question about framing ELO touchscreen to not mess up the 'touch' part

[quarterback]

I got one of the 15" touchscreens off of eBay that are discussed in this thread.  These are all decased, so I decided to build a wooden frame around it to at least give it a way to stand up as I figure out exactly how I'm going to install this thing.   I bought some wood that's 2.5" wide, so it will go from the edge of the visible portion, out past the 'ears' (which I'll screw to the boards, and even beond that so I can actually just attach the frame to something else as I build it.

But here's the question.  The glass front on these has wires and transducers attached to it.  These touchscreens use SAW (surface acoustic wave) technology (explained here) and the transducers sit up off the surface of the glass.

So I'm not sure about attaching the wood to the front.   Do I need to be careful not to press the wood against these tiny transducers?    Because these metal transducers are attached to the glass, the frame won't be completely flush.  Somewhere I read about somebody putting some kind of foam backing to fill in the gap between the glass and the frame, but wouldn't that possibly block the ultrasonic waves and the reflectors?

Anybody here frame one of these up and have any tips?
Thanks

[urbecrisch]

I'm sure I have the same touchscreen as you (15" ELO).  Although I'm not making my bezel out of wood, I did find a solution about the bezel "touching the screen".  I used two pieces of 1/2" thick wood and bolted them to the top and bottom of the monitor.  Each bolt is countersunk so a front bezel (wood, metal, posterboard, etc.) could be attached by screwing into the wood.  As you can see in the pics, there's enough space that any type of frame will not interfere with the touchscreen wiring.  I'm not too good at explaining in writing so here's some pics.  Let me know if you have any questions or if this works out for you.

[mountain]

Do you have a foam strip on the glass now? The guy I bought my screen from supplied the tape for me. ELO recommends using Volara foam tape as a seal. Dig around ELOs archives, I found a PDF that shows all kinds of good info on applying overlays and bezels. 

Here are some ideas for working around the transducers that is in the PDF. PM me with your email and I will send it to you.

[quarterback]

Thanks for both the replies.  They are both helpful.

I kind of answered my own question by doing some 'testing' and placing some pieces of wood on the touchscreen glass to see if it would cause problems, and it didn't.

But even though that part of the mystery was solved, I still am deciding how to attach the frame without putting pressure onto the wires or those little transducer wedges.  I figured I'd route something out (like mountain's 2nd pic) but I'm still unsure.  I'm waiting for some primer to dry, then I'm going to paint the frame and then go from there.   But, again, both of you supplied some great pics and have given me something to think about.  And no, I didn't know anything about the "volara foam tape", so I'll be looking into that as well.

Thanks again
qb

[urbecrisch]

Mountain's bezel pics are sure to be helpful but I just want to point out that in my first pic you will notice the piece of wood rises above the wiring making it safe to attach a wood/metal frame to the piece of wood without damaging the wiring/monitor glass.

I plan on adding a metal bezel/frame to my jukebox using two carriage bolts to the pieces of wood (upper & lower).  Since my wall mount is a silver/metallic look, the metal frame w/bolts will give it an "industrial look".  I will post pics when i get the framing done (whenever that is  ). 

Good luck.  Post what you decide to do.

[quarterback]

Mountain's bezel pics are sure to be helpful but I just want to point out that in my first pic you will notice the piece of wood rises above the wiring making it safe to attach a wood/metal frame to the piece of wood without damaging the wiring/monitor glass.

I actually followed your lead, bought a stick of 1/2" poplar and attached it to the frame of the monitor just like yours.

I may end up adding some foam just to fill in the space between the frame and the glass (mind the gap!) but I think your suggestion worked best for my needs because it allows me the structural integrity I was hoping for and I can just attach the frame to the two braces that are bolted to the monitor itself.

I still have to line up the frame PERFECTLY and attach it, but there's at least one more coat of paint to go first.

Thanks again!
qb

[mccoy178]

Hey quarterback,
I routed out plexi on my jukebox to hold the touchscreen.  Both Mountain and myself live in the Columbus vicinity if you have any issues.  Sorry for the short response, just wanted to throw this out there.

[urbecrisch]

Mountain's bezel pics are sure to be helpful but I just want to point out that in my first pic you will notice the piece of wood rises above the wiring making it safe to attach a wood/metal frame to the piece of wood without damaging the wiring/monitor glass.

I actually followed your lead, bought a stick of 1/2" poplar and attached it to the frame of the monitor just like yours.

I may end up adding some foam just to fill in the space between the frame and the glass (mind the gap!) but I think your suggestion worked best for my needs because it allows me the structural integrity I was hoping for and I can just attach the frame to the two braces that are bolted to the monitor itself.

I still have to line up the frame PERFECTLY and attach it, but there's at least one more coat of paint to go first.

Thanks again!
qb

Make sure you take some pics after the frame has been attached.  I'm curious to see the result.

[quarterback]

Hey quarterback,
I routed out plexi on my jukebox to hold the touchscreen.  Both Mountain and myself live in the Columbus vicinity if you have any issues.  Sorry for the short response, just wanted to throw this out there.

Hey there Mccoy.   Thanks for the post.  Do you have a project thread for your juke?    I was away from BYOAC for months and months and have only recently started to post again.   I'll probably be disappearring for another long while, but I'm hoping to move ahead on this juke project before real-life takes over again.  Ahhh, the stuggles of an arcade hobbiest!

Hope you're doing well.
Cya
qb

[quarterback]

Mountain's bezel pics are sure to be helpful but I just want to point out that in my first pic you will notice the piece of wood rises above the wiring making it safe to attach a wood/metal frame to the piece of wood without damaging the wiring/monitor glass.

I actually followed your lead, bought a stick of 1/2" poplar and attached it to the frame of the monitor just like yours.

I may end up adding some foam just to fill in the space between the frame and the glass (mind the gap!) but I think your suggestion worked best for my needs because it allows me the structural integrity I was hoping for and I can just attach the frame to the two braces that are bolted to the monitor itself.

I still have to line up the frame PERFECTLY and attach it, but there's at least one more coat of paint to go first.

Thanks again!
qb

Make sure you take some pics after the frame has been attached.  I'm curious to see the result.

The weather is killing me right now.  We had a couple warmer days with no rain, but now it's cold and wet again so spraypainting the last coat(s) on the frame is put on hold again

I was going to take some pics of the touchscreen as it is, but it looks exactly like your picture     I'd post a project thread but I actually don't know where this project is going.   My first goal is to get some wood supporting this frame so I can actualy stand it up somewhere.   Because it's been decased, I can't even really lean it anywhere without putting pressure on the glass, the controls or the cables.    Once I get it framed up, I'm hoping to lean it against a  wall and go from there.     But yeah, I think I'm going for a laptop in a box with the screen kind of setup, but I'm not even sure about that.     What are your long-term project plans, urbecrisch ?

[urbecrisch]

What are your long-term project plans, urbecrisch ?
[/quote]

Really, my project is pretty much complete except for the bezel.  I have a friend who is a metal worker so hopefully he can bend some metal for me to frame out the juke.  I already have it mounted to an LCD wall mount and have the wiring going through the wall which is hooked up to my computer.  The black bezel around the monitor is just a temporary poster board.  I'm very happy with the results so far.  I haven't updated on the thread with the wiring going through the wall but you can see how it looks so far if you check out this link:  Keep me posted with your project.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=74814.0

[mccoy178]

Things are going well man.  PM me if you have any questions.  I just added the brackets to hold the lighting around the touchscreen today.  I'll be adding those pics in the near future.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=69257.0

[quarterback]

Things are going well man.  PM me if you have any questions.  I just added the brackets to hold the lighting around the touchscreen today.  I'll be adding those pics in the near future.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=69257.0

Holy crap!   I just scanned through the entire thread and you've got quite a project going on there.   As somebody else noted, you've obviously got the tools and the skills.  Sweet work!


I like what you've got going on as well, urbercrisch.   I think my project will probably be much closer to what you've done than what McCoy's got going on.  Hell, I had trouble just making a square wooden frame for my screen!  LOL 

Cya
qb

[urbecrisch]

mccoy178 definitely has the skills and creativity.  His project is great.  I don't have the patience for a project like his.  Really, I just wanted a simple touchscreen jukebox that I could mount on the wall and be hooked up to a PC without boxing it.  I've pretty much accomplished that so far.  Now if I could only get that bezel done...

[mountain]

mccoy178 definitely has the skills and creativity.  His project is great.  I don't have the patience for a project like his.  Really, I just wanted a simple touchscreen jukebox that I could mount on the wall and be hooked up to a PC without boxing it.  I've pretty much accomplished that so far.  Now if I could only get that bezel done...

His Jukebox is crazy! I hope to meet up with him this year to have a peak 

I wanted to build a floor model jukebox but just couldn't find the room for one. This didn't stop me from doing my research and continually trying to come up with the best solution for my house.

When i was looking for info on the touchscreens that found on eBay, I stumbled across this thread over at the cocoontech forums. So I decided that an in wall touchscreen is the way to go. I plan on posting in Project Announcments when I have time to gather some pictures. In the meantime, here are a few shots to show how the monitor is being mounted.

Cut out from the back (laundry room)



Mounted





This is a test bezel that I made for it. I am still pondering how to mount it. I am probably going to use velcro. This will allow me to make different bezels and be able swap them out easily (the wife loves this idea )



I have a dedicted amp I will be mounting out of sight that will drive in wall speakers that will be installed through out the house. 

[urbecrisch]

Great idea mountain.  That's exactly what I was going to do before I decided I wanted a jukebox that could swing away from the wall and be visible from different angles.  My juke is in my basement where we frequently have guests over for parties, poker, etc.  I wanted something that could be visible if sitting at the bar or at the poker table. 

What did you make the bezel out of? 

[mountain]

The bezel is poplar I found at Home Depot. After primering it, I sprayed it with satin black paint. I plan on using this site for the final frame designs.

[Green Giant]

How much heat does that thing produce out the backside?

[mountain]

I was actually amazed at how cool it runs. I had plans on blowing a fan across the top to evacuate any heat. I personally don't think it is needed after firing it up.

[quarterback]

When i was looking for info on the touchscreens that found on eBay, I stumbled across this thread over at the cocoontech forums. So I decided that an in wall touchscreen is the way to go.

I had read that thread too!   I've got it in my 'touchscreen links' favorites folder.     I thought about something like that, but I'm not sure I'd use it so much.  I mean, if I had a full home automation thing going on, then that would be cool, but my guess is that I'd just end up with a screen hanging in the wall

[quarterback]

Just thought I'd post a pic of my assembled "juke"    I still have plans (like you know... adding speakers and stuff) but I finally mounted my panel to the frame I built and painted, and then I picked up an HDTV mount that suddenly brought my project together to a certain extent.

Here's a pic:

[urbecrisch]

Looks good!

[Zeosstud]

Hey Quarterback,
                               Whats wrong with having a screen mounted in the wall, sure you may never use it, but when your friends come over they might think its cool.  At least thats what I am banking on.



You gotta admit having a screen in the wall is alot cooler than just having a hole in the wall. 

Zeosstud

[quarterback]

You gotta admit having a screen in the wall is alot cooler than just having a hole in the wall. 

LOL  Yeah, unfortunately at the rate I move on any of these projects, there'd be a hole in my wall for a lonnnnngngggggg time.   

I'd entertained the idea of picking up 5 or 6 of these screens and doing up the whole house, but then reality set in and I think it would cost me my sanity if not more than that.

Looking forward to seeing you fill that hole, Zeosstud!

[Zeosstud]

I have filled in the hole!! 

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=79878.0

I also ordered a frame from americanframe.com if it works out I will let everyone know, obviously I will also post some pictures.

Zeosstud

[javeryh]

Tagging this for later.