It’s always interesting to know how much a device costs to actually build, compared to what you pay for it and what it is capable of. In the case of the now available Nintendo 3DS, research firm iSuppli has the answers.

They have taken a 3DS apart to figure it all out. The most expensive parts inside are the Sharp screens estimated at $38.80. The processor is about $10, and the memory subsystem costs about $8.36. The user interface with a gyroscope costs $6.81, $5.00 for a WLAN system, $4.70 for the cameras, and about $3.50 for the battery system. The total cost is…

If you were stoked about getting yourself a white iPhone 4, but don’t want to wait until late July, you can always opt to build your own.

Engadget has done just that. They have assembled a white iPhone 4 with third-party parts and it looks just awesome. Sure, it’s missing an earpiece grill, lens cover, LED diffusor, and a white Home button, but it’s pretty cool.

A saw made out of Lego bricks, but with a real blade is a hospital trip just waiting to happen. This thing really works. So I hope they’ve alerted the local ER. This Lego saw can cut through a 2×4, so limbs should be no problem.

Just to be extra safe, the tips have been removed from the blade and it’s set to stop if you touch it. But still. I don’t trust this Lego saw one bit. But it is a cool creation. I’m now looking forward to the Lego nail gun and jackhammer. Once those are ready, I can make my own Lego themed construction site where our hard hats snap onto our heads and the buildings are many colored bricks.

Remember that cool working Lego safe we featured awhile back? Well now somebody has created a fully functional Lego combination safe. Just put all of your valuables in this thing and they will be…well, not safe really. We’re talking Legos. But it might be fun to build one.

Just follow Merijn van Wouden’s lead and the link for detailed step-by-step instructions and a cool video to show how the mechanisms work. Hey, you gotta put your monopoly money somewhere.

A recent report shows that the parts and packaging of the iPod Shuffle 3G cost only $21.77. That’s twenty-eight percent of the unit’s retail price. So with those numbers, you might be wondering where the clones are. According to Business Week, Samsung supplies not only the unit’s ARM-based processor ($5.98), but the storage ($6) on at least a few of the units as well. The lithium ion battery costs $1.20.

Maybe for some reason the pirates just can’t work that small yet. Who knows. Maybe they just don’t care about the Shuffle and have other gadgets to worry about.

Building your own camera is one of the coolest DIY projects you can do. Sadly cameras are such complex beasts that if you are building anything other than a pinhole camera, it’s pretty impossible. Or is it?

SuperHeadz is offering an alternative in the form of a model camera that you can build from parts and then customize yourself. It’s like those old snap together model kits you had as a kid. But instead of a Ford or a Chevy, you’re building a plastic camera. Pretty neat.

We’ve seen some pretty impressive Lego creations. Whether it’s the Lego Uzi, the Lego Playstation, or the old Lego safe, one thing is for sure. We love playing with Legos.

This functional LEGO house is a working computer. But the amount of detail that went into it is simply stunning. You could look at it all day and still find more things that you missed. Sadly, the display was not given the LEGO treatment. Hit the link below for a video.

Obviously you shouldn’t try this at home. It’s not a real smart idea to start modding live grenades. This one was an inert hand grenade, therefore the creator still walks among us. Ingredients? 1 inert grenade, a 1GB Sansa MP3 player and a hacksaw. That’s all you need.

If this sort of lethal DIY project interests you, you can try your hand at making one. Just don’t lose your hand…er…arm. Torso. It looks like a fairly simple build and a basic description can be found in the link below if you want to have a look. This is one of those Field of Dreams deals. You know, “If you build it, they will come”. They, being the FBI, local police, Homeland Security etc.

This is one of the coolest, most awesome, most jawdropping PC case mods we’ve seen in awhile. This AMD Phenom PC Case opens up in almost all directions, and looks a lot like a Transformer. It even features a green lighting scheme. Seriously, this thing looks like it’s about to take flight and fight another robot and fill your home with explosions and flying parts.

It’s got a certain classic Cylon look about it too. Look at the picture. Now look at yours. Yeah, now that you’ve seen it, you know what is missing in your life. It was created by Bill Owen, who is a true genius among men. We are not worthy.

It’s no secret that the Sony PS3 is expensive to buy and expensive to build. When the console first launched in 2006 it was sold at a significant loss by Sony in order to get consumers to buy the system and then spend money on games.

Research firm iSuppli dismantled one of the PS3 consoles in 2006 that retailed for $599 at the time and found that it cost Sony $840 to build. The same firm has gone back now after the console has had several generations to mature to find out if Sony is still losing big on the PS3 console.

All of you lonely nerds whose robots have committed boticide because they couldn’t handle another MST3K marathon (or maybe they are just plain sexed out) can now take heart. You can now build Wall-E, the ultimate in robot cuteness. That’s right, you can have a friend once again. Someone to love forever and ever. He’s even got a little storage area in his chest for your porn collection or whatever. The original creator of this DIY Wall-E wrote a 50 step tutorial to make it easy. Go build one now. Then show us your robot. Be sure to check out the video below.

You can buy any number of lightsabers. Whether in lamp form, Wii attachment, or even a lightsaber training game. But this Master Replicas Force FX Lightsaber Construction Set allows you to mix and match pieces, creating your own custom weapon.

The kit includes 3 pommels, 3 handles, 3 center bands, 3 front bodies, 3 emitters and a tri-color blade that can switch between red, green and blue. That gives you over 1000 possible combinations. One downside to this cool toy is that the blade is only illuminated by a single LED, which means you won’t get the “rising out of the hilt” effect when you turn it on. But it does have all the motion activated sound effects. All the pieces are metal, so your lightsaber will look very cool and authentic.