Modding

The modding, a concept derived from the English word modify (modify), is the art or technique to modify aesthetically or functionally parts of a computer, be it the box, mouse, keyboard or monitor, but also other related devices such as consoles.

It can refer to both modifications to the hardware and the software thereof, although the latter can also be called chipping. Any fan of making modifications is called a modder. However, the word modding is usually used for modifications made to a PC or something related to it, such as the peripherals, accessories and even furniture that surround it.

Computers

Hardware

In recent years, modding has gained strength in the gaming PC sector, those computers with components that give them good power to play any video game. In these computers, the owners let themselves be carried away by their imagination to make that PC different from the rest of the gamers.

Software

The modding is also an adaptation to the different techniques that a programmer uses, either to debug a video game or a computer emulator, adding or removing what the user wants, this practice can be illegal if said user has a pirated copy, modifies it and sells it. The modders are not very well-known people if we talk about a software modifier the most common tools of a modder (of software) are:

• Hexadecimal editor.
• Image editor (for textures or image files).
• Additional tools created by other programmers modders.
• A debugger, e.g. Cheat Engine.

History

One of the first known cases was when Massachusetts Institute of Technology student Andrew Huang published a 15-page report, explaining how, in three weeks, he had modified Microsoft's Xbox to, among other things, make it usable. to run other operating systems.

Legal aspects

In 2004, based on the new European copyright directive that had just been introduced in the UK, Sony won a lawsuit against David Bell, accusing him of selling modified chips for the Sony PlayStation 2. These chips allowed the use of pirated copies of video games. It was not the first time that the courts ruled in this sense, since shortly before, Sony had also won a similar lawsuit in Belgium. However, in Italy a judge had dismissed Sony's complaint on the grounds that a console owner could do whatever he wanted with it. Likewise, in Spain the use of said chips was not considered illegal either.

In 2005, also in the UK, a man was convicted of selling, through his website, modified Xbox consoles with a 200GB hard drive and 80 pre-installed games.

The most common modifications

Among the many submodalities of modding, is overclocking, a technique that increases the speed of clock frequencies. Other techniques include:

• Construction of windows to make the interior visible or achieve an aesthetic effect (with methacrylate).
• Replacement of diodes led by other more powerful or cold cathodes of different colors.
• Replace IDE cables with rounded IDE cables or UV reagents (improve the cooling of the box).
• Interior or exterior painting (including electronic components).
• Construction of ventilation tubes blowholes (entry or air outputs with easily accessible fans).
• Fan placement to improve cooling of electronic components.
• Placement of an external BayBus (controller of fans inside the tower).
• Placement of interior and sometimes exterior lighting elements.
• Construction of elements to monitor the temperatures of electronic components or control the speed of fans (Baybus, Fanbus, Rheobus).
• Total or partial replacement of conventional cooling elements by silent or passive cooling elements, liquid cooling or the latest evaporation cooling. The latter is currently known as a pipeline.
• Construction or placement of an original element that will give you the unique style (grills, embroideries, logos, etc.).

Consequences

In general, the most experienced modders are those who have more than one computer at home, they are used to working with multiple computers almost at the same time. This is partly true, you should not take unnecessary risks, but you have to be careful when making a modification. The least risky are those in which we should not build the peripheral we want to add and we just have to add it, connect it and that's it.

This hobby not only brings aesthetic improvements to the computer, but also provides additional features.

Some benefits of this "modern art" are the best ventilation and heat dissipation in the case of the implementation of "blowholes" that allow greater air circulation, significantly reducing the temperature of components such as the processor, graphics processor, chipset, memory, hard drives, motherboard and all internal components of the computer, guaranteeing more stable and efficient operation. durable.

Modifications can also be made to almost all components of the computer. You can even create front panels with digital and analog electronic temperature indicators and speed regulators for the fans, as well as lights or sound-sensitive LEDs (Vumeters) and other curiosities.

Modding Tools

Among the tools that a modder uses are:

• Minitaladro, also known as Dremel, is a multifunction tool that consists of an engine with an opening to which you can put different accessories to cut, sand, polish, polish etc.
• Taladro, ideal for holes.
• Heat. It helps to make cuts, both in methacrylate and in metal.
• Automatic lighter.
• Hand circular saw, is used to quickly cut metal or methacrylate. It's a rough tool.
• Marquetry saw for cutting wood and methacrylate.
• Folder, to bend metal.
• Limas, its main function is to clean and polish the cuts.
• Heat gun or paint caper, is used to double methacrylate and apply thermoplastic sheaths.
• Thermophousible pistol, with which electrical connections are coated and different materials are joined
• Screwdrivers, with which to assemble and dismantle all parts of the equipment.
• Thermooretactil or insulating tape with which all electronics are secured
• Soldier to perform all the packs and other things
• Accompaniments and curls to cut the cables.
• An airbrush or you'll look at the different parts that are modified.

Materials

The most common thing is that a modder uses methacrylate or also called acrylic to make windows, boxes, casings, etc. But nowadays it is not strange to see modifications that contain wood, fiberglass, or aluminum. As for the most used paints, they are usually specific paints for plastic materials, or in the case that the casing is made of wood, solvents are usually used to give it a very remarkable finish. The use of copper to make the blocks of liquid cooling is also very notable.