Introduction: 3 in 1 Precision Screwdriver Organizer With Old Hard Disk Drive

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As a personal computer user, you may have a dead hard disk drive (HDD) lying around. HDDs are one of the most vulnerable components in a computer and can be easily damaged by improper shutdown, power surges, or physical shocks. I recently had a dead 3.5'' HDD and decided to upcycle it instead of sending it to a landfill.

I bought a set of precision screwdrivers but it didn't come with a holder. So, I made an organizer out of the old HDD and some 3D-printed parts. I was able to include a modular screw organizer in the rotating disc. As a bonus, I also built a screwdriver magnetizer and demagnetizer using the magnets inside the hard drive. It is for my workbench setup

This design will work with all 3.5'' HDDs. you might only need to make some design changes to the screw tray holder

So in this Instructables, we are going to build

  • screwdriver organizer
  • screw organizer
  • screwdriver magnetizer and demagnetizer

Supplies

Hardware

Tools

  • flat head screwdriver (screwdriver set I am using)
  • Torx head screwdriver ( for opening the HDD )
  • 3d printer ( if you don't have 3d printer you can find 3d printing service in online)
  • sandpaper ( optional for sanding 3d printed parts )

Step 1: Disassembling HDD

I have a SEAGATE ST3160212AS, but the disassembling process is mostly the same,

1. Remove all the screws using a T8 Torx screwdriver


2. Remove the top actuator magnet assembly by removing the screw and pulling it out with a flat-head screwdriver


3. Remove the actuator arm using a flathead screwdriver, and push the actuator arm away from the disk for easy removal, also Remove the actuator pcb


4. Remove the bottom actuator magnet assembly


5. Remove the 3 screws from the disk spindle and remove the spindle disk holder (save these three Torx screws we need them later)


6. Separate the magnets from the top and bottom actuator magnet assembly using a flat-head screwdriver or a cutting blade. These magnets are glued with an adhesive. It is a little hard to separate them without breaking, so be careful. Also, watch your hands, as these magnets are very powerful.

Step 2: Design Approach

Now it is time to take some measurements and start working in Autodesk Fusion 360. I designed it with modularity in mind. I broke it into several parts so it is much easier to 3D print. This project consists of these components

  • Screwdrivers holder
  • Screwdrivers holder support
  • Screw trays holder
  • Screw trays
  • Magnetizer and demagnetize

We will talk about the design approach and assembly of each component in the following steps. also, my design files are attached below


Attachments

Step 3: Screwdriver Holder

I have a pack of 10-piece precision screwdrivers with a 50mm shaft length and a 3mm shaft diameter. I modeled exact replicas of the screwdrivers to make the design process easier. The holes need to be greater than 3mm in diameter to accommodate the screwdrivers. I made the holes 3.4mm in diameter so they are easier to store. I also extruded support at the bottom to support the weight of the screwdriver, as the screwdriver will be placed at a 45-degree angle.

Step 4: Screwdriver Holder Support

This is for the support of the screwdriver holder. It is designed in a way to support most of the standard 3.5-inch HDDs. This is because we are utilizing the side M3 screw holes in the hard drive. The distance between the holes is standardized. which is 41.6mm

Step 5: Screw Trays Holder

This is used to hold the 6 screw trays and is attached to the spindle motor. The spindle motor will act as a ball bearing, which will allow the screw tray to spin freely. However, this part may need customization, as the spindle motor screw hole positions are different in different models. We are not removing the HDD platter (disk). We will fix the tray on top of it. The diameter of the tray is less than 95mm. The tray has the same diameter as the platter

Step 6: Screw Trays

These are for organizing specific screws. This part can be customized to your specific needs, number of trays, and height. It is designed in a way that you can easily remove the tray to get the screws. I made a six-tray design for my needs

Step 7: Screwdriver Magnetizer and Demagnetizer

We are utilizing the actuator magnets to build the screwdriver magnetizer and demagnetizer. These actuator magnets are strong neodymium magnets, so be careful when handling them. We need to use this magnets together. It is 2 part design one endcap and one magnet holder, We also included two M3 holes for attaching it to the screwdriver holder

need to know how magnetizer and demagnetizer work ?

The shape of the magnet is different in different models of HDD

If you need to design a magnet holder for this, It is not a semantical shape to design, but there is a way

1. Take an overhead picture of the magnet on a flat surface with a scale

2. Open this image using the canvas feature in Fusion 360 and scale it to the correct size

3. Using the fit point spline tool draw an outline of the magnet

4. Extrude it to the required thickness

Now you can design the holder around it and 3D print each part.

Step 8: Magnetizer and Demagnetizer Assembly

Put two magnets together into the magnet holder, Glue the endcap

Step 9: Final Assembly

Now it is time for the final assembly

  1. Attach two screwdriver holder support to the HDD body with an M3 screw
  2. Attach the magnetizer holder and screwdriver holder with the same M3 screw
  3. Attach the screw Trays Holder with the same screws that we saved during the disassembly process
  4. Now we can put screw Trays into the screw trays holder

If it is tight to pull out the screwdriver you can clear the hole with a 3mm drill bit

If the screw trays are tight I also suggest sanding the sides of the screw tray with sandpaper

Step 10: How to Use Screwdriver Magnetizer and Demagnetizer

As you can see, there are two holders in it, one for magnetizing and the other for demagnetizing. If you need to magnetize the screwdriver, insert the screwdriver tip into the MG slot and stroke the screwdriver tip into the magnet in the same clockwise direction 10 times. For demagnetizing, just do the same thing in the DM slot in a counterclockwise direction.

Step 11: Final Thoughts

First of all, thank you for taking the time to read my Instructables. There are so many possibilities to customize this project. You can customize the screwdriver holder to fit any of your small tools. You can also customize the number of compartments in the tray. Optionally, you can nameplate each tray with a CD marker or print the text on paper and glue it to the trays.

If you have any ideas to make this project more useful, let me know in the comments.

thank again

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