dvd drive mounted through cabinet side

[heretic]

Can someone post a pic and describe how they mounted a dvd drive through the side of a cabinet. How is it supported internally ? I'd prefer a flush mount rather than behind a door.

[Zebidee]

Here are a few photos of a custom arcade I built for my best friend.

I removed the old coin mech and replaced it with a DVD drive, 4 powered USB ports, volume control, admin button (IPAC shift&enter) and pause button.

I used the metal DVD/CD drive cage (cannibalised from the PC case) to mount the drive and buttons.  Getting this attached simply and securely to the door took some ingenious carpentry, but the whole thing is supported very solidly by the four large bolts and is completely removable if necessary.

[Zebidee]

Looks good, but that was a hell of a lot of work for something that will never be used.  Ever.

   I halfway agree with you - it does look good.  But you don't understand what it does, and it is not as difficult as it looks if you have some skills. 

Because it is also a jukebox and media centre, inc. playing music CDs & DVDs, it lives in the guy's living room.  Originally he had to go to the laundry to play, but his wife loves it so much it is now in the living room.  The family use it for CDs quite often, and it is by far the most convenient way to rip music to MP3.  It even connects to the internet to automatically download disc info.

While it does all that, you can play your music (and Galaga too!).

[xmenxmen]

I use a usb one when I was setting up the computer.  After that all I use are usb drive to make changes or add stuff. 

[Pixelhugger]

Looks good, but that was a hell of a lot of work for something that will never be used.  Ever.

Heh. But I disagree. Completely. I'm obsessed with the PC remaining completely and "permanently" hidden. No "open the door" to do this or that. And I too plan on using the DVD drive for music/movies and maintanance.

I'm mounting a slot load in my admin panel and USB + Firewire jacks as well. I want all of the computer's functionality built in to the cabinet and not hidden behind a curtain. 

I love what you did.

[Pixelhugger]

BTW I feel your flush mount pain. I had no cage or bracket to mount the slot load drive and had to build a "sled" for it out of angle bracket and plexi. Then attach it to align perfectly with the narrow slot in the admin panel plexi. Hardest. Thing. Ever.

[heretic]

pixelhugger...is that faceplate made out of wood or metal ?

I'm using my arcade for the same thing; MAME plus an MP3 Jukebox. With over 1500 albums in MP3 Format I want the ability to easily burn an MP3 disc for friends or to transfer data. I also want a USB external interface rather than opening a panel or door to get at the CPU.

Anyone else have some suggestions?

[Pixelhugger]

pixelhugger...is that faceplate made out of wood or metal ?

That's zebidees work. 

As for the USB interface I got these great surface mount jacks at Markertek. This one is firewire... but the USB are almost identical.



I'll find the link. Basically its an industrial rack mount style jack that lets you simply plug a usb cable into the back to connect it to your PC.

[Gutshot]

As for the USB interface I got these great surface mount jacks at Markertek. This one is firewire... but the USB are almost identical.

I'll find the link. Basically its an industrial rack mount style jack that lets you simply plug a usb cable into the back to connect it to your PC.

Found  a couple of them, I might use this in my cab

http://www.markertek.com/Product.asp?baseItem=EHBNC2&cat=CABLESCONN&subcat=DATACON&prodClass=USBAD&mfg=&search=0&off=

[Pixelhugger]

Yeah, thats it.

[Dire Radiant]

If you really must mount a DVD drive in the side of a cabinet why not make it a slot loading drive? Seems like it would make the whole thing a lot easier and less ugly. Ejecting can be handled just as easily in software or with one of those multimedia remotes with a sensor behind the monitor glass.

[Zebidee]

pixelhugger...is that faceplate made out of wood or metal ?

That's zebidees work. 

I made that particular faceplate from an old dinner place mat I found at the local recycling centre ("Revolve").  It was a typical place mat made from a sort of MDF-cork, but with no design.  Cost me $nothing$.  The supporting wood I used was some old skirting/architraving timber I had lying around after another job.  Sold the old coin mech for $18 on ebay (ka-ching!).  That paid for the USB hub, volume pot and knob.

I painted the face plate using good quality hobby spray paint - Black enamel satin.  About $7-8 for a can.  Use three evenly sprayed thin coats. 

I've also used 3mm MDF craftwood to build a couple more control panels like this.  Will post some more pics when I get home.

[Zebidee]

I like the mounts from Martek, they look good and simple to install.

This is how I flush-mounted a simple USB port into my 4-player Galaxy Classics.

I did this by cutting a USB extension cable at the end, and re-soldering (4 wires -> 4 pins) to a new female USB end I bought from the electronics store.  I then pushed the pins through some PCB substrate/breadboard, and screwed the breadboard to a piece of wood.  Negligible cost 

[heretic]

C'mon guys. I know there's more out there. Let's see some more backyard engineeering. I'm even thinking how hard is it to spot weld a computer cage to a metal plate, drill some holes, paint it black, cut a big hole in the cabinet and screw the assembly in, then you've got an almost invisible interface to the cabinet that doesn't stick out. Someone has had to do it. 

[Zebidee]

Try this for a professional look:

Support: Support the drive internally by using two right-angle shelf-mounting wall brackets (screw them into the back of the door), and two flat metal right-angle brackets (to allow you to screw it into both the shelf bracket and the side of the DVD drive).  Ask for these at your local hardware store.

Faceplate:  Draw a plan the metal plate that you want (including dimensions & holes for DVD drive & buttons), and take that plan to a local sheet metal-working shop.  Tell them what it is for.  They should be able to make it very cheaply for you.  They might be able to sell you the brackets I mentioned earlier as well.

Paint the faceplate yourself at home (use appropriate spray  paint, or get at auto shop to do it for you!)

[IceWish]

this is a great idea., i think ill include this in my cab.

[Zebidee]

Support: Support the drive internally by using two right-angle shelf-mounting wall brackets (screw them into the back of the door), and two flat metal right-angle brackets (to allow you to screw it into both the shelf bracket and the side of the DVD drive).  Ask for these at your local hardware store.

this is a great idea., i think ill include this in my cab.

Thinking about this after a sleep, I feel more inclined to recommend a metal cage to house the DVD drive.

The best place to find a DVD-sized metal frame is from an old computer - fortunately old CD housings will do just fine.  If you don't have one lying around, someone probably does.  Or find out who recycles computers near you.

Bolting the whole cage to the wood makes it much more secure than simply screwing brackets into the back.  On the one I built (yellow cab), you could apply quite a lot of pressure to the DVD cage very safely.  This is because everything was supported by 4 x 1/4 inch bolts secured through the door.  As you only have to undo 4 bolts, you can pull everything off very easily if you need to.

I literally have a metal DVD cage just like that one lying in a pile of junk behind my house.  You are welcome to it, but someone near you must have one too!

[Katana Man]

I'd want to add USB and a DVD drive as well, however, I want to child proof it.  I would like to prevent the eject button from working unless done via software. It seems the slot type DVD drives are impossible to find, which means as technology changes in the future, the selections would be more limited and more costly.  So I think I'd rather go with a PC cage and use the standard 5.25" full opening.  This standard has been around for a while and is not likely to change for a long time.

[SavannahLion]

It seems the slot type DVD drives are impossible to find, which means as technology changes in the future, the selections would be more limited and more costly.

Hang on there. Slot loads are rarer, but not impossible to find. They are limited, but costly... that's subjective. I find slot loaders seem to be around 20% higher to equivalent drives. eBay sports a number of auctions on drives (key thing to notice, most are for laptops) and modern game consoles pretty much guarantee interest in slot loaders. Failing both, the auto after market industry continues to have an interest in slot loaders.

As long as disc media of some type remains viable, slot loaders will always be available. They're just too firm of a niche market for them to disappear completely.

[Pixelhugger]

Yup. As long as there are DVD's and CD's around there will be slot load drives for laptops. It'd be more likely for technology to obsolete DVD themselves than slot loading drives. In fact, probably more likely for tray load to disappear than slot load.

They're not the easiest thing to mount in a cabinet, but certainly very cool looking.

[Pixelhugger]

Here's my dvd drive mount from my work in progress cab. This goes on the backside of a navigation panel above my CP.

Drive mount



Connected to rear of panel



Slot load from the front