Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Thread: Kids Computer

  1. 05-23-2007, 12:12 PM #1
    Ironcat
    Ironcat is offline
    Custom User Title Ironcat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    sunny south florida
    Posts
    517

    Default Kids Computer

    As some of you may know, I recently got ahold of an old Gateway computer for the kids. A 433C which was apparently a 433 Mhz Celeron with a 10Gb HDD and 128 Mb of RAM. I know, I know... but it was free...

    So anyway, I was asking around in the forums for help in deciding to upgrade or gut it or whatever, and last night my daughters said, "Hey Daddy, why don't you make us one of your special computers and it can go on your cool website (TBCS) and our computer will be famous!"

    So... here we go...

    I didn't know I was going to be making a worklog so I don't have any before pics... deal with it.

    My 11 year old asked if she could paint the front, and of course I said yes (after all it's their computer). I asked if she knew how to clean and prep it for painting and she said yes...

    This is what came back in the house with her later...



    it turns out her "cleaning" was spraying it down with a hose and spray painting it while wet.

    Here's the front without the faceplate... her paint job was actually an improvement!



    ... and here's a shot of what I am dealing with on the inside.



    This is the HDD mounted flush with the roof above the CD-Rom



    This is the dinky power supply and mobo-mess inside



    Which leads out the back to this...

    "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, con a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects"

    Robert A. Heinlein
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  2. 05-23-2007, 12:17 PM #2
    Ironcat
    Ironcat is offline
    Custom User Title Ironcat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    sunny south florida
    Posts
    517

    Default Re: Kids Computer

    Obviously I am going to need a new motherboard and internals... I doubt they could even play Myst on a 433 Celeron...

    I found this on my shelf of modding goodies.



    It's an Intel E210882 Desktop Board and while it isn't great, it's the only board I have on my shelf that will fit in this case.

    It's for a P4 and it actually has a processor in it, but I don't know where I got it and can't read anything on it to tell what speed it is.
    Integrated graphics and sound mean less I have to buy to get it going.

    The board has a FSB of 800, it will hold 2Gb of RAM and it has a couple of PCI slots... I guess it will have to do.
    "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, con a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects"

    Robert A. Heinlein
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  3. 05-23-2007, 12:26 PM #3
    Ironcat
    Ironcat is offline
    Custom User Title Ironcat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    sunny south florida
    Posts
    517

    Default Re: Kids Computer

    I made the 11 and 12 year old each clean and sand one side of the case before school, they will prime and paint it later today.

    Kenzie's side...



    Katie's side...

    "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, con a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects"

    Robert A. Heinlein
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  4. 05-23-2007, 12:36 PM #4
    psychowit
    psychowit is offline
    ATX Mental Case
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    138

    Default Re: Kids Computer

    Ha awsm thats a nice little family project
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  5. 05-23-2007, 01:37 PM #5
    b4i7
    b4i7 is offline
    Sexy Hot Nurse ..... NOT!! b4i7's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    oklahoma
    Posts
    1,656

    Default Re: Kids Computer

    sounds like you have a couple of mod daughters

    its always nice to have family projects like that
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  6. 05-23-2007, 02:31 PM #6
    XcOM
    XcOM is offline
    Ceann na Drochaide Bige! XcOM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Sheffield (UK)
    Posts
    2,990

    Default Re: Kids Computer

    yea, the FAMOUS modding kiddies!


    Mary had a little lamb. It bumped into a pylon. Ten thousand volts went up its arse and turned its wool to nylon!
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  7. 05-23-2007, 03:57 PM #7
    Drum Thumper
    Drum Thumper is offline
    Like a Lightning Bolt in Your Cheerios! Drum Thumper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Montana
    Posts
    4,522

    Default Re: Kids Computer

    Moving along nicely. Is the front panel going to stay as is?
    Quote Originally Posted by artoodeeto View Post
    aw heck guys. We're modders. Let's just build our own, shall we?

    DrumThumper.net || The Brewing Art ||
    My Flickr Stream
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  8. 05-23-2007, 07:35 PM #8
    simon275
    simon275 is offline
    I come from a land down under. simon275's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    3,075

    Default Re: Kids Computer

    Gotta love child labour who needs a power sander just get two kids and some sand paper. JK!

    Nice one mate good to see a family project and getting your kids involved with computers at a young age is great to see. Fill it up with educational software and have them doing maths a year ahead of there current level in no time.
    Need a sig
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  9. 05-23-2007, 08:34 PM #9
    Ironcat
    Ironcat is offline
    Custom User Title Ironcat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    sunny south florida
    Posts
    517

    Default Hit the first snags...

    Moving along nicely. Is the front panel going to stay as is?
    I don't know. The girls can't decide if they want it to stay nice and flat for sticking barbie stickers on or if they want a blowhole fan in front... (can you guess where I am leaning?) Likewise, one wants a plexi side window (I don't know why, there's nothing special in there) and the other wants a nice flat side panel for stickers and whatnot.

    Snag #1 : My kids can't prime for crap. They picked a white primer because they are thinking the case is gonna be pastel pink, but we just use rattle cans and I guess they didn't shake it well enough or something, I have blobs, dots, and orange peel and who knows what else. I guess tomorrow they will be sanding again.

    Snag #2 : I gutted the inside for switching the mobo out and it turns out that there is no fancy tin snap on piece for the back of the mobo, the case actually has holes cut in the steel directly in line with all the ports and plugs on this mobo. Guess I am going to get to use my dremel...

    Snag #3 : While gutting it, I took a minute to read the side label on the power supply... It was only 90 friggin watts! The good news is that I have 4 or 5 old (and not so old) power supplies laying around, everything from a big old 200 to an Antec True Power 480, but the case is actually formed with an angle that was the perfect size for the itty bitty 90... so none of my PSU's will fit... should I just chop another wedge with the dremel or what?

    * Pictures tomorrow *
    "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, con a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects"

    Robert A. Heinlein
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  10. 05-23-2007, 08:50 PM #10
    Eclecticos
    Eclecticos is offline
    Banned Eclecticos's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    3,137

    Default Re: Kids Computer

    Quote Originally Posted by Ironcat View Post
    Snag #1 : My kids can't prime for crap.
    Loooool. . . you better get them some masks for sanding.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Forum Rules