Chapter 4: Building a Powerfull Computer
Once I had all the components laid out in front of me—both the ones I bought and the ones salvaged—I took a deep breath.
"Alright, Ben, time to make this happen."
The workspace was a chaotic blend of salvaged parts, custom designs, and a few alien-inspired prototypes I'd been toying with. It looked like something out of a mad scientist's lab, but it was organized chaos. I'd planned every step for weeks, sketching diagrams, simulating circuits, and testing prototypes. The journey to this point hadn't been smooth—far from it. Each piece of hardware told its own story of trial, error, and frustration.
The day started with a trek through the city's industrial district. I'd learned that appliance repair shops often tossed out old, broken equipment. The trick was to get there before the garbage collectors did. As I rummaged through piles of discarded appliances, the stale metallic smell filled the air.
"Come on, give me something good," I muttered, prying open the back of an old washing machine. Inside, I found a power regulator that looked intact. Jackpot.
By the end of the day, I'd gathered a decent haul: circuit boards from a microwave, copper wiring from an old air conditioner, and a partially functional cooling fan. The satisfaction of finding usable parts was tempered by exhaustion. My back ached, and my hands were grimy, but I couldn't stop smiling. These parts were the foundation of my build.
Back at the Room, I spent the entire day cleaning and testing the salvaged components. Each piece had to be carefully inspected for damage. The power regulator worked after some soldering, but the cooling fan was beyond repair. I tossed it into the scrap pile with a frustrated sigh.
"Can't win them all," I said, wiping sweat from my forehead.
By evening, I'd salvaged enough usable components to start assembling the motherboard. The process was slow. Every solder joint needed precision, and one wrong move could ruin hours of work. Twice, I accidentally bridged connections, causing short circuits that sent sparks flying.
My dad would always come to see and help me in my things when he saw i knowing my stuff he only came once or twice.
"Damn it!" I yelled, slamming my tools onto the table. I had to take a break to calm down before starting again. Patience, I reminded myself. This wasn't just a project; it was a test of endurance.
Day 3
The Quantum Fluid Processor was the centerpiece of the build, and designing it was no small feat. The microfluidic channels required nanometer precision. I spent hours hunched over the design software, tweaking the layout and simulating fluid dynamics.
When the 3D printer finished producing the prototype, I eagerly inspected it. My excitement was short-lived. One of the channels was too narrow, causing the conductive liquid to clog.
"No, no, no," I muttered, my hands shaking as I examined the flaw. I'd wasted an entire day's work. Frustration bubbled over, and I slammed my fist on the table. After a few minutes of wallowing in self-pity, I took a deep breath. Mistakes were part of the process. I adjusted the design and printed a new prototype overnight.
Day 4
With a functional Quantum Fluid Processor in hand, I began assembling the motherboard. Aligning the processor with the board required surgical precision. My hands trembled as I filled the micro-channels with conductive liquid.
"Please don't leak," I whispered, holding my breath as the liquid began to flow. To my relief, it worked perfectly. The liquid cooled the processor and transmitted signals as intended. I ran a quick diagnostic and almost cried with relief when the results came back positive.
Next, I soldered the RAM modules. These were salvaged from an old server, and I'd spent hours refurbishing them. The first module worked flawlessly, but the second one refused to boot. After several attempts, I realized the module was irreparably damaged. Frustrated, I scoured my parts bin for a replacement.
Day 5
The graphics card was one of the few components I'd bought new, but it needed upgrades to meet my standards. I replaced the stock thermal paste with my conductive liquid formula and added a mini-liquid cooling system. Integrating it with the Quantum Fluid Processor required precise modifications to the heat sink.
"You're going to be a beast," I said, tightening the final screw. When I powered it on, the card ran cooler and faster than its stock configuration. Success.
Day 6
The storage system was a Frankenstein creation of salvaged SSDs and HDDs. Rigging them into a custom RAID setup was a nightmare. The wiring alone took hours, and every test seemed to reveal a new problem.
"Why won't you just work?" I groaned, staring at the tangle of cables. At one point, a loose connection caused the entire system to crash, erasing hours of data. I felt like giving up, but I reminded myself why I was doing this. Failure wasn't an option.
After several hours of troubleshooting, the RAID setup finally worked. It wasn't pretty, but it was fast and reliable.
Day 7
The power supply was a patchwork of salvaged components. Getting it to deliver stable voltage was a delicate balancing act. Twice, I accidentally overloaded the circuit, causing sparks to fly. My heart raced as I quickly shut everything down.
"Don't explode... Don't explode..." I repeated like a mantra as I connected the final wires. When the system powered on without issue, I let out a relieved laugh.
Week 2
With the core system complete, I turned my attention to the battery. Traditional methods wouldn't cut it, so I designed a hybrid battery using alien-inspired technology. The battery used conductive liquid and magnetic field stabilization to store and discharge electricity efficiently.
Recharging the battery presented a unique challenge. Plugging it into the grid would send the electricity bill through the roof, so I devised an unconventional solution. Standing in front of the battery, I braced myself and triggered the transformation sequence.
Electricity surged through my veins as my body shifted. My human features dissolved, replaced by a sleek, dark blue form with glowing yellow circuitry-like patterns. My hands ended in claw-like fingers, crackling with raw power. In this form, I became a living generator, charging the battery directly.
"I'll never get tired of this," Buzzshock said, his voice crackling like static. The energy transfer was seamless, and within minutes, the battery was fully charged.
Week 3:
This week was spent fine-tuning the system. Every component had to work in perfect harmony. I ran stress tests, monitored temperatures, and optimized performance. The Quantum Fluid Processor performed beyond expectations, and the custom cooling system kept everything stable.
When the system was finally complete, I connected the battery and powered it on. The machine hummed to life, glowing faintly as the conductive liquid flowed through its veins. Diagnostics confirmed that it was ready for action.
Leaning back in my chair, I couldn't help but grin. Three weeks of blood, sweat, and tears had paid off.