Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Audio/Jukebox/MP3 Forum => Topic started by: MPTech on March 17, 2007, 04:39:42 pm

Title: New Jukebox questions
Post by: MPTech on March 17, 2007, 04:39:42 pm
I built my MAME cab last year and found this site as I was doing research.
Thanks to these great people, it has turned out better than expected and my friends are amazed that I built it!

So I've been thinking and planning lately, for my next project.
Several guys at work are collaberating and putting together all of our extensive music collections. We are in the final phases of organizing and baselining it.  A rough estimate is over 100,000 songs and right around 400gig (yes, it will be a dedicated HardDrive to house it!).  A couple of the guys are / were DJs, so they heave TONS of music.
Would this volume of music be too much for any of the JukeBox applications to handle?

So, my plan is to build a dedicated wallmount Juke, similar to the Mameroom.com plans.
I'd like to keep it as small as possible and reasonable.  I plan to buy a 17" flat panel and re-use an old P3.
Based on some recommendations in another thread, I'd like to use these speakers: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836119101 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836119101)
but I have a concern.  Mounting the sub in the Juke would require it to be much larger, so I thought of just running the sub externally, but do any other wires (other than the sub wires) run from the sub? (ie: would the other speakers or volume / bass controls)

Also, can someone point / link me to the Jukebox Wiki? (when I googled it I found a Vintage Juke wiki site, interesting, but not what I was looking for).

Any other comments or suggestions before I begin?  I've been doing lots of topic readings lately.  There are some great Jukes on this site!

Thanks guys!  This will be fun!
MPTech

Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: whammoed on March 17, 2007, 04:48:45 pm
I have that set of speakers in my office.  The power cable, satellite speaker wires, and controller wire all go to the sub box.  The sub box is what houses the amplifier(s).
Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: MPTech on March 17, 2007, 05:10:37 pm
Hmmmm,   that's what I was afraid of.
I didn't want a big wire harness.  I was thinking of running the wires in the wall (it's a basement wall that I have access to from the rear, so maybe it wouldn't be a big problem) can you tell me about how long the wires are?  Is it something that I could drill a small hole and run the plug or do they have the controller hardwired?  I could cut and resolder if necessary, but would prefer not to.

So, how much do you like these speakers?  Are they good a PC?
I was thinking of adding another pair of spears so I could run then to the other side of the room, do you see an issue with doing that?
Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: Space Fractal on March 17, 2007, 07:38:40 pm
wiki: http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Jukebox_Software

Someone may add some page to that wiki to how to building a jukebox and what to look for. But it pretty the samme as building a cabinet I guess.

I would asume as Arcade Music Box would could handle these many files? It because it just act like a MS Explorer (but it can cache files for faster navigation), just in a fullscreen HTPC like interface.

The downside is it do NOT act very well with touchscreen, network, DJ or have any advanced features (and the search can been slow with many files).
Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: whammoed on March 17, 2007, 10:07:27 pm
The controller wire can be unplugged (its not hardwired)
I'm guessing the wires are around 6 feet...its hard to tell now that its all set up under the desk.
Adding more speakers in series will not be a problem except they won't go as loud.  Adding more speakers in parallel can ruin your amp if its not rated for whatever resistance you end up with.

Given their size and cost, they sound excellent...really excellent.
Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: Barry Barcrest on March 18, 2007, 07:14:35 am
I have freebox running with well over 100,000 tracks. I think i have 3,506 albums on it now and it runs fine.
Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: DrewKaree on March 18, 2007, 06:57:07 pm

Would this volume of music be too much for any of the JukeBox applications to handle?


There's tons of software out there.  It'd be pointless to look around to see which ones could handle your collection since that's something you can do yourself as well.  There's no way to make that NOT sound harsh, and I don't mean it to come off harshly - there's more things you need to answer for us to help you better, which is why I mean there's no point in us telling you which software handles JUST that one aspect.  Know what I'm trying to say?

Give us an idea of what you guys are looking for in an interface (the software), and THAT'S where we'd be able to help you best instead of you going through all the software.  Some things you can offer in order for us to help you better:


See what I'm saying?  We can help you a lot more than just giving you a list of "here's all the software that could handle that size music library", which is something you could help yourself with too, and there's likely far more options you want that would make the one-by-one question series a tedious one. 

Help us help you :)
Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: Barry Barcrest on March 18, 2007, 07:58:40 pm
Questions Answered Regarding Freebox


Hope that is of some help.
Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: kizer on March 18, 2007, 10:58:38 pm
Id personally if all possible go Touch Screen. I fought it like mad not to use a Touch Screen because I did not want to put out the expense. I found a 15-inch Touch screen for 150 and well I've been using it more and more and my mouse less and less. Like this reply. ;)
Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: MPTech on March 20, 2007, 12:22:42 am
Read the WIKI and it helped a bit.
I think I'd like to go with WinCab, I downloaded it and I'll give it a shot this coming weekend.

Here are some decisions I've made based on your quiries.

Do you want to use a touchscreen, or is that not important??
  >> For size and weight reasons, I'll probably go with a flat-panel / non-touchscreen.
Is your collection album-based or singles-based?
  >> I think the majority is albums, but there are a lot of singles.
Do you have ONLY mp3's, or will you have several formats?
  >> MP#s only
Album art - important feature or wasted on you guys?
  >> I'd like to utilize Album Art.
What OS are you using?
  >> I'd prefer to run XP


Still gathering info, but there will probably be 2 of us building Jukes.  We'll plan on starting when the weather improves.
Title: Re: New Jukebox questions
Post by: Barry Barcrest on March 20, 2007, 06:13:00 am
If you read the sticky thred there are a load more jukebox software links in there that are not in the wiki.