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ROGBot
Some weird odds and ends, "DIY" parts, and neat tech which I've found interesting or sometimes useful in PC builds, media, and gaming.
This ain't ROG. And it's rarely found at PC modding sites like FrozenCPU, modDIY, Xoxide, or Mnpctech. But it's sometimes handy stuff, nonetheless.
Marseille mCable Cinema Edition and Marseille mCable Gaming Edition
An HDMI cable with an embedded "Intelligent Pixel Processor" that provides contextual antialiasing, enhanced contrast, and enhanced detail/sharpness. They actually do noticeably improve image quality, up to 4K, but most especially at low- and mid- resolutions. Great for consoles and DVD players, less useful on powerful GPUs or Blu-Ray players. Linus did a review.
About $119 on Amazon.
XH-W1209 Digital Thermostat Control Module
A small PCB (48mm x 40mm) with terminals for 12V power and 12V/5A relay, (programmable) STM8S003F3P6 chip, 3-digit numeric LED.
Comes with one 10K/1% NTC thermistor probe.
Displays temps (-50C to +110C in 0.1C increments), can power the relay ON/OFF at user set values, provides real-time hardware temp monitor and control of attached fans/pumps/coolers.
Widely available, about two bucks each on Amazon or eBay. Other models/variants with different features available.
"Disk On Module" or "Flash Module" drives
This "form factor" is largely unknown to consumers but has been used by enterprise folks for years. Not a standard, so it actually takes many different forms. Basically the same thing as a USB flash drive, except instead of a USB port it plugs into a SATA or PATA or Floppy port while reporting to firmware as a "normal" fixed drive.
They're pocket-portable backup/system/install drives, they can boot systems which can't boot USB/PCIe/M.2/U.2/etc. I've plugged them into broken RAIDs before, lol, fill the gap until a replacement SSD arrives. And they open options for crowdy mobile devices or tight SFF builds.
Tons of them on eBay and Alibaba, many are cheap and small and slow (and legacy), but some have merit.
KingDian S100 1.8"/2.5" SATA2 SSD and KingDian M100 mSATA2 SSD. In 8GB, 16GB, and whopping 32GB capacity.
Old JMicron controller and old Toshiba MLC; rated performances up to 219MB/s Read, 52MB/s Write, and 3905 IOPS; rated longevity 8 years or 1000000 hours.
Why is this low-end junk here? Basic "SSD performance" which still beats any HDD when you need something rock-bottom cheap: $10 (8GB), $14 (16GB), and $18 (32GB) on Newegg.
Angle adapters
Savvy PC builders/modders know about PCIe risers/extenders yet many have never imagined angle adapters for USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, SATA, etc. Almost every kind of plug or cable ever made has some kind of angle adapter. Sometimes they even have flexible hinges.
Many a build (and many a builder) have suffered greatly for want of such a simple thing when crowded parts just don't fit.
These sorts of things can be purchased everywhere online. Be aware of "low-profile", "left-handed", and "right-handed" versions when needed.
This ain't ROG. And it's rarely found at PC modding sites like FrozenCPU, modDIY, Xoxide, or Mnpctech. But it's sometimes handy stuff, nonetheless.
Marseille mCable Cinema Edition and Marseille mCable Gaming Edition
An HDMI cable with an embedded "Intelligent Pixel Processor" that provides contextual antialiasing, enhanced contrast, and enhanced detail/sharpness. They actually do noticeably improve image quality, up to 4K, but most especially at low- and mid- resolutions. Great for consoles and DVD players, less useful on powerful GPUs or Blu-Ray players. Linus did a review.
About $119 on Amazon.
XH-W1209 Digital Thermostat Control Module
A small PCB (48mm x 40mm) with terminals for 12V power and 12V/5A relay, (programmable) STM8S003F3P6 chip, 3-digit numeric LED.
Comes with one 10K/1% NTC thermistor probe.
Displays temps (-50C to +110C in 0.1C increments), can power the relay ON/OFF at user set values, provides real-time hardware temp monitor and control of attached fans/pumps/coolers.
Widely available, about two bucks each on Amazon or eBay. Other models/variants with different features available.
"Disk On Module" or "Flash Module" drives
This "form factor" is largely unknown to consumers but has been used by enterprise folks for years. Not a standard, so it actually takes many different forms. Basically the same thing as a USB flash drive, except instead of a USB port it plugs into a SATA or PATA or Floppy port while reporting to firmware as a "normal" fixed drive.
They're pocket-portable backup/system/install drives, they can boot systems which can't boot USB/PCIe/M.2/U.2/etc. I've plugged them into broken RAIDs before, lol, fill the gap until a replacement SSD arrives. And they open options for crowdy mobile devices or tight SFF builds.
Tons of them on eBay and Alibaba, many are cheap and small and slow (and legacy), but some have merit.
KingDian S100 1.8"/2.5" SATA2 SSD and KingDian M100 mSATA2 SSD. In 8GB, 16GB, and whopping 32GB capacity.
Old JMicron controller and old Toshiba MLC; rated performances up to 219MB/s Read, 52MB/s Write, and 3905 IOPS; rated longevity 8 years or 1000000 hours.
Why is this low-end junk here? Basic "SSD performance" which still beats any HDD when you need something rock-bottom cheap: $10 (8GB), $14 (16GB), and $18 (32GB) on Newegg.
Angle adapters
Savvy PC builders/modders know about PCIe risers/extenders yet many have never imagined angle adapters for USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, SATA, etc. Almost every kind of plug or cable ever made has some kind of angle adapter. Sometimes they even have flexible hinges.
Many a build (and many a builder) have suffered greatly for want of such a simple thing when crowded parts just don't fit.
These sorts of things can be purchased everywhere online. Be aware of "low-profile", "left-handed", and "right-handed" versions when needed.
