My Fiberglass Car Subwoofer Install (aka The Bass Boulder)

If you have ever completed a summer to-do list by the end of summer, please tell me and I will reward you with cake or some equivalent delicacy. Well, I can say I finished my biggest project and boy was it worth it. For those of you who have never considered fiberglass, yes it is as versatile as duct-tape, yes it is messier, and yes it can look smoother than my bumpy speaker box. Read more for some comments and how to get started on your own build!






Difficulty: Hard (hard-er the less careful you are)
Cost: $100-$200

Materials: Approx. 2 Gallons fiberglass resin, fiberglass mat, fiberglass cloth, big fleece sweater, fiberglass hardener, plywood, dowels, truck-bed liner spray-paint, painters tape, acetone

Tools/Aids Required: Paint roller, paint brush, rubber gloves, HEPA dust mask, goggles (optional), mixing pail, grinder, sand paper, drill, scissors, glue gun

DIY Hard Drive Dock

Hard drive docks allow you to plug in internal hard drives to your computer without opening up your computer and installing it on internal SATA. These cannot always be justified, however, due to price and a lack of regular usage (until a catastrophe hits, that is). The solution to the problem is twofold. Maybe it isn't even a problem, but you can still get a two-for-one deal with my method!

Difficulty: Easy
Price: $20-$80 (depends on the price of your external)
Materials: A Seagate FreeAgent Go portable hard drive (or any portable of your choice)
Tools Required: jewelers screwdrivers

Repair → Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse

Recently I acquired a Microsoft Wireless Arc Touch mouse for free from work. Unfortunately, it was broken and my friend had no idea why. I thought, why not take it home and see if I can get a free $60 mouse out of the deal? 

Well, I searched around online for some time and found out that the secret and nifty power switch in the Arc often broke (you turn on the mouse by bending the body from flat to curved so you can use it, very cool). I guess that design is not yet well thought out, but the mouse is a very cool idea. 

Check out the design and usage here: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/arc-touch-tutorial/

Anyways, one guy from this thread said he fixed it by cutting the line to the power switch and tying the wires together. The Arc would be constantly on, but its battery life is beautiful and you can just take out the batteries when not in use!

Note: There is another fix mentioned by Joshua in the comments. It did not work for my mouse, but it worth checking. If you don't know how to take the mouse apart, follow my instructions for that at least. The rubber sheath will be held by 2-4 screws. Find them and pull back the rubber sheath to expose the underside.

He never said what to do exactly, so I made this how to:

Time Required: 10-30 minutes

Tools Required: jeweler screwdriver set, wire strippers, side cutters, needle nose pliers, drill, 1/16" drill bit

My Portable Work Bench Version 0.9

Some time ago I realized that if I wanted to do projects at university without wrecking the tables in my apartment  I would have to find a method of not incurring fees on my damage deposit. Well, the simple answer is to lay down newspaper, but that didn't cut it for me. I'm going to be mobile for a few more years yet and I want to work with my hands, not just my mind while I am at school.

When I was working on my computer tech. degree, I accumulated a lot of tools, so proper transport was at issue. Here is what I came up with!

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: $40 (tools not included)

The Reverse Geo-Cache Puzzlebox

If you have not heard of these, a reverse geo-cache puzzlebox is exactly what it sounds like. In normal geo-caching  you use a GPS locator to find a treasure hidden somewhere between where you are and wherever it is! In reverse geo-caching, you already have the treasure, but the problem is that it is still locked! You must travel to the right GPS coordinate in order for the box to unlock. There are many ways in which you can accomplish making one of these boxes and I will outline one of the more basic and useful ways.

Difficulty: Medium-Hard

Cost: between $100-$200