it and what is there interesting.
If you don't have faulty hard disk (hard drive) - don’t be upset, contact your computer friends, or just friends, or any service center computer equipment, they should definitely have such copies (usually in workshops men are too lazy to throw away old trash). The “older” the disc, the better: before, they didn’t skimp on material and all sorts of things.
For the master class, I took as many as three pieces (I saved up for a long time) to show the possible differences (although they are usually all different, you will never guess what is under the cover this time) In addition to the hard drive itself, we will need screwdrivers (minimum - Phillips and flathead (" +" and "-"), maximum - a set of screwdrivers as in the photo on the left top corner, namely the hexagonal star attachment).
This photo shows that there are different thicknesses. It’s better (if you have a choice) to take a thicker one, there may be a bonus: not one, but even two or three mirrors! Plus all sorts of other things.
If the “screws” (the slang name for a hard drive) are like this (from a similar company), then it will be easier for you; you only need Phillips and straight screwdrivers, they are usually found in every home. I don’t know where, but I came across ALL hard drives from this company with cross mounts...
Like this
Unscrew the bolts and take a flat screwdriver (as a lever, so it’s better to be stronger)
We place a screwdriver under the lid and, turning it slightly, go around the perimeter. The lid is usually glued to something similar to silicone, so simply pressing the lever does not work well, especially since you can break something inside with a sharp movement.
Does not work? Is there something stopping you from opening it? Still would! Manufacturers are not fools:) there are always one or two. or even three hidden bolts under the stickers :) Feel with a screwdriver and you will find dimples that can easily be picked out with the same straight screwdriver. That's where I had it hidden :)
And another tip: when you unscrew the bolts, you don’t need to do it one by one, you need to loosen each one by half a turn or a turn and only then unscrew them completely, otherwise it may turn out that the last one or two cannot be unscrewed due to the skew of the lid. Also IMPORTANT: when the bolt does not want to come off, you do not need to turn it with force - this way you can scratch out either a screwdriver or the hole. You need to press the screwdriver with almost all your weight perpendicular to the product, and while pressing, lightly try to turn it. The harder you press, the better. I even had to unscrew fasteners that my husband couldn’t unscrew =) The main thing here is technology and accuracy, not strength =) Although strength is still needed, if your hand is tired, it’s better to get to work in a couple of hours, when your hand has rested.
So, we did it all. And what beauty is inside the lid! Everything sparkles :)
Someone will decide that beauty is needed to admire it and will leave everything as it is, but I’m greedy :) Therefore, I’ll analyze it further.
Now you need to untwist the top elements one by one. It's better to start with a magnet and a "prickly thing." And as a warning, when unwinding, use the method I described above, since in the middle everything is usually screwed on very tightly and you can ruin the whole thing.
After the magnet is unscrewed (sometimes, by the way, it is not screwed in at all, but simply fixed on the protrusions in the case), we remove the upper part of the magnet with the same lever screwdriver, just be very careful, it can become magnetized back and knock off your fingers! The lower part of the magnet (most often it is not a magnet, but just a piece of iron) can also be screwed on, or can simply be easily removed after removing the magnet
Now it comes to the mirror. There are many difficulties here:
first - the element rotates and you need to hold it tightly and press down to unscrew all the bolts
second - it is very easy to scratch the mirror with a screwdriver, and then these scratches will not be pleasing at all
and the third - according to the law of meanness, if you don’t follow the rules that I described above - the last bolt ALWAYS turns out to be tightly screwed... here you already have to tinker, rest and tinker again (after all, for the first and second reasons you need to unscrew it carefully)
BUT the result of greed is always the same: after all, everything gets promoted and very interesting and beautiful things are obtained: in the photo there is a ring with holes...
The mirror itself (here you should rejoice and clap your hands - especially if there are several mirrors)
By the way, now do you understand why it is called “hard drive”?
The disk must be removed carefully by moving the little thing to the right (I call it a mouse, I’ll explain why later)
When all the mirrors have been removed and the joy has subsided, you can unscrew the motor (located under the disk) and the “mouse”. The “mouse” can simply be removed from the base upwards, or it can be screwed on.
I don’t know, maybe it’s a bad photo, but in this circle in the middle there is a depression. You're lucky if, in addition to the recess, there is a transverse slot - this means you can unscrew this cylinder with a regular straight screwdriver. I was unlucky - and therefore we take a closer look at the recess, or rather at its shape. For me it’s a hexagon - which means I take it from a set of screwdrivers (there is also a set of wrenches - men should know) approximately suitable in size and twist.
That's it! Only now I realized that I never took a photo of the “mouse”:(((But I think if you look at the other photos (and especially if you look at it yourself), you will understand why this is so. When the cylinder is removed, you get something like an “eye” "mouse. And the sharp end is its nose. Some old hard drives used colored wires, and when I tore the cable of the “spiky thing” from the mouse, funny antennae wires stuck out at the tip of its nose :) That’s why the “mouse”
Let's return to our trial. This is what we ended up with. This thing can be used in different ways: as a hammer :), as an ashtray (you just have to screw the motor into place and cover the holes with something), or it can be used in some other way, I think you shouldn’t have any problems with its use.
But first we need to turn it over and unscrew something no less valuable to us.
We unscrew 4-5 bolts (I think an intermediate photo is not needed) - and lo and behold! In addition to the cool circuit (from which, if necessary, you can remove the microcircuits, or use it as your own decoration), we also have a miracle foam rubber. It’s a miracle, because it is unique in density, softness, etc. It was from this that I made the pupils for my felted dragon, but you can cut out anything you want! Sometimes the foam rubber is covered with film on one side, and sometimes without it. If the hard drive is very old, the foam rubber is uninteresting, and most often burnt here and there.
Here are our treasures :)
By the way, maybe your imagination can tell you WHAT can be made from bolts? I already have a SEA of them, in different sizes and colors... maybe your imagination will tell you? :)
Below I provide more photos of possible disassembly options based on the example of other hard drives
You just need to pry up a piece of metal and peel it off a little from all sides; the glue, as you remember, is like silicone and it stretches. The main thing is not to bend
This time there was another surprise in store for me - a metal ring under the lid. At first I thought it was a magnet and was happy, but the magnet effect created a very tenacious glue.
You can disconnect the circuit immediately, even before disassembling the entire “screw”. Especially when it is attached with a cable that can be accidentally torn if done the other way around.
The train comes out easily, just pull it.
This is the advantage I talked about when I pointed out the thickness of the hard drive. Here the top cover turned out to be very roomy, and there are only two holes in it (they can either be sealed or the same bolts can be screwed in), this is an ideal ashtray :) or a container for small items... you decide.
