Before we start gutting your hard drive and blow his guts, let's talk about data security. A "dead hard drive" means that the drive is not functioning properly and any attempts you make to recover the data will programmatically were not successful. If the disk contains really important data, and you suspect that there may be an eccentric who will decide to get it, then erase the data so that it is not recoverable :). Although, if the only valuable thing on your screw was stolen rips of Bon Jovi concerts, then your hardware is ripe for all sorts of DIY projects (Do It Yourself projects).
In principle, all DIY projects with hard drives can be divided according to the level of technical knowledge and skill of the experimenter. Let's start from simple to complex :).
Extraction of spare parts
The simplest but most useful thing that can be obtained from a hard drive is magnets. IN hard drives Super strong magnets are used, and they can be used in any household. Here is an example of how one character built a knife holder for the kitchen. He took a wooden plank, extracted the core with a chisel, and stuffed magnets into it.
In general, of course, he did this in vain, because when a friend has knives at hand, it’s not far from everyday life :). It’s good that I didn’t catch the pans.
They are also often used to magnetize screwdrivers or as refrigerator magnets.
Let's add more creativity
Ordinary screw pancakes can be turned into a steampunk clock. To do this, you will need a few parts, which you can find in hobby stores, or try to discreetly borrow your granny's alarm clock.
And if “your hands are not for boredom,” then next you can assemble an LED clock from a hard drive.
More old hard The disk can be turned into a super-sensitive input device. You can see how a craftsman turned his old HDD into a DJ console.
Here is just a small sketch of interesting solutions from old pieces of iron.
It’s interesting how our readers use killed hard drives.
Things that fail are not always trash. You just need to figure out how to replace them intended purpose and use it in new ways. For example, an old hard drive. At first glance, it is a waste material that must be recycled. But if you look closely, you can find many creative ideas for its further use.
Watch
If you get creative, you might end up with table clock, reminiscent of classical mechanics. You need to spend very little for all this beauty. In addition to the hard drive, you need to stock up on screws, a screwdriver, superglue and a heat gun. You will also need a drill and a drill bit. The hard drive is disassembled and all elements are removed from it.
To make the product not only functional, but also beautiful, surround the plate with LEDs. Strip LED strip attached to the chamber wall using super glue.
Sharpening machine
In order to make a sharpening machine, you need to take a screwdriver and sandpaper. The manufacturing method is really very simple. All unnecessary components, represented by magnets, are removed from the disks. This is done using a screwdriver. Afterwards the disk is removed, and a circle is cut to its size.
Important! Power is not provided by a regular outlet. You will need a power supply. In order for it to start without motherboard, you need to cut off the copper wire and plug it into the connector, connect it to the black and green wires.
At the end, the emery wheel is glued to the disk, fixed and connected to the power supply.
Portable storage
A portable storage device is simply made from a hard drive. To do this, take a container and place a hard drive in it. For designs larger than 2.5 inches, you will need to buy a power adapter.
A working hard drive can be used as a cloud server. This requires a single-board computer and the skill of even a novice IT specialist. The end result will be a device that will provide access to all computer data from gadgets connected to one Wi-Fi router.
Hard drives contain an element called neodymium magnet. It is quite large, so it can attract a lot of different things. With its help you can create a stand that will hold knives in the air. To do this you will have to take a bar, a magnet, glue and simple tools like a screwdriver and a knife.
Wind chimes
One of the cute things you can create from a disc is a doorbell. Before this, you can take the disks, the case, the usual fastening ring made of metal, and also the cord. Put all this together and you get a real work of art.
Secret safe
In standard small-sized apartments there is not enough space to install a secret safe for jewelry or money. But similar useful thing You can make it yourself from an old hard drive. It is necessary to remove the components from its body, and then attach the cover with a small bolt to the corner. The container will open by turning.
For this device, in addition to the hard drive, you need to take a basin, make a hole in it, stock up on a lid from a tin, the tin itself, and bicycle spokes. First you need to make three holes in the disk on the lid. Next, the bicycle spokes are soldered to the resulting device, and a kind of box is made from the can. The lid is connected to the structure, the middle is removed from it. You can pour fuel into the hole. All this is placed in a basin and sugar is added. At the end, the alcohol is ignited and the disc is turned on.
Flash drive
If you want to surprise your friends with an interesting and unusual gigantic flash drive, you can use an old hard drive. First you need to remove the mounting screws with the disk and cover. Next, select a USB splitter that is suitable in size. It snaps into place central disk, and the connection is lubricated with superglue. At the end, a flash drive is attached and the lid is assembled.
And just for those who like to browse the site in search of interesting and useful things. As usual in our time, old things are disposed of in the most common way, this is throwing them in landfills, but sometimes it happens that something useful can be collected from an item that has failed or lost its basic qualities, in other words, given 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.
*Insulation 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, for this you can use a stocking or sock.
In order to complete the homemade product, you need to fix our filter with electrical tape and connect the computer's power supply, but if it is used separately, then you need to connect the green wire with the black wire, simulating the power button on the computer.
Don’t rush to throw away hard drives left over after upgrading your computer 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-inch, while 2.5-inch drives usually do not need 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, such as 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.
In this publication, we will look at what can be made using 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. Hard drives use very powerful magnets, which 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 computer unit food 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. Screw the ribbons to 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 won't have any effect on the hard drive.
