AMD Shows the Case Mod Still is Alive With Ben Heck Creations – SXSW 2013

During the first night of SXSW I was able to catch the AMD party. Upstairs on Congress avenue we were treated to an old idea reborn. The computer case mod.

Modding a computer was something I thought was extinct but AMD showed us otherwise. They had about 10 case mods – mostly from Madison native Ben Heckendorn.

AMD Texaco Fire Chief MP3 Player Gas Pump

We started with Chris Hook from AMD. He showed me an old gas pump turned into an Android controlled MP3 station. The player had screens on both sides of the Texico Fire Chief pump. Complete with the lighted bulb sign on the top.

Chris Hook Shows off the AMD Bass Drum

It wasn’t SXSW without some musical instruments. A bass drum and a guitar both were fixed up with AMD computers inside. The guitar was even playable (once the strings were put back on). It was pretty amazing the AMD boards inside – from their Gizmo embedded board to the Fusion A series and all in-between.

AMD Pimp Hat – Parts from Hobby Lobby in Madison, WI

Other great AMD case mods include the Scooby-Do Mystery Machine mod, the Payphone Skype phone, hockey game, rocket machine, Crysis 3 case and even a stoplight AMD case.

In all, a great night to learn how you can mod your computer case. A seemed lost art due to laptops and tablets.

Have you modded your computer cases? Let me know what you did!

Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine powered by AMD

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