[Oddly jazzy jazz music]
[floppy drive noises]
- Greetings and welcome to LGR Oddware.
Where we're taking a look at hardware and software,
that is odd, forgotten, and obsolete.
And this time it is the bafflingly named,
Thermaltake X-Ray.
Don't know why it's called that,
as far as I know
it has nothing to do with radiation.
[Nervous chuckle] Let's hope. But anyway, what it does
is provide a cigarette lighter
inside of a five and a quarter inch
drive bay for your PC.
As well as providing a handy, pop-out cup holder.
[laughing] Supposedly to make your LAN party
experience more awesome, from what I can tell?
Anyway, doesn't really matter what it is.
Because it's odd, and we're gonna take a look at it.
Yes it is time to give ourself an X-Ray
here with the Thermaltake X-Ray,
part number A2021, five and a quarter inch drive bay kit.
[chuckles] Application for car expansion accessory.
But you know as a Thermaltake device,
there's always that kind of a charm
to these things and yeah.
They were really trying to imply
a real automotive connotation.
I mean [laughs] it's got this right here,
this goes into a PC case.
A five and a quarter inch drive bay,
and yet you've got AC climate controls
from a vehicle right there,
just Photoshopped in place I suppose.
[laughs] Whatever man,
Thermaltake, what a bunch of jokers, but yeah.
This was originally sold, I believe
around the fall of 2004?
From what I can tell, various retailers online,
and it was about $16.99 or very frequently on sale.
Again, from the old listings that I can find.
As for the history of this thing or you know,
what the story is behind its creation?
I mean there's [chuckles] really
not much to this.
Unlike many other episodes of LGR Oddware,
this is simply one of many Thermaltake devices.
Thermaltake is a company
based in Taipei Taiwan, and they've been
doing their thing since the late '90s.
1999!
They're pretty similar to companies
like Cooler Master, Silverstone, Zalman, you know.
All those computer companies
from over in that general vicinity of the world,
that make a little bit of everything
when it comes to PC components.
Power supplies, PC cases, cooling systems,
input devices, hard disk enclosures, and of course,
weird five and a quarter inch drive bay mods.
And typically at rather low-budget prices.
Like this one you know, is under $20.
This is not the first Thermaltake thing
that I've shown on LGR.
In fact a while back,
I showed the Thermaltake Circle Fire.
Which was [laughing] kind of a Guy Fieri Fever Dream.
Which *supposedly* provided dual VU meters
for audio as well as built-in speaker,
but in reality it was complete trash.
That thing was just the worst,
and just looking at the back of this,
I mean this looks like
the exact same type of packaging.
The very dubious marketing copy and [laughs] everything.
Application and car accessories charge
with mobile phone, PDA, notebook.
I'm assuming that means that you're
supposed to be able to plug in those things.
Yeah but, we have here,
it doesn't say DC but that's what it is.
12 volt input, six point five amp current,
and just connects via your standard
four-pin molex connector,
to your power supply in your computer.
Enclose the fuse to safe system.
I ah, I'm assuming that means
there is a fuse in here to, well.
Yeah you don't want crazy cigarette lighter power
doin' weird stuff to your computer power supply,
or whatever I don't know.
I'm no expert in how the way these things function,
but it just seemed dubious from the get-go.
Which is one reason that I wanted
to take a look at it, because yeah.
My outlook is not optimistic for the X-Ray,
just due to the Thermaltake Circle Fire.
However, looking on Amazon the reviews
are all quite positive.
With one owner saying,
"It's the greatest thing since sliced bread!
"Drink and smoke at your computer,
"without having to look for a lighter.
"What will they think of next?"
Another user saying, "It's too cool!",
but they admit that it's totally pointless.
The equivalent of pimping out your PC
by putting on spinners,
and it's also a pain to install if you're working
with a tool-less case.
So, that's promising.
However, I think it's Yahooizzle
that put it the most succinctly.
"Five stars, the best way to light a joint
"and hold your beer!"
I mean I'll take his word for it,
I'm am not a smoker but,
I couldn't say no
to this kind of pure hodware oddness,
I mean -- wait what? [taps key]
"Pure hodware oddness, I mean" [cracks up] Hodware oddness??
The world, what?
"Hardware oddness," hodware.
Sure that's a word now, back to the video.
[key tap] Pure hodware oddness, I mean.
I just, I gotta try this out.
So let's take a look at it, get it unboxed,
and get it installed in the Windows 98 PC.
And here we go!
It's pretty standard.
You got a bag o' little screws here for mounting.
There's four screws, and let's see,
we've got the cup holder-like tray here
with eject button.
You got some pretty weak-looking
little [chuckles] springs actually
making that happen.
And mounting holes on the side,
and of course the cigarette lighter portion itself.
Again, I'm no expert on what
is actually going on inside here but,
it does appear to have a fuse installed.
So that's good.
Let's see what is this? [tapping]
I mean that looks like your fuse you'd see,
in a fuse box of your car.
So uh, sure!
[laughs] This is definitely not the crappiest thing
I've ever installed in a computer but,
then again you never know.
We're talking about heating elements and things.
[scraping]
I mean seriously, look at this, look at this.
That's just, that is a straight up cigarette lighter,
and presumably a 12 volt power source.
For different things that you could
plug into a car normally so [laughs]
let's get this installed [clang]
and see precisely how the X-Ray does its thing.
[jazz riff]
[calm jazz music] [metallic clanking]
[quiet drilling] [continually calm jazz music]
[lid clasping] [metallic ticks]
[switch clicking]
[sliding plastic] [clasping shut]
[tapping]
Alrighty so everything's installed
in the Megaluminum Monster here,
and all that's left to do
is power it on [laughs] and see what happens.
[click] [computer whirring to life]
Nothing has blown up yet,
I'll take that as a positive. [beep]
Mkay, Windows 98 booting,
and we've got the cigarette lighter part here.
We'll just, [snap]
press it in and [laughs] see if it heats up I guess.
It should pop out if it's
like any car one, oh here's somethin'.
[metallic snap] [scrape]
Oh yeah man that is thoroughly lit up there.
[laughs] Well that works,
and actually a little quicker than I thought it might!
I wasn't sure, I don't know I wasn't sure.
You never know with these things,
weird Thermaltake devices.
Okay, so let's try to light something, let's see.
What do I have I can set on fire?
Don't have any cigs,
but I do have a paper towel part.
So I know, we'll try that!
[thwap] [scraping pop]
Oh, yep yep that's
[laughs] that's lighting.
Awesome, wow! [blowing on it]
This thing works!
This would absolutely light your light-able products.
Let's see, I have a candle here. [chuckles]
[click] [metallic snap]
[glass clinking] Oh [laughs], ah man!
Yeah like instantaneously, that is awesome!
I mean I shouldn't be surprised,
it's a really hot thing. [laughs]
So of course it can light a candle,
but yeah whatever.
[blows out candle] [reacts in pain]
Yep yep, the outside of that gets pretty warm,
that outer edge there.
Which I mean it makes sense but,
it's just kind of tough to get stuck back in the slot.
Nothing else around here really seems warm,
it's just that outer metal ring there,
that's getting
[ceramic thump] a tad heated.
Now of course we've also got the cup holder itself,
which holds cups! [sliding metal]
And other assorted things I suppose.
It actually, it says beverage holder
on the actual package but,
you know what this just strikes me
as kind of an ashtray-type thing.
'Cause of this removable tray,
and the inside of there is also,
[plastic clicking]
it's got another plastic container
holding the container, but yeah.
Either way, cup holder.
Let's try it with yeah,
just got a bottled water here! [clacking plastic]
Yep, that holds a bottle of water!
All right yeah, totally works. [laughs]
It brought the tray with it,
I was wondering about that.
Just because it's kind of a tight fit there,
and also I was wondering if it would
hold the weight of a bottle of water,
but yeah it felt okay.
It feels fine.
We've also got a pint glass here.
[glass tapping plastic] Yep!
That's a pint glass in the cup holder!
The Thermaltake X-Ray,
[laughingly] this is not necessary.
It brings to mind that whole urban legend,
tech support horror story of somebody calling in
and thinking the CD-ROM drive was a cup holder,
and they broke it or whatever.
And it's like, oh this is the actual thing!
You want a cup holder in your computer?
Here ya go!
It's just a terrible idea,
putting liquids this close to any kind of situation
this electronic and technical but,
I've certainly done riskier things
with fluids near computers over the years.
[sliding plastic] Wish it held my coffee cup,
it does not, it just sort of,
yeah it's not the right size. [metal sliding]
All right well, we're not done testing this thing.
Because there's more things you can do with this,
being that that is a 12 volt DC outlet.
I mean the packaging says Power for Car Accessories.
And what do I use these outlets for
the most in my car?
Well, a dash cam but, also for charging my phone.
So let us try that
with one of these little DC adapters.
Yeah, just a USB Type-C here,
and plug this in, okay.
We've got a little light around the edge,
which means it's getting power.
Let's see, [charging beep]
hey check it out! [laughs]
It's not a fast charging deal,
I don't even think this is
the fast-charging adapter anyway but,
yeah man that totally works.
My phone is absolutely charging.
Wow man, you could just plug in
anything in here right?
In fact they could just straight up
get one of these for your car.
So this should work right?
This'll just add regular power to DC,
[laughs] yep and that lights up immediately.
All right what do I have in here
that needs some power? [devious chuckle]
How about a 1970's calculator?
Unisonic 890-C.
Don't know how much power this takes,
I don't think it's a lot.
There we go, and let's see.
[click] Hey!
Yep we got power!
Aw man, yep, perfect!
You can run your mid '70s Unisonic calculator
through the car power adapter,
plugged into your cigarette lighter
on a five and a quarter inch drive bay,
on a Windows 98 PC, oh my goodness!
But that's a calculator,
I've got a calculator and software!
What I don't have in software
are powered speakers!
I got some Altec Lansing speakers
that I usually use in this set up over here,
but they need power.
Plug it into the wall?
No!
Plug it into the PC itself, see if that works.
[ding]
Yep, [laughs] nice.
[MIDI xylophone music]
[funky electronic clarinet]
[sliding metal] [funky clarinet continues]
[slam]
[plastic clanking]
[laughs] Anyway, okay you get the point.
That's what this does,
it's a cigarette lighter and an ashtray,
or a cup holder with a tray in it.
[scrape]
Anyway, this is, [plastic clacking]
There it is, all right.
What an absolute treasure!
And that is the Thermaltake X-Ray experience!
Oh man, it is what it is.
It doesn't really do anything more,
or less than what you would think it would do,
and it does that perfectly adequately!
You know it's very cheap, but it was sold cheap.
It was under $20 and over the past 16
or however many years. [grating plastic]
Yeah the springs aren't quite as springy
as they used to be, [metal clinking]
and this is like, just irritating to work with.
[squeaking metal]
I still don't quite understand
who this was for.
Obviously it was a little bit risky
to put something like this.
Like if you had a really nice computer,
do you really wanna put a heating element
kind of thing and liquids and stuff
right next to your pricey LAN party PC?
Probably not but, I'm just happy
that it exists.
It is delightfully odd,
what more can you ask for on this show?
So I hope that you enjoyed seeing it come together
as much as I enjoyed screwin' around with it.
And if you did enjoy this episode of Oddware,
then fantastic!
Do check out some my others.
I've done a bunch of them over the years,
and more are always in the works
in some form or another.
Along with other videos of all kinds,
throughout the weeks of the year.
That being said though, as always,
Thank You very much for watching LGR!