Building a modders tool box

[tougas]

So I'm putting together a modders/computer tool box. So i am wondering since I'm new to Modding PC's what would the essentials be, best way to get them and does anyone know where I can get a fairly abundant kit of miscellaneous computer screws?

 

[Motopsychojdn]

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/287667-13-home-modder-tool-list
maybe a place to start, and modding shops sell screws etc, but most of us keep stuff from old rigs that pass through our hands, I throw them away now as I have about two pounds weight in mobo screws alone
Moto

 

[mildgamer001]

needle nose pliers, large, med, and small flathead and philips screwdrivers, DREMEL TOOL, hot glue, crapton of computer screws, duct tape. painters tape, very sharp, maybe even exacto/crafting knives, mostly for smaller stuff that isnt metal or if you ever use wood on a computer build.

moto, if you got those screws from other computers, what did you do with the parts u didntr want? that local transfer station/dump/junkyard must hate you lol.

 

[wr6133]

Leatherman

Most useful tool ever equally great for construction or destruction. I personally have a draw full of them but thats a whole story in itself involving a mortar round hitting a quartermasters store and everything contained inside being "lost".

*edit for morning typos*

 

[tougas]

I have multiple Ferber's/multi tools so i got that checked off

 

[cyansnow]

probably screw drivers (flathead and phillips) a dremel will go a long ways, tape, teflon tape (AKA PTFE) a craft knife or a razor, painters tape, electric drill, leatherman, measuring tape, pliers, and lots, and lots of screws of all sizes.

 

[tougas]

does anyone know where i can get a kit that comes with a bunch of screws of all sizes. most of the ones ive seen only have a handful of sizes and not that many in quantity

 

[hairystuff]

All the above and a multi-meter, logic probes, contactless temp probe, psu tester, key/needle files, rj-45 crimp tools and plugs, network cable tester, soldering iron and solder, solder wick and solder sucker, helping hands (magnifier with crock clips), jewelers loop, usb microscope, kyner wire, fiberglass pencil, assorted sizes of heatshrink (glue lined and standard), assorted cable ties, earth straps, scalpel and cutting mat.

 

[hairystuff]

does anyone know where i can get a kit that comes with a bunch of screws of all sizes. most of the ones ive seen only have a handful of sizes and not that many in quantity

ebuyer, farnell, rs and maplins has quite alot of small kits, ebay is another good place for consumable bits like heat shrink and plugs.

 

[Motopsychojdn]

All the above and a multi-meter, logic probes, contactless temp probe, psu tester, key/needle files, rj-45 crimp tools and plugs, network cable tester, soldering iron and solder, solder wick and solder sucker, helping hands (magnifier with crock clips), jewelers loop, usb microscope, kyner wire, fiberglass pencil, assorted sizes of heatshrink (glue lined and standard), assorted cable ties, earth straps, scalpel and cutting mat.

I wouldn't call that basic hehe, thats more ideal set up kit
@Tougas, I have a Gerber, was the Ferber a fore-runner maybe? or a furby/Gerber crossover? (Shudders at the thought)
@Op, I rarely throw anything away, cases are pre-bent sheet metal, you can make brackets, covers, I made a roofbox for my W/c build from an old case, to hide wires, a fan controller and tubing

and part of the side made a very useful backplate cover for the rear of the Mobo,

The only thing I throw out are dead Cpu's and hard drives, there really is no use for those, (That I've found yet)

In modding the important thing is not just to think outside of the box to find a solution to your challenge, you make your own box and play by your rules

Moto

 

[tougas]

I wouldn't call that basic hehe, thats more ideal set up kit
@Tougas, I have a Gerber, was the Ferber a fore-runner maybe? or a furby/Gerber crossover? (Shudders at the thought)
@Op, I rarely throw anything away, cases are pre-bent sheet metal, you can make brackets, covers, I made a roofbox for my W/c build from an old case, to hide wires, a fan controller and tubing
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/Motopsychojdn/Psycho Rider/IMAG0160.jpg
and part of the side made a very useful backplate cover for the rear of the Mobo,
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/Motopsychojdn/Psycho Rider/IMAG0111.jpg

The only thing I throw out are dead Cpu's and hard drives, there really is no use for those, (That I've found yet)

In modding the important thing is not just to think outside of the box to find a solution to your challenge, you make your own box and play by your rules

Moto

teach me your ways lol

 

[Motopsychojdn]

I am actually writing up a cable management guide whilst I rebuild my rig to include an external radiatorbox so there'll be plenty of pics and tips in there once its done,
but heres a couple of my logs you can look through and maybe borrow ideas from,
First build (about two years ago)
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareuk.inc&cat=13&post=279226&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0
Second build a few months later, hard case to work with but great fun for a challenge,
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareuk.inc&cat=13&post=287494&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0
Never be afraid to cut things up, just be aware that what is cut can never be un-cut, another mod would be required to put it to rights so make sure you want/need to make it before you do

My current baby, (Gf and motorbike not withstanding),
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareuk.inc&cat=13&post=311860&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0
and the radbox, as far as it is at the moment
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/274180-11-psycho-rider-radbox-project#bas
I've always been a tinker, bikes, guitars, I can't think of much I've owned and not modified in some way, its just my nature hehe
'this is nice, but I can make it better....'
Moto

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

I own Computer shops and a lappy repair company....

For the tools.... buy Snap-On...very very expensive , but guaranteed for life....and the first time a cheap (non snap-on) tool skids off a screw and wrecks a motherboard, you WILL wish you bought them...

All the best Brett

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Although taking care with your work is a priority,
I do concur that quality tools are an investment to be applauded
Moto

 

[hairystuff]

@Motopsychojdn
I started out with a few tools (1992 for computers, electronics since 1988) but you always end up adding little things here and there (it all began as a hobby), I've got stuff that I haven't even listed there like my thermal imager, oscilloscopes, small bore endoscope, misc component racks, vehicle diagnostic dongles and testbooks, spectrum analysers, the list goes on. But the most important thing I've learned is don't lend your tools to anybody, if they don't own it they don't respect or know how to use it.

As for gerber, letherman, sog, their multitools can be a life saver whether for quick fixes or traveling.

Branded tools are great like snap-on and mac, but are really expensive but anyone that has used their tools will swear by them, I personally use them for vehicle service and repair jobs but in my computer toolbox I have standard stanley, draper tools which are more than adequate, as for driver bits I tend to go for Bocsh and Black & Decker, as for battery powered tools I normally go for Maketa, Bosch, De-Walt.

 

[Motopsychojdn]

As a Biker, **don't lend your tools to anybody**
AMEN to that!
I learned the expensive way about multi-tools, went through about ten £10 jobs from markets and cheap shops, then realised if I'd spent £100 I could've bought a decent one to begin with hehe
we all start with basic kits, screwdriver, a few spanners etc, but as we need tools we add, like you stated, I bought a multimeter for the Pc side of things, but I use it more on my bike to be honest
that was the original point of the guide I started writing (link at top)
to give an idea of the bare minimum of tools for modders, and add the nice things later
Moto

 

[hairystuff]

Definately Moto, start with basics and add as you go, well to be fairly honest a philips screwdriver is what you only need for most PC repair or build jobs, but once you start modding and diagnosing things then you start needing additional tools.

 

[mildgamer001]

Special tools are deffinitly nice to have but sometimes those fancy tools you buy later end up either not being used much or simple ghetto/jerry rigging fixes work almost as well. just a thought. but also with one of tougas's replies, save EVERYTHING you get from old computers that you may accuire, it really stinks when you need a certain part or piece and realize there was one that would work perfectly but it was in a computer you threw out 2 days ago.
and basicly all internal parts can be reused, aside from hard drives, (actually som epeople make pretty cool stuff with hard drives but most is hobby stuff liek clocks and speakers) and if parts still work, you might be able to use them again at some point, or resell, Ex. used pentium IIs are often going to like 100$ online depending on which model. and i have been thinking about getting a bunch of old motherboards and making display furniture out of them, (ive seen some really cool coffie tables using wood, and mobos under glass with leds inside, looked really nice haha) abnd also its a great way of getting computer screws, also older cases often have heavier and better screws and panels.

 

[Wisecracker]

#2 Phillips insulated, non-magnetic screwdriver. I like 'em long

Don't buy the cheap stuff -- but you certainly don't have to buy the high dollar stuff. Hit the electrical tools aisle at your neighborhood big box.

$10-$12 works for the most part with me. I actually use a Klein multi-tool most of the time. I nut-drive 75%+ of my 6-32 screws.

Do you mean serious MOD ?

A Dremel is great but they'll run hot for heavy-duty stuff. Don't be afraid of going angle grinder. :lol:

A nice metal file is good -- some 00 steel wool or even some rubbing compound can clean things up.

You can salvage most any metal -- but being computer-related and standard design sure helps. A power drill (cordless or not, or have no issues throwing a biggazz drill press at it) makes quick work. A nice set of snips, side-cutters, small metal vise, clamps, etc ... really handy for bending and fabrication. You can go a long way with $30-$50, and do some really neat stuff.

Pop riveter and color rivets? Piece of cake. Color split wire loom? $1/ft at your local auto parts. 2 sf of LEXAN? $14

You mean those kinds of mods ??

 

[tougas]

I'm mainly interested in case mods and water cooling but as I get better I may get more daring. I only have a constraint with space since I live in a military barracks. So i essentially have a medium sized room to work in. Lol hence why I said toolbox lol. When i get my house I've already called dibs on a room for my workshop so then its fair game lol

 

[Wisecracker]

There must be some machinist-types on your base -- convince them to do the heavy lifting -- and they might have some interesting ideas if you feed 'em the right design ideas and specs. Should be easy to build and mount a simple internal/external bracket(s) for a pump, radiators, manifold, or whatever.

Pictures and a physical description of what you want to do always helps. I suspect there are quite a number of products that can be readily retro-fitted, if required, with minimal effort.

Have you any ideas on your overall cooling design?

 

[tougas]

I'm still trying to work it out but the unfortunate part is there's no stores around here that sell the supplies so i can't get a hands on look at them so essentially I'm buying blind

 

[Wisecracker]

Ultimately, it's your cooling demand that sets overall design, but it sure looks as if a Swiftech radiator might be a sweet match with your upper bank of fans. You need to determine your demand and size the radiator to either a 1-, 2- or 3-bay model.

It also appears that a 2-bay radiator may work in the front fan bays.

List everything you wish to water cool: cpu, gpu(s), chipset, FETs ???

 

[tougas]

I eventually want to water cool everything. with the way this case is i can set up a triple rad on top with 3 pull and 2 push. 3rd push would end up 2/3 inside of a 5.25 bay so thats not good. I can also fit a double rad in front and a double rad in the bottom. I may be able to make them push pull but im not sure. I definitely want to start with the cpu and i want to do the ram too just cause i can. Im debating the chipset. but for now the GPU will wait because i plan on upgrading to the gtx680 after my vacation. so what im thinking is setting up a double rad up top in push pull for cpu then out of the rad to a small res/pump to go to ram (because of restriction) then up top to a single rad with pull only then to a med res then to the main pump. I know it sounds extravagant but I kinda like the look of some over-the-top systems.

 

[mildgamer001]

also one more thing, they are pretty expencive but great for fans, 3", 4.5", etc metal HOLE SAW they sttach right on to a power drill and if you spin them fast enough, cut through computer cases fairly well. 3"is almost the right size for an 80mm fan, where i live every one is an old person and no one sells tools on the metric system lol so i dotn know if you could find 80, 120, etc mm sizes or not.