Tag Archives: Mods

Modder Packs Tiny OLED Display Into LEGO Computer Brick

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LEGO builders: their level of ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. Case in point, this mod created by programmer (not singer) James Brown, who managed to pack a tiny OLED display into a translucent brick to mimic a LEGO computer terminal. How about that! Eight-year-old me is going crazy over this, and current me is going even crazier!

The 3D printed brick has a tiny 0.5″ OLED display inside, controlled by an ARM-based microcontroller James made especially for the build. You just plug the brick into a LEGO baseplate powered by a 9V battery, and voila, the computer comes to life with lines of make-believe code that mimic the original screen. Amazing!

Seeing as how I have zero skills or knowledge related to mods of this nature, James, please tell me you plan on opening an online store and selling these. I would buy a bunch! Well, maybe not buy, but how many will you trade me for a wedding band?

[via TechEBlog]

Man Constructs Functional Cardboard GameBoy Advance SP

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Because dream it, and you can achieve it (even if that dream takes way too much time that could probably be better spent doing something else entirely), YouTuber Peter Knetter deconstructed a GameBoy Advance SP to remove the hardware, then built a custom case INCLUDING CONTROLS entirely out of cardboard, then put the hardware inside to create a functional cardboard GameBoy Advance SP. Personally, I would have called it the GameBoy Unadvanced SP, but that’s just me and I’m incredible at naming things.

Peter actually seems pretty surprised when it works, as was I. He’s even able to play some Tony Hawk Underground on it to put it through its paces. Sure you probably aren’t going to be able to play your very best on the system, but that’s a small price to pay for a GameBoy that gets soggy in the rain.

The next logical project will be constructing a duct tape GameBoy Unadvanced SP. Honestly, it’s only a matter of time, and not very much time if Peter is as proficient with duct tape as I imagine he is. I’m already looking forward to the video!

[via TechEBlog]

The Chevy Cobalt ETV (Extra Terrestrial Vehicle) Is out of This World

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Crafted by car kit maker and Florida Man Mike Vetter, the ETV (Extra Terrestrial Vehicle) is a custom body kit that makes cars look like their gullwing doors are about to open and a bunch of bug-eyed aliens are going to crawl out with laser blasters to conquer earth. I must have one.

The Mike Vetter ETV can actually be fit on several different vehicles, but this one was built on a 2008 Chevy Cobalt, powered by a 2.2 liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine producing a blistering 148 horsepower. I sure hope Mike includes racing harnesses in the kit!

This particular model, which was previously on display at the London Motor Museum (presumably in The Hall of the Future) prior to its closure due to the COVID pandemic, is now being sold through the Bonhams auction house, which estimates it’ll fetch between $10,000 – $16,000. For reference, Mike’s original asking price was $95,000, so it’s really a steal if you think about it. Just don’t think about it too hard. Or at all, just raise that bidding paddle and buy it for me.

[via Jalopnik]

Oddbody Furbies Are Either Adorably Weird or Straight-up Nightmare Fuel

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Furbies have always been a little creepy to me – perhaps it’s that I’ve seen what they look like on the inside that did it, or maybe it’s just their hypnotic eyeballs. Either way, they’re already pretty weird looking straight from the toy factory. But toy modder Plushie Couture thinks they can do better.

These guys make what they call “Oddbody” Furbies. In other words, these are toys with the faces of Furbies but grafted onto the bodies of other toys. If you liked Sid’s mutant toys from Toy Story, then these should be right up your alley. In fact, they made an Oddbody version of Woody, a Furby Woody if you will.

Other bizarro Oddbody mods include the Stay-Puft Marshmally Furby, the Lost in Space Furby Robot, Furby Barbie, and Furby Boombox among others. I recommend browsing the entire Plushie Couture Etsy shop to see what kind of Furby surgery they’ve been up to lately. Prices for the Oddbody Furbies start around $72.50, but that’s a small price to pay for something that’s sure to leave a long-lasting impression in your brain.

[via CreepBay]