Carpentry

As a kid I used a saw and hammer to create make-shift planks for scaling trees. In middle school and high school I became more acquainted with electric saws and drills, but I never thought much of it. Early in my career as a working artist I used to scour thrift stores and furniture resellers looking for the perfect shelving pieces that I could use in the studio. After a while it just occurred to me that I could build the pieces that I needed. Before I could build I needed to plan, so I would take measurements, and then draw up the plans in some design software I'm already using (Corel Draw is pretty useful).

I've amassed a tasty selection of tools, and I'm pretty confident I can build most simple things.

I have plans for:

• a revamped closet

• a stage for a drum kit in my dad's garage

• an efficient attic organizer

• shelving for various projects

In the studio I've built:

• a three-tier paper/work cart

• the infamous MegaDesk

• various add-ons and mods to existing pieces

Computers & Electronics

When I was a teenager I built plastic model model cars. I'd paint them, chop open the doors and trunk, and pimp them out into lowriders. I even built a few with "hydraulics." It extended my value in having a steady hand and a keen eye for detail. While I don't build model cars any more, I have been working my steady hand and keen eye when I'm not drawing. For the last decade now I'm been into tinkering with electronics.

I can mod the last 3 iPod Classic generations, and the iPod Mini.

Mods/Upgrades include:

Battery replacement

Hard drive replacement - SD Card

Case and Click Wheel swap out

and possibly save your music off the old drive

It started with my iPod Classic.

As an avid music consumer I wanted to store more music on this thing and to just keep using it indefinitely. I soon discovered there was a way to do just that; enter the world of iPod Modding!

iPod Classic

or Single Board Computer Builds

SBC Builds

Soon after that I discovered the Raspberry Pi SBC. It's a full on computer that runs on a micro-SD card, and is powered by a phone charger. They can do all sorts of things you can program, but my main interest in them is setting up entertainment hubs and emulating old video games.

The Raspberry Pi is small enough that it can be placed in just about anything. With my latest build I gutted an old PS1 and placed a Pi 5 in the shell, complete with all the working connections. The result: a "PS1" that's capable of playing all cartridge-based games, arcade games, PS1, Nintendo 64 and more!

Bring your old game system back to life with a new processor!

Restorations

Certain consumer electronics products are built so well that it's a shame to just throw it out over a faulty component. Others just need an upgrade or two and it'll continue to function for years to come. Old game consoles, certain Mac computers, old Windows towers can be made like-new again simply with an HDD upgrade. Old handheld game consoles can be upgraded with color screens and rechargeable batteries. What do you have that would you wanna keep alive?

Upgrades

And sometimes everything you have is in perfect working order, it just needs a boost! A Hard drive swap or even a battery replacement can give your current hardware a fresh new take.

Have a console or computer that could use a refresher? Need something upgraded? Or you're wondering how you can get started in this hobby?

Drop me a line below!

All Contents Herein ©2023-2026 Jarrod L. Perez / Toonzday Productivities