108 MA XIMUMPC OCTOBER 2005
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If you have a contender for Rig of the Month, e-mail rig @maximumpc.com with high-res digital pics and a 300-word write-up.ririgg of the month ADVENTURES IN PC MODIFICATION
PHILIP NERGES’
Waffle Iron PC
I
t’s not that Philip Nerges is a huge fan of
waffl es—to be honest, we don’t know
where he stands on the breakfast treat—his
mod was primarily inspired by an apprecia-
tion for vintage appliances. Originally, he
wanted an old TV or stereo to house his
rig, but unable to fi nd one that was broken
(“I won’t break a piece of working history,”
he says), Nerges settled on an inoperative
waffl e iron—which clearly works just fi ne as
a PC enclosure.
Nerges had to replace the bottom with a
sheet of acrylic, which he dropped a bit to
make extra room for the parts. In the end
he had the 8x12x4-inch iron packed with
the makings of his MP3 fi le server. It’s a
tight squeeze, for sure, but when the lid is
closed, the parts still get plenty of air, thanks
to clear grommets on the inner acrylic en-
closure that keep the lid 1/4-inch aloft.In its day, that red light on
the iron’s lid meant waffl es
were cooking. Now it serves
as the power indicator for
the PC. The power button
sits below it, on the iron’s
bottom half, and a toggle
switch underneath the
machine turns the blue LED
lights in the feet on and off.Things are kept nice and tidy in the back, thanks to
that silver tube on the left side. It once protected the
conduit for the heating coil; now it keeps the wires for
the lighting out of sight.El wire running through the iron’s original heating
coil makes the inside of the lid look like it’s glowing
with heat—just daring you to pour down some batter.If you have a contender for Rig of the Month, e-mail If you have a contender for Rig of the Month, e-mail [email protected] @maximumpc.comThings are kept nice and tidy in the back, thanks to
that silver tube on the left side. It once protected the
conduit for the heating coil; now it keeps the wires for
the lighting out of sight.El wire running through the iron’s original heating
coil makes the inside of the lid look like it’s glowing
with heat—just daring you to pour down some batter.SPECS
MOBO Epia Mini-ITX with built-in
sound and graphics chipsets
CPU VIA m1000
HARD Maxtor ATA133 160GB
DRIVE
RAM 512MB of DDR 266
OS Linux