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3D printing for the absolute beginner - Monoprice Select Mini

3D printing for the absolute beginner - Monoprice Select Mini

A couple of months ago I got another deal alert for a cheap 3D Printer, the Monoprice Select Mini, on sale for $175, from a still ridiculously low $199 regular price. Normally I wouldn't have given it a second thought[1]. This time however, a pretty thorough review

ATX to AT power supply conversion

ATX to AT power supply conversion

Any true computer geek has a couple of old AT motherboards in their closet. I have quite an affinity for the babyAT specification, but unfortunately, most AT power supplies (including the one I had) are way to big to make any cool use of those babyAT boards. So during an

Airflow guide for PC enclosures

Airflow guide for PC enclosures

I have seen such a horrid trend in commercial and diy cases in the last few years. Airflow in computer cases has become one of the most misunderstood and horribly confusing elements in computing. The “more is better” idea seems like a good starting point, and to some extent more

Pac-Man arcade cabinet restoration - phase 1

Pac-Man arcade cabinet restoration - phase 1

This project started back in February 2003 when I had the opportunity to purchase an aging arcade cabinet from a co-worker. I was told it was a Super Mario Brothers standup that was still operable, but had seen better days. I purchased the cabinet, got it to my house and

Arcade cabinet metal paneled joysticks

Arcade cabinet metal paneled joysticks

Most people opt for wood as their control panel material of choice. However on my PacMan cabinet, as well as many other original arcade machines, the control panel is constructed of a single piece of steel. To many, this is a big deterrent to that style of cabinet. However using

Build your own USB control panel

Build your own USB control panel

One of the toughest decisions I had to make in building my arcade cabinet was how to handle the control panel input. There are tons of different options, from using an ipac to hacking up an old keyboard, buying a prebuilt panel or even adapting a jamma interface. My first

Pac-Man arcade cabinet restoration - phase 2

Pac-Man arcade cabinet restoration - phase 2

During summer break from university, I had access to more equipment and plenty of time to see all the flaws in the cabinet from phase 1. First thing on the list was to see how much Pac-Man was left under all that black spray paint. Painting the Cabinet The obvious