BC's Jukebox Project

[bc411]

Well, here it goes… I’m FINALLY going to make a jukebox. I have most of the parts, and I have a deadline of Christmas 2007. After looking at all of the other jukeboxes here, I ended up deciding on this design (keep in mind that it’s not drawn to scale):


The main function will be to be a jukebox, but I really wanted it to be a karaoke machine as well (thus the second monitor). I also want it to be somewhat portable. I want to be able to loan it out to friends and family for parties. I don’t want casters on it though, so a hand truck will be necessary to move it. The final design is not set in stone, so if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions as I go, that would be great! I’ll post my progress here…

BC

[Green Giant]

A couple things.

Looks really promising how you have it layed out. 

1.  You might want to take a look at the elo touchscreen deal mentioned on this forum.  They are 15" but really cheap and decased already.

2.  I like the sketch up you did.  Bout time we see some good old hand drawings.  All those fancy software designed ones always make my hand sketchs look like crap.

3.  Make sure and have the monitors as close to the top as possible.

4.  Why no casters.  Take a look at most peopls arcade cabinets.  I have casters on mine, but the lip of the wood completely covers them up keeping it about an inch off the ground.  The back two casters can be locked in place so it is stable and won't move when I don't want it to.  You will thank yourself later for including them.  Just make sure they are the big heavy duty 3" ones from home depot.

5.  Looking at it more, thought about adding another angle towards the top at maybe 35 degrees for the touchscreen?  Just some thoughts on it.

4.  What kind of software you gonna run for the karaoke?  It will be real interesting seeing this get implemented in the long run.  You can probably get the jukebox devs to add a link that will open the karaoke program using the touchscreen.

Overall keep up good documentation.  Not enough jukeboxes get covered on here and I like to get ideas for when I build my own.  Good luck.

[bc411]

Thanks for your input!
1.  I already have a touch screen.  At 17”, she’s a beauty.
2.  I’m just lazy. I didn’t want to take the time to learn any CAD software.
3.  The monitor close to the top for interference reason? I didn’t think of that. I’ll try powering the amp on top of the monitor to see if I get any interference.
4. I didn’t want casters because I didn’t want any rattling from them when I crank it up. I have a tile floor and I think that might become an issue. I was going to use some kind of rubber feet. I haven’t decided on what exactly. I have casters on my second arcade cabinet and I do hear a little rattling when playing MP3s. Here’s a shot of them:

5. I was thinking it needed more angles to spice it up. Looks kinda boxy.  I’ll have to play around with it a bit.
6. I’m going to use Freebox. I really like the look and feel of it. Plus, it does Jukebox, Karaoke, and Videos, all in one software package!

BC

[Green Giant]

3.  I was just thinking the higher the touchscreen, the easier to work with it.  And then viewing the second monitor would be better the higher it is.  Also, less chance of them getting scratched or damaged the further off the ground.

4.   Its hard to see, but those look like kind of small casters.  On mine they are extremely heavy duty ones from home depot.  I think 3 or 4" diameter wheels, all rubber.  They have never made a rattling noise at all.  As you can see below, they have switches to lock them in place as well.  I think they were rated to hold several hundred pounds each giving them a real solid feel.  If this thing is made out of mdf, you will want an easy way to move it.

5.  You could possibly have more angles on the front and round out the side pieces.  Would give it a little class and still be easy to make.

[Barry Barcrest]

Should be sweet dude, keep us updated with pictures. Also keep in mind freebox expects it's karaoke to be in the MP3+G Format. It will not play CDG's directly. I am hoping to start my own cab this week, he it's only been 3 years in the waiting.

[bc411]

Ok. I know it’s been awhile since I’ve updated, but my project is NOT dead! I’ve been getting my music collection converted to MP3s and I took much longer than I thought it would. My collection now consists of 29,189 songs, 2,545 Albums, 457 Artists in 156GB. I used Audiograbber 1.83 to rip my CDs and Tag&Rename 3.3.5. I also have 1,408 karaoke songs. Unfortunately, they’re all in zip files, so I’ll have to figure out a way to unzip them all at one time, or I’ll end up spending hours doing it manually. I’m going to Home depot today to order my laminate. I decided to go with Wilsonart 1595-60-335. (I guess its  black vertical grade laminate.) I’ve never used laminate before, so this should be interesting.  I do have a question for those of you who have used it before. Did you laminate BOTH sides of your MDF? The only reason I ask is because in my design, you will be able to see the inside of the cabinet, but only in the front and only about a ¼ inch. It seem a huge waste to laminate the whole inside for such a small space. Also, the cost would double. I’m not sure what I would do for that small space if I didn’t laminate it though. Painting it I think would look funny. Also, my T-molding would be offset by the thickness of the laminate. Any thoughts?

[bc411]

Well, I just got back from Home Depot and it will cost $51.20 for a 4 by 8 sheet. So it will cost me around $100 to lamimate the inside!! Ouch!! Not sure what the heck to do now.

[BobbyG66]

Have you thought about vinyl covering?

See here:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=70483.0

[bc411]

That would definitely be cheaper, but I think laminate would be more durable. I want to be able to take it places and loan it out. I’m sure it’s going to banged around a bit. I think vinyl would get holes and tear easily.

[unclet]

I believe "filzip" is a free tool which allows unZIP'ing multiple files at the same time:

http://www.filzip.com/

I believe this is what I use at home .......  I am at work now so I can not verify

[bc411]

Ok. Finally an update. I started cutting my MFD this evening. I changed the design a bit as you can see.


My straight cuts are thanks to my sawboard I made after reading these forums. I wish I had made these before my last arcade project!!


even the sawboard can’t help me from being stupid. Look what I did to my table!


But all in all, it’s not bad for an hour worth of work.
Oh yeah, I got my laminate last week. Here she is:


bc

[leapinlew]

Looks good dude.

[stealth1290]

you still on track for a christmas finish? I'm thinking my next project might be along these lines... not 100% sure yet. anywho looks good so far!

[patrickl]

even the sawboard can’t help me from being stupid. Look what I did to my table!

Hey, it's a straight cut at least 

Starting to look cool. Bigger than I had anticipated from the drawings.

[bc411]

Yeah, still have a Christmas deadline. We'll see. It's gonna be tight. I still have to fit in Christmas shopping and putting up the lights and stuff..

The design is a little bigger than I first thought. It's about 6" taller. So the dimensions are 36" by 24" and 54" tall.

[DaOld Man]

even the sawboard can’t help me from being stupid. Look what I did to my table!

bc

Hey, you got a way to bend 90 degree angles in thin metal now!
Stick the strip of metal in the cut place on the table and bend down.
See, you meant to do that!
 

[ptpeter]

anymore recent pics?

[bc411]

Well, I know it's been awhile, but with my Christmas deadline, I didn't have much time for updates. Well, first the bad news: I didn't make the deadline! I had a house full of people waiting for the big unveling, but they had to wait. It was a sad day for me.  The good news is that I was able to get it working for a new years eve party at my friends house. Let's just say, it was a HUGE hit!!! We stayed up till 4 in the morning singing karaoke.

Here's some pics:








Here's my first attempt at laminating: It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. The vertical grade laminate is very thin and brittle. When I was cutting it, it would splinter. I already chipped a peice off my cabinet.  In my next cabinet, I will use regular grade laminate.




Here's a shot of my shielf:




I just thought this pic was cool looking.. with the sunset in the background....


I have a big gap in the picture updates here because it was Christmas eve and I acutally thought I was going to make it, so, I didn't have time for taking picutes. But here's the guts:






I tried to make a cool lighting effect with blue string lights, but they ended up not being bright enough. You can see the blue glow when the lights are low, but I wanted it brighter. Not sure if I'll leave it like that....


I'll post more pictures tomorrow....

BC

[spooler]

Where were you able to find that many karaoke songs at?  I am anxious to see the final product.

[bc411]

As promised, here are a few more pics from last night. I don't have the back done yet. I'm thinking of a transparent back to show off the equipment.







Here's a show of the lighting from the bottom I was talking about in an eariler post. It's just not bright enough!


Here is a shot of the crappiest cut so far. Look at the top of the top monitor. I just CAN'T cut straight with a jigsaw. The blade keeps flexing.




And yes....I know I'm missing the T-molding on the right hand side. It's on order, should be here next week sometime.

[rberger3]

Since you have it hooked up to a pc, you can get cold cathode lights.  I have my juke hooked up to them, and they even have ones that are sound responsive so they will turn on and off with the beat.

http://www.casecooler.com/sunadorsparc.html

[unclet]

Do those cathode lights connect to one of your computer's power molex connectors to get it's power?

[bc411]

It looks like they do. Here are the specs:
Specifications


Input Voltage: DC 12 Volt.
Input Current: 700mA
Input Connector: Molex 4pin connector with pass-through.
Output Connector: 2 Output socket for dual 15" cold cathode lights. Inverter: Sound control activation, sensitivity adjustable, with on/off switch to override sound control feature.
Cold Cathode light: Appr. 15" (14.3" long in acrylic tube) length with diameter 5/8".

I might have to order some...

[rberger3]

Yes they do.  I have 2 of them in this machine, although 1 is more than enough, trust me it lights up a room if you have it out in the open.  I use them to light up my marquees too.  Also, have two behind my hdtv as ambient lights, i'll try and get pics of that and post them.

[bc411]

Have you ordered through casecooler.com before?

[rberger3]

I have not, I've purchased off ebay and this company.

http://www.xoxide.com/coldcathodes.html

[vertygo]

i'll try and get pics of that and post them.

That would be so great! I've seen these before, from that site you bought from actually, and I'd love to see them in a 'real world' setup.
(that other pic you posted was amazing, very bright)

[vertygo]

BC, thought about maybe using some sort of frame or bezel around the screen ? or if you can cut the laminate, just add that around the screen ? Anyway, looks really amazing.. totally envious

[bc411]

BC, thought about maybe using some sort of frame or bezel around the screen ? or if you can cut the laminate, just add that around the screen ? Anyway, looks really amazing.. totally envious

I thought about using a frame, but I couldn't come up with a good enough idea. The laminate is actually cut even with the MDF behind it. The cut is just crap!  I cut it with a jigsaw, when I think I should have used a router.

[vertygo]

I meant a second layer of laminate.. but yah, that might not look that great.

Maybe t-molding ?

[unclet]

bc411
I used those same sticky tabs on my driving cabinet to secur wiring which you did to secure your blue glow light underneath your jukebox.   After a while they all popped off and I had to worry about my casters rolling over them. 

I would suggest screwing in a screw half way in and then using a normal zip-tie to secure them instead.  Screws do not tend to pop off.

Just giving you a heads-up.....

[bc411]

Yeah, I had the same problem with my arcade cabinet. So, this time I got smart and screwed them in. Thanks though.

[Barry Barcrest]

Good to see you got it up and running dude, looks good.

[bc411]

Currently I have my wireless microphones connected directly into my Mic In on my PC. It sounds like crap, but after a few beers, no one really cares.  But I would like to improve the sound quality a bit. I was looking at the VocoPro DA-5800RX and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this DSP preamp? If not this one, what is everyone using for DSP processing?

Thanks for the help!!
BC

[Barry Barcrest]

I use a cheap karaoke mixer amp that has 3 mic inputs and basic reverb. I run the pc audio through it and it sounds quite good, each mic has it's own volume level. I think that is the cheapest and best way to run it.