Any ideas on what to turn a broken HD into?

[IsaacHayes]

I got a 40gig HD here that is unstable. It works with a quick format only, and will hold data, but if you take it out of the computer/move it around it acts like it's freshly wiped. Works ok for temp files/etc but I don't have anything to use that for and if I'm doing photoshop work/etc I don't want my scratch disk to fart and make me re-do all my stuff. Same thing if I was burning a DVD. The temp file would go there, but if it did crap in the middle, I'd have to re-rip.

So... What can I turn this think into? It looks like it might make a nice enclosure for a mod of something.. Just no idea. It's a seagate barracuda with the seashiled over the electronic board.. I had another broke HD that I took and I'm going to put a shotgun slug through... Thought about bringing it to a data recovery place and saying "Can you help me my HD is shot!" then wait for the look after I show them! lol


I'm thinking maybe I can fit 4AA in it and use it as a base for my cree aspherical lens lantern... but it's a little heavy... It would look cool though.


What do you guys think?

[WNG]

it's a small drive, so not a great loss. But you can try to isolate the bad sectors of the drive during a standard format. I will assume it get stuck at a certain point during formatting for you. Look at the scale and percent reading and try to partition off that area of the platter.
I did this to a crashed non-booting HD from a Dell after replacing it. Managed to use 62Gig of the 76Gig size.
The S,M.A.R.T. data may be able to help you assertain the nature of the failures. If it's not platter related, it's target practice time.

[bobisculous]

Stick a LED inside it hooked up to your computers power source, replace the lid with plexy glass and plug it in. Get to then watch that arm blister back and fourth 80+ times per second. Pretty neat to see.

-C

[cslinger]

A target...............but that's just me.

[IsaacHayes]

Actually with a full format it finishes at 100% and then it does something at the end and it fails at that. I have no idea what it's doing or failing where... SMART didn't report anything. It was a free HD that was known to have issues, and I had it in my system for a while. The other HD I have is target practice.

This one... maybe a mod host for something??

[matrixshaman]

You could try Spinrite from grc dot com but if that isn't an option I'd take it apart for the rare earth magnets. They are very strong and I find lots of uses for them.

[IsaacHayes]

What uses for the magnets? I had some one time but gave them away as I was afraid I'd have them in my pocket then walk by my monitor or PC and wipe something out!! The platters make good mirrors too.

But what to do with the case!?!? No real good ideas yet to build the HD case into something else....

[AlexGT]

There was a video of a guy who removed the cover of the HD and hit the power until all disks were rotating very fast then he pushed the disks out, it was really cool to watch the disks going far far away, IIRC you just need a 12 volt supply and some wires.

Try it at your own risk

AlexGT

[IsaacHayes]

lol, that sounds like fun. Sounds like I need a blast bunker too!!!

[yuandrew]

Remove the platters and use a Dremel or Roto Zip to spin them up then let them go outside. Watch them fly down the street.

Take the cover off the drive. Power the drive up and let the platters spin. Drop a hammer or crowbar onto the spinning platters.

Disassemble and use the motor as a generator. Build a rechargeable flash light
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFWMn2qYA8

Hook the read/write arm acutator coil to a speaker output and crank up the volume. Spin the platter by hand while the music plays and watch it move with every beat.
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...&search=Search

Make an Oscilloscope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxskBFPc_7c

Pry the magnets out. Write a few notes and put them on your fridge or file cabinet.

Melt the platters with a torch if you have anthing too sensitive that you don't want others to see.

Reverse the polarity of power supply watch the magic smoke.

Microwave entire drive.

Dunk in water.

Dunk in water and energize.

Remove platters, find a trap thrower or skeet launcher, get a shotgun, have someone launch the platters for you, then shoot them down. (My friend and I had fun with AOL cd skeet before)


This is pretty much what I can think of for right now.

[yuandrew]

There was a video of a guy who removed the cover of the HD and hit the power until all disks were rotating very fast then he pushed the disks out, it was really cool to watch the disks going far far away, IIRC you just need a 12 volt supply and some wires.

Try it at your own risk

AlexGT

Here's the "disk drop" video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yISqCAnROh8

[V8TOYTRUCK]

I stick those rare earth magnets on my oil filter drain plugs

[RCatR]

I was going to say speaker but yuandrew beat me to it

A friend of mine filled a dead HD with thermite and melted it into a pile of goop

[cyberhobo]

I'd use the hd in a data destruction drill.

Scenario:

You just received a radio message indicating insurgents have just taken out the gate and tower watches, slipped the renta-cop a bottle and are on their way in. At this moment you start your stopwatch. You pull out the sledgehammer, plasma torch, etc., and get to work. No deep six'n here, hd's are water tight and your on land.
Maybe write a paper on the results and share.

[Coop]

How about the most simple suggestion yet?

Use it as a paperweight. or better yet... melt the thing and then use it as a paperweight

[matrixshaman]

I use the magnets for holding sun reflectors in place in cars, RV's and so on. Also have them on my file cabinet side for holding all kinds of things when I run out of desk space

[chesterqw]

take the magnet out!

it is one of those 'rare earth magnet' and is very 'magnetically' strong.

then you melt the 'disc' inside the HD into what every you want and use it as a paper weight.

then you throw the whole thing out of the highest mountain! J/K
those 2 were the only things i could think of.

[IsaacHayes]

Hmm. a lot of speak of melting things. About the only thing I could do to melt it would be thermite!! Perhaps I could take the magnets and put them in a super duper shop tool/part picker upper. The case who knows maybe it would make a base for a DIY table lamp with leds?

[Brighteyez]

Why don't you deposit it with your local electronics recycler and let them dispose of it properly?

Hmm. a lot of speak of melting things. About the only thing I could do to melt it would be thermite!! Perhaps I could take the magnets and put them in a super duper shop tool/part picker upper. The case who knows maybe it would make a base for a DIY table lamp with leds?

[allthatwhichis]

Why don't you deposit it with your local electronics recycler and let them dispose of it properly?

Booooo, hisss... The whole point was to "turn" it into something, not get rid of it. There's no fun in that.

Now the two OLD computers and one apple monitor I have that needs to be gotten rid of... You have a wonderful idea for. I just don't know where my local electronics recycler is located.

[AlexGT]

A friend of mine turned his Apple Mcintosh computer into an aquarium with bright colored small fish, it looks so cool!

AlexGT

Booooo, hisss... The whole point was to "turn" it into something, not get rid of it. There's no fun in that.

Now the two OLD computers and one apple monitor I have that needs to be gotten rid of... You have a wonderful idea for. I just don't know where my local electronics recycler is located.

[allthatwhichis]

That's cool. The apple is a g3 I think. The colored one that is mainly just a monitor. It would work well as a fishy tank... I hear it is dangerous to open a monitor though...

[IsaacHayes]

I bet you could de-vacuum it without implosion.

[allthatwhichis]

The problem isn't implosion, it the voltage or amps that get stored somewhere around the tube. Grab the wrong thing and

[IsaacHayes]

It's fun discharging capacitors with screwdrivers!! Takes the plating right off of the screwdriver and makes a loud snap! BTW if you find a voltage multiplier/doubler in there, I want it! lol

[yuandrew]

I have a friend from church who showed me how to de-vac a picture tube from an old monitor that I was about to dispose.

After ripping the circuit board off the back of the tube to expose the connection pins; you'll see a little plastic cap around the stem. Carefully cut the plastic off from around the stem. Place tube in cardboard box (or cover with blanket) then snap the stem with a pair of pliers. You'll hear air rushing into the the tube. You can now dispose of it whichever way you want.

The monitor we got rid of had been sitting in my garage for almost a year so there was pretty much no charge left in it. You can ground the capicators to make sure though.

[allthatwhichis]

I don't think you can just drop a monitor off anywhere you want no matter what you have done to it. There is still enviormentally toxic elements in there that need to be disposed of correctly. I doubt the local landfill is the correct spot. At least that's what they told us what I got my A+. They were pretty adimant, don't open them and don't throw them in the trash. Isn't there a lot of mercury or something in computer components? I'm not sure exactly what, I just know you can't roll it out to the curb with last weeks garbage...

[IsaacHayes]

Not sure, but the trashman took out 1992 31" tv without question.

[allthatwhichis]

Not sure, but the trashman took out 1992 31" tv without question.

I just moved into a new house two weeks ago... The person across the street left a ole 19 in TV outside for the garbage collector last Monday... The collectors left it again this week...

[IsaacHayes]

The trick is putting it into your trashcan. They will pick up anything that fits in the trashcan. Anything else sitting on the grass/curb they leave.

It was quite a sight seeing our 31" TV wedged into the top of our blue trashcan.