By Star Chang, posted Mar 26, 2012 at 2:05 PM, 63,279 views,

Turning an Old Hard Disk Into a Candy Floss Machine

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A Chinese engineer who operates a data recovery and hard drive repair center is being hailed as a genius after inventing a DIY candy floss machine made from a used hard disk. According to the instructions, all that is needed to create your own candy floss maker is a hard drive that can still power up, a round flat metal tin, six bicycle spokes, an aluminum can and a plastic basin. A series of photos demonstrating how to create this candy floss machine have made some sensation across China internet …

The key to the improvised cotton candy maker is the hard drive’s rotating platter. Most commercial cotton candy machines spin at around 3,450 rotations per minute, while modern hard drives operate at 5,400 rotations per minute or higher. We’re really admired this kind of DIY creation from a technical nerd …

in001
To put the machine together, first remove the cover of the hard drive.

in002
Drill three holes in the rotating platter and three corresponding holes in the bottom of the metal tin.

in003
Cut a circular hole on the metal tin cover.

in003a
Join the bicycle spokes and connect them to the rotating platter.

in004
Cut the aluminum can, fold it into a small open box and place it on the spindle.

in004a
Connect the base of the tin to the rotating platter by welding it to the bicycle spokes.

in005
Cut out the bottom of the plastic basin and place the hard drive
in the middle of the hole on a flat surface.

in006
Add some solid fuel in the aluminum box.

in007
Fill the round metal tin with granulated sugar.

in008
Light the fuel, power up the hard drive.

in009
Soon the machine will begin to churn out your own cotton candy !

SOURCE: tt.mop.com


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  • ghettobird

    macgyver or mactotalfuckingwasteoftime

  • Fail

    fail…

  • Jonbly Herbert

    Looks more like a booby trap to me – spinning blades of death, firestarter and superheated sugar all in one…

    • warp

      ” spinning blades of death, firestarter and superheated sugar all in one…”

      You just described all kitchen machinery.

      Go take a hike you luddite

  • Withheld

    Detail not mentioned: The holes along the outside edge of the spinning tin, which provide the extrusion path for the molten sugar.

    And it won’t give you very interesting cotton candy unless you use flavored/colored sugar. Pros add “flossine” (may be a trade name) to the sugar to get that.

    The higher RPM is probably needed, since the radius of the extrusion head is smaller.

    It certainly should work, for small batches. I wouldn’t call it practical. So whether it’s a “waste of time” or not depends on how amused you are by the kluge.

  • esteban

    I think I’d rather eat the hard drive.

  • http://www.facebook.com/rob.jacques Rob Jacques

    ok my biggest problem with this (and i do think that its awesome) is that you are heating up and spinning at high speed things that, unless RoHS compliant, are completely laden with lead, etching chemical residues (i’ve worked in a pcb shop and component placement is dirty also), conformal coating pieces and honestly, who knows what else, and you drilled holes in the platens too. NO FREAKING WAY I’m eating that Cotton Candy.

  • copy_ed

    I learned how to make a small metal box from an aluminum can. Might come in handy in some other project where I’m not liberating carcinogens and heavy metals from third-world electronics…

  • Yang

    All I want to know is where did you get that tin box of Chinese lotion. And do you have more of it?