Someone call the cops! I stole a Jukebox!! MAGNETS??? [03.05.2009]

[javeryh]

OK, I'm not sure how many people have seen the thread I posted over in the Artwork forum so I thought I'd repost here. 

cool69rtcharger has been messing around and he has posted the following designs (each new one is after comments by me) - awesome work.

Any thoughts?  I'd love to get some feedback/input.  I'm not 100% sold yet but I think I am headed in the right direction...

Thanks!!   

[jthompson]

Nice, I like the first one the best but I wonder if it would go well with the color of the juke. in that case I would probably go with the second. This thing is really going to look sharp!

[Franco B]

I like the colours of the 2nd one but I like the line thickness and dial size of the 1st one. 

[javeryh]

Thanks guys!  Funny how people like the first and second versions but my comments led to the third and most recent version!     I like the colors in the first one but I don't think the brown will look good with the surrounding black acrylic.  I also thought the dial was a little big in that one...

I ran the third one through a "vectorization" program because the background jpg is only 72DPI and gets pixelated when blown up to the actual size I need.  I attached the results - it's kind of funky and might look cool now that the image is less defined... I don't know - I'm just messing around...

Keep the comments coming!   

[cool69rtcharger]

well i like the look of the vector background but i am working on it at 300 dpi and only putting the 72 one up

www.charger.brainmix.net/dial5f.jpg

and yes i know it needs some work still

[javeryh]

well i like the look of the vector background but i am working on it at 300 dpi and only putting the 72 one up

www.charger.brainmix.net/dial5f.jpg

and yes i know it needs some work still

heh, I thought since the original image was 72 DPI there was nothing you could do about it other than vectorize it.  yeah, I don't know what I'm talking about... 

Thanks again for all of your help!   

[Barry Barcrest]

IMHO It would be cool if the needles were actually needles that moved rather than being printed onto the backdrop. The image looks sweet anyway.

[javeryh]

IMHO It would be cool if the needles were actually needles that moved rather than being printed onto the backdrop. The image looks sweet anyway.

That would be awesome.  I wonder if there is a way to do it so they would move with the bass or something like you see in those dancing flowers or soda cans or whatever... 

[Nvts]

Would be neat to find a clock that used the top half only and wedge it in there in front of the back drop.

Perhaps a thermometer? Hook it up to an outside monitor...

[drawfull]

IMHO It would be cool if the needles were actually needles that moved rather than being printed onto the backdrop. The image looks sweet anyway.

That would be awesome.  I wonder if there is a way to do it so they would move with the bass or something like you see in those dancing flowers or soda cans or whatever... 

I thought of making a VU meter for the display on mine, but we decided that there was no way we could make a long enough needle that was light enough to actually work - what would you make it out of?! - I would be very interested to see how you approach that bit if you go down that route.

FWIW I think the third of the artwork ideas fit best the theme of the juke - way better than anything I could have come up with!

Looks excelent as always 

[javeryh]

Thanks everyone!

[DaOld Man]

As always, looking good JH!

[javeryh]

The Back Panel

The back panel of the jukebox will incorporate the following:

    * Power button (Vandal)
    * Ventilation
    * 4 USB ports
    * Power cord for power supply
    * Ethernet port (for going online)
    * Headphone jack
    * Audio out ports (for connecting to home theater)

The trickiest part about this panel is that it has to be removable... or at least I need to be able to access the inside for maintenance. I do not want there to be any visible screws on the back panel so I am planning on using some rare earth magnets to hold the panel in place. 

The panel is made out of 1/8" hardboard and covered with Formica laminate. The back panel cannot be any thicker than this or else I will not be able to add t-molding around the top edge while still allowing for the panel to be removed. The layout will mirror the front panel with the power button going where the volume knob is and the vent being where the marquee is. This should give you an idea of how it will look (not even close to scale):



Franco graciously agreed to layout the I/O panel in CAD and I'm really hoping I can have it laser cut out of some 1mm thick metal.  This is what I've come up with (again, not to scale):



The ports on the motherboard are going to be extended to these holes using some cables from frontx.com.

I will start explaining the construction in the next post.

[javeryh]

Now that I had a good idea of what I want the back panel to look like, it was time to start construction. I picked up the laminate from Home Depot (Formica brand) and was happy to see it rolled up in a tube. It shouldn't be a problem to laminate the curved panel! Check it out:





The first thing I did was trace the back of the jukebox shell on to some 1/8" thick MDF and cut out the rough shape. Then, using the rough shape as a template I traced it out on to the laminate and cut it out. Initially, I used my jigsaw and it was a mistake - it chipped the laminate like crazy - I probably should have tried scoring it with a utility knife or using some tin snips or something else. After cutting it out I wasn't sure if I left enough overhang around the edges because it was so badly chipped.

Here are the rough panels I cut (MDF and laminate):





I applied a thin coat of contact cement to the MDF and the back of the laminate panel, waited 30 minutes for the glue to dry and then bonded the two surfaces together.

I actually let this cure over night underneath a 3/4" MDF panel and a cinder block.





You can see how imprecise and rough everything is. I also got some contact cement on the good side of the laminate and I was a little worried about getting it off.



What a mess!!! You can see the chipped laminate, the spilled glue and even the permanent marker I used to trace out the shape! Is this going to work out?

Stay tuned!   

[javeryh]

More progress! After getting the 1/8" MDF laminated and rough cut to size I didn't think there was any way that it would turn out nice considering it was chipped and there was glue everywhere. The next step was cutting the panel to its proper size with my router and flush cutting bit.

First, I put some double sided tape around the perimeter of the jukebox shell:



Then, I carefully placed the rough panel on top of the tape making sure that when the overhanging material was removed that there wouldn't be any chip marks showing. The clamps were for added support although they definitely weren't needed - the double stick tape is pretty strong:



Next, I just went around the outside with the router and ended up with the exact shape I wanted! After I had the proper shape, I used a template I had made way back in the beginning of the project for the front panel to cut out the opening for the vent on the top of the back panel (I used double stick tape again). It was easy - the router cuts through the laminate like butter!





You can still see the glob of glue on top that would have to be removed. After that was finished the last thing I did for the night was drill out the hole for the power button in the center of the small semi-circle. I used my step drill bit and widened the hole to 3/4" diameter.





The button looks great and should match the other aluminum accents on the jukebox (speaker grill, t-molding, etc.). Oh, yeah - I was able to remove the glue using my fingers quite easily. I just rubbed it until it came off from the friction. Check it out (don't mind the dust):



I still need to cut the hole for the I/O panel along the bottom which will mirror the speaker grill on the front panel and install the washers for the magnets on the inside so the panel will stay in place but remain removable in case I need to get in there for maintenance.

More later!   

[Martijn]

brilliant ! i love the laminate Reminds me so much for my cab the color , the glow, the effect   

[richms]

I thought of making a VU meter for the display on mine, but we decided that there was no way we could make a long enough needle that was light enough to actually work - what would you make it out of?! - I would be very interested to see how you approach that bit if you go down that route.

There are large panel meters, you could get one and gut its surrounds so the needle was infront of the artwork.

VU meters actually move pretty slowly, what most people call a vu meter isnt, its closer to a peak meter.

[DaOld Man]

Sweeet!

I like the way this is turning out..

[Nvts]

Get to work, its been a couple weeks.  You need to get more done so I can figure out how to finish mine  

[DaOld Man]

Get to work, its been a couple weeks.  You need to get more done so I can figure out how to finish mine  

You talking to me??
If so you got to be kidding. You are way ahead of me..
But I do need to get off my lazy rear-o and get to work..
 

EDIT: Never mind, I just figured out you were talking to Jav.
I must be working too hard..

[javeryh]

I'm totally unmotivated right now.  I'm still pissed about the scratch.  It is up and running though.  Here's a shot of the guts being put together.  I'll get around to an update one of these days...

[Kaytrim]

Forget that darn scratch javeryh.  It is on the back and it will not be seen.  I haven't started yet and I'll end up beating you to the finish line.

[javeryh]

Forget that darn scratch javeryh.  It is on the back and it will not be seen.  I haven't started yet and I'll end up beating you to the finish line.

I wish it was on the back!  It is on the top of the front panel and is going to require some serious sandpaper kung-fu to blend that area into the rest of the black plexi.   



I'm going to try and make some progress this weekend...

[Kaytrim]

Then let me put it this way.  Over time there will be more scratches I can almost guarantee it.  btw This is why I am going with veneer.

[DaOld Man]

Hang in there Jav!
Hey, is there anyway you can cover the scratch? Like maybe some edge trim?
Or cut another piece of trim laminate to go around the perimeter?
That would be pretty cool, if you havent cut your T-molding slot yet.
It would be like a frame around the face of the juke.

[drawfull]

The scratch pic isn't showing for me, so I can't see how bad it is but I'm sure you'll work something out. The laminated pieces look great, don't lose motivation!!

edited as I think I am being stupid, but I still can't find a pic with a scratch

[javeryh]

The scratch pic isn't showing for me, so I can't see how bad it is but I'm sure you'll work something out. The laminated pieces look great, don't lose motivation!!

edited as I think I am being stupid, but I still can't find a pic with a scratch

Thanks!  I've been ripping my CD collection over the past few weeks (I'm up to the letter "e" - at the pace I'm going it will take months before I rip them all!).  I'm also trying to sort out a few things I need to finish that are out of my hands.

Check out pic #227 for the horrible horrible scratch.   

[javeryh]

Alright... it's been about 2 months and I'm just about getting over the fact that I scratched the front to hell - time to finish this thing for real.  The wife just started working weekends (tax season) so I'm going to be watching the kids.  I can get a lot done while they nap.  Here goes - these are some left over things I did before I took a break:

Computer Installation

The first thing I did was build a "shelf" above where the speaker bar will go as a starting point for the installation. The plan was to cut a 120mm hole in the middle and mount a computer fan underneath to push air up through the shell and eventually out the vent on top of the back panel. I also wanted to build a vertical shelf to mount the motherboard and hard drive to which will straddle the fan (exactly like mountain did).

This is the vertical shelf - really simple. It is made up of three MDF panels and I cut a semicircle cut out of the bottom:





The next thing I did was install the monitor in place. I used a few screws to secure it to the frame. Space was VERY tight here and I noticed the MDF pulling apart where the screws are so I added a few extra screws for added support (more than shown in the picture).  I also have to keep in mind that I'll be removing everything when it comes time to work on the volume knob.  For now I just wanted to be sure everything fits.



Also, before attaching the monitor, I installed the black weatherstripping around the monitor opening. This was tricky and ultimately didn't come out as precise as I wanted it to but it is barely noticeable. If I ever build something like this again I'm definitely going to use 1/4" Plexiglas for the front panel so I can route out the channel for the transducer wedge and everything will sit nice and flush. No big deal but since I'm mostly building this on the fly there are a few things I would do differently next time...



The shelf is secured to two 3/4" dowels I glued to the inside of the shell. The vertical shelf will be positioned directly above the fan so the hard drive and motherboard will remain cool while the jukebox is on. Everything else I cram in there will be based off of the placement of these major components.

More later.

[jthompson]

Awesome! I can't wait to see this thing finished!

[javeryh]

Well, I spent about an hour today trying to figure out exactly what I need to do in order to finish (besides configuring software).  The list isn't long at all so I'm thinking I can knock this out in a day - the trick is finding the time.  Here goes:

Front panel:

    * drill out plexiglass in volume knob area
    * bond spacer to front panel and install knob
    * polish scratch with sandpaper and Novus polish

Back Panel:

    * install magnets
    * Cut hole for I/O panel on bottom

Case:

    * install feet
    * glue t-molding in place

Marquee:

    * finalize design (almost there)
    * send to mamemarquees.com to print
    * cut to final size and install

Inside:

    * install computer
    * wire monitor, power supply and speakers to one port for power

I also need to finalize my I/O panel and get someone to cut it for me out of 1mm aluminum or something silver to match the grills and t-molding.

It's a lot of little things which is always a pain to finish but I think that's it.

Does anyone know if I can bond metal to MDF?  I bought some magnets to attach the back panel but the only way to attach the round catches is to use glue (it is 1/16" so way too thin to screw into).  Will this work or will this fail over time (asuming I remove the back panel to work on the guts from time to time)?

[javeryh]

OK, it's not much but I tried printing the marquee and putting it in place.  It took me about an hour to unscrew everything from the inside so I can resume working on the shell which is now empty again.  I need to get the art tweaked just a little bit otherwise it is final (the black line along the bottom and around the volume knob area needs to be removed and the semi-circles then need to be extended to meet the bottom edge of the marquee cutout).  It should look much nicer with the backlight and these are crappy pics from my wife's iPhone but you get the idea.

Does anyone know if I can bond metal to MDF?  I bought some magnets to attach the back panel but the only way to attach the round catches is to use glue (the back panel is 1/16" thick so way too thin to screw into).  Will this work or will this fail over time (assuming I remove the back panel to work on the guts from time to time)?

[Kaytrim]

Good to see you back at it buddy.  I would suggest using epoxy to glue the catches.  Take a file and score some groves into the back of the catches to give a tooth for the epoxy to grab onto.

TTFN
Michael

[DaOld Man]

Looking real good JH!
After seeing how yours is turning out, I kinda wished I didnt go with the rotating base on mine.

[javeryh]

Good to see you back at it buddy.  I would suggest using epoxy to glue the catches.  Take a file and score some groves into the back of the catches to give a tooth for the epoxy to grab onto.

TTFN
Michael

Thanks Michael - that's a good idea about scuffing the back of the catches.  I did a little measuring and they are exactly 1/16" thick which is the same thickness of the back panel (which is then covered in 1mm laminate).  I'm now thinking I could use a razor or something and pick at the back panel and get it down to the laminate and install the catches flush.  This would eliminate the 10 catches sticking up on the inside of the back panel and I'd be bonding the metal catch to the plastic laminate... I don't know.  I'm overthinking it for sure.

Looking real good JH!
After seeing how yours is turning out, I kinda wished I didnt go with the rotating base on mine.

Heh, the grass is always greener.  I've been thinking I kind of wish mine had the base!   

[Martijn]

i also got the back removable without bolts or screws

i placed the backside in the correct position, the mdf back moves into the laminate of the outside and i removed the t-molding mid section material and just glued it onto the side and held it down with stickytape

now i can just pull out the back and insert it again without screwing and its very tight

[javeryh]

Here's one more pic of the marquee.  No big deal but I thought I'd post it here before deleting it from the camera...

[Martijn]

it looks great javery

don't you or other mountain juke builders have the problem from mdf bending itself if you wait to many weeks to use the piece?

[reko19]

Javery,
My preference would be the first one. I think it'll look the best when illuminated. I would be concerned with the other two being too dark to allow light to get through.  Great marquee,  would you mind sharing it? I will be taking a plunge soon.

DaOld Man,
I went back and forth few times with the rotating base. I think it is pretty cool although adds a complexity to the project. Planning to go with the rotating base, all parts are already in. Waiting for the weather to warm up.

[javeryh]

it looks great javery

don't you or other mountain juke builders have the problem from mdf bending itself if you wait to many weeks to use the piece?

Thanks Martjin - I'm not sure what you mean by the MDF bending - it doesn't shrink/expand with different temperatures so it always remains the exact shape that I cut it.  This never even crossed my mind!

Javery,
My preference would be the first one. I think it'll look the best when illuminated. I would be concerned with the other two being too dark to allow light to get through.  Great marquee,  would you mind sharing it? I will be taking a plunge soon.

I'd be happy to share it once it is finished (I've asked the artist to make one last tweak).  I can put the file up for download.  I think I like the dark area of the marquee - the idea is for just the orange/yellow dial to show up but then have a slight glow surrounding it from the pattern in the background.  I'm hoping it looks cool in the dark with the black plexiglas... I guess I'll find out soon enough!

[DaOld Man]

I used my sheet of mdf as a table and I noticed some bending in the center.
I would turn it over a day or two before cutting a new piece out.
The stuff does bend when pressure is applied to the sides.
But if you stand the sheet on one edge, it doesnt seem to bend. (The strength is in the edge run, same as a 2 X 4).