My Ami/Rowe CD-100A MP3 Conversion

[Meph]

Today I picked up a nice CD-100A.  This one pictured is NOT the one im bringing home but its the same model.  The one im getting is in similar condition but the CD mechanism will be removed when I get it.  My plans are to put a 26" or 32" LCD behind the glass.  I am still trying out different Jukebox softwares but im leaning heavily towards Silverjuke atm.  I like SKG for its simplicity but unless I just don't know what im doing, I don't see any way to have it automatically start playing random songs, it only seems to play from pre-defined playlists.  No matter what software I choose, I would like to control it with the original buttons from the cabinet.  This is my first project so im still a noob but I have already read a lot.  What I don't know is how to convert those controls to USB.  I know for arcade buttons I use an I-Pac controller, will that work for this also or do I need to use something else.  Any input would be appreciated.

[Ken Layton]

Just buy the ready-made kit:

http://www.cdadapter.com/cd100mp.htm

[Meph]

I have seen that kit and im not interested in going that route.  I want to have my jukebox software running on the LCD screen.  What I do want to do is use those controls on the PC.

[Meph]

The cabinet is now completely stripped and cleaned now but im kinda at a standstill.  Im a little lost as to how to wire up the speakers.  This thing currently has 2 10" drivers in the bottom and up top it has 2 6" and 2 2.5".  I was planning to power this with a home reciever.  I have absolutely no idea how or if I can wire up those 6 speakers on a 2 channel setup.  The original amp was already removed from the box and i've really never done speaker wiring before.  Any input would be appreciated.

[Meph]

This is the official digital conversion for the same cabinet I have.



So after seeing the official digital Jumpkit conversions I decided to go that route with my box.  I was originally going to put a 26" LCD in it which would pretty much fill the glass are but after some thought I realized that it sat too low and the viewing angles wouldn't be so great.  I ordered a 15" Elo Touchscreen today which is the same as what they use in those conversions and I am going to do some custom backlit artwork for the sides and the marquee.  All this of course is once I get my sound issues figured out =)

[lilshawn]

Just buy the ready-made kit:

http://www.cdadapter.com/cd100mp.htm

I have a bunch these kits. they work pretty good, keeps everything stock.

[BobA]

To drive different speakers from a sound source you need a crossover.   You can either build one or buy them at a sound shop.   DIY Crossovers

[Meph]

Since I ended up moving over to the Project Announcements forum, here is a link to my conversion progress.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=111334.0

I ended up deciding not to go with the touchscreen and couldn't be happier.  As for the speakers I ended up building a crossover and used the original juke speakers but quickly found that after 20 years in some bar, the woofers are dry rotted.  I ordered a new set of woofers from Parts Express yesterday and I can't wait for them to arrive.  The setup sounded pretty amazing until the foam and paper separated from the rotten speakers.  =)

[Bellbane]

 Do you have a part number on those speakers from parts express?

[lilshawn]

they are pretty standard woofers. 8ohms... nothing special.

 I ordered a new set of woofers from Parts Express yesterday and I can't wait for them to arrive.  The setup sounded pretty amazing until the foam and paper separated from the rotten speakers.  =)

Parts express deals mainly with car audio woofers...which are 4 ohm...

be aware that if you try and use 4ohm woofers you risk blowing out the tweeters or midrange speakers.

changing the woofer from 8 to 4 ohms changes the crossover frequency, which ends up getting dumped into the other speakers.

4 ohm passive crossovers have different component values compared to 8 ohm passive crossovers which are what's in the Rowe jukebox. Replacing the original 8 ohm woofers with 4 ohm models will shift the low pass crossover frequency to double of what it originally was. So for example if the crossover point was 4000Hz using the 8 ohm woofers, it would then now be 8000Hz if you use an 4 ohm woofer. and your midrange/tweeters get halved to 2000Hz This creates a big frequency response overlap between the woofer and tweeter because the woofer is reproducing the higher frequencies the tweeter/ midrange is supposed to be producing and the tweeter/mid gets shifted down lower into a range where damage is occurs since it wan't designed to reproduce lower frequencies.

[Meph]

Parts express deals mainly with car audio woofers...which are 4 ohm...

They have quite an extensive home audio area also.

Do you have a part number on those speakers from parts express?

http://www.parts-express.com/wizards/searchResults.cfm?srchExt=CAT&srchCat=483&CFID=24936356&CFTOKEN=26721031

Just look through those woofers there and decide which fit your needs.  Most of those speakers in that category I listed are 8ohm but there are a couple 4ohm speakers in there, so double check before you order.  I ended up going with 2 of these: Goldwood GW-210/8 10" OEM Woofer 8 Ohm Goldwood

[lilshawn]

I ended up going with 2 of these: Goldwood GW-210/8 10" OEM Woofer 8 Ohm Goldwood

*Thumbs up*

those look great, they keep the original look. And a good price too.

[Ken Layton]

Parts Express should also have the "speaker surround repair kit" that you can use to repair the original jukebox speakers.

There should have been an original crossover network board in the jukebox. It worked very well with the original speakers. I don't know why you'd remove it.

[Meph]

There should have been an original crossover network board in the jukebox. It worked very well with the original speakers. I don't know why you'd remove it.

Half of the components were missing when I got the juke and parts of the wiring harness was missing or cut.  That said I would love to use the original crossover and speaker terminal but I have no clue how to hook that up.  Parts of the wiring harness were missing, some wires were cut and the original speakers were completely disconnected from it.  I have the jukebox manual and am planning to look at it this weekend to see if I can figure it out.  Judging from your posts on this forum your into restoration.  I get the impression that you don't approve of me taking a beat up, half gutted box and making it into a great digital juke.  If you looked at my project thread I have done all I can to actually keep the original looks of the cabinet while also bringing it up to date with a LCD instead of the CD Paging.  I have even gone and modified the original button panel to work with an Ipac.

I'm all for using as much of the original parts as I can and would love to use the original crossover.  Instead of looking down on the way I have chosen to do the project you COULD actually give me some advice on how I might actually use those parts with my project.  As for the speaker repair kit.....20 year old filthy, beer spilled, dry rotted speakers just didn't seem worth saving imo.

[Bellbane]

There should have been an original crossover network board in the jukebox. It worked very well with the original speakers. I don't know why you'd remove it.

Half of the components were missing when I got the juke and parts of the wiring harness was missing or cut.  That said I would love to use the original crossover and speaker terminal but I have no clue how to hook that up.  Parts of the wiring harness were missing, some wires were cut and the original speakers were completely disconnected from it.  I have the jukebox manual and am planning to look at it this weekend to see if I can figure it out.  Judging from your posts on this forum your into restoration.  I get the impression that you don't approve of me taking a beat up, half gutted box and making it into a great digital juke.  If you looked at my project thread I have done all I can to actually keep the original looks of the cabinet while also bringing it up to date with a LCD instead of the CD Paging.  I have even gone and modified the original button panel to work with an Ipac.

I'm all for using as much of the original parts as I can and would love to use the original crossover.  Instead of looking down on the way I have chosen to do the project you COULD actually give me some advice on how I might actually use those parts with my project.  As for the speaker repair kit.....20 year old filthy, beer spilled, dry rotted speakers just didn't seem worth saving imo.

FWIW,  I think you're doing a great job.  I'm all for restorations, but some projects just take you down the modification road.  For your project, I think you've made the right choice to modify an existing cabinet.  I built a few custom touchscreens for friends in the past few years, but I'll take a modified old school juke over a "media center" any day. IMO, too many headaches with end users screwing up touchscreens during parties.  Currently I have four jukes in various states of repair floating around the house ( wife hates me ) so I can appreciate the effort you're putting into this project.

Keep going!