This little project was one that resulted in me not having the right parts.
I was attempting to make a "USB HDD" by shoving a USB Hub and Flash drive together inside a gutted out HDD. But the hub didn't fit... so I was left with an empty shell.

This HDD swings open on a single screw, and can house tons of objects. If you have parts lying around you house, nobody would suspect a thing. You can even close it up, and insert it into a PC drive bay, the PC won't detect it, it will just slide and lock into place, close up your PC case and BAM, you have extra security.

Lets get started.

Step 1: Find a Suitable HDD

I used a broken 40gb Maxtor drive I had lying in my parts bin.

Make sure you have the right screw driver for the job.
Mine was held together by 6 torx screws, and one smaller sized torx that was a pain to get out.

Heres what mine looked like before I gutted it:

Step 2: Opening Up the Drive

This step is the hardest of them all.
This instructable is straight forward, and the idea is easy enough to figure out yourself.

Open up the drive by unscrewing the screws, maybe peeling a "Void Warranty" stick here and there, and some general grunt work, and you got that bad boy open.

Heres what mine looked like when I first popped the cover off:

Note: The metal plate is really reflective, you can even use it as a mirror!
Note2: The magnets are EXTREMELY strong, do not pinch your fingers in between them, for about 10 seconds you'll be sweating in pain until you finally pry them apart.

Step 3: Removing the Parts Inside

The hardest part of this step is the reflective metal plate.
To remove that, I took a hammer, and a metal rod, and from the bottom... popped it out. It took a few trys, but you'll eventually get it.

To remove the arm, just pry it off with a flat head screwdriver, or similar tool.

To remove the magnets, unscrew them from the case and lift them out. BE CAREFUL.
DO NOT leave them near CRT Monitors, you will completely DESTROY them.

I am not held responsible for any accidents or personal damage.

After you clean everything out, your almost done!

Step 4: Conclusion and Tips

So, heres the end to my instructable made by accident.
It was my first one, so leave some comments and some criticism, I love that kind of stuff.

To finish off this "safe", I screwed back in one of the corners screws so it swivels around like a hinge. This gives me easy access to the objects inside.

Thats it, pretty straight forward guys.
Make sure to comment, and to salvage the plate and the magnets for other upcoming parts, just throw them in a drawer, you never know when you're going to need them.

Adios amigos!

PS:

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