TechTV

"Meet the TSS Mod Contest Winner"
written by Tim Moynihan on Monday, September 29, 2003

Original Link: Meet the TSS Mod Contest Winner

In an impressive field of creations, Joshua 'ZapWizard' Driggs' Ammo Case PC took top honors.
Ladies and gentlemen, the mod fans have spoken. At long last, we have a winner in the TSS Mod Project Contest.

A hearty congratulations goes to Joshua "ZapWizard" Driggs. Driggs took top honors with his Ammo Case PC, which earned 54 percent of the 7,226 votes cast. Be sure to visit his project's profile page for a list of features and specs, as well as many more photos of his impressive mod.

ZapWizard's new VersaLaser cutter

Driggs will be on today's episode of "The Screen Savers" to talk about his mod and accept his prize: a VersaLaser VL-200 cutting and engraving system.

Giving any of our finalists a VersaLaser VL-200 is like giving Barry Bonds a telephone pole to hit with. As their projects showed, all four finalists already have incredible mod skills. Still, the VersaLaser is sure to take Driggs' mod projects to another level, if that's possible.

The man behind the mod

Yoshi DeHerrera, the Savers' very own mod maniac, asked Driggs a few questions via email to find out what's behind the contest winner's skills. Read on to find out what Driggs' first VersaLaser project will be, how to mod and stay married at the same time, and more. And be sure to tune in to tonight's episode to learn more about Driggs and his projects.

TechTV: What do you plan to make with the VersaLaser first?
Driggs: A finished case for my Media PC.

TechTV: Did you think you would win?
Driggs: I knew I had a good chance, but in reality no.

TechTV: How long did it take to make your project?
Driggs: Eight weeks for the bulk of it and another two for the smaller add-ons.

TechTV: What got you into modding?
Driggs: I have always done electronics work. I basically started with electronic modifications, then moved up to case and aesthetic modifications.

TechTV: What was your first project?
Driggs: My first project was a Peltier-cooled air conditioner for the fan intake on a PC. It worked great, but it was dismantled for parts later.

TechTV: What does your wife think about the modding?
Driggs: As long as I clean up my work area often, she is fine. Also, I made an agreement with her: Whatever money I spend on modding she gets to spend an equal amount later. It's expensive, but it works.

Mod Contest Finalist: ZapWizard's Ammo Case Computer
written by Roman Loyola on Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Ah-ten-shun! Joshua Driggs' creation is a major accomplishment.
Our next finalist in 'The Screen Savers' Mod Contest looks like yet another ammo case mod. But take a closer look. You'll notice that Joshua Driggs' creation has more detail than you imagined.

Driggs' (aka ZapWizard) Ammo Case Computer does more than put a PC in a military case. The incredible attention to detail makes it worthy of joining the Millennium Falcon PC, the Portable PlayStation, and The Matrix: Rebirth 8.0 as a finalist. After you read the specs below, peruse the photo album.

We have four finalist. Which one will win the VersaLaser VL-200? You'll have to tune in Sept. 29 for the winner.

ZapWizard's Ammo Case Computer
Modder: Joshua Driggs

Features list:

AMD Athlon XP 2700+
Corsair XMS 400-MHz memory
NForce2 MicroATX motherboard
Radeon 9200 video card
20GB hard drive
Laptop-style DVD drive
Nine fans

Modder's comments:

There are lots of ammunition-case computers, but no one takes the ammo case to the next level. Not only did I modify the case, I also modified every peripheral.

To make the computer look authentic, I hand made a custom front panel. Here's what it includes.

Two exhausts fans
Vacuum fluorescent display
VU meter
Hard-drive LED
Network LED
Neon power indicator
Fan speed controller
Dual volume control
Key-lock switch
Custom connectors for each device

The front fan has an image of an atomic logo drawn into it using LED lights. The VFD displays an oscilloscope-style wave but can be used to display anything from statistics to a DivX movie. The lighted VU meter shows network activity. The key switch causes a total system lockdown. It locks the keyboard, the mouse, and the power, reset, and eject buttons. It even disables the fan controller. The front was made using clear Lexan, which was then vinyl dyed.

The custom connectors are round barrel-types. Most lock down and can't be easily pulled off. I picked connectors that had the right amount of pins needed and could handle the power required. Here's what I used.

Three-pin connector XLR for power
Four-pin XLR for network
Ten-pin for VGA
Two sets of four-pin connectors for USB
Two one-quarter-inch jacks for quadraphonic headphone output
Two round jacks for powering the lights in the keyboard and headphones

Inside I did a lot of Plexiglas work to mount parts and duct in air. The DVD drive at the rear of the computer has the eject button disabled and relocated to the front of the computer. I also designed the sticker on the outside, along with the grillwork. There are a total of 36 LEDs throughout this project, and two cold cathodes. Together they were used to create unique and creative light effects.

All the peripherals connected to the computer are also modified. The CCFL-lit keyboard is a used translucent Macintosh keyboard. The mouse uses five ultrabright LEDs, a handmade fire-wheel, and a lit logo. Each side of the headphones has two speakers. The headphones are wired to give complete quadraphonic surround sound. They also have four LED lights inside.