Just Another Mountain JukeBox Copy ;) COMPLETED but SPEAKER BLOWN 11/12/2008

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Finished pic first if you don't want to read the whole topic:




And the full topic follows - So I mentioned a while ago of my desire to build a (partner acceptable) jukebox for her Christmas present.

I decided that Mountain's effort was beyond my woodworking capability, so have enlisted my Dad's help. He'll be building the case and incorporating the hardware, I'll be working on the interface and artwork.

The unit will appear to have a separate base a la Mountain, but won't swivel - there's no need for me to do that. But the base will house the speakers and its dimensions will be determined by the subwoofer used so it's acoustically accurate. There will be a simple IO panel on the side or back providing USB support. We don't think the unit will need audio IO.

The main unit will be constructed from MDF, wrpped in oak veneer with an oak front piece. We're staining it jacobean style to match the furniture we currently have.

I'm using a 15" ELO touchscreen for the interface and the marquee will be similar in design shape to that of Mountain's.

We're hoping that with careful design, t-molding will not be required. Hopefully this will look like it belongs in the lounge rather than my games room

Initial timeframe is two weeks or so from now.

Updates to follow

Cheers

editd misleading title

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Quick update:

Quarter-sawn oak is in
Oak veneer is in
Speakers are in
Laptop and ELO are on their way over the water

Things we're undecided on:
Powermate - Is it worth the hassle? We're considering a turned knob hacked onto the speaker's volume control.
Is *just* a USB port going to be enough IO? What else might I want (excluding speakers)
Angle of screen - We're considering angling the touchscreen slightly to improve the viewing angle. I don't have it here now to test and I didn't pack the leads when I posted it off, so, is it necessary?

Incidentally, it's going to be very heavy. The laptop, psu and screen weigh 10kg!

 

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We decided to use some Logitech Z3 2.1 speakers. Ex-display from PC World (we tested them) for £24.99 - I think these used to go for £70-80 when they were current.

We were surpised at the size of the woofer, but the double-port should add plenty of oomph! As I said earlier, we're going to remake the sub housing within the finished juke, so the sound should be as it was from the factory

We're probably going to stick with the included volume (and power) control, but turn the button / knob out of oak.

More pics to follow. 

[Kaytrim]

The speakers I am using are very similar.  They have a nice volume control knob inline with the speaker cables.  Try and get some pics of the rest of your parts.

TTFN
Kaytrim

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The volume control knob pot is really short so we're going to use new logarathmic pot with a longer shaft, 2" spindle. On order now...

It turns out that the power switch (for the speakers) is actually latching which is a bonus. Means it doesn't need to be interfaced to the exterior of the unit (just keep them turned on).

The face and back of the unit are going to be constructed out of the oak below, with the sides from flexible MDF. Veneer shown also. We decided we can't figure out how they cut the veneer as the grain is the 'wrong' way

Hopefully the screen and the laptop will arrive there tomorrow, according to the tracking info, it's back here at the moment, although it did spend 3 hours in England. 

More to come soon!

[Martijn]

i also used this speaker set in my cab. and extended the pots with wires

take a look in my topic for some ideas

cheers 

[drawfull]

That's great Martijn 

The USB panel mount pots are just what we're after!

[Martijn]

dont mount one upside down like i did

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we're oly using one, so I can get away with mounting it any way up 

A bit of progress today: The surround for the monitor was quite tricky as the monitor doesn't have a uniform surround and there are various (unecessary) bits and pieces, cables etc that get in the way of the mounting. That's why the two pieces of wood are routed differently on the underside.

We're going to separate the bezel by the same distance as the speaker box (not shown on the line drawing) and it WILL have some wood underneath the marquee, if that makes sense. We don't think the double thickness will look out of place (the width of the marquee bezel is going to be the same as the unchamfered part of the monitor surround.

Next up is to make the speaker box. We're not convinced that we're going to be happy with the sound quality, so at least if it doesn't end up like we want we haven't made everything else at which point it will be too late.

Lots more progress to come 

[DaOld Man]

I like the wood you are using (That just dont sound right does it?)
 

Great job so far...

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I like the wood you are using (That just dont sound right does it?)
 

Great job so far...

Yeah, it's really nice. The same stuff was used to make the chest below, though that ended up with a very light stain, we're going dark dark dark on the juke. More juke progress later on too hopefully... 

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I forgot to add, I tried to buy the panel mount USb widget referenced above by Martijn, but they wanted €45 shipping!!!

So I used this oneinstead! Much more reasonable 

[javeryh]

Looking good so far!  A wood stained jukebox will probably be the most accommodating to a living room setting or something similar.  All of these mountain jukes are the same but different which is pretty cool.

I am using panel mount cables from frontx.com for my I/O panel in the back of my juke.  They are pretty reasonable and they can be flush mounted so they should look really nice...  I'm planning on USB, ethernet, headphones and audio out ports - they should carry everything you'd need. 

[drawfull]

It's a shame that frontx are in the states but we're kinda committed to just the one USB externally for iPod updating. The laptop has bluetooth so I'm going to get a small bt keyboard in case I really need to do some tweaking.

Today, the front of the speaker enclosure was completed, after a failed first attempt. We made it too narrow, and because there's a couple of mill rebating required on the edge, it would have been obviously too narrow. Therefore, the one in the pics below is actually slightly wider that it will be eventually.

We also sorted out the feet to raise the unit off the 'whatever' - the sub is going to point downwards.

The feet are actually oak kitchen doorknobs, but we used a forstner bit to rebate a circle for the felt base to sit inside.

In any case, things are beginning to take shape - although veneering the unit is going to be a nightmare with the sloping front. The monitor part is routed such that it will slope front to back appx 10 degrees. So because we're not using T-molding, the veneer has to be pretty damn perfect. The front and back panels are going to sit slightly proud of the sides (1mm or so) and the veneer shrinks slightly when applied. so yeah, nightmare.

Anyway, more to come later on 

[javeryh]

That's a clever idea using the doorknobs as feet.  I am opting for a less fancy solution - $2 rubber feet!  Sloping the front panel (like Franco's) is a great idea - I thought about it but decided that I couldn't pull it off accurately. 

The next step looks like you will be getting this thing 3D!

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Well the sloping front is certainly causing headaches. It'll be reet... I hope

The speaker box should be done by tomorrow, which means 3D, but my Dad is collecting his new car so he might get way-layed - I should ask him to realign his priorities! 

[mountain]

I didn't feel the need to slope my Dad's screen. Sitting at a bar on a bar stool puts the screen below eye level by about 6-8 inches. I also wanted it to resemble the basic shape of an old radio.

That said, I can't wait to see what you come up with on the slope. I am really jealous that you are doing yours in wood. That was my original plan. Keep up the good work!

[drawfull]

I didn't feel the need to slope my Dad's screen. Sitting at a bar on a bar stool puts the screen below eye level by about 6-8 inches. I also wanted it to resemble the basic shape of an old radio.

That said, I can't wait to see what you come up with on the slope. I am really jealous that you are doing yours in wood. That was my original plan. Keep up the good work!

My concern re slope is that this will for the most part be on what is essentilly a sideboard (it's a marble pedestal with marble flat bit) which means when in use the user will be standing. To be honest, I haven't tested the viewing angle out but it seems to make sense for this application to slope it a bit. I'm typing this on a laptop on a kitchen worktop and the screen is useless vertically.

You should do a wood-style Juke - it'd be awesome with your skills 

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More picture updates... 

Pic 1 is showing base in place whilst setting - it would be square without doing this, but by temporarily inserting the base it's guaranteed.

Pic 2 is just a top view (duh)

Pic 3 and 4 show the holes for the sub. The larger hole is for the grill. Basically, the pic with the larger hole on top with the smller hole beneath is where the sub is fixed to, (with the magnet underneath) - then then grill is friction-fit to that
1
Next up is the arched top piece. End of weekend should see this thing really beginning to take shape!

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I began work on the marquee art this weekend. I'm struggling for inspiration, but am leaning towards the two themes below. Would appreciate feedback and anyone with experience of backlighting colours so they don't end up washed out. More construction pics to come tonight hopefully too

[DaOld Man]

I cant really help you on the marquee, but since I am going to eventually be in the same boat, I got a question for you.
What program do you use to make the marquee, and what type of printer and paper will you use? Will you get in printed at Kinkos or similar?

[drawfull]

I cant really help you on the marquee, but since I am going to eventually be in the same boat, I got a question for you.
What program do you use to make the marquee, and what type of printer and paper will you use? Will you get in printed at Kinkos or similar?

I use mainly photoshop. I haven't decided how / where to get it printed yet, but there's a local sign shop that 'can print on anything' so I might get it done on some translucent acrylic. The juke is having glass in front of the artwork so it might just be easier to get it printed on some heavy stock. Having not had anything like this printed before and subject to tight time constraints, I am still dithering

[nuka1195]

make sure if you use transparent, your printer has white ink.

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make sure if you use transparent, your printer has white ink.

Do you mean translucent (as I said in my post about acrylic) or white ink if printing on paper? Could I just use white transluscent acrylic?

Thanks

[Kaytrim]

make sure if you use transparent, your printer has white ink.

There is no such thing as white ink for your run of the mill printer.

Could I just use white transluscent acrylic?

I am assuming that you are using transparency paper in your printer.  Take a piece of plexiglas or lexan and sand the heck out of it at 80 grit both sides.  Use this as a backer sheet for your artwork.  This will give you the white background and disperse the light so the artwork is evenly lit.  This is what I did with my dad's bartop.

[drawfull]

I am assuming that you are using transparency paper in your printer.  Take a piece of plexiglas or lexan and sand the heck out of it at 80 grit both sides.  Use this as a backer sheet for your artwork.  This will give you the white background and disperse the light so the artwork is evenly lit.  This is what I did with my dad's bartop.

Thanks for the advice Kaytrim. My dad said to simply use transparency paper, but I thought it would look too lit. Yours looks completely fine, so I think I'll go down that route  -  at least for the first try

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A little progress. We've started to stain the base, which will house the speaker system.

The brass threaded ferrules are for the electronics and the baffle which will separate the woofer part of the base from the mid/tweeter components.

The bottom looks dull as it's MDF.

the row of holes are for the mids / tweeters to fix to and the four holes at the corners are for the feet pictured earlier.

There is a coat of lacquer on the base at the moment, this will be sanded with very fine wire wool then buffed up.

The second image shows the porting arrangement of the woofer. the two tubes fit inside each other (so in the pic one piece is upside down) if that makes sense.

Next really is the top encasement, but the fact the screen part is sloping is still causing headaches. More updates tomorrow for sure! 

[DaOld Man]

I cant wait to see the finished project. This is going to be sweet!

[nuka1195]

Do you mean translucent (as I said in my post about acrylic) or white ink if printing on paper? Could I just use white transluscent acrylic?

I mean see thru if you don't use white the white in your marquee will be clear.

There is no such thing as white ink for your run of the mill printer.

printer as in the place that prints it.

[drawfull]

The speaker box part should be complete by end of play today. A couple more images will show how it's going to fit together better.

In the third pic you will notice two lighter areas of wood where some holes are pre-drilled. These were masked off during the lacquering process so that they didn't get gummed up.

Two pieces of vertical MDF will fix to these. The longer horizontal one serves two purposes - a: something to fix the tweeters to and b: it seals the woofer chamber, making it dimensionally accurate with regard to the original sub design.

The shorter vertical piece of MDF will have the sub speaker fixed to it. Again once the lid of the base is in place this will be a sealed chamber.

As an aside, it seems the world has run out of black speaker cloth - well we have. So off to the local market today to pick up something suitable for behind the horizontal grills.

Also, for the eagle-eyed, the Logitech logo on the lower speaker grill is bang on square as my Dad knows I would pick up on such mis-aligned trauma

More, as always, later. But. The top semicircular part  is temporarily on hold. Waiting on a router attaccment to cut the inner part of the semicircle bezel. We can do the outer part quite simply as any imperfections can be easily sanded out, but we can't get the inner edge against the sander, obviously. 

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A few more pics following this morning's update. 

Basically while it looks like there's quite a bit of space it was a challenge to get everything to fit despite the base's dimensions being governed by what was going inside.

We had to extend the subwoofer pot to the rear of the base, and you can see how we did that in a couple of the pictures. Initially, there was going to be a bezel around the pot knob at the rear but in actual fact it looked perfectly fine recessed 1/8" into the case.

The electronics for the speakers are underneath the port tubes and this also dictated the sub speaer mounting height. Mistake number one - the sub protruded over the top of the base edge. We forgot to take into account that once the base piece is in place, we lose 12mm of available height. I think we ended up routing the lid slightly to accomodate but I will check.

Mistake number two was while staining. The stain we chose turned out to be water based. The oak loved it. Basically it swelled up after the first coat as the water infiltrated the grain of the wood. Complete resanding and a few coats later....

Mistake number three. We powered the unit up and threw some music at it. The sound quality was terrible! we'd forgotted to port the port chamber so if you look closely, opposite where the 5 port chamber holes are you will see dinks out of the case on the top edge and the MDF down the centre. Unfortunately, we had to angle the drill too close to the case so the forstner bit didn't slip. Luckily the dinks will not  be visible when the unit is assembled.

Needless to say, propoerly ported and sealed the sound quality is frankly stunning considering the speakers we've chosen, so I'm really pleased with that. We chucked a little rave music on and that got an expletive from my Dad. In a good way

Another buried body is the speaker cloth. Female stomach-holding-in lycra type stuff. Cut from a fresh pair. 

[Martijn]

nice job, i love the bass control knob extender

[javeryh]

Totally SICK.  

Can you explain a little bit more what you did in there components-wise?  Seeing this makes me nervous that the speaker bar I'm shoehorning in mine is going to be totally inadequate...

[Franco B]

Awesome work, your dad sure has some skills! I hope you have been taking notes

Its nice to see some more UK'ers on here 

[drawfull]

nice job, i love the bass control knob extender

Yeah, I wasn't sure how that would turn out when my Dad and I talked about it. I'm really pleased with the sound quality too - I had an over-the-phone demonstration of Mahler (heh) and Scott Brown - both performed really well but the classical lost a litle due to the speakers' dynamic range (or lack of).

Totally SICK.  

Can you explain a little bit more what you did in there components-wise?  Seeing this makes me nervous that the speaker bar I'm shoehorning in mine is going to be totally inadequate...

I asked Da Old Man about his choice to use the speaker bar as he seemed to have loads of room in the base of his unit. Don't forget that mine will not have an IO panel, so I wanted semi decent speakers from the get go. If all else fails, I can always open the back door and plug something beefier in if need be. That said, my Dad's place is about 4 times the size of mine and he was a good few rooms away and I could still hear everything clearly over the phone. I am sure that the Dell set is perfectly adequate for easy listening in any case - I wouldn't worry.

I'll edit the post with the pics to explain what's inside and so on - I guess letting everyone know where the bodies are buried will help others in the future

Also, thanks very much for the kind words, my Dad will be thrilled when I show him this!

Awesome work, your dad sure has some skills! I hope you have been taking notes

Its nice to see some more UK'ers on here 

Oh yea, plenty of notes. I have noted that I do not have anything like the ability to pull a project like this together. By comparison, my Star Wars bartop is a breeze! There are one or two mistakes, but thankfully they will not be visible once everything is complete.

 

[DaOld Man]

I agree with everyone else. this thing is going to be a beast!
And also, your Dad does have some dang good skills.

Im kinda worried about the sound bar myself, but I gave my wife a test run of it on the work bench/dining room table and she liked it. (Im talking about the speaker bar ya perverts!  )

Keep up the great job of posting, and I love the details.

[drawfull]

I agree with everyone else. this thing is going to be a beast!
And also, your Dad does have some dang good skills.

Im kinda worried about the sound bar myself, but I gave my wife a test run of it on the work bench/dining room table and she liked it. (Im talking about the speaker bar ya perverts!  )

Keep up the great job of posting, and I love the details.

I know he does, he's pretty good at woodworking generally, although he has my ability to trash his working environment (see pic)! Thanks again for all the positive feedback, makes the effort all the more worthwhile! 

[drawfull]

Spent another few minutes trying to get something I would be happy with. The shape represents how the final bezel will be - ie it differs from the two mock ups above. More construction pics to come later on... 

[drawfull]

Well progress. Then Arghhhhhh  We're sleeping on it, but it is an issue to me Read it and weep...

Just a nice angled shot, yay.


This shows the four pices of oak squared in readiness for cutting the front and back arches



Then we had to decide the amount of wood visible around the knob. This:


or this:


All going great. We decided on the fatter surround. The Picture isn't actually the width we picked - shave half an inch off that.

Then came the problem. So the stain would take we need to chamfer each external 90deg join slightly. As you near the corner / mitre you can't do that as the corner wouldn't be perfectly square. Fine. Except we forgot about the marquee bezel. It uses 40mm each side. But we sanded to within a couple of mm of the corner.

After a brief call, we decided to shave 3mm from the top part of the monitor surround. I didn't think the implications through - basically the mitred corners at the top of the bezel area no longer meet in the corners. We're thinking of ways to fix the problem without remaking the bezel - suggestions please

In any case, as things stand now, we have the semicircular surround for the knob biscuited in place and all the reverse routed as required for the glass as these will show.



Ready for assembly... ^



The underside ^ and then the effed up mitres



Anyone got any ideas?

 

ps I screwed up the pic sizes - how do i link to the project pic thread properly?

[javeryh]

Can you reattach the photos?  They are hard to see (tiny) - click "additional options" and then just add them from your hard drive and make sure they files are less than 512kb each.  Also, I think 2 of them are identical (where you are trying to show the differences between amount of wood visible around the knob).

The last picture looks good from the front (which is the most important thing).  When you add the top arc, isn't everything going to work itself out?  I can't tell what you did wrong!