Book giveaway + project excerpt: 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer by Randy Sarafan

Computers & Mobile Craft & Design Workshop
Book giveaway + project excerpt: 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer by Randy Sarafan

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62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer by Randy Sarafan
Book site: deadcomputerbook.com
Buy on Amazon

We all have old, broken, or otherwise junk electronics stashed away in our closets. Randy Sarafan’s 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer is just what it sounds like and much more, inspiring makers to repurpose mice, scanners, iPods, and yes, computers, to make high-tech housewares, newly-functioning gadgets, and accessories. The projects run the gamut of techniques, and with sections like fashion, pets, and music, there’s something for everyone. Not only is the book full of DIY ideas, it also has excellent primers on electronics parts and the safety concerns regarding taking apart and repurposing tech-junk. Once you make your own upcycled projects, you can enter them in Instructables’ Dead Computer Contest, where the deadline is March 7th.

Book Giveaway Time!

We’re giving away 3 copies of 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer. Just leave a comment on this post, letting us know what kind of dead technology you have, just waiting to be transformed. We’ll grab the winners’ emails from your commenter account, so don’t put your email address in the comment box! All comments will be closed by Noon PST on Monday, March 1st. The lucky winners will be announced next week on the MAKE Twitter feed. Good luck!

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Sample Project: IR Camera

Over the years, I have collected a number of digital cameras that are not quite broken, but are definitely no longer quite working as they should. And as it turns out, a somewhat-broken camera is the perfect device for dabbling your feet in camera hacking. You already don’t expect it to work exactly as it should, so if you make a mistake, there isn’t the greatest loss. On the other hand, when you succeed in modifying it, the results are often phenomenal and result in experimental pictures that often far exceed all expectations.

Download the project PDF to make your own IR Camera!

Update: Thanks for entering! Comments are now closed.

92 thoughts on “Book giveaway + project excerpt: 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer by Randy Sarafan

  1. Sam says:

    but off the top of my head I’ve got 4 old computers, 2 digital cameras, 3 (maybe more) old ipods, couple of monitors, ipod docks, an old tv, 2 inkjet printers and a host of other assorted stuff.

  2. Leprechaun says:

    A broken voltmeter, a (non-working) 566MHz Gateway computer, and a trash can in the shape of a frog that used to croak when you opened it.

  3. Brian says:

    old cameras, old scanners/printers, a whole poweredge server full of SCSI drives waiting for a new purpose. I pick up cheap computers all the time and sometimes they’re totally busted, i’d like to do something useful with them.

  4. xiko says:

    A bosch dishwasher and several inkjet printers.

  5. Jassmne says:

    Lots of keyboards, sound cards, main boards, hard drives, monitors, etc. Name it we probably have it stowed away somewhere…Been looking for ways to use all this stuff or get it safely disposed of.

  6. CRAusmus says:

    I have 2 dead Macs, a dead PC, a digital camera, two monitors, an ancient scanner that I thought was only useful for the motor inside, an old Viewsonic Pocket PC and a Palm Pilot that I have been holding on to for years and years because I wanted to use them for something. My wife would love for me to finally get them off the office floor and see them put to use…LOL…

    Thanks for the opportunity…

  7. mpechner says:

    I have an old tek 535_545 scope, 27inch TV, vcr, usb enclosures, older linksys and netwokring gear, a couple of old analog voltmeters, archos gen5 video device, olpc xo-1, old hard drives, old computer cables.

    Other sutff I can’t think of off the top of my head.

  8. BananaForce says:

    I’ve got old hard drives, monitors, mice, computers, keyboards, etc. Would love some ideas how the boys and I can create some cool stuff.

  9. Joel Smith says:

    I’ve got Macs, a few PCs and printers going back to the mid-80’s. Several of the Macs are still fully functional. A lot (10-15) aren’t. Lots of old boards and strange peripherals, too. Some have been turned into other things over the years, but there’s a lot to work with here. I have a coffee table supported by a ring of Mac Plus’s.

  10. mpechner says:

    I have an old tek 535_545 scope, 27inch TV, vcr, usb enclosures, older linksys and netwokring gear, a couple of old analog voltmeters, archos gen5 video device, olpc xo-1, old hard drives, old computer cables.

    Other sutff I can’t think of off the top of my head.

  11. mpechner says:

    I have an old tek 535_545 scope, 27inch TV, vcr, usb enclosures, older linksys and networking gear, a couple of old analog voltmeters, archos gen5 video device, olpc xo-1, old hard drives, old computer cables.

    Other stuff I can’t think of off the top of my head.

  12. mattiasgunneras.myopenid.com says:

    I’ve got this old beautiful black and silver full tower PC that’s just sitting in my parents basement at the moment. I’ve fitted bunch of low noise fans with controls onto it and I’ve even padded the inside of it with a special felt to keep it from sounding too much. Back in the days of modding it was a real pearl and everyone that saw it was amazed of the silence. Now, after I’ve bought an iMac, it’s just sitting down there collecting dust, but I can’t bring myself to throw it away and I’d love to do something with it. Just haven’t though of a good project for it yet.

  13. migpics says:

    I’d like to give this as a gift to a friend who just signed up for the Navy as an electronics technician and will be leaving in a month or so.
    He’ll be on a ship and I’m sure they’ll be great opportunity for him to hack away at things!
    Thanks
    miguel

  14. Book giveaway + project excerpt: 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer by Randy Sarafan jktechwriter says:

    I’ve got a dead scanner plus a box of cables that come with devices – USB, parallel, etc… Anyone know of a good company that recycles cables? I hate to throw them out…

    The scanner, however… I’ve seen some ideas here and there for the inner parts, especially the motors.

  15. submacmedia says:

    Personally, i’ve got a multitude of DIY computers and computer parts (including a maquarium made from a mac classic) milling about my house, but even better is my father’s inventory: he’s run a small computer store / repair shop that has been in business since 1989, and he throws NOTHING out, so he’s got parts dating back to 8088 based IBM PC’s up to current inventory.

  16. Bob A. says:

    I’ve got desktop PCs that I rescue from people’s trash, lots of hard drives and CD drives, power supplies, and keyboards out the wazoo.

  17. sammyb says:

    Not to be a complete Debby Downer, but many old or “dead” computers can still be very useful for some people. I volunteer at a non-profit called PCs for People (www.pcsforpeople.com) in the Minneapolis/St Paul area that refurbishes people’s/company’s old computers and gives them out to low income families. I’d hate to think of a useful computer going out of commission for craft purposes when it could help a single mom get her college degree online.

    That being said, we have tons of truly dead/obsolete monitors, printers, routers, scanners, computers, and computer components. I would LOVE to decorate our shabby little office with some of the cool stuff in this book!

  18. Bill Morgan says:

    A couple of old Linux boxes in beautiful black cases, assorted printers, and a recently acquired trove of vacuum tube era ham radio gear and other stuff older than I am. (And my beard is pretty much all gray now.)

  19. george3300 says:

    i have a old wang comp with hawk drive

  20. Grand Lunar says:

    I have a couple dead CRT iMacs, three dead titanium PowerBooks, a couple first generation PowerMac G3s, and other assorted odds and ends. I should be able to make something cool out of them. Right?

  21. phisherman says:

    Every old gaming system starting with the In-television and Atari 3600, every Nintendo product up to the n64 and color game-boy. Sega, 2 DreamCast, 2 GameGear, 3 old computers, 2 CRT monitors, an old laptop LCD and Hard drive, tons of spare parts, 3 old HP Printers, and I am sure I could keep going for another 2 pages, but that is enough for now. But if I could turn them into something great then let me know.

  22. Brandon says:

    3 complete Commodore 64 systems, Apple IIe system, innumerable home-brew PC projects, large flat-bed SCSI scanner, tons of hard drives, LCD screens, boxes of cables, a couple of CRT screens, an iBook that works but the LCD is smashed, old TiBook parts and probably some more stuff I can’t think of at this point. This book reminds me of a book I had when I was little called The Trash-Artist’s Workshop and I’d love to get my hands on it! :-)

  23. Daniel T says:

    I have at least 3 computers, one monitor (which is not technically broken… I just once turned the OSD language to Japanese as a joke and promptly forgot how to turn it back to English). One dead iPod nano which I attempted to open, miss-read the instructions and ripped the cable of the front controller wheel (to be fair, it was already water damaged) and I have a dead SCSI CD-rom tower, 8 drives, plenty of motors and lasers waiting for me in there!

  24. Neworld316 says:

    I have 4 home built computers lying around as well as a lot of various pc components just waiting to be put to good use.

  25. prolifc says:

    Lots of computer stuff lying arround. this would be a nice way to take care of that mess

  26. Bryan Pittard says:

    I’m glad you posted about this, because I was just about to take a ton of electronics out to the community electronics recycling drive. I’ve got old PC cases, mobos, RAM, CDROMs, DVDROMS, CDs, DVDs, mice, keyboards, cameras, a Tamogatchi, a dead Handspring Visor, music keyboard, webcams, a Furby, game controllers, unused CRTs, floppy drives, even a still-booting IBM PS/2 (microchannel, baby!).

    I kept them all in part, at least, JUST IN CASE I ever needed a spare something-or-other for a project. That book looks like a great way to cull the herd and finally reclaim some workspace out in my garage.

  27. Gwyn Raven says:

    An old Dell desktop computer with monitor keyboard, and accessories, an external CD drive, and a broken wireless router.

  28. fruitkid101 says:

    I have like a junkyard of like 5 old desktop computers with all their stuff. Ie, keyboards, printers, screens…

  29. Ms. Cellaney says:

    In one closet, I’ve got an old CRT monitor that smokes and sparks, two PC towers with dead hard drives, a few keyboards and mice (mouses?) and a cheap Dell inkjet that came free with a laptop I bought (I don’t even know if they still sell the ink cartridges anymore). I also have an HP tower with WinME on it that won’t boot up properly when you restart because it can’t find the C drive and an external HD that got dropped on the floor (rendering it useless now). I’ve also got a printer/scanner that won’t print and a mini wine chiller that no longer chills anything. I keep kicking this stuff around in the hopes that I can find someone who can use ’em for spare parts, but no such luck yet…

  30. shawnc says:

    I’ve got a few old desktop computers, several digital cameras, and a cellphone or two. Would love to come up with some good ideas as to how to repurpose them. Also have a ton of the usual cables, screws, wires, hdd’s cd drives etc.

  31. ppphhhh says:

    …. for reading this blog. I have a garage full of obsolete computers and broken electronics waiting for transformation. This book will give me ideas.

  32. old_man_ghede says:

    Hehe, my wife just asked me when I was going to do something with all this stuff.

    I’ve got an Apple Macintosh (original), 3 LCD monitors, 1/2 an external raid array, 2 laptops, a 5.25″ floppy drive, 9 PCs, 4 mother boards, a Palm IIIe, a crock pot, 2 DVD players, a portable cd player, a cassette player, a microwave, a wireless router, an inkjet printer, several broken power and usb cables, an external usb hardrive enclosure, several mysterious ISA PC components, a calculator (with heat transfer printer and paper), a non-electric type writer, an electric typewriter, and an 8mm video camera. Theres’ probably even more, that’s just off the top of my head. :)

  33. rembo666 says:

    I got a couple of old laptops (1 10yrs old, 1 5 yrs old), almost complete P3 computer, an old Via C3 barebones system with just about all the parts missing except for motherboard, plus a bunch of miscellaneous junk. I know I need to throw some of that stuff away, but I just don’t have the heart to do it.

  34. Chrome6 says:

    Good thing I remembered to save my post-

    Routers, iPod, semi-working Olympus digicam.

  35. Chrome6 says:

    Good thing I remembered to save my post-

    Routers, iPod, semi-working Olympus digicam.

  36. soldeerridder says:

    old 5 1/4 inch scsi drive cases are ideal rugged cases for housing your electronics project.
    They are equiped with nice 5 and 12 v power supplies, switches leds and connectors.

    Remove the tape or disk drive and replace it with your own project.

    I used one to house a linux embedded computer, based on old router hardware.
    It connects to a webcam for security monitoring and a solid state relay to switch power to some external devices.

    I’m very unlucky that I’m not in the USA or Canada, otherwise I had submitted it to the contest.

    I have two more of them waiting for other projects.

  37. MattMiddleton says:

    I’ve got a box of broken or massively outdated gear, including several assorted PDAs (even one with a CF slot!), and a couple of digital cameras,

  38. Etenia says:

    electric toothbrush, old vcrs, old desktop, possibly an old tv, several old remotes, video camera, cell phones, old boyfriend (just kidding)

  39. Nate says:

    old modems, even older telco equipment, VCRs, a tivo (!?), plus a bunch of other random broken toys awaiting new life as something nifty.

  40. jut says:

    I can’t resist buying any old av equipment i see at my local second hand store. it’s the old electronics aesthetic of tactile buttons and knobs that you just don’t get anymore. and then i try to shoehorn my existing gadgets into they’re hollowed out husks.

  41. poboxw says:

    I never throw stuff out, a force of habit that’s practiced especially diligently with old electronics. I have old busted radios, cellphones, 20+ DC adaptors, speakers, laser disk players, mp3 players, film cameras…. i even dragged the lot 3000km with me when i moved to continue my studies. The idea is to get to fixing or hacking them eventually but so far all i’ve done is salvage some parts for arduino projects (used for my masters thesis in neuroscience :) ). They’ll one day come in handy again!

  42. knchris says:

    flatbed scanner, philips nino, compaq handheld pc with a full keyboard, compaq iPaq, 2 mostly dead laptops, a cheap tv/mp3 player/flashlight/cd player/radio thing, cpu fans, serial IR receiver, peltier cooler, 2 or 3 desktop computers, routers, 2 or 3 Linksys NSLU2s, DSL modems, PS2 joystick and a couple old PC joysticks, analog pci TV tuner card, Whistle Interjet (all that’s left is the case, lcd and keypad, and the cool ISA network card/ 4 port hub), old cordless phone system, old usb webcam, bulky old 2.1MP Sony digital camera, component size CD player, 128MB MP3 cheapy player, and more…

    Take that!

  43. wwench says:

    Cameras, pager, monitors, hard drives,laptops, metal detector….treasure!

  44. CircuitGizmo says:

    If I’m randomly picked, my intent is to forward the book to someone interested along with a pile of stuff. I have… lots. This will be a way to share.

  45. nomiroba says:

    Texas instruments laptop i486
    Toshiba Tecra A5, HP pp2090 completety dead
    Asus SV7 almost dead,
    Video 15″ Fujitsu crashed
    3 dead desktops Intel P3 and P4 from 1 GHz to 3,3 Ghz.
    Some mixed cards, ram, hdd, floppies, CD drives and whatsoever…

  46. ibwood says:

    I was just trying to come up with something to do with a bunch of old PDAs, Ipod, laptop, and a desktop. It seems like I should be able to come up with something my kids would enjoy playing with and could learn something from!!

    Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

  47. Christopher Grace says:

    I just took 6 dead laptops home from the office “bonepile” … AND my first born son arrived just over a month ago.

    I need me some laptop monitor digital photo frames!

  48. adorman1 says:

    I have an iPod with a fried hard drive that I would love to become more than an expensive Apple-themed paperweight.

  49. blundo says:

    travel usb optical mouse
    usb handheld rollerball mouse
    crt monitor
    1st generation n-gage
    palm zire
    computer(win 95)
    another computer(win 98)
    cd “boombox”
    10′ television
    inkjet printer or two
    thumb drives
    etc.

  50. Patrickiv says:

    A computer of course!

  51. mountkepi says:

    I got three computers and twice as many monitors waiting to experience a new life, an old printer, telephone, machine washed ipod shuffle, and a couple of rc choppers that no longer have the desire to be helicopters, and a rockband drums. I hear them crying every night.

  52. enzo says:

    G3 iMac, G5 iMac, 3G iPod, 2 old PC laptops, Bose Wave Radio w/blown speakers, Korg X5 keyboard, Firstman keyboard

  53. scottb says:

    The computers were, through some stroke of bizarre space-clearing luck, able to be donated. But, I’ve got a small pile of iPods at varying degrees of death, old cell phone, plus old cameras – digital and WAY pre-digital – TV, radio and lord only knows what else in the depths of the garage.

  54. ctung says:

    I’m trying to develop projects for the next generation of DIYers as a high school physics teacher. I’d love to use a copy of this book for ideas. I have access to old computers, printers, cell phones, ipods, scanners, vcrs, dvd players, and analog tvs.

  55. murray says:

    I have:
    3 or 4 old motherboards
    about 10 cd-rom drives
    2 power supplies
    2 old laser printers
    1 old mp3 player
    3 old computers
    2 old laptops
    1 broken portable DVD player
    4 broken walkie talkies
    a ton of old speakers
    a broken stereo
    a couple rc cars
    about 5 keyboards
    too many graphics and sound cards to count
    lots of sticks of ram
    4 floppy drives
    and lots more!

  56. bekasu says:

    Has 5 very attractive blue lcd lights that still work. In fact the modem works; but Hughesnet obsoleted the dang thing.

    I couldn’t bring myself to toss it, so it sits inside the shed learing at me each time I open the door.

    Those 5 blue lcds need to be re-tasked.

  57. Boter2099 says:

    I have a stack of 9 old Toshiba satellite’s that I’ve been looking to do something with.

    Not to mention;

    1 old tube thing (still haven’t figured out what it is, it’s got a dail, a 4 terminals and tubes)
    2 old digital camara’s
    3 old routers
    4 old macs
    6 old desktops (all gateways)
    6 flat bed scanners
    Enough printers that if you buy the wrong cartage I could use it.

    Close to 1TB in thumb drives.

  58. Shadyman says:

    All kinds of stuff :)
    An old computer or two, an old printer or two, and just about 3 of everything else.

  59. haasebert says:

    Let’s see…
    3 old computers
    5 old modems
    1 old digital camera
    1 old router
    1 old scanner
    2 old printers
    many old kids’ toys
    1 old oscilloscope (although that one might still work)

  60. ceebux says:

    Without checking my storeroom, I think there’s:

    1 reel to reel 4-track recorder
    2 cassette players
    1 oscilloscope
    4 desktop PCs
    2 touchscreens
    3 laptops
    3 printers
    1 scanner
    1 12 channel mixer

  61. RufusTheGreat says:

    -a computer power supply that was a victim of me forgetting that not all things automatically switch between U.S. and European voltages
    -A box of annoying children’s toys that blink, beep, whirr, flap, and chime with such vigor that I loath them too much to make them into anything (they make them affordable by not including off switches).
    -2, count em 2 TI-99s with speech synthesizers
    -Fisher Price PL2000 video camera. Recorded on cassette tapes (“what are cassettes?” my daughter asks)
    -Several other video cameras and cell phones of varying vintage
    -A box of circuit boards, transformers, LCDs, motors and other innards that was a result of breaking down a bunch of things in an effort to free up some space and keep my marriage happy

    …and as soon as I lay my hands on one of those power generators that Ironman has, you’ll all rue the day!

  62. Mr_Alb says:

    Lets see…. the really old laptops turn into digital picture frames… vent the litterbox fumes to the outside… and finish that “LEDs under the kitchen cabinets” project.

  63. Anne says:

    squeeky computer power supply, four hard drives, three tower cases, a UPS, transcription tape recorder, VCR, DVD player, children’s play piano,

  64. T-rent says:

    I have 2 IBM T23 laptops, an Apple II, iMac G3 (graphite), 5 desktop PCs, old cell phones, various routers, and much more good stuff.

  65. topcat2021 says:

    I have….
    4 old laptops ranging from win 98 to Win xp in age
    6 old computers
    1 server
    various modems,hard drives, graphics and sound cards,
    Monitors CRT and flat screen
    a few scanners and printers
    various test equipment
    toys etc.
    and tons of electronic bits that have been salvaged from old electronics
    as well as more than I can think of at the moment.

    I’m always looking for ways to re-purpose these items for something new

  66. phonx says:

    *********************************************************
    * Inventory *
    * *
    *********************************************************
    I have been dumpster drive for electronics part for many years and I’ve been collecting so many parts that I’ve kept in boxes. ******
    20 printers parts of A4 and 4 A3 size machine and some 4 laser printers as well.
    20 pc
    10+ network cards
    24 Capture card
    50 joysticks
    15 game steering control
    5 Modem
    3 routers
    2 apple computers Imac and Lisa
    20+ cdrom
    7 laptops
    8 CRT Monitors
    5+ cassette players and LP recorder
    2 travel luggage of wire and cable
    5 camera
    1 dyson vacumm
    2 LCD monitors
    3 electric motors
    5 electronic organ
    1 ruby red laser
    Big boxes of electronics toy
    boxes of screw and parts from dismantling electronic goods
    many numbers of tools
    And more than 20 electronics books and data books recovered from dumpster.

    I plan to use printer parts for making 3d printer like rerap or makerrobot, electronic music parts for circuit blending.
    **********************************************************
    **********************************************************

  67. jb says:

    with my dead laptop, components from two old desktops, not to mention a plethora of dead gaming systems. Using them for something would stop my wife thinking I was a hoarder-in-training.

  68. nullUnitdis0rd3r says:

    Or would a better analogy be the six million dollar man?

    Either way, here’s some of the tech I’d like to repurpose and ressurect:

    Mac G4 Tower. 2 IBM 701 laptops with butterfly keyboards, and the humongous Dock II docking station. An MD player. 2 super 8 projecters and a 16mm projector. An epson inket printer. An epson scanner. Various still cameras (digital and analog, including an old polaroid 800). Super 8mm cameras. Several analog phones, rotary and touch, including an Ericafon. Scads of computer accessories like bluetooth keyboards etc. Magnetic mixers. Plus all the stuff that’s boxed up in storage that I’ve forgotten.

  69. Donna F says:

    3 computers
    2 printers
    1 laptop
    1 scanner
    Many cell phones
    3 XM receivers and cradles
    2 DVR’s
    2 Ipac’s
    1 linksys
    2 modem’s
    speakers
    1/2 dozen hard drives
    3 keyboards
    many mice and
    ton’s o’ cables….

    I would LOVE the book!!!

  70. toaster4 says:

    Fantastic! this sounds great.

    2 old laptops
    2 old desktops (partially gutted for parts, more like barebones setups now)
    countless network cards, flash drives, video cards, sound cards
    old printer
    cable modems
    and a bunch more stuff I could use.

  71. sara says:

    I’ve got a dead digital camera, and as I’ve living in Mexico right now and no one here ever seems to throw anything out, I’m sure there are scads of old printers and monitors and obsolete cpus I could get my grubby little hands on…

  72. Jeff says:

    Here’s a few, though:

    a 1/3rd height rack completely full of useless computers, switches, etc.
    monitors
    empty cases
    complete systems (PCs, Suns & Macs)
    hard drives (4 on my desk alone)
    scanners
    printers
    floppy drives (and boxes of floppies!)
    modems
    even have an XTerm or two sitting around here, somewhere…

    I’ve been looking for something to do with some of all this hardware. Pick me! :-)

  73. foo_plinger says:

    multiple sound cards
    3 functional but older desktops
    2 old (but functioning) laptops
    webcam
    kodak 1.3 megapixel camera
    keyboards and mice ad infinitum

  74. B-rye says:

    I have
    2 laptops
    2 desktop
    1 a keyboard
    2 mice
    2 crt’s
    2 cellphones
    2 x-boxes
    an old t.v.
    a bunch old game controllers3
    a router
    2 dish receivers
    a set of speakers
    and I can’t remember what else

  75. B-rye says:

    I have
    2 laptops
    2 desktop
    1 a keyboard
    2 mice
    2 crt’s
    2 cellphones
    2 x-boxes
    an old t.v.
    a bunch old game controllers3
    a router
    2 dish receivers
    a set of speakers
    and I can’t remember what else

  76. Scooby says:

    I’ve got about a half dozen dead PCs, a bunch of associated components and peripherals, 4 dead digital cameras, 3 dead cell phones, a couple tvs and 4 monitors.

  77. princewally says:

    I’ve got a couple of 6 foot cabinets filled with computer parts. I could build 4-5 computers if I pieced them together patiently.

  78. https://login.launchpad.net/+id/bb8zkFx says:

    This will be a great addition to our hackespaces library. I would by the book myself, but I have no income ATM.

    I’m sure it would make a huge pile if all of our members (over 30) would throw their junk together :)

    Here in Finland about 90% of computer electronics get recycled into raw material, but it’s shame that only a fraction of it get’s reused. We’d like to change that. This book should be very inspiring, since we’re low on ideas on how to use the non-electric (circuit bending is fun though:) parts on home appliances.

    If you don’t pick us for the gift, we’ll scrape the money together anyhow, but by sending it to us, the gift could have a much bigger impact.

  79. kellie17 says:

    They have 3 old laptops
    2 keyboards
    3 mice
    various cell phones/cordless phones
    and endless imaginations.

    A perfect combination with a little knowledge.

  80. ToddW says:

    IBM 386sx Vesa Local Bus, old (but never used) ink jet printer), color scanner, Several cell phones, several remote controls, a dozen wall warts.

  81. kaleva says:

    It’s no use to list all those electric stuff including dozens of computers i have collected into my basement. For some reason all my friends bring their broken devices to me and usually i am very pleasant about that. Sometimes i manage to fix them, but usually i just don’t know what to do with all of them. That kind of book would be real treasure to me.

  82. ultimatejoker says:

    I’ve got an old VCR that works fine except for one small problem – the loading mechanism won’t accept tapes anymore…

  83. archmac says:

    I have five G5 iMac’s that had blown capacitor issues. They are to thin for aquariums. Perhaps ant farms….

  84. pgeoffy says:

    stashed away in the storage room awaiting projects:
    3 PC’s (between 5-10 years old), a Mac Classic, about 10 other hard drives, an old matrox digital video card, several remote control car toys, 2 old toy keyboards, several noise making toys in various states of operation, a semi working 3mp camera, a childrens digital video cam (viewfinder broken), a few old SLR cameras, 2 VCR’s, a cassette deck, several CRT monitors, a Minolta SCSI slide scanner, a Fostex 4 track digital recorder, a 4 channel DJ mixer, a ghetto blaster, an old Sirius satellite radio…….

  85. G33K says:

    I know I am a bit late, but I would REALLY like a copy, so you could put me in anyway =).
    I have tons of motherboards and power supplies and lots more stuff I would like to re-purpose.
    Thanks!

  86. Cale says:

    3 CRTs, 2 PCs, 2 TVs, 74 Disposable cameras, 2 digital Cameras, 3 web cams, 2 routers, 2 microwave ovens, 1 DVD player, 1 VCR, 1 CD Walkman, 1 clothes dryer, 1 RC Helicopter, 2 RC cars, 3 old cell phones, 2 stereo systems, 5 remote controls, 2 old game systems and tons of misc. capacitors, resistors, transistors, 555 timers, etc… the list goes on and is ever changing. You can never have to many old electronics to salvage from. After all people it is the green way to go. Tear apart something old and give it a new life, don’t let those retired electronics go to waste.

    Go MAKE things new again!

  87. denisectx says:

    We have the “guts” of several computers, a few monitors, keyboards, a printer/scanner/fax, multiple mice (with balls and without), speakers with chewed up power cords, two laptops, a DVD burner that no longer burns, and many many cords for computer models and types that probably don’t exist anymore!

  88. hotho says:

    Cables! I have cables from GPIB to SCSI to the hundreds of leftover software “dongles”. I was dreaming of a rope bridge? There has got to be some tensil strength data on a 1999 Mini FireWire cable somewhere….

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    Book giveaway + project excerpt: 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer by Randy Sarafan | MAKE

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    Book giveaway + project excerpt: 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer by Randy Sarafan | MAKE

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    Book giveaway + project excerpt: 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer by Randy Sarafan | MAKE

  92. X5 Cordless Vacuum | Best Vacuum Cleaner says:

    […] Book giveaway + project excerpt: 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer by Randy Sarafan – We all have old, broken, or otherwise junk electronics stashed away in our closets. Randy Sarafan’s 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer is just what it sounds like and much more, inspiring makers to repurpose mice, scanners, iPods, and yes … […]

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Becky Stern is a Content Creator at Autodesk/Instructables, and part time faculty at New York’s School of Visual Arts Products of Design grad program. Making and sharing are her two biggest passions, and she's created hundreds of free online DIY tutorials and videos, mostly about technology and its intersection with crafts. Find her @bekathwia on YouTube/Twitter/Instagram.

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