In this week's MacGyver Challenge, we asked you to hack something using old computer parts. We received some great entries, but the winning hack shows us a great way to mount your camera almost anywhere for that perfect shot.
Check out the description of the winning entry below and read about some of our other favorite entries.
Winner: Mount Your Camera Almost Anywhere Using a Hard Drive Magnet
Not always able to find the perfect spot for a tripod or minipod, Alex421 had a clever idea. Using a rare-earth magnet from an old hard disk drive (the mechanical kind, not an SSD) and the top of a minipod, he created a magnetic mount that lets him place his camera almost anywhere. He discovered that there are an amazingly large number of metal things sticking out of the ground and buildings all over most cities, offering him a nearby base for his camera wherever he happens to be.
Honorable Mentions
We got a lot of great entries and we'd be remiss if we didn't share some of our favorites. Here are some of the entries that really impressed us.
Make a Magnetic Smartphone Dock
John wanted a clean way to mount his smartphone in his car?one that didn't involve suction cups, specialized cases and mounts, or blocking his air vents. He settled on using the rare earth magnets from old hard drives, since they are super strong. First, he placed two of the magnets together (matching polarities) to make a very strong magnet. John removed the bezel from his dashboard, secured the double magnet to the back of that with superglue and duct tape, and replaced the bezel.
For the phone, he duct taped the magnet to the inside back of his phone case (a very slim model). It took a little experimenting to find the right place for the magnet on the case. John wanted it to hold the phone in the vertical position and not rotate on hard turns. Finally, he ran a power cable from the back of the head unit (in-dash stereo) under the dash.
A couple of warnings, though, if you want to try this one at home. While the magnets don't seem to interfere with his signals, they do prevent the compass from working properly. Also, if you have a phone with NFC, the magnets would likely interfere with that signal. And, you'll probably want to keep your phone away from credit cards?or any cards with a mag stripe.
Reorient Your Toilet Paper Holder
Shaun and his wife could never agree on which way the toilet paper should go on the holder (one's an over; one's an under). Seeking a lasting peace, Shaun decided the only solution was to reorient the toilet paper holder altogether. Their's was a simple arm-style holder with a free end, so it was easy to rotate it 90 degrees to point up. The only problem was that without a proper base, the toilet paper leaned awkwardly when in place. Shaun's solution? He fixed the platter from an old hard drive onto the arm to serve as a stable base for the toilet paper. It (and presumably the marriage) has worked perfectly ever since.
Make a Clock From an Old Hard Drive
Amitai makes clocks out of old hard drives. He pretty much fully dissembles the drive to build in the clock mechanism, but part of the charm is that he also tries to waste as little of the actual drive as possible. The results are beautiful. He's put together a step-by-step guide on imgur and he also sells his own clocks on Etsy.
Special Mention?BioShock Diorama
While it didn't really qualify as a hack, there is no way we were going to let this challenge go by without giving a shout out to RedSuspense. He sent us this picture of a wonderful BioShock-inspired diorama titled Rapture's Playground. As you can see, it's built using some heavily modded detritus from an old PC. Nice work!
A big thanks to everyone who took the time to send us entries! Be sure to check back every week for a new challenge.
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