it shows what can be done on a budget if you just don't care.
(note: I do draw the line at scotch tape and cardboard)
I was given a Palm Zire 72 from a friend on my floor of the dorm, because it "didn't charge properly." A little isopropyl alcohol later, it worked just fine, but he didn't want it back because he never used it anyways. (score!!) The full tale thus far is here on my blog.
The only issue was that he had left the charger back in Alberta (I'm in British Columbia, the next province over), and couldn't get it until Christmas. I wanted to use it now, so I hacked together this beast:
This basically came about because I didn't have a 5V adapter, nor any adapter that could supply 1/2A with the right connector. So I used a 7805 I had sitting around, together with a cheapo Radioshack breadboard that was on it's last legs (oops... it's "The Source By Circuit City" up here now... grr...) The output barrel plug was snipped off a junky adjustable adapter (and when I say junky, I'm talking 17.5V on the 12V setting - thank God for Voltage regulators!), and the input jack I've had since I was about 9 years old. The heatsink is half of an old-skool port connector casing, which I had lying around - I put it on because this circuit dissipates 1.27W, and I didn't want to burn down Rez if it fell on some flammable material while I was sleeping. With the "heatsink", it's comfortable to the touch.
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Comments I've received on this:
"it's as ugly as sin" (a friend)
"what is this piece of junk!!??" (my wonderful CS TA)
"well, it matches your personality, but I would have expected better" (also my TA)
"...burn it" (same TA, muttered to himself)
anything else to add?