Mini USB drive mod: Keys

This is a mod that will give you a sweet little USB drive up to 4 gigabytes! Also, this is really small. Have fun and hope you like it!
EDIT: The USB drive will still work and hold memory after you are done. There is no reason to cut of the circuit board; it would be almost impossible to do that with the USB drive you will need for this project!
Please, comment and criticize.

Step 1: Get the Supplies!

You will need to buy some stuff to make this USB mod because the original USB drive must be TINY.
You will need:
Kingston Data Traveler mini fun ($13 to $30) from amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-9461528-8259944?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kingston+mini+fun&x=0&y=0
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-2GB-Traveler-Flash-DTMFP/dp/B000MMZQH8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1206753174&sr=8-2
A old laptop keyboard or some keys.
Glue.
Tape. Optional if you (Like Me) do not want to make this permanent.
Xacto knife. Maybe a screwdriver (not philips head) or other prying tool would work.
That is All!

Comments

[R.A.T.M]

on a school computer i figured out that if you use the arrow key to get to the icon (Google earth the slowest) then hold enter for ever they wont start to open till you let go and then a minet after so much fun to do to friends when there not looking then you say hey and they turn around to a disaster we held it fore 5 minest they all came up like 476 then we put more on top of it and 2 came up then it said system fail yer and shut off

thats 478

[ultrauber]

umm...adam, i'd reread step 2 there's a huge difference between a dinky x-acto knife and a friggin dremel. just think...snip vs. REAEAEAEAEAEAEAEAEAEAEAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

[ultrauber]

oh, and i only got to 25 before my computer froze...sniff

[ultrauber]

wait...tried it again. got to 122 on a 2.4 ghz processor with 0.75 gigs of ram, running XP SP1. go ahead and post if you like. i also opened task manager.

[Millawi Legend]

My record is a 146 Firefox's open on a vista machine with 2gb of ram and a 2ghz processor.

[onlyonebowman]

your computer must be old, you should update to sp3

[ultrauber]

When we tried to update to SP2, our computer got all screwed up. We had to get a new hard drive. We haven't updated since.

[Azor]

how do u update I tried once, but could not find it. I have no internet...... :(

[ultrauber]

Microsoft is evil, there's no way without internet.

[The_Tom]

that's not true i went to SP3 with no internet. i just downloaded it at a library put it on my flash drive and used it at home =]

[cool!]

Haha check those dates :)

[Saturn V]

Why do you think Microsoft is evil?

[ReCreate]

cd

[ultrauber]

ripoff

[freakworx]

Get a friend to download Windows SP3 for you, i've run it from a USB stick before now. No problemo. The easiest option all together is to get rid of windows... I keep trying to do this, but as i'm using the family computer - people don't like what they don't know... Allyn ~ FreakWorx

[ultrauber]

we actually just got a new computer - so no wirries there. but we have a new problem - VISTA

[cool!]

Ubuntu rox teh werld Download the live cd and give your family the tour. PS Jaunty Jackalope in 13 days! !

[lucek]

most updates are designed to keep you "safe" on the internet so if you don't have it. . . .

[ultrauber]

Without internet...I don't know if you can. Try calling customer service. Maybe you can order discs? Then again, they'd just make you buy Vista.

[ReCreate]

Haha no, they still support XP

[NightGod]

Even two years ago laptop keyboards didn't cost $200. If you're really having trouble finding one free, you can usually get a complete keyboard for about $20-30 off Ebay.

[Madrias357]

I could do this.   Windows 7 and a nice computer.  You'll hate my taskbar, though.

[Madrias357]

Ah, I only got 408 open, then it crashed before I could screen-shot it.

[morganlowe]

http://morninglion.com/weee.jpg

670 killed this rig, C2D E6420 at3.0GHZ with 6GB of RAM and Vista Ultimate X64... great mod, by the way!

[cool!]

Holy s****! And with transparency on! Nice computer. Ill put this on the instructable if it is ok with you.

[morganlowe]

Go for it.. I should make on for a looping batch... that's how I opened them. Batch was as follows: :launch [path to firefox.exe] goto :launch that's it.. loop until you kill the batch

[cool!]

Good idea... I just had an idea to crash a victim's computer with this instead of a shutdown shortcut like this

[dash24]

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[bleachworthy]

quote from dell picture: "For some reason, this USB drive looks best next to or in Dell computers. cool!" perhaps it's because you used Dell keys? : D

[zimmemic25]

dell laptops are the only one that are broken before they are sold...

[ReCreate]

What do i see here, A broken mac, Not even sold?

[Shut Up Now]

hahaha

[zimmemic25]

its a fact...

[UbuntuNinja]

windows computers are the only ones that are broken before they are sold...although you are probably right about dell's. my friend had a dell desktop running windows XP and eventually, it got so full of viruses and other assorted malware that it became very slow and almost unusable so it was replaced with a Mac. lol

[Saturn V]

It wasn't a problem with the computer, he just didn't maintain it. Did he ever uninstall programs he ever used, or had a antivirus like Norton?

[bleachworthy]

(removed by author or community request)

[cool!]

Well, i might not agree that windows computers are broken when they are sold, but it is certainly harder to get a virus on linux :) ! I use Ubuntu most of the time, and have installed it on many windows computers that are "Broken"; While windows is not always broken, it is quite bloated, and does require virus protection. Even with it it runs slower than linux. So I choose Ubuntu. But I try to respect windows users.

[zimmemic25]

i mean the fact that 10% of Dell PCs (new, from factory) are broken.

[ReCreate]

...aka defective...it happens to everything

[bleachworthy]

I've had my e1505 for a few years now, and I run it HARD all day, and most of the night 365 days a year - only thing broken on it is the D key, and that's because it gets used way more than anything else. oh, and the screen hinge is a *little* wobbley.

[cool!]

Hehe

[Arbitror]

I will have to try the Firefox window thing! I have 9 GB of RAM, and I will be using MachineMouse! www.machinemouse.co.cc

[ReCreate]

At First i thought that you got a normal thumb drive and cut it to fit the key XD

[PyroMonger]

your friend josh didnt get 4,345 windows open. I zoomed in on the picture (quality was greatly lacking) and looks more like 311.

[Derin]

He said he opened the software "Firefox 3 beta 4" 345 times.

[cool!]

Sorry, he got 345 windows open of firefox 3 beta 4. I can see how it looks like that. "firefox 3 beta 4 345" I will make that more clear Thanks

[cool!]

Hmm firefox not letting me edit.

[Azor]

You have the same Firefox theme as me!!

[computerwiz_222]

Do this with ie 6 and I can get to about 200 on a school computer before it crashes and restarts

[cool!]

Firefox is better :) DISSSSS Dont use IE! just kiddin. But anyway, thanks for commenting!

[ac1D]

You can't say that X or Y browser are better than Z browser, they all have something better or something less better. Firefox for exemple, suck your ram.

[Clayton H.]

I aggre it's a lot better than Internet EXPLODER lol:)

[Shadowfury]

Anything's better than IE. Use Chrome, it's better than all the others.(FireFox and Safari come second)

[alexh934]

it isn't better in all aspects. Safari has a very clean interface along with Chrome which is also very fast. Firefox tops all the other browsers because of the amount of addons available at the moment. Opera and Chrome are the fastest web browsers though.

[Shadowfury]

It's really just personal preference. If you like the extra stuff, then FireFox is perfect for you, if you want speed, though, Chrome's the way to go. Personally, I use whichever loads quickest, which, now, is Chrome.

[phant0m_sp00f3ra]

yeah chrome is great it's a shame there's no chrome for Linux or Mac OS. I used to use chrome in my vista laptop but it got stolen :S so i'm left with chrome less linux & Mac but linux FTW

[cool!]

Agreed about linux. Ubuntu? Well search google code weavers chrome, they got it working with mac and linux. What machine are you using? macbook dualboot?

[phant0m_sp00f3ra]

holly cow! that's great! i have heard that chromium was ported by google devteam but it wasn't fully built yet. i'm using a MBP (duh...mac os X 10.5.6) and a machine that i built in wich i have Ubuntu 8.10 intrepid ibex thanks for the tip! and happy new year mate

[computerwiz_222]

lol thats the joke... We used to do this open as many of *whatever* until the comp crashes in gr 10... It was great lol. We also used to do sticky keys. You press shift 5 times and the computer makes a laser sound. The good old days...

[HardCoreHacker]

but thats in the old days

[A.C.E.]

the last flashdrive i "accidentally" took apart had this really big lond circut board. took up the whole case.. maybe flashdrives are made with better tech now?

[cool!]

No, most are still lake that, but some really small ones are different, especially kingston ones.

[Shut Up Now]

or super talent ones

[cool!]

Yeah. If you want a cheap really small usb drive, got to:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609295'
for 4gig
and:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609296
for 8gig.
Pretty sweet price.

[Shut Up Now]

just felt i should note that this usb drive is prolly the smallest without the cover but the record for smallest usb drive is the Super Talent Pico C its available in 2, 4, and 8 gb. i have the 4gb one (15 bucks with shipping on Newegg.com)

[cool!]

Hmm, I saw that on pop-sci but did not realize how cheap it was, might have to get one!!

[zimmemic25]

-> step 9 the print screen button is claaed "Druck | S-Abf" on german keyboards. because i was searching it for half an hour...

[A.C.E.]

here is something cool to do with a flashdrive...

[tubajoey1]

i think i had 90 in linux once, and it ran like normal...i do believe ill try to beat that soon! nice ible!

[sageserver]

4 yaaa! most ever gotten!!!! for using firefox. 6 with netscape. 8 with explorer. 1.2 GHz and a 1/4 gig of ram. yaaa! lol. JK! i have:1.2 GHz and a 1/4 gig of ram. And i dont really want my computer to crash. ;-)

[Grey_Wolfe]

I have that drive (the Mini Fun), though with less capacity. I like that you can stick them together like Legos and put them in your pocket or bag so you can retrieve them all easily. Nice mod, btw. And it gives me lots of ideas for further modding. Hadn't really thought of using the minis, which gives a lot more flexibility than most USB drives.

[cool!]

Yeah, they are great bases for anything you can think of doing with a usb drive.

[Grey_Wolfe]

Too bad amazon's shipping applies to each unit. Do you know of any other sites with comparable prices that actually charges shipping based on total order?

[cool!]

Hmm...
Well Fry's has good selection at their store, and I think shipping per checkout.
My dad just has Amazon Prime so I use that.

[Derin]

150 wincalc,but the pc didnt let me go more than 150,I coulda done more

[HardCoreHacker]

What was the gear thing icon on that key for?

[cool!]

It was a sun, for screen brightness.

[HardCoreHacker]

I dont have that on my computer :)

[Derin]

thats only for laptops

[HardCoreHacker]

I have a laptop thank you very much... I just dont have a key for it

[Derin]

oh:)there is sometimes a bulb too.the bulb turns on the extra keyboard lighting

[cool!]

I guess on different laptops it is in different places, and different icons, or maybe not there at all. That one was a school laptop, the one I use is different.

[Derin]

that seems pretty correct to me:)

[taco_guy93]

if u used some other key but instead from a normal keyboard, like for a tower, then u could gut the key(s) better and u wouldnt have to fill the sides

[TTLKurtis]

Very nicely done. I love the tiny form factor.

[cool!]

Thanks :)

[hello123456]

I don't think you can use this as USB-stick, sice you cut of the hole circuit.... As far as I can see you only have that Iron (I don't know where it's really made of) piece and sticked some laptop keys on it... No offence. Buit it looks cool, and if it douse work, just edit my message and only leave this piece ;)

[cool!]

Sorry for not explaining it well enough, but actually it does work. The original USB drive (With the case) was very small, and made in a different way than many other USB drives. The metal covers all of the circuitry, a little like this one, but smaller and without a rubber skin.
So no, I didn't cut off any circuits, and it works quite well.
P.S. I'll see if I can make it more clear on the instructable so others won't think the same thing. Thanks!

[hello123456]

I thought that cause of Step 4 picture 1 and 2 ;)

[cool!]

Ahh... now I understand. Ok, sorry. No, you are just cutting off tape :) Thanks for telling me that.

[Andruha1123]

my system has 3.06ghz processor, 1.5gbs of ram, and it opened only 123, but there was over 60 processes in task manager before i did this.

[cool!]

Nice.
OMG OMG YAHOO TOOLBAR!!!!!!
anyway, i envy your computer.
mine:
1.9 dual core processor, 2 gigs ram, 160 had drive. Vista is sucking my ram lower, and because I like gaming, i think I am upgrading to 4. But the processor is annoying me though. I should have spent a little more and upgraded.

[Andruha1123]

thanks. mine isn't vista, i just got the Vista Inspitation program or something of that kind, it look like vista but, runs on xp, with is the best solution for me. I hate how vista behaves, but like how it looks.

[Derin]

me too

[frag_bomb]

its a laptop so speed really isnt a prob but thx anyway

[frag_bomb]

this any good ?

[cool!]

Yeah. Nice job. BTW your computer will run a little faster (Thus enabling you to open firefox more times) if you optimize it for speed. 'tis easy. Just right click on My Computer, hit properties. Then click on advanced system properties, and click on the setting button next to performance properties. Un-check what you don't need, and have fun with your faster than new computer!

[tha-elf]

Just got the new rig, its faster than Morgans and i reckon if i could be stuffed it would've beaten it, i had to get dinner, Pizza, cant refuse it.

Check it:
Image

[cool!]

Nice! How fast is your computer?

[ColbyCirca89]

I think a dremmel would be a better idea here. Xacto knives are far too sharp to be using for delicate work like this where the risk of slipping is high.

[cool!]

Maybe... Whats funny is that my instructable originally said a dremel might work, but my friend posted this:
umm...adam, i'd reread step 2 there's a huge difference between a dinky x-acto knife and a friggin dremel. just think...snip vs. REAEAEAEAEAEAEAEAEAEAEAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
But anyway, ill rethink it.

[theking]

i have one like that but its fifteen dollars and 10 megabytes but small good instructable

[Hands Without Shadows]

Have you explored stopping at step 2? Or is the other side a pcb?

[cool!]

Yes. I had it like that for a while, but it got a little bland.... I am always looking for new mods, so I tried this.

[cool!]

I mean, yes I stopped at step two, but no, the other side is covered.

[tha-elf]

Nice Job, i might make one.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg55/thaelf/158.jpg

It's an old computer, so only 158 before i gave up on it, reckon it could've done 200.
Intel Celeron D 2.4 GHz, 768MB Ram, Vista Home Premium, (Yes it runs Aero)
Be nice, Upgrading in 2 days

Again Great Job

[cool!]

Nice! can I put this on the ible?

[tha-elf]

Yeah, if you want, i might also add the New PC when i get it, should triple i reckon. I Want Morganlowe's Rig hehe

[gmjhowe]

Nice job! flash drive looks great!