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39 amazing Steampunk computer mods
PCs, Macs and peripherals for Victorian punks
Tom Porter, Mon 23 Mar 2009, 10:33 am UTC
31. The Aviator
The next six entries are all keyboards, all created by the talented Mr Datamancer.
"The Aviator features a brushed aluminum frame, a black felt faceplate, and 'jewel'-styled LEDs reminiscent of an old airplane instrument panel."
30. The Archbishop
"It features a wooden faceplate in a red mahogany stain, a polished brass frame with quatrefoil designs in the side, and keys in a fancy cursive font."
29. The Sojourner
"This keyboard is crafted in polished brass, then artificially tarnished. The slightly weathered keys are electroplated in brass and are quite striking against the aged leather faceplate and parchment key inserts."
28. The Industrial
"The frame is dirty aluminum and the 'feet' are made from old transmission planetary gears cut in half. The faceplate is an aluminum mesh and the keys are made of hex nuts. The LEDs are hollowed-out round light bulbs mounted in a threaded holder."
27. The Baron Of Cyprus
"It features a polished copper frame, chrome keys, and polished copper key inserts. The main letter and number keys (A-Z, 1-0) are polished copper charms with engraved lettering."
26. The Datamancer Ergo
"This keyboard began its life as a very rare IBM Model M-15 split ergonomic keyboard. [It features] some elegant, feminine design features such as violet LEDs, an acanthus-leaf pattern etched into the brass, and a soft burgundy wrist pad."
25. Brass and Marble LCD mod
And here's Datamancer's equally-shiny modded monitor – a perfect compliment to any of the above. The frame is solid brass and the bass is marble, so expect it to be very, very heavy.
24. Steampunk Workshop Keyboard
Inspiration for some of the above designs stem from Jake Von Slatt's Steampunk Workshop original. This one started life as an IBM Model M keyboard – some sheets of brass, felt and a handful of typewriter keys later…
23. Steampunk Workshop Flat-Panel LCD Monitor
You'll want a monitor to plug that into, obviously, because as Jake Von Slatt puts it: "the Steampunk Keyboard looked terribly anachronistic sitting in front of my Dell 1907FP." The arms came from a 19th Century gas lamp – brilliant.
22. Steampunk Workshop all-in-one PC
But why stop at just a monitor? How about a beautifully-modded 24" widescreen monitor with an in-built Pentium IV motherboard and a 250 GB SATA drive. A stunning example of a fully-functioning Steampunk system.
