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dvd drive hidden storage

dvd drive hidden storage
i turned an old computer dvd drive into storage. its a good use of an old drive, and it's a great hiding spot.
 
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Step 1Open. cut.

open. cut.
take apart the entire drive. you'll only need the outer metal case, the cd tray, the thing the tray slides in, and the faceplate. dremel off the front of the piece the tray slides in, and cut a big rectangle into the cd tray.
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38 comments
Jul 19, 2010. 12:48 PMTragicSnowfall says:
I wouldn't plug in the IDE or SATA cable. All you need is the power.
Mar 7, 2008. 9:28 PMsrhadaham says:
i havnt seen a sound card like that in forever i could really put that to good use : )
Jan 9, 2010. 8:30 PMshmuki says:
hehehe i have one of those =]
Oct 13, 2009. 1:26 AMgernig says:
 I like all the ideas of this and its a great place for flashdrives. I saw this and right away made one in lil under an hour. Mine has a sandwich bag holding, not as good as your tin holder but it was all i had at 4 in the morning.
Jan 4, 2008. 2:55 PMshmuki says:
its a good idea, but if someone breaks in theyll take your computer anyway
Feb 12, 2008. 8:14 PMbecktaro says:
I'm thinking that this was meant as more of a hiding place for "secret stuff" instead of valuable stuff... if you know what i mean...
Jul 20, 2009. 9:13 PMgodfreyandthandi says:
hehe pron...
Oct 13, 2009. 1:24 AMgernig says:
hehe comp viruses
Aug 16, 2006. 4:17 PMzachninme says:
Nice! As for hiding valubles inside, why not plug this in to a old broken computer and rip it apart. Leave the case open, take out half the components, but leave the power supply. No thief would think of stealing it. As long as the drive has power, you should be able to open it... Or, I guess, you could just insert a pin in that tiny hole ;\...
May 16, 2009. 3:47 PMsanty22 says:
you mean like takig a mid tower, filling its bays with CD drives, then power it with no motherboar or anything else? SWEET
Feb 7, 2008. 5:40 PMPyroMonger says:
this is a great idea but i would personally want it to be more "007ish" so i would install a mini actuator inside the housing and make it remote controlled. that way i could access items at the touch of a button and there is no risk of accidental opening by nudging the drive because the actuator will hold it shut so not even the paperclip would work.
Oct 1, 2006. 1:03 PMzipykido says:
Does anybody know how to disable the automatic close on drives? I think you could easily modify this idea into a cupholder.
Dec 20, 2007. 6:44 AMnitrox027 says:
just hold the drive half way open and half way closed till the motor auto shuts off then it is disabled untill u hit the botton
Oct 3, 2007. 7:23 PMjongscx says:
I think you may be able to do that and still have the drive function as an optical reader... since all you're doing is making the middle hole bigger...
Sep 25, 2007. 11:16 AMkillerjackalope says:
well for that you only need a working drive (working open/close) and a program to control your drive, can't remember what site but pretty sure it's freeware you can get however putting the cup in the tray should be enough to stop it closing...
Mar 27, 2007. 6:19 PMberky93 says:
i think his idea is to not have the drive powered, and you have to pull it open manually with a paperclip.
Dec 17, 2006. 5:13 PMGolem says:
I like the recycling/reuse of the aluminum tray. You could redirect the heat from the CPU and GPU heat sinks to use it as a warming tray for munchies. Another PC storage place is that useless media bay in HP computers. Put a few shelves in it and a lock on the bay door.
Sep 2, 2006. 3:54 AMSHAKIRALOVER says:
To improve this you could relocate the PC power switch into here.... and/or add a fingerprint scanner.
Sep 30, 2006. 7:12 PMzachninme says:
Great idea! I may write an instructable on relocating the power switch somewhere secluded...
Dec 7, 2006. 12:32 PMAgentDanny says:
here are some.Foot switch.

im sure you could make a much cheaper one though.
Aug 2, 2006. 11:32 AM0.775volts says:
well, it's still a nice storage space. the metal made me think of it as an ash tray, for which this would also work well.
Aug 2, 2006. 11:39 AMrobacarp says:
be careful....you dont want to smoke out your processor ;-)
Sep 30, 2006. 7:13 PMzachninme says:
How could smoke damage your processor when it is encased in a heatsink?
Dec 13, 2006. 10:25 PMcemetz says:
Now I know where to look when my kids try to hide things from me. Thanks.
Sep 18, 2008. 4:58 PMsanty22 says:
oh man, we are bust'd!
Aug 1, 2006. 1:49 PMStormed says:
My computer case came with a compartment just that size and looks almost exactly like a design set into the computer so you can hide your own w/e inside. Although with a cd/dvd drive it might be able to double as a CD compartment to store your old cds. I'm not at all worried about any crooks taking my computer though. The things weighs in about 30-40 pounds and to NOT hear the guy with that around is hard.
Aug 1, 2006. 11:57 PMScurl! says:
you'd be surprised.
Aug 4, 2006. 12:17 PMStormed says:
*cough* I forgot to mention that I also set up a trap system for those touching my computer when I'm away xD(paintball guns and some tinkering _). Gives em a nice sting ;p.
Jul 31, 2006. 5:21 PMspinach_dip says:
neat idea. however, if you are trying to hide something from crooks and LEOs, I'd be willing to bet they might steal/seize the computer too. aside from that, under the right circumstances this could come in real handy
Aug 1, 2006. 9:45 AMkickslop says:
Indeed. Storing valuables INSIDE something valuable and often stolen... not that great an idea ;) But kudos for doing it and making an instructable!
Aug 3, 2006. 8:57 PMIan01 says:
Just lock up the computer.
Aug 3, 2006. 8:04 PMApples says:
psh, that things a beast. there are much more valuable things that weigh 1/10 as much
May 16, 2009. 3:48 PMsanty22 says:
Also you can use your old, beige, heavy ugly compuer for that! that would blow my mind off!
Aug 1, 2006. 7:29 AMTheCheese9921 says:
I spent way to much on my drives also I agree with spinach dip a crook would go for a computer over a beat up copy of a crappy book
Jul 31, 2006. 10:15 PMaustin says:
i need both my drive slots for burning and ripping quickly but on an old pc this would be kinda neat, for now im gonna stick with my hollowed out book.
Jul 31, 2006. 7:48 PMantirem says:
heh, sweet idea
Jul 31, 2006. 4:11 PMGhondi says:
Good idea. I'll try this when I build a desktop(have and use a laptop now..), I already have plenty of busted drives..lol. If you wanna make it look as it would go with the computer, use a busted drive the same color, or paint it that color...that would be even better.

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