/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>471040
I'd also remove those top "armrests" that rise above the top shelf, theyre useless and look clunky

if that were mine:

-shrink the tablespace of the top shelf so it's 1/3 - 1/2 shorter (coming out to you), just enough space to comfortibly seat the monitor and lamp

-lower the second shelf a few inches to give yourself more typing/main table space to work with

-add "walls" on the sides and back so it doesnt look so skeletal, you can drill cable holes to run cables through

-use a router on the front edges of the two shelfs

-sand and stain/paint the entire thing so it doesn't look so ...basic

hey OP, about how much do you save doing those things? (The dish soap and laundry detergent)

I'm always looking to save some cash, if it's more than 5 bucks I'll probably start making them lol.

I don't think this really counts, but I cook all my own food and eat out absolutely no more than 5 times a month (and that's REALLY being generous, realistically it's around 1-2x)

I'm not 100% sure how much I save, but I know it's in the 3 digits per month. I figure eating 2x a day off fast food would cost around 10 bucks (not counting soda etc), that'd be around 300 bucks a month. I'm easily spending less than 100, and eating damn good I might add.

moral of the story: my generation needs to learn how to cook

>>463911
btw, this is inspired by something i read for toy DIY some time ago:

http://www.figurerealm.com/viewcustomtutorial.php?id=17

1. buy "grip dip", liquid rubber you dip things in to make rubber handles
2. dip the back side of your case (with battery placed) into gripdip
3. use a razorblade/hobby knife to cut out holes where you need
4. let harden
5. pull phone out of case, now put it back in. bamo, your phoencase is now re-built with a bigger back

>>463167
it's a makeshift washer to keep the bolt from ripping out of the table

I have no idea how this thing works and cant picture it in the slightest.

with that said, im a HUGE turtle fan and I love that you're going out of your way to help the little guy out. Please post progress pics and of course a final "robo turtle" pic

>>462721
i saw an al bundy joke coming, but it never came :(

26 years old, I'm a licensed computer technician.

I was the lead tech for a small company for 5 years. I quit my job about a year ago to go into internet marketing (known as IM, hense the namefagging).

I spent about 4 years tinkering with it as a side project/hobby/extra income, decided to go into it full time.

Right now I make about 2k a month and actually work for about 4 hours every other day. If i were to pull 8 hour shifts 9-5 I can probably pull in around 5-6k monthly, but I enjoy the free time.

Technically though, I'm always thinking and keeping my eyes open for opportunity and ideas, so I guess you could say I work 24/7.

>>455966
alibaba = scammers paradise

>>456344
>>456346

technically it's the motherboard unless its a big fany laptop that has a expansion graphics card (which i higly, highly doubt.)

your vid card is fried, 99.9% of laptops have intigrated videocards, meaning it IS part of your motherboard.

read up on repairing such a thing. I've never done it but i've heard of a "bake method" where you put the mobo in your oven for x amount of time, supposed to have like a 80% success rate.

as for your other computer going from laptop to desktop: it doesn't sound like moving it to a new case with a new power supply is going to solve anything. at best it'd be months of research and work to change it into a jerry rigged esktop that still has the same issues.

and in the event that you DO manage to accomplish it and it DOES fix all the problems, you just wasted god knows how much time on a cool mod with shitty components

>>456297
"would it be possible to gut the laptop and instert it into the empty pc case?"

Technically, yes. Realistically, no.

"I would like to use the pc power supply to power it. Is possible?"

Read previous answer.

You'd have to figure out how to adapt the currents from the power supply to match whats needed for the motherboard, and soldir/otherwise rig the connections to actually fit one another.

You'd also have to heavily mod any standard standard/mini/micro atx case to hold yoru motherboard and its components

>>456363
maybe it's because I don't know dick about LotR, but...


is it supposed to look like a pile of garbage? I can't even tell wtf it was meant to be.

>>456565
ohh, another thing:

if you DO wind up giving in and getting that camping stove you were eyeballing, go setup somewhere (where you wont get booted off the land) next to a busy road and start cooking up that chicken.

I live in texas, this is a popular habbit for people to make side money. if you're hungry while driving and drive by a smokey bbq grill and get hit with the smell of that chicken...might as well say bye bye to 10 bucks because no way you can avoid it.

>>456353
no problem bro, keep your chin up. You're not homeless or a bum, you're just on an extended camping trip.

Think and treat it like that and everything will be 100% smoother. im serious about the fishing thing. You could live forever out there if you set up by a river and learn to fish

and stop buying those dollar burgers. I know you're doing it.

>>456492
I have never in my life seen an adapter to convert LCD screen connection types.

you can normally get a new LCD off ebay for 30-50 bucks though

computer tech here

it depends on what laptop you have, but for the most part you'll have to almost pull the entire thing apart.

1. shut off laptop, remove battery and any removable parts (sim card, usb connections, power cable, etc)

2. flip laptop upside down

3. use small screwdriver to remove every screw you see on the bottom (theres normally 15-30, make sure to look where the battery goes, there's normally 3-4 there)

4. flip laptop right side up and open the lid. the plastic panel above the keyboard (normally where your power button is) should pop off now (it's normally held on by the screws under the battery), get a screwdriver or use your fingernail, it takes a little effort sometimes (don't rip anything and break it!)

5. once that's removed, take the keyboard out, it will normally need to be slid upwards a bit then lifted, and a couple ribbon cables will be connected (DONT BREAK THEM), flip their latch to remove them from the motherboard

6. remove the rubber circles (use a small flathead) along the plastic basil around your LCD screen. under each one will be a screw, remove those.

7. pop the front bazel for the screen off, be careful becasue sometimes the inverter is attatched to it (bottom center)

8. a metal bracket will be on each side of the LCD, screwed in place with 3-6 screws on each. follow it down to the motherboard area, you may be able to remove it (and the wires running from your screen) at this point. if not:

9. remove the rest of the motherboards upper clamshell (where your keyboard was sitting on), itll normally have a few more screws, pull out the cd drive (a screw back at step 3 holds it in place so it should slide out now) and look in its lip for more screws. once thats off you should have easy access no matter what to the brackets attatching the two halves of your laptop together.

10. remove screen, be careful to unhook each ribbion cable, and be gentle when lifting their latch, they can break easy sometimes.

actually the blades dull is the #1 issue.

a trick i learned online years ago and still use today:

get an old pair of blue jeans (or a pair you ware, its never been a problem for me)

after you shave take the razor and run it across the jeans with the "grain" of the material. run it so the non-sharp end is in front and the sharp end is in back (so you don't try to cut into your jeans and ruin both the razor and jeans)

do 100 strokes in one direction, then flip and do 100 strokes in the other, i tend to alternate in sets of 20.

it doesnt make it as good as new, but ive used a single disposable razor for months and months using this trick.

the one important thing to know is:
if you have a razor with that strip of lubricant/whatever its supposed to be, that'll get ruined the first time you do this.

>>453943
im the computer tech for a bunch of dentist offices, one i've made friends with (we'll bullshit for hours after im done with his monthly visit)

we talked about bad breath and i mentioned how i get some HORRID smells sometimes, he walked off and came back with 2 bottles and gave them to me. he said they cost about 15-20 bucks a piece and theyre the best thing you can get for bad breath (99% of mouthwashers just mask the odor, this stuff kills the odor completely)

i really cant describe the level of clean i feel in my mouth after i use them.

sadly, im out of town right now and cant remember what theyre called...if this threads still around in a week from now ill post back lol

>>455972
cont

5. SAVE YOUR MONEY:
if you drink, stop.
if you buy stupid shit, stop
if you buy junk food, stop.

6. LOOK FOR HANDOUTS
this only applies if youre 100% bumming it (meaning you have no income)

there's lots of people, charities, organizations, and random craigslisters willing to give you some non perishable foods, clothing, maybe even someplace to stay for a night. keep your eyes peeled and be nice to everyone

>>455969
cont

4. find things you enjoy that are free:

it's VERY important to keep your moral up so you can pull yourself out of this. Bumming it can make a man lose all hope real fast in todays world. Work as much and as hard as you can, try to pull yourself out. but when you DO have free time, don't let your mind be your enemy. Like I mentioned earlier, take up fishing. It's relaxing, enjoyable, and provides free food. My older brother is an avid sportsman and loves fishing, and has actually started selling his catches to co-workers, making pretty good spare money by doing something he loves to do.

get into reading and snag free books off craigslist to enjoy.

or better yet, find a job you actually ENJOY doing, and work as much overtime as they'll let you. I was a computer tech for over 5 years and i literally spent 48 hours strait in the shop sometimes just because I didn't feel like going home yet.

get a sharp knife and work on making crafts to sell (possibly even online like etsy or ebay), you'd be surprised how well some things can sell thats made from nothing more than cut branches and wood glue

tips to save money/live cheap:

1. stay by a river/lake as often as possible
-this allows you to make campfires without people staring, sleep under the stars
-get a fishing pole from a flea market for 5-10 bucks
-get a throw net/cast net/whatever u want to call it from the local bait shop for 15 bucks, catch your own bait to fish with
-learn to fish

2. get a cooler
-get free cooler off craigslist/flea market one cheap
-buy 2-4 dollars of ice (2-4 bags, depending on the size of your cooler)
-store foods in there.

3. cheap food options:
*it's important to eat as well as you can to avoid going crazy/wasting money on junk
*im living cheaply right now because I'm helping my gf cover her bills while shes out of work, we live off around 3 dollars a day food wise (it could be less but we like to eat)

-dont buy fast food. ever.
-get quart/gallon ziplock bags (rinse and re-use)
-stock up on spices so you dont get into a "im craving ____" mode. chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. you can find these for a dollar each if you store hunt

-10lbs chicken leg quarters cost around 5-6 dollars, comes with about 10 pieces
-bag of potatos cost about 3 dollars, 15-20 potatos
-bag of carrots costs around 1.50, 10ish carrots
-cilantro is around 25 cents for a bundle
-jalapenos are under 2 bucks a pound, buy 4-5 at a time and it'll cost you around 60 cents
-bananas are around 75 cents a pound
-dry beans (i dont recall the cost but theyre cheap)
-limes/lemons are like 15 cents each

coat chicken in spices of your choosing (experiment and youll find different things you like) and fire roast, you'll eat like a king. same applies to fish. make fire baked potatos and carrots (use foil)

cost will be around 40 bucks upfront, with bi-weekly restocks costing 10-15 (chicken potato etc)

eating free fish will stretch your costs out even more

just because you're bumming it doesn't mean you cant eat well.

honestly I wouldn't worry too much about prying eyes. in todays world seeing a car parked is nothing anyone bats an eye at.

spend daylight doing whatever (preferably working so you DONT live in your car anymore)

if you have any spare daylight go for a long walk, go to a lake/park, library, mall, whatever, just find something to kill the leftover daylight

once night hits park your car somewhere that isn't too high traffic at night but isn't carless (i've parked my car for 8+ hours in a walmart parking lot and never had an issue with it)

dont get out of your car and get into the back seat, park, climb into the back, go to sleep. if any cop shows up tell them you had a long drive between towns and had to pull over for sleep.

1. use sandpaper on surface to lightly scuff the metal
2. 3 coats of primer
3. base coat
4. paint image
5. ???
6. profit