Wondering how could you possibly give old gadgets a new life? Read on and let your creative juices flow.
They are rare to find these days, but if you find one, you could use it as a dedicated alarm clock or a mobile device that doesn’t run out of charge easily. You can also repurpose it to use it as a travel charger. Make yourself a portable battery pack, using your old feature phone, or even your old smartphone by following these steps.
If your smartphone is just lying around, you can consider using it for simple tasks, such as a dedicated VoIP, or videocalling, or as a music streaming device. One way to reuse it is to use it as a GPS for your car. You could also repurpose your device to use it as a universal remote, if it has an IR blaster. If you want to turn your old phone into a smart mirror, here is how.
If your outdated tablet is just lying forgotten, after you got your new tablet, you can use it as a digital photo frame. You can also stream content onto your smart television, or hook it up to a USB typewriter:
While installing your new router, you can reuse your older one by using it as an access point or an amplifier to cover areas where the signal tends to get weak. Flashing it and installing a custom firmware, like OpenWRT, will enable you to unlock it. You can also make it an smart hub by following these steps.
Gamers always have special memories of their consoles and when they get old, instead of adding it to the number of showpieces at your home, you can consider repurposing it and using it as a phone dock like this and this or put some life in your dead NES by attaching a RasberryPi! You can use one of the controllers to make your own night lamp. In case you want to geek out and have an Arduino around, connect it to your old NES to make yourself a music player or a toaster or even a wireless light switch.
If you have a couple of CRT monitors or TVs lying around, it can become your pet’s new home or a even fish aquarium! You can also get rid of everything inside the monitor shell and use it as a bookshelf, to show off your geeky, but creative side. If it is still working and you are willing to tinker with it, you can try converting it into a private monitor by following these steps.
7. Old Desktop/Laptop
Old, but functional laptops, as well as desktops can prove to be quite useful. Along with them being your backup systems, one of the best ways to use these old devices is to use them as your dedicated download centre and a media server using FreeNAS. If you happen to do this on a laptop, you will be able to use it even in the time of power cuts!
8. VHS
One of the most unique way of reusing a VHS tape is to convert it into a USB hub that can even glow! Just a few DIY steps and you have your own customised LED USB hub! You can also use VHS tapes and its covers to store away your internal as well as external hard drives to give it a retro look.
9. Circuit boards
When it comes to repurposing circuit boards, there is very little you can do, unless you let your creative juices flow. Circuit boards can be cut, desoldered and flattened and can be used as on a visiting card holder, cufflinks, dog tags and even to make a geeky notebook cover, lampshades and even pen holders. Still wondering how?
10. CDs
You would have heard and seen how CDs can be arranged in various ways to look fancy but how about a simple DIY which turns several CDs along with some other stuff into a night lamp? You can also make your own disco ball using several pieces of a CD, or choose to convert into a cool looking phone charging station.
In case of a fully functional laptop or desktop internal hard drives, salvage them by converting them into external ones. If the hard drive is a dead, you can make yourself a clock by grabbing some tools and following these steps and these. The magnets used inside an HDD are neodymium magnets, which are useful too!
These may be rare to find, no doubt. But if one of these are lying around your house, they can be pretty useful. You can cut out a slit on the side and slide in a pen drive to give your pen drives a cool look. Using a floppy disk, you can also build a mini camera that takes some amazing washed out pictures just by following a few simple steps.
13. PSU
If you have a PSU around which may or may not be working, you can choose to make yourself a flashlight using the switch, wiring, and power port that come with the power supply. Follow these steps and make yourself a handy lantern for your PSU. You can also salvage one of your PSUs by converting into a benchtop power supply unit in case if it works just fine. Result? You will have a PSU that can output 3.3V, 5V, 12V and -12V, just as you would want. Full steps here.
14. Cassette tapes
Found some cassette tapes around? You can try your hand at creating some cassette tape art just like Bruno Mars. The outer covers of a cassette are one of the best and cheapest phone holders available out there. If you could get your hands on to a few transparent cassette tapes you could also make yourself an LED Cassette tape lamp that looks uber cool.
15. Gadget sculpture
In case you have a little of everything and none of it is functional, you can try your hand at gadget sculpturing. Using various bits and parts to make something unique is definitely a great option. Before you already start planning your sculptures, check out this and this link for some inspiration.
This article was first published in our 15 year Anniversary Special June 2016 issue of Digit magazine. To read Digit's articles first, subscribe here or download the Digit e-magazine app. You could also buy the Anniversary Special June 2016 issue here.