Hacked Gadgets Forum

April 25, 2006

Top 5 Dead Hard Drive Projects
Written by: Alan Parekh at 1:10 am. Filed under Crazy Hacks, DIY Hacks, Electronic Hacks, Top 5 and Top 10 Hard Drive Laser Oscilloscope This project was inspired by Aftotechs Hard Drive Speakers (page 4). Basically the voice coil drive circuit was located on the hard drive controller board and disconnected by cutting a trace. The voice coil was metered and was found to be 10 ohms, this was within range to be driven directly from my stereo speaker output. A laser was mounted to the hard drive body, the laser output bounces off a mirror that is mounted at the edge of the hard drive body. The first mirror is top hinged and has a wire connecting it to the read/write arm of the hard drive. Now when the read/write arm moves the vertical deflection of the laser beam is changed. The first mirror points its laser output to a second mirror is mounted to the center of the hard drive platter. Initially the second mirror was intended to be spun using the hard drive motor however the hard drive motor spins too fast. Instead the platter is moved by hand allowing fine control of the horizontal laser position. We have all seen an oscilloscope hooked up to a speaker output to allow us to watch the music. Well now you can see a standard oscilloscope and a Hard Drive Oscilloscope side by side! NEW See how to make your own.

Hard Drive Laser Oscilloscope Working Group: Five Alarm Funk, Song: Aint No One Man

Hard Drive Laser Oscilloscope Walk Around Group: Foo Fighters, Song: No Way Back

RobotShop.com
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118 Responses to Top 5 Dead Hard Drive Projects

1. Egor Says:
April 25th, 2006

In soviet Russia. I dont know if its still being done but old hard drives platters (metal, about 8 inch in diameter) were used as a TV aerial. I think, a pair of them nailed to a T bit of wood made a dipole: (like a pair of goggles): O-O

2. Alan Parekh Says:

April 25th, 2006

Yes Hacked Gadgets was down for a few hours today (April 25, 2006) There was some issues with my hosting service not being able to handle the volume of traffic All seems to be back to normal now though 3. Alan Parekh Says:
April 25th, 2006

Hi Egor, I had never hear about that before, that must be some old drive to have 8 inch platters!! 4. Matt Says:
April 25th, 2006

hey, an idea for the creator of this hacked gadget you mentioned that the drive platter spins too fast for that single mirror how about using numerous mirrors arranged in a octagon or similar so that the outputed image scans repeatedly over the same small area? anyway, nice hack 5. clark Says:
April 25th, 2006

what about this awasome thing these people did: http://steve.deadlycomputer.com/microwave/computer.html they put a dead hard disk into the microwave, just to see what happens, hint, fire! 6. Alan Parekh Says:
April 25th, 2006

Hey Matt, Thats a good idea, I was thinking of ripping some small mirrors off a small mirror ball but and placing them around something in the center. That could be a version 2 7. Alan Parekh Says:
April 25th, 2006

Hi Clark, LOL, I just watched the video. I love the way the one guy keeps saying FIRE FIRE FIRE 8. clark Says:
April 26th, 2006

yea, i watched it a bunch of times, and i think i fire was said 7 times! there are some other good things those people did too.

9. thisbme Says:
April 26th, 2006

Wot the Hell was the guy with the harddrive generator thinking??????? Since When does breaking a magnet inhalf give you Two POLES???? 10. withaclue Says:
April 26th, 2006

-Since When does breaking a magnet inhalf give you Two POLES????since always, guess you were asleep in science class that day. the metal is magnetic all the way through. 11. Mac Cody Says:
April 26th, 2006

Electronic Goldmine sells a 14 Segment Front Surface Mirror Disk (http://www.goldmine-elecproducts.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G15470) that could be mounted to the spindle of the hard drive. The only problem is that the disk is only 3/16 thick, so it might not capture the modulated laser beam completely if the modulation is too great. Perhaps you could purchase several of the disks and stack them to provide more dynamic range for the modulation. This is a pretty neat hack, though. 12. Mac Cody Says:
April 26th, 2006

Another thought related to post #11. You could change the mechanical layout of your setup to have the unmodulated laser beam be swept by the rotating mirror disk attached to the hard drive spindle. The swept beam could then reflect off of the moduation mirror to the wall. The modulation mirror, if positioned closer to the rotating mirror disk should still be large enough to catch the laser beam as it sweeps. Hope this helps. 13. Alan Parekh Says:
April 27th, 2006

Hi Mac, Something like this one might do the trick http://forum.hackedgadgets.com/viewtopic.php?p=63#63 You have some great ideas, thanks! 14. Egor Says:
April 27th, 2006

Regarding the platter TV aerial, I saw them in Novosibirsk (or rather, Akadem Gorodok) in 1995. I suspect some academic institute mustve gotten rid of a lot of old harddrives, which got recycled in this interesting way. I had a look at the contraption, platters were indeed huge (around 8 inch in diameter, metal) with a bit of TV aerial soldered to both platters to make a dipole. I wish I still had a photo because at the time I thought no way these actually work but there they were, sold in street markets around town and popping at every balcony like Mickey mouse ears 15. Superkuh Says:
April 28th, 2006

I broke them in 2 pieces in order to have one pole. That is an odd statement considering that magnetic monopoles are not very common in reality. 16. spamster Says:
April 30th, 2006

Another Hard Drive speaker video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIGUhwdfqdQ&search=hard%20drive%20 17. major Says:

May 1st, 2006

Seems to be a lot of projects using old HDs. Also must mean there are a lot of HDs going bad. LOL, ive had several go bad in the past year. Maybe its just me but it seem that drives are going bad a lot faster than before. HD maker must be doing well, i know i always recommend buying 2 drives at a time to people. I tell them to set up a raid so they have the data protected. with hd space going into the 750Gb range, thats a lot of data to lose. Any one know any good and not to expensive raid boxes (like teraserver)? http://www.theoffernet.com HOT DEALS on the NET 18. Threefingeredlord Says:
May 1st, 2006

I dont think more hard drives are going bad, i think the internet is expanding and more people are using it so you just hear about more broken HDDs. Also, over time hard drives are getting more used and worn, so more liable to break. I havent even noticed that many broken hard drives recently anyway. 19. Alan Parekh Says:
May 1st, 2006

Hey spamster great hard drive speaker link :). Thanks! 20. Alan Parekh Says:
May 1st, 2006

Hi Major(17), I think that lots of the drives that are getting junked are just ones that are too small for anything useful anymore. All of those 1 and 2GB drives I guess there was a bunch of news a few years ago when there was a bunch of defective drives from various manufactures but I dont think that is the norm. 21. CACA Says:
May 2nd, 2006

La reputisima madre que los pario a todos. 22. Apple Says:

May 3rd, 2006

Any one know any good and not to expensive raid boxes (like teraserver)? http://www.apple.com/xserve/

http://www.apple.com/xserve/raid/ 23. Alan Parekh Says:

May 3rd, 2006

Interesting hard drive video posted in the forum, go have a look: http://forum.hackedgadgets.com/viewtopic.php?t=151 24. Scott Says:
May 5th, 2006

If youre moving the spindle by hand anyway, why not gang the coil/mirror assembly to hip-hop turntables? 25. Alan Parekh Says:
May 5th, 2006

Hey Scott, Cool idea. I was also thinking of using a second hard drive to move the second mirror Future project I guess 26. RC Sanders Says:
May 6th, 2006

What he means about breaking the magnets in half is that hard drive magnets have two sets of poles. If you break them in half, each piece has one set of poles. Whole magnet: N|S S|N 27. RC Sanders Says:
May 6th, 2006

Oops. In order to generate any usable power, the magnets on the rotor have to be arranged with the poles facing the stator alternating as you move around the rotor youd have N S N S You cant do that if the magnets have two sets of poles. Breaking them in half solves that problem. 28. Doug Bell Says:
May 16th, 2006

is there a wiring schematic for the laser 29. Alan Parekh Says:
May 16th, 2006

Hi Doug,

I have had lots of requests for construction details for the HD Scope. It should be done within a week. Alan 30. John Hunter Says:
May 22nd, 2006

More Hard Drives are going bad because too many fools think they need RAID. RAID has no relevance to 99.99% of computer applications. Having RAID isnt clever, it costs a lot more because it requires at least three separate HDs and a RAID controller but the capacity of one disc is lost. Data isnt safe and still has to be backed up since it can still be destroyed by a virus or mechanical failure, erased by a disgruntled employee, stolen. Lower MTBF because there are more components to fail and the disks are driven harder. When the first drive fails the others may have to be trashed because identical replacements might not be available by then. Fault tolerance requires more than just the RAID you need a UPS, Twin PSUs, HOT Spare RAID controller, Dual ethernet cards, Virus protection, anti theft security, fire protection, user protection (i.e. no disgruntled employees), luck (in case a second drive fails before the first failure is fixed) 31. bob Says:
June 3rd, 2006

ive got a couple of dead HDDs layin around and im thinkin about building one of these, if i do ill be sure to post some pics over on the forums. im thinking about trying to rig up one of the suggested rotating mirror octogan thingies in the middle and see how that works. first id better see if i can get my sterio to move the arm tho. 32. Alan Parekh Says:
June 3rd, 2006

There is now some build instructions available for the Hard Drive Scope: http://hackedgadgets.com/2006/06/01/making-a-hard-drive-laser-oscilloscope/ 33. David Says:
June 7th, 2006

First of all, sweet hack! Simply awesome. However, I wanted to personally thank you for introducing me to my new favourite band, Five Alarm Funk. Thanks again David 34. Michael Says:
June 9th, 2006

A laser printer has a spinning mirror in it. The older ones had three or four surfaces. The newer units may have more as they spin up much faster. Its inside the laser scanner assembly. Check it out. 35. free poker tournaments Says:
June 24th, 2006

Also odds free poker tournaments? 36. Mat Says:

June 27th, 2006

Hi Is it possible to connect it to a microphone instead of directly to the stereo? That way it can be portable and not risk distroying the stereo. Any ideas on this? Mat 37. Alan Parekh Says:
June 27th, 2006

Hi Mat, Not really since you need some amplification to move the voice coil. A microphone puts out a VERY small signal. Best thing to do is use an old amp that is not worth much. 38. pcproblems Says:
August 29th, 2006

Nice idea pal. let me try with my old hdd collection. 39. Pablo Says:
October 7th, 2006

This bloody rocks man i find 6 dead hdd 40. Joshua Santos Says:
October 13th, 2006

To be able to work that hard disk clock mod you have to find out how to lock the motor driver after the motor reaches full speed so that the controller cant shut it off. On Seagate U series drives it is very easily done, just by momentarily closing two contacts on the logic board after the spindle motor reaches full speed. 41. www.DokumentAMarble.com Top 5 uses for a dead Hard Drive Says:
October 13th, 2006

[...] Read [...] 42. Mexico501 Blog Archive Speakers made out of Dead Hard Drives Says:
October 26th, 2006

[...] Page Summary: ?Harddisko? is an installation piece dealing with raw computer sounds. Rhythmic noises are evolving from sixteen harddrives, which are orchestrated through simple power circuits. You could change the mechanical layout of your setup to have the unmodulated laser beam be swept by the rotating mirror disk attached to the hard drive spindle. Also, over time hard drives are getting more used and worn, so more liable to break.read more | digg story [...] 43. Speakers made out of Dead Hard Drives Says:

October 26th, 2006

[...] Page Summary: ?Harddisko? is an installation piece dealing with raw computer sounds. Rhythmic noises are evolving from sixteen harddrives, which are orchestrated through simple power circuits. You could change the mechanical layout of your setup to have the unmodulated laser beam be swept by the rotating mirror disk attached to the hard drive spindle. Also, over time hard drives are getting more used and worn, so more liable to break.read more | digg story [...] 44. What to do? at Earth: Mostly Harmless Says:
October 30th, 2006

[...] A clock? A laser oscilloscope? A speaker? Wind chimes? [...] 45. Chris Says:
November 1st, 2006

My name is Chris. I recently found this HD laser osc. project and tried it. its cool! But, i upgraded it, i saw another article of an X-Y- dual HD setup and was intrigued I tweaked my setup a little by not only using the servo arm, but using the main motor as well. I kept the main setup (mirror on spindle) but instead of using its own power, i found the motor power traces and placed the audio wires on those also. Therefore using the motor in the same fashion as the servo arm. Since the motor is rotational and not linear, like the arm, i used a quick fix to keep the motor from spinning uncontrollably from the music, by putting high strength flexable adhesive tape over the spindle (under the mirror) taping it to the hard drive floor, but still allowing it to vibrate. Overall it came out very nice. P.S. As i write this, my laser pointer broke, so until i get a new one, my cat is sad. 46. ::: Dj. Skuad ::: Hard Drive al ritmo de la musica PC + DJ :) Says:
November 16th, 2006

[...] Que maravilla aqui la pagina del proyecto Pagina Prpyecto [...] 47. COOL Says:
December 3rd, 2006

Cool 48. Salman Raza Says:

December 13th, 2006

hi my name is salman, i am new to this site , it is amazing uses of a hard drive. can someone told me more uses of hard drive. 49. Jane Quatam Says:
January 13th, 2007

Hi Salman, Hard drives can be used to magnetically store digital data as bits it seems like hardrives should be rated at twice their listed capacity because digital data is stored as ones and zeros and zeros are nothing and nothing doesnt take up space, so you really only needs the ones. Also old hard drives make great doorstops, not the laptop ones though. Good paper weights. Tombstones for

hamsters, and the platters make dandy little mirrors. Next week what can I use A CPU for and what is the difference between a CPU and a CPA? 50. Mole Removal Says:
January 19th, 2007

get rid mole Find out how and where you can start your ugly mole removal for pennies 51. Says:
January 20th, 2007

CD 52. Carnival of Gadget Hacks First - and last? - Edition | Great Family Gadgets Says:
January 31st, 2007

[...] This next contribution had me realizing that I should either give up this carnival or focus it more intently. Alan, at Hacked Gadgets (now if thats not a site that should be hosting this carnival, what is? :D), presents Making a Hard Drive Laser Oscilloscope. Um, this one was WAY over my head but I really enjoyed that he showed pictures of the project step-by-step. Wondering what use one would make of a hard drive laser oscilloscope, I followed the link to his post about the Top 5 Uses for a Dead Hard Drive and watched one in a video make lines dance to some music. Interested in what you can use an oscilloscope for? Check out How Stuff Works. [...] 53. Anita Says:
March 1st, 2007

Why dont you make a video of how to make a oscilloscope and how to use it. 54. Dan Says:
March 11th, 2007

One of my favorite tricks with old HDDs it to open the case (of course !) and unscrew the center hub fasteners > then remove the disc(s) > then scribe & make a series of cuts ( aircraft shears work just fine , does not matter if your cuts are perfect ) > then bend the disc(s) into a series of vane assemblies > then sit the disc (unfastened) upon the drive hub & MOVE AWAY FROM THE HDD & apply power to view wonderful & dangerous flying thingies . You can also apply the same principle to make a killer cooling fan for you computer case JUST MAKE SURE TO SECURELY RE-ATTACH the disc to the drive motor hub . I hope you have fun with this & that it gives you some wonderful ideas for odd devices to construct !!! 55. Hacked Gadgets - DIY Technology Blog Blog Archive Says:
March 23rd, 2007

[...] Most Popular: Top 5 Dead Hard Drive ProjectsPhoto Etch Circuit Board ProcessStrange Watches What to do with Blue BallsXbox 360 Tilt ControllerLaunch 20 megapixles 20 miles highErebus Scarecrow Computer Controlled Intelligent ScarecrowTop 5 Coil GunsHack the LG LAC-M6500R MP3 Car Stereo USB port

WIFIBOT Wifi Robot [...] 56. m.shen Says:

March 27th, 2007

I am a retired analog electronic design engineer from days gone by. Even so, I have kept up with digital electronic design. Can you tell me where to look to find schematics of a hard drive? Any hard drive will do since I would like to understand the peripheral circuits that are used. thanks for whatever help you can offer. marty 57. Alan Parekh Says:
March 27th, 2007

Hi M. Shen, These pages may help. http://hem.passagen.se/communication/ide.html http://www.faqs.org/docs/linux_admin/x1001.html 58. MAKE: Blog Says:
March 27th, 2007

Hard drive spring speaker Brian writes Inspired by the wealth of hard-drive recycling ideas on hacked-gadgets and the >springverb research posted at Electronic Peasant. When looking at both these pages this hack becomes pretty obvious. It helps that i had all the 59. iDiy.mobi Hacked Gadgets - DIY Technology Blog Blog Archive Top 5 Dead Hard Drive Projects Says:
March 28th, 2007

[...] Originally Syndicated via RSS from del.icio.us/tag/diy Play adventure games on your mobile [...] 60. Hacking Gadgets! - One Blog A Day - Analyzing Web Ventures: One Blog A Day - Daily Blog Reviews! Says:
April 3rd, 2007

[...] Tell us about yourself. I have worked in the electronics profession for many years, I also have interests in software engineering and embedded systems development. What is your blog about? Hacked Gadgets features a wide variety of things, lots of electronic related projects. But most entries have a strange twist to them, the Top 5 uses for a dead Hard Drive article comes to mind as a great example. [...] 61. senderj Says:
April 4th, 2007

At first, I though this is a recycling idea. But on the second though, recycling is for environmental protection, but to run this clock 24 hours a day is not environmental friendly at all. Can anybody stands the sound of an old HD

for 24 hours each day? How about the electricity bill and the energy consumption of generating such electricity? 62. Alan Parekh Says:
April 4th, 2007

Hi senderj, I never thought much about the energy cost of the device over the long haul But this is coming from a guy that leaves my main computer on 24/7 which is drawing more juice than the single hard drive clock. But when you consider a modern wall clock can operate n a single AA battery for almost 1 year the hard drive clock is a power HOG. 63. emma Says:
April 9th, 2007

cool blog! 64. Hexypoo Says:

April 10th, 2007

Who here has not made one of the HD speakers. God, that was one of my first make: kinda projects. I was so proud of it.. *tear* 65. Hack247.co.uk Blog Archive DIY Hard drive laser oscilloscope Says:
April 17th, 2007

[...] See some videos below of the unit in action or go check out Alans site for more details, pictures and construction instructions [...] 66. Tita Says:
April 30th, 2007

Nice Site!!! (p) 67. JP Says:

May 4th, 2007

Dead HDDs are one of my favorite things to take apart. Theyve got a ton of cool mechanical parts to salvage. 68. ryan Says:
May 5th, 2007

ohhhh, shiny clock.shiny clock. I WANT SHINY CLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 69. DataGuru Says:
May 30th, 2007

You can also make cool stuff out of old CDRs and DVDRs. Use the Compact Disc Eraser for sensitive data discs before doing so. DiscEraser.com 70. Michael Says:
June 20th, 2007

I am having problems. I cannot get the HD motors to spin. I am using the HDD motor and disk for the basis of a rotating mirror for an experiment to measure the speed of light. This is for the school kids next week so I would like the solution ASAP if anyone cap help. Regards 71. Alan Parekh Says:
June 20th, 2007

Hi Michael, Depending on the model, it may not spin up or only spin up for a short time since some of the drives look for data transfer as a condition of keeping the drive spinning. Your best bet would be to crack open an older drive, they tend to have less additional features like that. 72. Haseeb A Says:
June 20th, 2007

havent read this in detail but seems like i can probably use this to maek my first wind turbine. 73. Michael Garrett Says:
June 27th, 2007

I have got so many old hard drives sitting around that I may have to try on of those mods 74. Karen Says:
August 9th, 2007

Hi everyone! I too have had my fair share of Hard Drive troubles and was in the habit of trashing my defunct storage devices and buying new ones. I have had 7 hard drives crash in the past 3 years and theyve all been good brand names. Thank god for Computer Giants and their website, http://www.computergiants.com. I buy from them every single time I have a crash. If one of your media storage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_storage_device) devices bites the dust, check out their site. You can find just about anything there like SCSI, ATA, servers, Hard Drives, and Enclosures (http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Disk_enclosure). Good luck everyone! 75. Menoum! Blog Archive Disque-parleur Says:
September 17th, 2007

[...] Yen a qui ont vraiment beaucoup de temps perdre au point o ils dcouvrent comment transformer un disque dur en haut-parleur. Les rsultats sont quand mme tonnants. [...] 76. Robbo Says:
October 1st, 2007

Dead hard drives can live again as really really fast optical shutters: http://optics.ph.unimelb.edu.au/atomopt/shutter/shutter.html 77. LouiseandSean.com Total Hard Drive Failure Says:
October 11th, 2007

[...] I recently suffered through that terrible sinking feeling that you only get when you slowly come to the realization that something has gone horribly wrong. Louise went into the office to use our old desktop computer

and found only a black screen. Melanie had been playing a game on it earlier that day and it had been working fine, so this was very odd. I naturally assumed that it was a minor issue that could be quickly resolved. Reboot once or twice, maybe a couple of kicks, worst case open up the box and jiggle some cables to make sure they were seated properly. No dice. After doing all that, and more, I figured out that I had a dead hard drive. I even resorted to taking it into work to get the IT guy to check it out, and he confirmed that it was dead. Totally dead. Completely failed. Not recoverable. No data. Ouch. [...] 78. Hacked Gadgets - DIY Tech Blog Blog Archive Top 5 Dead Hard Drive Projects Says:
October 23rd, 2007

[...] 1) Hard Drive Laser Oscilloscope (page 2) [...] 79. Free PS3 Says:
December 22nd, 2007

Cool 80. HH Says:

December 26th, 2007

Can a spindle motor be used as a generator? With the nice bearings and platter, it could be used to illustrate wind power with a pringle can wind vane. 81. Alan Parekh Says:
December 26th, 2007

HI HH, I dont think so since it isnt a typical DC motor. There may be a way though 82. HH Says:
December 26th, 2007

Ill chuck one into an electric drill and see if makes any voltage/wattage/amperage. 83. Binary Hard Drive Clock Project - Hacked Gadgets - DIY Tech Blog Says:
January 20th, 2008

[...] put together. It is using one of my favorite pieces used computer hardware, that is of course the hard drive! Of course he is also using my favorite color of LED, that being the Blue LED! Dave has a schematic [...] 84. download free mp3 song Says:
February 2nd, 2008

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February 11th, 2008

i like the video

86. whiz! Says:

February 25th, 2008

Yes, hard drive platters are still being used as TV aerials, and are even being sold as ones =) Thats in Bulgaria though, and i havent seen one for sale here in a lot of time =) 87. Hard Disk Drive Drum - Hacked Gadgets - DIY Tech Blog Says:
May 16th, 2008

[...] Fibra from Belgrade has created an interesting drum system. It uses old hard drive read/write arms as drum hammers. The original hard drive voice coils are used to move the arms. The picture above is the new system which doesnt seem to be documented yet, have a look at the video for a demonstration of the first version. If you need a larger hard drive project fix have a look at these hard drive projects. [...] 88. Jarow Says:
June 20th, 2008

Hello! I read this guide to online backup and must admit its great. Complete, thorough and not too complicated. Download the Pdf file 89. Multi-Monitor Computer Says:
August 9th, 2008

The creativity of this website is awesome! Glad to see people expanding their minds, no matter how ridiculous. lol. Great Site! 90. Pagamink Blog Archive Audio sistema i hdd disk Says:
October 9th, 2008

[...] Vieni vyrukai sukr audio sitem i panaudot kietj disk. Sukompletavus bet 16 kietj disk galima ekspermentuoti su netiktinais garsais. Video, instrukcija ir garso pavydius rasite ia. [...] 91. Writings in keinism M:I:3: review : Life improvement, photography & technology in Melbourne. Says:
October 28th, 2008

[...] Kewl or crazy ideas? Hacked Gadgets shows 5 things that you can do after your HDD goes RIP. [...] 92. Hard Disk Drive Laser Shutter - Hacked Gadgets - DIY Tech Blog Says:
November 8th, 2008

[...] has been working on some interesting projects but as some of you know I have a soft spot for hard disk drive projects. By removing the drive motor and platters there was room to install a shutter in the center. The [...] 93. G33KY 5TUFF Love and Electriks Weblog Says:
November 27th, 2008

[...] http://hackedgadgets.com/2006/04/25/top-5-uses-for-a-dead-hard-drive/2/ shit i was watching this video again and just noticed..!! hey its vancouvers own five alarm funk playing in the background.. wikked stuff! whut up spenny g! http://hackedgadgets.com/2006/04/25/top-5-uses-for-a-dead-hard-drive/3/ http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/13/a-hard-drive-hack-for-turntablists/ [...] 94. Mike Craghead Says:
December 30th, 2008

More hard drive fun: http://www.instructables.com/id/Twitchy_Your_E_waste_Friend/ 95. What Can You Do with a Dead Hard Drive? | Chris Pirillo Says:
March 9th, 2009

[...] and you could put it outside or you could hang it in the office. Hacked Gadgets also has a top 5 list of things to do with an old hard drive, one of their suggestions is a wind [...] 96. Mike Craghead Says:
March 24th, 2009

Even more hard drive fun, the sequel to Twitchy, Your E-Waste Friend: http://www.instructables.com/id/Twitchy_II_Dancing_Wireman/ 97. LouiseandSean.com Total Hard Drive Failure Says:
April 10th, 2009

[...] sure they were seated properly. No dice. After doing all that, and more, I figured out that I had a dead hard drive. I even resorted to taking it into work to get the IT guy to check it out, and he confirmed that it [...] 98. Latest Hard Drive Clocks - Hacked Gadgets - DIY Tech Blog Says:
April 17th, 2009

[...] some talented people. Jason Amsel and Konstantin Klitenikfrom from Cornell University came up with this hard drive clock version (2nd on page), they added a nice touch screen that can be used to set the time. Ian Smith developed [...] 99. Latest Hard Drive Clocks | DIY How To Says:
April 17th, 2009

[...] some talented people. Jason Amsel and Konstantin Klitenikfrom from Cornell University came up with this hard drive clock version (2nd on page), they added a nice touch screen that can be used to set the time. Ian Smith developed [...] 100. Stanley Fisher Says:
June 29th, 2009

a company called debrace is selling a hard drive color built from recycled hard drive with housing. It actually looks quite nice. 101. Stanley Fisher Says:
June 29th, 2009

here is the link http://www.debrace.com/home.php?cat=2 102. Alan Parekh Says:

June 29th, 2009

Hi Stanley, Thanks for the link, that is actually a very cheap price for the custom clock!

103. zff Says:

September 9th, 2009

http://www.lotusinvention.cn/ART/arm/RotatingColorWheel.htm 104. HDDClock Reloj hecho con Disco Duro | Datanoia Says:
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October 28th, 2009

Wow there are some really talented and creative people out there. Great inventions all done with hard drives. 106. Jay Says:
November 27th, 2009

This is a nice proyect. Those magnets have two poles per side. So, it is necessary to cut them in 2 pieces with a stone cutting disk. 107. Hard Drive Platter Wallet - Hacked Gadgets - DIY Tech Blog Says:
December 15th, 2009

[...] Mikey Sklar has put together an interesting wallet, it is made out of hard drive platters. As you know we have a soft spot for anything made from Hard Drives here at Hacked Gadgets. [...] 108. Nikhil Says:
December 19th, 2009

Hey guys could any1 tell me more abt dis I damn wanna hack my hard disk but donno where to strt frm pls pls pls lemme know like steps for my Samsung HD!!!! pretty PSL!!!!! mail me d steps at saniks88@yahoo.com 109. clark smith Says:
May 10th, 2010

Great ideas! I usually just smash them and pour water over them. 110. Jarvis Says:
July 21st, 2010

Wow, pretty tech! 111. How to Replace a Capacitor - Hacked Gadgets - DIY Tech Blog Says:
July 31st, 2010

[...] have featured the work of Afrotech here before, remember those cool hard drive speakers? His speakers were a big inspiration for the Hard Drive [...] 112. dual monitors Says:
September 16th, 2010

this reminds me of that Radiohead contest where the first place dude used all old hardrives for the video. Geeh wish I could find it, you would all really appreciate it 113. More about the Tech Recycle Competition DAWN in Education: the blog Says:
June 13th, 2011

[...] Source: http://hackedgadgets.com/2006/04/25/top-5-uses-for-a-dead-hard-drive/3/ [...] 114. DIY Hard drive laser oscilloscope - hack247 Says:
October 26th, 2011

[...] check out Alans site for more details, pictures and construction instructions [...] 115. Spotted Marley Says:
June 20th, 2012

You can use the magnets from inside your HDD and a 75 cent reed switch to get that stepper motor spinning super fast. Heres the video tutorial: http://jaytube.org/share/PueF3b3XXBo 116. Hard Drive Hamster Wheel - Hacked Gadgets DIY Tech Blog Says:
April 1st, 2013

[...] have upgraded your hamster wheel if you still have a few hard drives left have a look at some other Hard Drive Hacks that you can [...] 117. Jeff Avery Says:
August 3rd, 2013

I go through a ton of hard drives. Ive made a USS Enterprise, Motorcycle and various other stuff: http://blog.jeffavery.com/?p=576 -Jeff 118. HELP Secondary Master Hard Disk Error Says:
August 8th, 2013

[...] Disk Error Thanks for pointing it out .. I must have overlooked it but the HDD is still useful Top 5 Dead Hard Drive Projects Hacked Gadgets DIY Tech Blog What Can I Do with a Dead Hard Drive? __________________ ..Who Dares Wins.. ..Avenging [...]

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