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Makers and Making: Advice and suggestions needed for retrofit of a 1952 television cabinet
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Nov 8th 2009
I have an empty cabinet for a 1952 Motorola television cabinet. All the hardware and the screen & bezel are on it; it's just empty. I plan to put a PC in it to....well, I'm not yet sure why, but that's what I'm going to do. There are a few technical challenges involved in modifying the cabinet and I hope someone can help me out.
First, here is a picture of the television:
http://www.bertinot.com/tv/17k11c.htm
I'm going to put a monitor behind the screen and hinge the top, so that I can get to the innards easily, or so I can mount a touchscreen (for song selection in case I want to make it an MP3 jukebox), or hide liquor bottles. If it's a jukebox, the monitor on the front will show visualizations and the playlist.
Here are the things I hope to get help with:
1) You see those two knobs under the screen? They obviously don't serve any purpose now. I want to install a panel-mount USB port behind each one to hookup a mouse and keyboard when necessary and use the knobs to cover them when not in use. The thing is, I'm not sure how to get the knobs to stay in place when the USB ports are not in use. I considered gluing some thin metal rings around the knob holes and putting magnets in the back of the knobs, but I'm guessing that the metal strips would eventually become magnetized themselves and the resulting EMI would wreak havoc on the USB. I also considered 'hollowing out' the back of each knob and epoxy-ing a USB plug to the back of the knobs. (USB plugs are just very short, non-functioning USB plugs you keep in your ports to keep out debris) However, this might result in the knobs sticking out from the cabinet enough to be noticeable. Any ideas?
2) I have removed the frame that holds the speaker-cloth in place and am going to cut out that portion of the cabinet. The speaker frame and cloth will be mounted on plexiglass and turned into a hinged door for more access to the inside, to get to the front of the PC, which will be housed in the lower half of the cabinet. However, this would also be the perfect place to install some PC speakers. They wouldn't be used that often, because whether it's a jukebox, HTPC, or gaming system, I will use an external set of speakers. If I DON'T make this an access panel, I'll have to pull the cabinet away from the wall every time I need to get to the PC. Does everyone think more cabinet access or internal speakers would be more useful? Also, does anyone know of light, small (i.e. flat), 'good-enough' quality speakers I could mount to the hinged door, so I had speakers AND access?
3) I'll need LOTS of ports on this thing...several pair of banana plugs, HDMI, RCA plugs, etc. I found a place where I can order custom wallplates with all the cutouts in it for me to install whatever panel-mount ports I wanted on it. This could be installed on the side or (hopefully) on the back. However, this would be a bit of an eyesore and I was hoping to find a solution that looked a little more professional...maybe a panel 8" long but only 3 or so inches tall. Does anyone know where I could order a custom panel like this?
I know this is a long post, and I've been investigating this for a good while...any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks
--Alex
First, here is a picture of the television:
http://www.bertinot.com/tv/17k11c.htm
I'm going to put a monitor behind the screen and hinge the top, so that I can get to the innards easily, or so I can mount a touchscreen (for song selection in case I want to make it an MP3 jukebox), or hide liquor bottles. If it's a jukebox, the monitor on the front will show visualizations and the playlist.
Here are the things I hope to get help with:
1) You see those two knobs under the screen? They obviously don't serve any purpose now. I want to install a panel-mount USB port behind each one to hookup a mouse and keyboard when necessary and use the knobs to cover them when not in use. The thing is, I'm not sure how to get the knobs to stay in place when the USB ports are not in use. I considered gluing some thin metal rings around the knob holes and putting magnets in the back of the knobs, but I'm guessing that the metal strips would eventually become magnetized themselves and the resulting EMI would wreak havoc on the USB. I also considered 'hollowing out' the back of each knob and epoxy-ing a USB plug to the back of the knobs. (USB plugs are just very short, non-functioning USB plugs you keep in your ports to keep out debris) However, this might result in the knobs sticking out from the cabinet enough to be noticeable. Any ideas?
2) I have removed the frame that holds the speaker-cloth in place and am going to cut out that portion of the cabinet. The speaker frame and cloth will be mounted on plexiglass and turned into a hinged door for more access to the inside, to get to the front of the PC, which will be housed in the lower half of the cabinet. However, this would also be the perfect place to install some PC speakers. They wouldn't be used that often, because whether it's a jukebox, HTPC, or gaming system, I will use an external set of speakers. If I DON'T make this an access panel, I'll have to pull the cabinet away from the wall every time I need to get to the PC. Does everyone think more cabinet access or internal speakers would be more useful? Also, does anyone know of light, small (i.e. flat), 'good-enough' quality speakers I could mount to the hinged door, so I had speakers AND access?
3) I'll need LOTS of ports on this thing...several pair of banana plugs, HDMI, RCA plugs, etc. I found a place where I can order custom wallplates with all the cutouts in it for me to install whatever panel-mount ports I wanted on it. This could be installed on the side or (hopefully) on the back. However, this would be a bit of an eyesore and I was hoping to find a solution that looked a little more professional...maybe a panel 8" long but only 3 or so inches tall. Does anyone know where I could order a custom panel like this?
I know this is a long post, and I've been investigating this for a good while...any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks
--Alex
Nov 8th 2009
Use wireless mouse and keyboard? Leave the knobs where they are, or hook them to something to do something on your PC?
Don't tear up the cabinet, just put on some little casters so it is easy to roll out to get at all your stuff from the back. Use the speaker grill for speakers!
It might be nice to turn it into a media center kind of thing, play music and TV and DVDs and stream vids -- find a screen that fits where the tube was, just update the cabinet with a modern display.
I think it would be more satisfying to leave the cabinet pretty much as it is, but install new guts in a nice clean way.
Don't tear up the cabinet, just put on some little casters so it is easy to roll out to get at all your stuff from the back. Use the speaker grill for speakers!
It might be nice to turn it into a media center kind of thing, play music and TV and DVDs and stream vids -- find a screen that fits where the tube was, just update the cabinet with a modern display.
I think it would be more satisfying to leave the cabinet pretty much as it is, but install new guts in a nice clean way.
Nov 9th 2009
Rich, I agree with you that the cabinet shouldn't be torn up! One or two USB ports in the front might come in handy for moving movies/music/patches onboard from an external drive. A wireless keyboard/mouse is not a bad idea, though.
And I think it would make a great media center....I have a 19" LCD that will fit great behind the screen and bezel. I'm going to pipe the video out through HDMI to an HD projector, but when not in use, the screensaver on the LCD will show loops of 1950's movie clips (Godzilla movies, Sinbad movies, 1950's commercials, etc).
But you're absolutely right...any modifications need to be as clean and non-destructive as possible.
--Alex
And I think it would make a great media center....I have a 19" LCD that will fit great behind the screen and bezel. I'm going to pipe the video out through HDMI to an HD projector, but when not in use, the screensaver on the LCD will show loops of 1950's movie clips (Godzilla movies, Sinbad movies, 1950's commercials, etc).
But you're absolutely right...any modifications need to be as clean and non-destructive as possible.
--Alex
Nov 9th 2009
For the front USB ports you want to add, what about that emblem in the middle of the knobs?? is there anyway to place the USB ports behind that and make the emblem flip down or something to access the USB ports??
I would also keep the knobs, you can use one to adjust the volume if you add some speakers and amplifier to it, and possibly use the other one for input for when the console is in different "modes" (i.e. in Jukebox mode, it could serve as a next/previous song selector, etc).....
But yeah, definitely keep as much of the original outside as much as possible.... Keep us posted on the work, sound intriguing....
My .02
I would also keep the knobs, you can use one to adjust the volume if you add some speakers and amplifier to it, and possibly use the other one for input for when the console is in different "modes" (i.e. in Jukebox mode, it could serve as a next/previous song selector, etc).....
But yeah, definitely keep as much of the original outside as much as possible.... Keep us posted on the work, sound intriguing....
My .02
Nov 10th 2009
I really hope you get around to doing this... it'll be awesome once it's complete..
Nov 11th 2009
For the panel, use frontpanelexpress.com - it's a bit spendy, but the finished product is beautiful. I suggest re-purposing the knobs for volume and maybe the power switch?
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