The Widlar-izer! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 03:55:12 am
content: "How do you Widlarize something? You take it over to the anvil part of the vice and you beat on it with a hammer, until it is all crunched down to tiny little pieces, so small that you don't even have to sweep it off the floor. It sure makes you feel better. And you know that that component will never vex you again." ~ Bob PeaseBackstory.......So I'm walking through Harbor Freight when I come across this..... Marked as a "2lb Engineers Hammer"http://www.harborfreight.com/2-lb-engineers-hammer-69226.htmlI think to myself.... When I think electrical engineer and hammer, one name comes to mind.... Bob Widlar!After a bit of work, The Widlar-izer is born. Behold it in all of it's glory. Destined to hang on the wall next to my desk at the office, waiting patiently for the chance to destroy some uncooperative circuitry!Next chance I get I'm going to pick up some old vacuum tubes and set The Widlar-izer lose.... just for free_electron!

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 05:03:59 am
content: You need the matching anvil as well, a piece of old rail track works well there, I have an old rail shoe for that though.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 05:29:24 am
content: That was in my garage and I couldn't wait to smash something. I promise to use the anvil part of the vice at work when The Widlar-izer gets to it's new home. I'll make sure to bash smaller pieces too.

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 07:50:21 am
content: What did you Widlarize?

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 01:19:39 pm
content: You are not doing it right. The pieces are still too large...

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 06:00:32 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on September 18, 2013, 01:19:39 pmI knowIt was my first try and I had no anvil. Plus a picture of dust next to a hammer doesn't look as cool.On the other hand it would take a serious IC surgeon to get those chips back on their feet.

author: Dongulus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 06:38:49 pm
content: My avatar approves of this post.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 07:10:04 pm
content: It's new home(That partially widlar-ized board was some random board from the junk box. Not even sure what it used to do. But I do know what it's not going to do anymore.... Anything!)On a side note: It's actually really hard to get an IC smashed down to really small pieces. They tend to go flying all over the place, so it's more of a process-1) shield your eyes,2) whack with hammer - chip either does nothing or explodes,3) go collect all the pieces (that you can find),4) repeat till desired piece size is achieved or you can't find any more pieces.

author: Dave
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2013, 08:09:20 pm
content: How will you Widlarize your Widlarizer if it falls off that shelf and smashes your computer screen?Bigger Widlarizer?

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2013, 06:04:19 pm
content: You need a can to place the target in, then try not to hit the can.........

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2013, 01:42:30 pm
content: This is what you need to reduce your electronics to the right state.https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DxsXpU6HXYI#t=27

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2013, 05:17:43 pm
content: Quote from: G7PSK on September 20, 2013, 01:42:30 pmpound it into submission.this somehow reminds me of the starwars scene where they recycle robots. there's one of those battery robot upside down and they are branding his feet.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2016, 06:12:08 am
content: HAH! Looks like someoneborrowedmy idea!http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:734394"The Widlarizer Hammer by plusalphaDesigns is licensed under the Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share Alike license. "I don't see them giving me credit anywhere... Can I get all angry on the internet since it's pretty clearly a derivative work from my thing?

author: lwatts666
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 04, 2016, 06:51:26 am
content: Reminds me of a manager who had a HUGE stud mount diode - the type with a long braided cable and lug attached. It hung from a hook beside his desk.He called it 'The Rectifier'. Holding it by the braid, it was swung at uncooperative hardware, the desk of sleeping engineers, or anything else that needed some 'help'.Many a problem was quickly rectified under the shadow 'The Rectifier'.

author: albert22
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2016, 01:51:02 pm
content: Looks very similar to my "fine-tuning/Persuader" tool.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 04, 2016, 02:14:25 pm
content: Now with 800% more Widlar!

author: Gribo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2016, 04:56:42 pm
content: This, along with my programmer's ax are my favorite tools.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2016, 05:35:55 pm
content: Reminds me I have to fix mine, the handle broke..............Luckily a nice new meranti handle was $2, just have to do the work to fit it perfectly, and then make some new wedges to expand it properly and oil the handle nicely.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2016, 11:50:15 pm
content: Smashing stuff for just smashing stuff is cave-men behaviour!

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2016, 12:57:16 am
content: Friend of mine used to work for a computer game company, as such they had pre-production and production versions of every video card and game system known to man. When tasked with cleaning the place out, he made sure to smash everything with a hammer before tossing it in the dumpster to prevent dumpster divers. Then he also too shots at the contents with his paintball guns. He did have a few of those old ATI video cards that were popular in servers about 15 years ago, so I asked him for one, and he sent me one. On the outside of the box, he drew a smiley face and a hammer. When I opened the box, there on top was one of said video cards, smashed with a hammer. Hiding underneath it was another one in perfect condition, but it wasn't obvious at first. HIWAFH indeed.

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2016, 03:45:50 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on April 04, 2016, 11:50:15 pmWidlar Ization is not simply smashing stuff for the sake of smashing stuff. It actually had a few purposes. First to get rid of chips that were faulty to not get back into the system. Secondly it is to create a point of no return when you know fiddiling with it anymore is a waste of time and keep you from throwing more time at a lost cause.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2017, 09:39:57 pm
content: Geeze Dave... You call that a Widlar-izer?? That's not a Widlar-izer...... THIS is a Widlar-izer!!!I thought everything was bigger in Australia!?!?!?

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 10, 2017, 09:51:31 pm
content: They have big knives, but it seems small hammers.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2017, 06:28:14 am
content: Uh oh, Photon might say you violated the copyright of his "'ammer"

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2020, 04:08:19 am
content: Cool. One step closer on the six degrees of AVE separation game.